Dad opened the letter and inside were 20 pounds and picture.
“Wow” Peter said, while admiring the money.
Then we looked at the picture the picture had four people. A woman holding three babies.

Peter gasped.

I looked at Peter questionably. Then I looked at the picture more closely. I also gasped and reared back. Peter was always a better observer than me. Woman in the picture was Mum. And in the picture, me as a Baby and Baby Peter were in Mom’s arms with another baby?

Dad cleared his throat, “The girl in the picture is Sarah your sister.”
Our sister? I thought.

“What sister?” I finally asked, “Dad who is really she?”

“After the Great War,” Dad began, “We didn’t have enough money to sustain all three of you, so we sent Sarah to live in the countryside with your aunt and uncle.”

“Umm which aunt and uncle?” Peter asked.

“Your mother’s sister I don’t think you’ll remember them. We haven’t seen them in a long time since the accident,” Dad replied.

“What accident?” I asked.

“Wait, I’m getting to it,” Dad said. “I told you that we left your sister with your aunt and uncle. One day your aunt left your sister to play outside in the sunshine when she came back. She was gone. Just gone. Your had sister just disappeared.”

“How?” Peter and I said in unison.

Somehow Peter and I always seemed to talk at the same time.

“She just disappeared.” Dad replied had a sad expression on his face while he spoke.

We all fell silent.
Finally, Peter asked “Why have you never told us, and why are you telling us now?”

“Well,” Dad said “It’s a little bit complicated. We told the police, but the police never found Sarah. We decided not to tell you just ’cause you guys were too young and you wouldn’t be able to understand.”

“Okay.” Peter said. But why are you telling us now?”
Dad sighed “Well,” he said. “You know what happens in war. I might not come back,” he said softly.

Me and Peter burst to a bubble of an argument. “You will come back,” we said over and over.
Dad just looked at us. “I’ll try my best but I cannot guarantee anything. This is the way of life.”

“But Mom could have told us.” I said reasonably.

Dad’s face twisted into an expression I could not read.
“Your mom would never tell you. It would hurt her too much. She grieved for years for Sarah.” Dad said very softly.

“Oh.” Peter said softly.

“I have not told your mother yet. But about your aunt and uncle that live in the countryside. If it gets too dangerous here. You will move there. But…” Dad, paused.

“Yes?” Peter said.

“Well, you know that I am high in government so the tension between England and Germany has been going along for a long time. A couple of years before you were born. As I told you, I wasn’t earning enough money from the government because we had gone through a long war. But I was still high in government.” Dad paused.

And as he paused, we leaned in.

“I suspect. That maybe. Just maybe…” He leaned in his voice barely above a whisper. “The Germans captured your sister”
Dad continued “Recently, I have not told your mother, but I have received couple of notes that say, Sarah is alive, and we have her.”

To be continued