So,
as promised yesterday I’m now including some expanded pieces on this blog.
Scene 1
The
added in bit is in red
Renate 25 December 1941
It was all different, English
Christmas. The Smiths took them to church in the morning. Renate quite enjoyed
singing the carols. They attended the family service, so the vicar made it all
into a story suitable for children.
When they got
back to the Smiths’ house, there was a lovely smell of roast chicken coming
from the kitchen.
“Miriam will be
home in about an hour,” said Mrs Smith. “So we’ll eat at two – that leaves her
a bit of time if she gets delayed.”
“We’ll help you
with the vegetables,” said Mutti.
Soon the three
women were scraping and slicing. John and Mr Smith brought in some more firewood
from the store at the bottom of the garden and then arranged the Smiths’
presents under the Christmas tree.
“That really is
beginning to look very pretty,” said Mrs Smith. “We’re not going to let any old
war ruin our Christmas.”
Miriam arrived at just after one.
“Very good
timing,” said Mrs Smith. “We’ve finished all of the vegetables now.”
Miriam giggled.
She was a very pretty girl, Renate thought. She’d already let her hair down and
soft springy dark brown curls framed her face.
“Go on. I’m only
joking,” said Mrs Smith. “Go and get out of the uniform.”
“Will you come
and help me choose what to put on?” Miriam said to Renate.
Renate nodded her head vigorously. “Yes, I’d like that,” she
said.
She followed Miriam into the small bedroom at the back of
the house.
“There isn’t a lot to choose from,” said Miriam. “But
it’s still nice to get out of my work uniform.” She opened her wardrobe door.
“Well what do you think?”
Renate spotted the pale blue woollen dress straight away.
“That looks nice,” she said.
“Yes, you might be right,” said Miriam. “It’s really
comfortable, that one. And it’s nice and warm.”
A few moments
later, Miriam had the dress on. She had unpinned her hair and put on the
slightest smear of lipstick. “Well, how do I look?” she asked.
Renate nodded. Miriam looked so pretty. “You look really
nice,” she said.
Miriam grinned.
Renate knew that
the two of them were going to be good friends, even though Miriam must be at
least six years older than her.
I put this extra bit in because I felt that
both Renate and the reader need to get to know Miriam a little better. I ties
up quite nicely to a later scen within this shortish chapter.
Scene 2 Original
Hani, 2 June 1939
It was a glorious day. The sun was streaming down and the sky was a deep
blue. Not a cloud in sight. And just a gentle breeze, enough to stop it being
too hot. It was such a pity that they couldn’t take the children outside to
play. They just daren’t though. Hani could feel the cap falling off her head.
It was really making her feel hot. She longed to pull it off. Not yet, though. Not until she was inside.
She wheeled the bike up the path and put it
into the shed and then made her way as quickly as possible to the back door.
She wasn’t so sure how convincing her disguise was close to and they didn’t
know whether they could trust the neighbours. In the kitchen she resisted the
urge to look at what was baking in the oven and making the place seem so warm
and welcoming. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Now that she was
a little taller and a little slimmer – despite Frau Lehr’s excellent baking -
Christoph’s clothes fitted her well. She would have to do something about her
boobs soon if they carried on growing at this rate, but, at a distance at least
she no longer looked like Hani Gödde. Here she was Hans Tellermann, Christoph’s
younger brother, if anyone asked.
Once indoors she got rid of the cap. She
took it off and slipped it into her pocket so that it would be handy if she
needed it in a hurry.
She could hear Doctor Schubert’s voice
coming from the cellar. The class seemed to be going well and it was clear the
children were listening attentively. There was a note on the hall table
addressed to her in Frau Lehrs’ handwriting.
“Dear Hans,
Can you please wash out the paint tubs and
see if the pictures are dry? It will be nice if they can take them home today.
I’m sorry I can’t greet you personally.
I’m having a meeting with Dr Kühn this afternoon. I hope we’ll be
finished before the children go home.
Clara Lehrs.”
Hani smiled to herself. She loved the way
Frau Lehrs took her disguise so seriously.
The paint pots were, as she expected,
already in the utility room. Hani smiled at the sight of the children’s
paintings all pegged on to the line as if they were washing. They were
certainly colourful. That was something you could always say about children
from the Waldorf School: they certainly knew how to draw and paint.
It was so good to be here
again. After the incident with Trudi Müller, her parents had stopped her coming
to Haus Lehrs.
“I know you want to help,”
said Frau Gödde, “but it’s just too risky.”
“You’re always doing things to
help people,” she’d protested. “And Vati doesn’t like doing the ‘Heil
Hitler’.”
“But he does do it,” said Frau
Gödde. “And he knows when and how to be discreet. You’re not mature enough to
do that. Look how you told those despicable girls about Renate.”
She had been furious that her
mother seemed to think she was nothing but a silly child. She would show them. So, she’d become a model
school girl and a model BDM member.
Then one day she’d bumped into
Christoph at the sports centre. .
“We miss you at Haus Lehrs,”
he said. “When are you coming back?”
She’d told him about what had
happened.
“Well, we can disguise you as
a boy,” he said. “Then your little friend won’t recognise you again. Neither
will the nosy neighbours.”
The next week he’d brought her
some of his clothes. She’d taken them home and tried them on. She stared at
herself in the mirror. She really did look like a boy. Except for her hair.
Her mother had knocked at the
door at that moment but as usual she hadn’t waited to be invited in.
“My goodness,” she’d said when
she saw Hani’s’ strange outfit. “You’d look like a boy if you put your hair up
and wore a cap. What on earth are you doing?”
“I want to go back to Haus
Lehrs,” said Hani. “Nobody will know it’s me if I go dressed like this.
Christoph said I can pretend to be his younger brother.”
Frau Gödde did not capitulate
straight away. There had been a few more arguments.
“All right,” she’d said at
last. “You are being much more sensible now. Promise me you’ll be careful.”
Then she’d smiled and hugged
Hani. “And I’m really proud of my brave, thoughtful little girl.”
“Not so much of the little,”
said Hani. “And I’m big enough for you to tell me what really happened to
Renate.
So, she’d found out that
Renate had gone to England, through a special scheme that transported Jewish
and Mischling children away from Germany. She was safe and well and living in
England. And she was going to a Steiner school, very similar to the Waldorf
School that Hani had had to leave.
“Perhaps Frau Lehrs will tell
you more,” said Frau Gödde.
The
part in red and green have been expanded to make two further chapters:
Hani 7 May 1939
Hani was bored. Even though school
and the BDM meetings gave her plenty to do she wasn’t really doing anything she
enjoyed.
“Why can’t I go
back to Haus Lehrs?” she said. “I’ll be really careful.”
“You’re always doing things to help people,”
she said. “And Vati doesn’t like doing the ‘Heil Hitler’.”
“But he does do it,” said Frau Gödde. “And
he knows when and how to be discreet. You’re not mature enough to do that. Look
how you told those despicable girls about Renate.”
How could her mother think she was nothing
but a silly child? She would show them.
She had already become an excellent school girl and a model BDM member. But
none of that mattered. What she’d been doing with the Special Class was real
work.
This was all just so unfair!
“Oh, I’m going out,” she cried.
“Where are you going?” Mutti shouted after
her.
“I don’t know and why should you care?” she
answered.
She stomped out of the house and slammed the
door behind her. She really had no idea where she was going but soon found
herself at the local sports ground, watching some people she knew vaguely
playing tennis.
“I didn’t know you were into tennis,” said a
familiar voice.
Hani turned to face the speaker.
“Christoph!” she cried. Then she felt her cheeks burn. She’d never noticed
before how good-looking he was. But then, she’d never seen him with bare arms
or bare legs before. The white shorts and shirt really suited him and showed up
his faint tan.
“I don’t,” she said.
“So what brings you here?” he said.
“I’ve just had a row with my mother,” she
said.
“Oh dear, that’s not a good idea,” said
Christoph.
“I’m so bored with everything,” said
Hani.
“You should come back to Haus Lehrs,” he
said. “We need you. When are you coming back?”
“I can’t,” said Hani. “That was what the row
was about. One of the BDM girls saw me going there and she knows that Frau
Lehrs is Jewish.”
“Well,
we can disguise you as a boy,” said Christoph. “Then your little friend won’t see
you going there again. And the nosy neighbours won’t know who you are either.”
“What?” said Hani laughing.
“Yes, you could be my younger brother. Hans Tellerman. The girls wouldn’t recognise
you. Nor the Hitler Jugend boys.”
“You’re not serious are you?” said Hani.
“Naturally I am,” said Christoph. “I could
meet you here next week with some of my clothes.”
“Do you think it would work?”
“Why shouldn’t it?”
Could it work? Hani wasn’t sure.
“Ah, look. It’s my turn to play,” said
Christoph. “I’ll bring the clothes, right? Meet you here the same time next
week?”
It was worth a try, she supposed. She
nodded.
She watched Christoph play a couple of sets
and then slowly made her way home. She’d have to apologize to her mother, she
knew. But she might be able to get back to working at Haus Lehrs. Fancy that! Now that was something to look
forward to.
Hani 14 May 1939
Hani looked at herself in the
mirror. It really worked. The trousers fitted her well. The shirt was a little
big on the shoulders but otherwise it looked good. Christoph had found her a
whole pile of other clothes. There would be enough for several changes of
clothes a week.
These are really comfortable, she
thought. I could get used to this.
There was a problem though: her hair. What could she do with that?
There was a problem though: her hair. What could she do with that?
The door to her
bedroom suddenly opened.
“Goodness,” said
Frau Gödde. “If it wasn’t for your hair, you would look just like a boy. What
on earth are you doing?”
Why didn’t her
mother ever knock when she came into her room? She really could be annoying.
“Where did you
get all of these clothes?” said Frau Gödde.
“Christoph gave
them me,” said Hani.
“Christoph?”
Frau Gödde suddenly looked very serious. “Why?”
Hani sighed. “I
really want to go back to Haus Lehrs and carry on working with the Special
Class.”
“I don’t
understand,” said Frau Gödde. “What has that got to do with these clothes?”
“Hans thought I
wouldn’t be recognised by the likes of Trudi and Gisela,” said Hani, “if I
looked like a boy.”
Frau Gödde
raised her eyebrows. “I don’t know,” she said. “It’s so dangerous.”
“You still go,” said
Hani. “Why shouldn’t I? I want to help as well.”
“I know,” said
her mother. “But there are so many risks.”
“I know I was a
bit careless before,” said Hani. “But I didn’t really realise how bad it really
was. I’ve been really good since, haven’t I? A real model German girl.”
“You have, you
have,” said Frau Gödde. “Vati and I are really proud of you.”
“Well why won’t
you trust me then?” said Hani.
Frau Gödde
frowned and pursed her lips. “Hang on a minute,” she said. She went out of the
room.
Hani looked in
the mirror again. She held her hair up over her head again. Could she make it
work? Probably not! Anyway, her parents would most likely not agree to her
going back.
A few moments
later, Mutti came back into the room. She was holding a man’s cap.
“It’s one of
Wilhelm’s,” she said. “I don’t suppose
he’ll mind. Try it on.”
Hani placed the
cap on her head.
“Here, like
this,” he mother said, scraping Hani’s hair up and fixing it with the cap.
“Gosh!” said
Hani, as she saw herself in the mirror.
“Yes, said Frau
Gödde. “More Hans than Hani, I’d say.”
Neither of them
spoke for several minutes.
“All right,” said Frau Gödde at last. “You
are being much more sensible now. Promise me you’ll be careful.”
Then she smiled and hugged Hani. “And I’m
really proud of my brave, thoughtful little girl.”
“Not so much of the little,” said Hani. “And
I’m big enough for you to tell me what really happened to Renate.”
Frau Gödde sighed. “All right,” she said. “She’s
gone to England. There’s a special scheme for Jewish children. She’s been
especially lucky because her mother has been able to go and join her. Not all
of the children have that chance. But she was on her own for the first couple
of months.”
“England?” said Hani. “But she doesn’t speak
English.”
“No, but she’s at a Waldorf School,” said
Frau Gödde. “You know they’ll treat her kindly.”
Renate was at a Waldorf School?
Unbelievable. Hani almost felt jealous but then remembered it must have been
really funny for her friend, finding out that she was Jewish and then having to
go away like that, on her own, to a country where she didn’t speak the
language.
“Perhaps you can ask Frau Lehrs more about
it when you go back,” said Frau Gödde softly.
