Pigeons and birds were flying in and out of the “Koelner Dohm,” as the enormously tall church in Cologne is called. Droozy, Fanny and Benjy were watching with fascination as birds of all sizes nested in the many cavities of the cathedral. People would go in and out of the church, paying no attention to the beauty of nature that surrounded them. Some folks walked with hurried steps, some walked slowly, still others walked at a normal pace.

Every hour a bell would toll, its loud clang sending shivers through the children’s spines. Benjy began to cry and hide in Droozy’s skirt whenever he heard the gong of those bells. He was only two years old then and didn’t know what this was all about. He only knew that his beloved Mama wasn’t around and that he better find protection from all that horrible noise that seemed to be following him. Every so often Droozy would pick up her brother and hold him close, because she too was scared. Fanny would scream at them both, telling them to be still and to stop being such brats. Fanny always seemed angry, no matter what the occasion.

Waiting at that church seemed endless. Why didn’t their mother come?  What was happening?  She had left the three children there on the steps of the Cathedral and had told them to stay together and to watch their two suitcases. Every so often the two girls would pick up the heavy trunks that were bulging and overstuffed.

After what seemed like hours, their mother appeared with hurried steps, took her children by the hand, left the suitcases behind and ran with them to the train station. All were out of breath when they ascended the steps of the waiting train. It was only a few seconds after they got on that they heard the hoot of the train whistle and the train pulled away. The only possession that Mama had with her was a medium sized worn black purse that hung from her arm.

Looking out the train window, the Cologne Cathedral could be seen from the distance. As the train pulled farther and farther away the Cathedral seemed to become smaller and smaller until only the peak of the building peered out in the fog. It was the last time that the family Abner would see the “Koelner Dohm.”