Rudy Schlattner’s hands trembled as he stood before the villa. It had been 70 years since he last walked through these doors.
Back then, he was just a boy. It was 1945, and his family, ethnic Germans living in Czechoslovakia, was being expelled from the country. They had hours to pack.
Now, at 83 years old, Rudy had returned. He wasn’t just there to reminisce. He was there on a mission.
He knocked on the door. Instead of the silence of a private home, the sounds of children laughing drifted out. The building was now a kindergarten.
The director opened the door, looking surprised to see an elderly stranger. “Can I help you?”
“I used to live here,” Rudy explained, his voice unsteady. “My father hid something in this house before we left. I need to check the attic.”
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