Lisel in 2014

Upon arriving, I knew I was still in Germany, but it wasnt the Germany I knew. It
seemed like I had just time travelled a hundred years into the future. There was no Hiltler,
or Nazis and no war. Instead there was a magnificent city to which there seemed to be no
end. Women were wearing somewhat fancy clothes, carrying a purse, while the men were
dressed in either a black and white suit or a t-shirt and a pair of jeans or shorts. The men
wearing a suit were all carrying a shiny black or brown briefcase. I was so confused as to
where I was or what year I was in that I started to feel really dizzy. Suddenly, I heard a
loud noise coming from a plane flying above that threatened to overpower my ears. I
immediately ducked and covered my ears with my hands, waiting for a bomb to drop out
of the plane. Nothing happened. I was the center of attention instead and surely quite
entertaining as people were staring at me with smiles close to laughter on their faces. I
even heard someone call me cute. Frightened was more what I had in mind. I looked up
and saw the largest aeroplane I had ever seen. Its wings spammed metres on either side
and the height of the plane was quite low. It even had dozens of windows on either side
with curved edges. It was only then that I figured it was a passenger plane. I was
fascinated by the size of it. I made my way through the crowd, searching for a sign that
would tell me where I was. I spotted a gigantic sign almost instantly which had the words
Welcome to Munich written on it in big, bold letters. I was stoked. At least Im in a place
Im familiar with, I thought to myself. That thought however was quickly transformed
into a doubt when I found myself staring at a building with a black apple on it. It was
bitten into from the side and right next door was a store that carried the sign with the
word Samsung on it. I had never seen these buildings before in my entire life. They were
so huge compared to the ones Rudys father owned or the ones the people on Himmel
Street lived in. It was when I saw people carrying bags as they came out of the building
that I figured they were stores. I decided to go in and explore it further myself. As I
entered the store, I was instantly surrounded by black screens of all sizes. I went near one
of the objects and pressed a button at the bottom, in the middle of the smallest one of the
screens. As I pressed it, the words slide to unlock appeared on the screen and the screen
itself turned from black to a more colourful screen. I was dumbfounded at what I had just
discovered. My head started to spin even more and I found myself on the verge of
fainting. The man dressed in a black and white suit must have seen this as he started
making his way over to where I was.Can I help you little girl? he asked. I found myself
responding with a thump to the floor as I went down and everything blurred before it all
went black.

When I opened my eyes, two men wearing a uniform were staring down at me. I noticed
that the uniform had the word Police printed on it in German. I instantly realised that I
was in a police station. Ahh, now little girl, there is no need to panic, one of the
policemen assured me. Do you know where your parents are? the other one asked.

No, theyre dead. They died on Himmel Street in a bombing and everyone else I loved

died along with them. Their names were Rosa and Hans Hubermann. Im Liesel
Meminger. Did you know them? Can you tell me where Max is? I, I cant seem to find
him. I dont know where Frau Hermann is either, my foster Mama. I dont know where I
am, or how I got here. Could you please help me find my family? the questions kept
pouring out. The two men stared at me like I was crazy or something. She needs help, I
think we should send her to a foster family, one said to the other.

Yeh I think youre right. This girl needs a new home, the other replied. Alright, little
girl, were gonna send you to a new home now. Youll be taken good care of there, I
promise.

But I want to be be with Max! Where is he? What did you do to him?! I cried. There
was no response. I was taken away at that very moment by a new foster family. Their
names were Mr and Mrs Schneider. They gently took me away while I was kicking and
screaming, yelling out Maxs name, hoping that he would hear me and come running
towards me. No such thing happened.

10 years later

Its been a year since I settled in with my husband, Max here in Sydney. And youre
probably wondering if its the same Max as the one I met on Himmel Street. No its not.
Its another Max that I learnt to love when I was in university completing my degree to
become an English teacher. Youre probably also wondering how I got to Sydney and
what happened with my new foster family. Well, here it is.

When I moved in with Mr and Mrs Schneider, I couldnt help but fall in love with the
way they treated me when I first entered the house. It reminded me of my old Papa and
Mama on Himmel Street. Mr Schneiders first name was Tom and Mrs Schneider was
known as Emily. They always took care of me like I was the only person that ever
mattered to them. When I looked into Papas eyes I couldnt help but compare them with
the ones that belonged to my old Papa. They had the same silver colour and the same
warmth. Mama had the most beautiful smile I had ever seen and gave the warmest hugs. I
had no trouble fitting in Munich on Amselweg Street.

After going to school for another 3 years, we moved here to live in Sydney, where I
started going to the University of New South Wales to persue my career as an English
Teacher. I met Max when I started attending university and fell in love at first sight. He
was so much like Rudy, which was part of the reason I fell in love with him but also
because he made me feel like I was the only girl for him. He brought back all the

memories from Himmel Street, which I will cherish forever. We married 3 years later and
settled in a house close to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Im living the most beautiful life I
could ever imagine, and this wouldnt have been possible if I hadnt been somehow
brought into this magical world.