The rainbow never sets

someone who knows him."

When the mail was restored in October, Vater filled in a search request through the Red Cross, giving our name and address, Günter's name and his former unit. The Red Cross served in those turbulent days as an agent through whom people, separated by the war, were able to find each other again. We hoped that he was taken prisoner by the Russians, and once released, he would be able to find us through the Red Cross.

Meanwhile, our life in Emersleben settled into a normal rhythm: work during the week, and rest on Sundays. The beautiful village church was close by and each Sunday we would walk to church. I walked with Oma ahead of the others, as she walked slower, with her stick in one hand, and my arm steadying her under the other. By the time we had walked past the wrought-iron gate, the bell in the church tower started calling the worshippers to church, with its beautiful deep tone.

"We have plenty of time, Oma. Let's enjoy the ringing of the bell while we walk. It always gives me a special feeling."

"I like it too. God is preparing us to tune in with him. When we listen later to Pastor Begrich, our minds will be set on spiritual things."

The minister was rather old. He was somewhat aloof, but his sermons were very good; challenging with relevance to our present situation. By the time Oma and I had arrived in church, Vater had caught up with us. Mutter usuallycame later, as she was not too keen to listen every Sunday to the liturgy. She thought it was repetitious and she therefore skipped it quite often. I found it enjoyable, especially the singing, and the introductory prayers, and I was glad that we had the freedom to come to worship when we wanted.

Pastor Begrich was a great gardener. One day he asked me to call in, he wanted to give us some of his prize tomatoes.

"Did you know that the schools are re-opening this coming Monday?" "No, Mr. Begrich, I hadn't heard anything about that."

"Do you want to go back to school?" "Yes, I do. I want to finish high school with matriculation. Perhaps I might be able to study agriculture afterwards."

"To follow the footsteps of your father, eh?" "Not really. I'm still a little vague, but I want to learn proper farming methods, modern ones, with the necessary scientific background."

"Would you like to become a farmer, then?" "Yes, as soon as we can go back home. But if that is not possible, I could become an adviser or something in that line."

"I can see you have it all worked out, but to do that, you will have to finish your schooling. So, don't forget, schools go back again on Monday."

"What school do you think I could go to?" "The Martineum in Halberstadt is a very good one. I'm sorry, I keep using the old name. It is now called: 'Dom und Ratsschule'; it's a high school for boys. I believe they accept students like you, who had been

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