“CAROLINE!” Justine screamed up the stairs to her daughter. She shook with fear, four Nazis surrounded her with their guns pointed towards her and her husband’s heads. “Caroline get your brother and come downstairs please!”
“What is it mom!” Caroline stumbled out of bed and across the hall into her brother, Derek’s room, “Derek, wake up. Mom wants us downstairs.”
“No, I’m tired!” he whined and rolled over, his back towards Caroline.
“Come on!” Caroline shouted pulling at her younger brother’s arm. “It’s probably important if mom is waking us up this late…”
“I’m coming, I’m coming.” Caroline wandered out of Derek’s room and down the stairs with the eleven year old boy in tow.
At the end of the stairs the siblings were met by the Nazis and their terrified parents. Derek was overwhelmed,
“Mom! Dad! What’s going on?” He squeezed Caroline’s hand and hid behind her.
“Pack your things, we’re leaving immediately,” one Nazi with a tired and worn face asserted his orders to the Jews. Hurriedly, the Bergerson's strided through their home gathering all they could manage. Caroline knew she should pack clothes and food, but she couldn’t find her most prized possession. The one thing she couldn’t live without, the stuffed teddy bear her best friend Connor gave to her when they were only four years old. For thirteen years, Caroline kept the bear with her as a constant reminder of Connor.
“We’re leaving! Let's go!” The men screamed at the family, pulling them out of the door and down the street. Ahead was a truck with a large bed lined with hay and filled with people. One man pushed Caroline’s back with the butt of his gun,
“Go on,” he pushed the children into the truck’s bed. Derek struggled, only making him angrier. Michael grabbed his son and threw him into the hay before the Nazi had a chance to lay a hand on him. Shaking profusely, Justine climbed in, following her children, with her husband directly behind her.
There were sixteen Polish Jews stuffed in the bed of the truck, some with families and others by their lonesome. Swaddled in a young woman’s arms, a baby cried, Caroline sat beside the two and helped calm the infant to sleep.
“Where are we going, Mom?” Caroline asked, her eyes showed both courage and fear.
“Oh baby girl, we’re going to the unimaginable.”
---
The ringing of his alarm ripped Connor from his dream. Grabbing his glasses, the boy pushed away his blankets and sprung out of bed. Downstairs, his mother was cooking sausages and eggs, and his father was sitting in his recliner reading the Sunday paper.
Typical Sunday morning, Connor thought to himself, better get ready for church.
“Can I go over to see Caroline before we leave to church?” He asked his father cautiously, trying not to disturb his reading.
“Be quick, we need to leave for church soon,” Patrick hardly glanced over his paper and waved his son off.
“Thanks Dad! Be back soon.”
Caroline’s house was just three doors down from the Smiths’ and Connor had been walking to school with his best friend for as long as he could remember. Approaching the red, two story home, Connors tripped. Looking down, he saw Caroline’s teddy bear.
“Huh, that’s odd. Caroline always has that bear with her,” he spoke to himself hopping up the front steps. After a few knocks on the door and no response, Connor decided to try the back door. He peered into the windows walking around the side of the house but he didn’t see anyone. Connor pushed gently on the back door and to his surprise, it was open.
“Hello? Caroline? Derek? Mr. and Mrs. Bergerson? Is anyone home?” He called into the dark, quiet house. The kitchen was a horrible mess, which shocked Connor because Mrs. Bergerson is a stickler for tidiness. He roamed into the living room and found that, like the kitchen, it was a disaster.
“Hello? Anyone there?” Connors called as he crept up the stairs and down the hallway. Clothes were strewn across the bedroom floors, picture frames had been knocked down, and the house was entirely empty.
“What is going on…” Connor, worried and fretful, hurried out of the home and ran home, Caroline’s teddy bear choking in his grip. Thoughts and concerns rushed through his mind, What happened to them? Why did she leave her teddy bear behind? Why was their house such a mess? Why did they leave the door unlocked?
He slammed the front door open.
“The Bergerson’s are gone.” Connor trembled uncontrollably, his mother’s face turned stark white, and his father’s paper slipped out of his reach and spilled onto the floor.
---
Looking out of the small square cut out in the wall of the box she was crammed into, Caroline saw that they were slowly arriving at their destination. Officers swarmed the gates which read, “Work Sets You Free,” and crowded the cattle cars and began shouting and pointing. Caroline tumbled onto the feet of a stern-faced officer when the door she was leaning on slide open.
“Uh, uh, I’m sorry,” she stuttered and clambered away from him.
“GET UP!” he shouted and kicked her hard in the ribs. “Get OFF of me you filthy Jew!”
Hopping off the car, Justine cradled her daughter with tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Let’s go, Caroline. Don’t let them know your fear,” before the mother and daughter could turn and see the rest of their family, they were whisked away into a crowd of women.
“Derek! Dad!” Caroline screams were muffled by her mother’s shoulder.
“Hush, baby girl. It’s going to be okay…”
Ahead of them, a group of officers separated the women sending families in different directions. As the two approached the cruel men, they realized this was their last moment together. They cried and smiled, quietly sharing their memories without even the slightest of speech.
“Over fifty years and under five years, to the right,” a tall, angry Nazi pulled Caroline and Justine apart, “The rest to the left.”
With only a wave the mother and daughter parted ways, eagerly awaiting for their future reunion. After a long day of chaos and confusion, Caroline collapsed into a heap on a wooden bed in what appeared to be her new home. Only, she was not alone, packed next to her was a young girl.
“Who are you?”
“I’m Caroline.”
“Hello Caroline, I’m Annabelle. How old are you?”
“I am seventeen year olds, Annabelle, how old are you?”
“Nine.”
“Oh.” Caroline was shocked, sitting before her was a petite girl of only nine years. She had sandy brown ringlets, and bright, bright greenish blue eyes that reminded her of her brother’s. “Well Annabelle, I think we’re going to need all the company we can get in this place. We should be friends.”
“I’ve always wanted a big sister!” Annabelle’s big eyes widened and she jumped forward into the arms of her new, best friend. “Promise me you won’t be taken like momma was.”
“I promise.”
---
“I don’t believe it. There has to be something I can do. I’m not going to just give up on Caroline like that!” Pushing his father away, Connor bolted up the stairs and into his room. “No, I’m going to find her. I’m going to save her.”
Connor picked up the pad of paper sitting on his bedside table and furiously began writing.
To My Family,
I’m leaving. Yes, running away. I know this is bizarre, and quite unlike me, but you must know why. A life without my best friend is inconceivable, and simply unbearable. I am going to find her. I will do whatever it takes to get my best friend back, and I am NOT going to give up anytime soon. Please do not try to argue with me. Please understand where I am coming from as I know you love Caroline as much as myself. The Bergerson's are our family, and I cannot fathom enough how important they are to me. Just as important as you two are to me. I will hopefully return fairly soon, and accompanied by Caroline and the rest of our family. Please know how great my love is for you. You have not only taught me to persevere, but how essential it is to make sacrifices for the ones we love. Thank you for being my parents, words are not strong enough to explain my appreciation for the both of you.
With all my love,
  Connor
---
Darkness filled the bunk, Caroline slept heavily with Annabelle cuddled up next to her.
“Caroline?” a small voice floated through the room.
“Annabelle, try to sleep.”
“I can’t, I can only fall asleep after momma tells me a story.”
“How about I tell you a story?” Caroline’s mind filled with memories of her family and her best friend.
“Okay.”
“It was my fourth birthday. My mom and dad were throwing me a small party, it was just the neighbors, some friends, and family. I was so excited because mom told me she was making my favorite cake, chocolate strawberry. I couldn’t wait to open all my presents, eat my cake, and celebrate with everyone. I didn’t recognize one of the boys there, so I approached him out of curiosity to find out who he was. He told me his name was Connor and that his family had just moved into the house down the street from me. I was thrilled to make a new friend who would be going to school with me and who lived so close to me. Later in the day when it was time to open presents, Connor told me to save his for last. After receiving gifts of ribbons, dolls, and candy, I finally got to open his. To my surprise, the present Connor got me was a soft, stuffed bear. I had never been happier about such a splendid gift! For the rest of my party, Connor, the stuffed bear, and I were inseparable. Needless to say, we have been best friends ever since. And up until now, the bear has always been at my side.” But by the end of Caroline’s tale, Annabelle had already drifted off and was sound asleep against her chest.
---
The sun had just risen as Connor slipped out of the comfort of his home and into the cool air outside. By noon, he had asked all the houses in his neighborhood if they had any clue as to where the Bergerson's had gone. Unhappy with the responses, Connor traveled farther away from home, into to town. Okay, the nearest concentration camp is Auschwitz in Oswiecim, which is just more than an hour drive from Krakow. Maybe I could sneak onto a train… or hitchhike there… Connor thought of every possible way he could get to Caroline.
After a long afternoon of walking, Connor could just see the train station in the distance. He could hear the thunder of the train roaring as it approached its stop. Connor sprinted towards the station,  I can’t miss this train, I need this. I need to make it to Caroline. He was able to throw himself onto a cargo car before the train rushed off. The next few days were hell, no food, water, or knowledge of where he was. This must be like what Caroline is going through. His thoughts wandered and he began to worry about her. Connor stayed up during nights thinking about Caroline and slept through the days, dreaming about reuniting with his best friend.
---
The days dragged on, Caroline just barely making it through each week. After long days of work and suffering, Caroline would tell Annabelle stories about Connor and her life before she was taken. Her favorite story to tell was the time she and Connor went into town to celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah together with their families. The girls would spend every minute they could telling one another and other girls stories of their lives before camp.
“Tell us another story about Connor!” they pleaded Caroline to share memories of her best friend, and telling them somehow made her feel all the better on a tough day.
“Okay, okay, this one is about our first day of school the one year we didn’t have the same teacher. It was cold and rainy, Connor and my outfits were completely ruined by the time we arrived at school. Since we lived a few houses apart, we always walked to school together… we were even wearing our matching rain coats! When we made it to school we were dripping wet, but not yet discouraged. To our disbelief the roll call set us in two different classrooms! In utter confusion, Connor and I approached the head mistress to kindly ask if there had been some kind of mistake. She said that it didn’t appear there was and that we were supposed to be with seperate classes for the rest of the year. I was completely devastated, but Connor tried to lift my mood and told me some of my favorite jokes and stories. After a long day apart from my best friend, school was over and Connor and I met in the front yard of the school to walk home. ‘Guess what!’ he screamed, running out of the building. Though I was upset, my curiosity got the best of me and I rushed over to him jumping and screaming, ‘What! What!’ I was completely shocked to find out that Connor talked to his teacher and she said that I could move into his class! I was so happy that I could be back with my best friend. The rest of the year was amazing, I can’t imagine what I would’ve done without Connor.”
---
Dumped onto the rocky dirt path, Connor scrambled up the hill before him and pushed himself to his feet.
¨There it is…” Connor mumbled to himself in awe and disbelief at what he saw before him. Frail and hollow bodies clung to the fence pleading, crying, dying. Connor realized how small the chance of saving his best friend would be, frankly he would be lucky if Caroline was even still alive.
¨Hello?” Connor tried reaching out to the shells of people in front of him, ¨Has anyone here heard the name Caroline Bergerson?¨
The stench of desperation crowded both sides of the fence.
¨I do,” a small voice echoed around the decrepit beings.
¨Who was that?” Connor eagerly called out into the mass. Slowly, the skeletons parted and through them came a small girl.
¨Hello, I am Annabelle. You must be Connor, Caroline has told me all about you. We never believed she'd even see you again.¨
¨Where is she? Is she here? Can I see her?¨ Relief filled the young man? eyes and tears trickled down his face.
---
¨CAROLINE! CAROLINE! CAROLINE! CONNOR IS HERE!¨ Annabelle ran into the bunk screaming and jumping. Caroline lay on the floor, weak and lifeless.
“What?”
“Come on! He wants to see you! Don’t you want to see him?” The young girl pulled on Caroline’s arm and out the door. When the two arrived at the fence, Caroline couldn’t believe her eyes.
“Is that really you?” She put her hands to the fence and rested them against his.
“Yes, Caroline, it’s me. It’s Connor. I’m here, I am finally here.”
Pressing against the fence in front of them, they tried to embrace through the barrier.
“I missed you so much, how did you find me? How did you get here?” Before Connor could even begin to answer her questions, boots came marching towards them.
“BACK AWAY FROM THE FENCE,” several Nazi men came running to them, screaming. But the two refused to separate. Bullets came rushing towards them,
“I love you.”
“I love you.”
The sound of their bodies seemed to echo through the entire camp. But with the sorrow of more lives loss came happiness. Happiness because Caroline and Connor were peaceful, and more importantly, they were together.
---