And there was Nathan, beautiful blond Nathan, who’d disappeared one night just after the 1939 invasion. It would take torture to admit that he still held out a tiny ray of hope that his lover, the town magistrate, was still alive. Except there had been too many rumors(all true) alleging the handsome bureaucrat’s homosexuality and the Nazi leaders had wanted a fine demonstration of their power – what better to do than to torture the popular leader, to make him disappear? Harold had dodged such idle gossip, had insisted on keeping their assignations secret. No one knew that they met in the stacks of the Library after midnight, holding each other until the sun had almost broken on the horizon. For Harold, there had been no other. Even now, after weeks of slow starvation, he found comfort in his memories – Nathan’s long, lean body pressed against him, their soft kisses and careful promises.