Kismet
Legacy Name: Kismet

Zofia's family lived in Poland. It was 1939. Life was hard, and they barely had enough money to make ends meet, but they were a happy family. Little did they know, things were going to change their entire lives, very soon.

When the war started, Zofia's father often talked of moving the family away, to somewhere safe. But Zofia was scared, she didn't want to move, to leave her home and friends. One day however, just four months after her birthday, that decision was made for them. A bomb hit her house. Her mother died instantly, her father badly injured. Zofia had not been at home, but had run as fast as she could from her friend's house. Her father held Zofia close as he told her the news of her mother. She sobbed, they both cried together. Then the panic set in again as she realised she had left her precious bear in the house. "Nooo!" she screamed, "No, my bear, I want my bear!". Her father shook his head. "No, we must leave. Now!" Zofia protested, for many hours as they walked, not realising her father was growing weaker and weaker. Eventually he slumped at the side of the road, and Zofia stood, helpless, silent tears falling. She wept for her parents, her home.. And for the loss of the childhood gift most precious to her.

Zofia sat in her chair. She looked out of the window and watched the children playing in the street. Her grandchildren. She was now 71 years old, and despite the difficult years of her early childhood, she had led a happy life. She had married young, and had 3 children. Now she had 2 grandchildren, who lived just a few houses away from her own. Her husband had passed away just 5 months before, and she was adjusting to being a widow. She kept herself busy, and thanked the lord every day that she remained in good health. Zofia would often wander into the little town nearby, she enjoyed scouring the shops, to see what bargains she could find. She only lived about 30 miles from where she had grown up as a child. She had never been able to return though, there were too many painful memories there.

This particular day seemed no different from any other. Zofia gathered her coat and purse, and set off to the town. She wandered down the streets, popping into different shops, looking to see if anything was new. And then she saw it. A quaint little junk shop, one she had not noticed before. She decided to step inside. There was a young woman sitting behind the counter, who smiled and greeted Zofia as she entered. Gazing around, Zofia didn't think there would be anything much to buy here, but as she turned away from the counter, something caught her eye. Her heart skipped a beat. She froze on the spot. There, laying on it's side at the end, half-buried under some newspapers was a bear. A bear made of scrap metal. It was dented and dirty, and Zofia's hands trembled as she reached for it. Turning it upside down, she let out a loud moan as she saw the initials 'ZK' still visibly engraved, after all these years. The tears came thick and fast, as she stood and wept and held the bear tight against her chest. She was shaking so much, the shop keeper was worried Zofia might faint. "Are you alright, my dear?" she asked Zofia. "Whatever is wrong?"

Between sobs, Zofia whispered, "My bear, my bear!" The shopkeeper looked very confused, and said to Zofia "That old thing?! I have no idea where it came from. A gentleman brought it in earlier today, along with some other junk. I was going to see if the bear could be mended, as you can see it is in a bit of a state! You surely don't want it?!"

A few hours later, Zofia sat in her armchair again. She looked at the table next to her, and smiled as she looked at her bear. After all these years, it hardly seemed possible. Yes, it was damaged, and needed work to bring it back to its former glory. But, it was HER bear. And she would love it, forever and ever.