The rainbow never sets

parents had not yet given up hope. However, I have no recollection that they told me about this letter at some other time. Mutter had written an addendum in Vater's Memoirs that I had put the letter into the family Chronicle, but when I found it in 1994, I think it was among Mutters things, together with Oma's memoirs, which she had specifically written for me. Gerda writes, that when she was an adult she asked Mutter what exactly were the circumstances concerning Günter's disappearance, Mutter told her the details and that in fact, they only gave up hope when it was officially announced that all POW's had returned from the USSR. Perhaps I should have asked Mutter about this too? Maybe it was too painful for me?

As Christmas 1948 was approaching, I once again wanted to visit my parents in Emersleben. The situation at the borders had not changed over the year, and I was going to try it again near Halberstadt.

There were a few anxious moments at the border, but everything went smoothly, and I arrived in Emersleben with two weeks of holidays before me. I had a lovely time again with the family. Oma had become a little more frail, Gerda had grown and seemed to enjoy her life in Emersleben. We talked about my studies in Göttingen, and how the devaluation of the currency in the West would affect these. By then the exchange rate between the East and the West Mark was 4:1, but we didn't come to any conclusions. I also said that I had no desire whatsoever to study in Halle or anywhere else in the Eastern Zone. Somewhat reluctantly I left Emersleben after a fortnight, as I did not look forward to working at the farm again.

Bernd and I were making plans in our free time for our next reunion with the old Siebenbürger boarders. We had heard earlier that arrangements were being made for all the former students of the Schiller School in Posen to meet this year. Ernst Wenski, together with the former Headmaster, Dr. Voigt, were instrumental in getting that reunion off the ground, scheduled for the 18 and 19 April 1949. Bernd and I were very keen to be part of it, and we enjoyed it just as much as the first one, meeting some of the other school friends again, whom we had not seen the year before. Günter's friend Hans Zipper was also there. He was very sad to hear that we still hadn't heard anything from Günter. We talked about the good old days for a long time. It was so good to see him again, but unfortunately, after that meeting we lost touch again. My friend Helmut Herke had not come to the reunion.

Back at the farm I persevered with the work, although I found it very unattractive. By then I had long learnt to harness and drive the oxen. One day I was coming home with them with some freshly cut lucerne for the cows. I was sitting on top of the lucerne. As I was driving on the road, Herr Kothe came along with his horses pulling another cart going in the opposite direction. Just before he was passing me he swung out his long whip and lashed at me, hitting me in my face and neck, "Take that for

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