Caught Between Heaven And Hell

One Life - Maria

The date was December 26, 1944. I was just a simple, small town girl who lived a simple life with those she loved.  I had always been happy all through my child hood. My parents were always kind. They were caring. My Mama had always stayed with my siblings and myself since we were born. My Papa was an officer. Then he began to live at home with us. We had always lived in Germany. The place of all of our births. I was born on December 27, 1930. Lived in the small town for many years. I was very happy with my life and everything in it. Just as it was.
I had very pale complexion. Blue eyes and dark brown hair that run to my lower back, I curled it everyday and made sure it was neat and tidy. Just like any teenager my age.
The following day was my birthday. I was very excited and could not wait for my small party with all our friends and family. We are all Jewish in my family. We keep it silent and do not keep any references in the house. Unfortunately, that is against our religion. But we’re safe and have lied to the military, saying that we’re not. My father had to force himself to, but he did it for us.
I lived in a house, closer to the city then country. I could not go out the front. I was to stay inside. In the house and on the rare occasion to go out the back. We had been hiding for 4 years in the house, far away from the soldiers.
The people that lived there were not Jewish. They were our friends before the war and they had hidden us after it broke out. Their names were Adele and Gero.
         
As Adele came to the door, bringing the cake back from the bakery and a packet of cigars. I offered to take them to Papa and Gero.          
‘Run along then.’ She encouraged. I smiled and walked off.
‘Papa…’ I called. I heard a loud cough from the study and walked down the hall. He was with Gero and writing something when I walked in.
‘Yes, Maria. What is it?’ He asked, lifting his head.
‘I bought you your cigars. Well, Dame did.’ I sat them on his table.
‘Thank you, young lady.’ Gero smiled widely. I ran over and hugged Papa.          
‘Excited for the big day?’ Papa asked and laughed lightly.
‘I am. I cannot wait. Are you and mama excited?’ I smiled.
‘Of course we are for your big day. My little girl is more and more turning into a lady.’
‘Where is grandma and grandpa?’
‘They’re sleeping. Shh…’ He looked though some papers.
‘Oh, Papa, am I interrupting you?’
‘No, surly not. I love when you visit me.’
‘Thanks, Papa.’ We smiled and I picked up a blank piece of paper.
‘May I please draw?’ I asked. Papa looked at Gero.
‘Sure. Make it nice.’  Gero said warmly.
‘I will!’ I called and glided out of the room and walked to the dining table. I took a pencil from the tin and begun to draw. I had been drawing since I was a little girl, I was better in those days. Drawing beautiful things, sunsets, people in scenery and most beautiful of all, my family. I begun to sketch and begun to draw a country setting from memory. I drew a swing and some flowers. Then I heard the back door slam and my brother ran in first then all of my other siblings. Three girls and one other boy. Mama followed them. They had been out the back, helping with the garden. Fighting the snow.
My brothers are Felix, second youngest and Franz. My sisters are Mica, who is a baby, Gabby, third youngest and Gratia who is just younger then me. I am the oldest of six kids.
‘Hello, Maria.’ They all called. Mama walked over to the table near me.
‘Hello, Mama.’ I smiled, bent my head and continued drawing.
‘I’m going to start dinner. Would you help?’ She asked, entering the kitchen, the vegetables she had just picked, piled out onto the bench. I agreed and helped to make it. Mama was happy and cheerful as always in the kitchen and I was too. Tomorrow we were having my favorite food. I wasn’t even going to have to cook.
My mama is much more strict then my Papa. He was caring and more gentle. My mama could be quite nasty upfront and my Papa is never angry. He only gets annoyed when we’re rude or interrupt him. Just as any Papa would.
We finished dinner as always, having a beef stew. I pealed the vegetables and washed them thoroughly. Then I begun to peel the pumpkin. I was using a rather blunt knife. Scraping at the hard shell, desperately. Then my baby sister running at my feet distracted me. The knife squeezed into my finger and I screamed in pain. It was no larger then a paper cut and not very deep.
‘Stop being a drama mistress.’ Mama snapped and I quickly got a thin bandage and wrapped it around my mildly bleeding finger.
After dinner, we put the black curtains up and lit the candles. Sat in the lounge room and my siblings and I wrapped ourselves in a blanket and sat by the fire. Our grandpa sat in the wing chair and took a book from the bookshelf.
‘Time to read you a story.’ He smiled and opened it. Mama and Papa come in and had a seat behind us. Grandma was already there with Grandpa. Gero and Adele had gone to bed.
‘In the great war, there was a mass of confusion in the German military on whether to fight or not to fight…’ He read and we were always enchanted by the stories that he told us before we went to bed. He made us laugh, he made us sometimes cry and most of all, he made us think. Think about everything, war in Germany, war in other countries. How we felt, how they felt. He did not stick to the conclusion that Germany was always politically correct. He was very insightful and forever told us of what happened in his day. He was the most experienced person I knew.


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CASSANDRA!!

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