The Sacred Jewel – A Brave Girl’s Journey to End the War

In the dead of night, Flavia was wrenched from her dreams by a scream that tore through the stillness like shattered glass. It came from her mother’s room. She leapt from bed, crept silently across the creaking floorboards, and pressed her eye to the keyhole.

What she saw froze her blood—two Nazi soldiers were binding her mother’s hands behind her back. Flavia bit her tongue to stifle a cry, but as she backed away, a floorboard betrayed her with a sharp creak. A soldier, his face grim and cold, opened the door cautiously with his gun drawn. He sighed when he saw the terrified girl.

“It’s just a child,” he muttered, lowering the weapon. In an instant, he grabbed her arm, and though she struggled with all her might, his grip was like iron. Flavia soon found herself herded with her mother and many others from their homes—Jewish women and children destined for a refugee camp.

Torn from Family

By the time they arrived, the sun had vanished beyond the hills, leaving only a sliver of moonlight. Desperately, Flavia searched the camp for her mother, but she was nowhere to be found. The last sight of her was back in their home, wrists bound, eyes wide with fear.

Flavia curled up on the cold, unforgiving ground, her feet blistered, her heart heavier than ever. Her father was already off fighting in the war; her mother was lost somewhere—perhaps forever. Tears came easily, but more than the ache in her limbs, it was the emptiness beside her that made her weep.

A Golden Companion

At dawn, a familiar sound cut through her sorrow—a playful bark. Scuto! Flavia’s golden Löwchen puppy came bounding toward her, tail wagging and tongue lolling.
“Scuto! You found me!” she cried, cradling him tightly.

But Scuto squirmed free and darted into a nearby thicket, barking excitedly. Curious, Flavia followed, just in time to see dirt flying into the air. Scuto had uncovered a wooden box buried beneath the soil. Inside the box was a coded note and a picture of a fighter jet—strange and puzzling relics of the war.

The image and code stirred a memory: an old Wise Woman in an ancient German temple, whom Flavia had met once before. A hunch bloomed in her mind—this clue might be connected to the war itself. Driven by intuition, she decided to seek out the Wise Woman of Frauenkirche, even though the path was perilous.

Journey to Frauenkirche

With tins of soup, water, Scuto, and the mysterious box packed, Flavia set off under a starlit sky. Guided by constellations her father had taught her, she navigated to the plains of Uada, knowing the River Uada would soon appear—and beyond that, the steep climb to Frauenkirche.

Along the way, she and Scuto rested in a moss-carpeted cave. At dawn, Flavia crafted a crude raft from bark and reeds, just as her father had shown her. Together, they crossed the river, but as the water churned beneath them, a shadow stirred below—a sleek figure gliding beneath the surface.

Suddenly, the current pulled them into a dark cavern. Terrified, Flavia screamed, but no waterfall devoured them. When they emerged on the other side, she realized they’d only passed through a cave. But the branch she’d used to steer was gone. She and Scuto would have to swim to shore.

The Climb and the Wise Woman

The mountain loomed before her—a formidable wall of stone and shadow. Flavia wasn’t a climber, but necessity forged courage. She fashioned harnesses from reeds and used a sharp piece of iron from her tinderbox as a climbing aid. Forty-one feet of grueling ascent later, she collapsed in exhaustion.

At last, she stood before Frauenkirche, its towering oak doors opening as if by magic. Inside, a warm voice greeted her.
“I already know who you seek and why.”

The Wise Woman stood regal and knowing, her eyes deep pools of intelligence. She took the coded note and brewed a mysterious liquid in a cauldron. When the note was dropped in, a serpent emerged from the brew, swaying hypnotically. The Wise Woman gazed into its eyes, then turned to Flavia.

“There is a jewel, sacred and powerful, beneath the waters of River Uada. A beast guards it—not harmful, though fearsome. Retrieve the jewel and recite the sacred prayer your mother taught you. Only then will this gruesome war end.”

And in a blink, Flavia found herself back outside the church—no Wise Woman, no box, just Scuto and herself.

The Sacred Dive

Determined, Flavia returned to the cave on the river. She tied up her hair, inhaled deeply, and dove into the water. Her lungs burned, but beneath the depths, she glimpsed a blood-red glow from a small pit.

Summoning her resolve, she dove once more, seizing the jewel with trembling fingers. As she emerged, gasping, she recited the prayer her mother had sung to her since childhood:

“Lieber Herr, lieber Herr, lass diese Zeit des Todes enden. Ich sage durch die Pracht und Kraft dieses Juwels.”
(Dear Lord, dear Lord, let this age of death end. I speak by the splendour and power of this jewel.)

The jewel radiated light—but suddenly, the water churned violently. A massive emerald-scaled beast surfaced, its yellow eyes gleaming, tail thrashing. It overturned the raft, plunging Flavia into the depths. Yet, even in panic, she remembered:

“The beast is dangerous but harmless.”

Darkness swallowed her.

A World Reunited

When Flavia awoke, she was in a warm, soft bed. Scuto lay curled at her side. To her disbelief and joy, her mother and father sat at the foot of the bed—reunited, smiling. The war had ended. Peace had returned.

All across the world, families embraced once more, though no one knew how or why. But Flavia knew. She held the secret in her heart—of the sacred jewel, the Wise Woman, and the dangerous but harmless beast.

Moral of the Story

Courage, love, and faith can change the course of even the darkest times. Sometimes, a child’s bravery can heal what armies and leaders cannot.