5 Years Old 1944 September 4the
I got up, Mater looking as white as a sheet as she looked at me, and told her withe a smile as I dusted myself off from having fallen off thee fence in our yard "Mater! Mater! I'm fine, I don't need to be put back together like Humpty Dumpty." She nodded slowly and said while picking me up and taking me to thee house.

5 Years Old, 1944 October 29the

"Mater, it's so pretty here!" I said withe a giggle as I started running through thee roses in this huge garden. It's so pretty...I walked back to thee gate and looked around. Where'd Mater go? And Vater? I sniffled and walked towards thee bench keeping my head down. I guess… they went to go get me presents. My birthday is in two days….ja, that must be it.

It got dark soon, way too soon. Mater and Vater would never leave me out in thee dark. The war has been going on as long as I’ve been alive, they knew thee rules about children. I don’t want to go to Auschwitz…I looked up from my shoes and saw a kitty next to me, begging to be petted. She was pretty under thee dirt, dark silver fur withe black stripes, and I told her while picking her up in my lap and rubbing her belly which seemed really big

“Are you going to be a mommy kitty?” She yawned and nodded. Huh. I didn’t know kitties could nod, she must be smart.

“Will you be my mommy kitty?” She seemed to think for a long time and finally nodded. I put her down and she meowed for me to follow down an alley. I turned to look at thee gates and saw soldier men start walking down thee road, I’d better follow…

6 Years Old, 1945 February 11the

I shook my head and told Mama-Kitty as she mee-oof-ah’d for me to follow her. She was getting impatient, but I don’t trust my balance to go across a telephone wire. I gulped and closed my eyes and started walking, it helped that I had long ago left my shoes and socks to just go barefoot. I cautiously opened up an eye and felt relief go through me, this is as easy as Mama-Kitty said it was! I happily skipped along thee wire and nearly jumped a meter as I heard a man call for me to come down. He was tall, least I think he is since it’s hard to tell from this height, and had a big black hat and long dark blond hair. I climbed down at thee nearest pole and he stood there and barked at me looking angry

“What were you thinking?! If you fell you would have died,” No I wouldn’t. But I didn’t say that. He continued ranting that I should leave walking around on a wire in high places to thee professionals and I asked him making him give me a puzzled look

“People do that as a job?” I would love to do that. He nodded slowly and said rather proudly for a man who looked like he was half a noble and half a street man

“Yes indeed, I own a circus and pay people to do that for other people to watch and pay for.”

Ohhhhhh….that makes sense. I nodded and asked giving him thee ‘puppy eyes’, as Mater used to tell me it was, and he seemed to actually think about it

“Would you take me on as an apprentice?”

It seems…more of a life than wondering around thee streets and nicking food to feed me and my cat family. Finally, after what seemed like forever, he nodded and asked while taking my hand and leading me down thee street

“You have talent…I suppose I will. What’s your name kid?”

“Bardolf. Yours sir?”

“Burton.”