Recap: Rav Sarna returned, and the girls wait anxiously to see if he can help.
Finally, Rav Sarna opened his eyes. “You were ill with a fever?”
I nodded.
“Fever can affect our thoughts and memory.”
He didn’t believe me. He was saying the same thing his wife had said.
“No, no. Please. The Rav doesn’t understand. It has nothing to do with a fever. We don’t belong here.”
“You must get rest.”
“Please, Rav Sarna. It has nothing to do with fever.”
He nodded. “You will be fine.”
Katie stared down at her lap. I felt tears of frustration slide down my cheek. He didn’t understand. He wasn’t going to help us. We were going to be stuck here in this time period forever. We would never see our parents again.
Katie and I filed out of the room. Downstairs in the hallway, Sabrina was getting ready to make the trip back to Madrid with Liselle Rosa and Dovid.
I wiped away tears that spilled unchecked down my cheeks.
Sabrina’s dark eyes were full of sympathy.
“He doesn’t believe us,” I choked out the words.
Liselle strolled over to us. She was holding a bag in one hand and Dovid’s hand in her other hand. “The Rebbetzin asked if we could come into the kitchen. She has more things for us to take on our trip back.”
I shook my head. “No help. None! This long journey all the way here was for nothing.”
Katie and I followed them into the kitchen. The Rebbetzin handed another bag to Liselle. “Please take these extra provisions for the way back.”
“When are you leaving?” I asked.
“Tomorrow morning,” Sabrina said. “Do you want to come back, and we’ll get you to Amsterdam?”
Katie and I exchanged looks. “We want to go home,” I said.
Sabrina put her arm on my shoulder. “Maybe the Rav will still think of a way—”
I interrupted Sabrina. “He doesn’t understand. I tried explaining, and he just said something about a fever causing strange ideas.”
Liselle Rosa stepped towards me. “Miri, don’t despair. My father always said that a y’shuah can come in the blink of an eye.”
“But how, if Rav Sarna can’t help us?”
“Hashem helps everyone,” Rebbetzin Sarna said. “My husband is a shaliach, but Hashem is the one you need to go to.”
I’d been praying nonstop. “What else can I do?” I asked. “I’ve davened and asked for help. He’s not helping us.”
The Rebbetzin turned towards me. “Hashem is always helping. We just don’t always see how.”
I thought of my mother and how worried she must be. I missed her so much.
As the Rebbetzin poured some ale into cups for us, there was a low rumbling noise like a freight train. There weren’t any freight trains around here or even anywhere in this time period.
“What is that?” Katie asked.
The rumble amplified until it was a loud, steady roar. Then the floor seemed to move. The room was shaking. Canisters slid off shelves. Pots banged to the floor.
“It’s an earthquake!” the Rebbetzin screamed. “Quick! Move beneath one of the tables!”
To be continued…
Susie Garber is the author of 11 popular Jewish books, including her newly released historical fiction novel The Blizzard (Menucha 2026) and recently published novel Captured (Menucha 2025). She is also the current news editor of Binyan Magazine.