A man arrived at the seaport in Hamburg, Germany.
He came aboard the cheapest ticket, wearing tattered clothes, his skin weathered and hardened by years of exposure to harsh elements.
The man wandered the streets, observing the buildings and bustling life with eyes both weary and curious. Though much had changed, fragments of the past lingered, guiding him with a familiar sense of direction as he navigated old paths to familiar places.
Germany had transformed in his absence. New buildings stood tall, trends among women had shifted subtly, and the trees had grown older and grander. The man yearned to learn about everything that had happened during his long absence.
But the road to Poland was long.
One day, in Warsaw, Frank heard a knock at the door.
When he opened it, he saw a thin, frail man standing before him. Though aged and worn, the man's face carried a haunting familiarity.
It was like seeing a ghost.
A ghost that had never truly been dead.
It was his father.
The man's voice, raspy and trembling, seemed to echo from deep within the past, crossing the vast seas and lost time:
"Hello, son."
Frank froze for a moment, overwhelmed by emotions. Then, suddenly, joy and sorrow erupted from him as he realized the impossible. His father, thought lost forever, was alive.
With a tearful, almost frantic hug, Frank embraced him.
"You're tall and strong," Eustakio said, his voice thick with emotion. "I'm so happy you're healthy."
From the kitchen, the sound of plates shattering broke the silence. Nelka had heard the commotion and came to see what had happened.
Standing in the doorway, she saw the man she had long believed lost—a man who had journeyed through unimaginable trials to return home.
