Thread: A Light in the Darkness (Madam Mim & Sync)

How long had it taken him to brave the trip into the city? Hours? A couple of days? Whatever it was, it felt longer. Each set of lights that came close to him caused him to flinch and hide each rumble of an engine made him poise to run. It was still evening when he made his final push towards the area he once called home. Fortunately the neighbourhood he was looking for was on the south side of the city, not too far from the city outskirts, but he still travelled carefully. Would it still be home? Would there be anyone at home to greet him? He had no idea. The only news of any kind hed received from home were the letters from Miri, but theyd stopped when he arrived at Dachau. It didnt take him as long as hed thought it might to make the final journey to his parents home it was dimly lit, streetlamps were all out, there was nobody outside either in vehicle or on foot. The streets werent difficult to navigate, even in darkness. Finding his parents house was relatively easybut it was empty. Deserted. Almost boarded-up. There was clearly no-one home, and from the state of the small lawn, the house had been abandoned for a couple of months at least. Father would never let the lawn become that overgrown. Something wasnt right. The doors were locked, the curtains drawn. He approached one of the front windows, peered inside as best he could through a crack in the curtainshe couldnt see anything. It was very dark inside, true, but there was nothing to indicate anyone was home. What had happened? There were lights on next door good family friends, the Heinz family. Was Miri still there? He didnt know he hoped so. He hoped any member of the Heinz family was still there. Gunther knew he had to go somewhere. There streets werent an option. He could break into his parents home, he supposed, but that justfelt wrong. He had to try next doorand a few moments later he was there, in front of the unlit door. There were voices insidesounded familiar. He knocked, and the voices stopped. After a few moments, the door cracked open, an eye peered at him, the voice that belonged to that eye called him an officer? The door was opened wider to let him in, and then He could only assume it was Miri that had rushed up to him and hugged him warmly. The brief glance he could remember had looked like her, and it sounded like her. He returned the hug wearily, feeling both hope and despair in equal measure at her friendlinessthen she had stepped back, and the rest of the family gathered around him Abner and Shoshona, Esther and Miriam, Oren and Eli. He knew them all well, and they him. It was all a blur, Miriam was taking his trench coat and pushing him gently towards the fire, indicating he should sithe did so, slowly and gratefully. II never received your letters, he replied slowly, after a few moments of quiet. His voice was subdued, quiet, still a low-tenor in pitch but lacking a little of the brightness the family might have known him to have. And there was no chance for me to write you. He was staring into the fire, as if hypnotised by the crackling flames in the hearth. He decided to try and avoid her first query, for as long as he could. The less they knew about him, the better. But hed always had a hard time refusing Mirimaybe shed understand and not push him. My parents placeboarded up. What happened to them? Are they safe?