I do not own the Sound of Music or the song "I Hope You Dance." Enjoy the story.
I Hope You Dance
It had been many years since Leisl had been in Austria. The war had long since ended and she was now approaching her twenty-fourth birthday. Staring out the window of the bus going into Salzburg, she couldn't help but feel overwhelmed at what she saw. The war had changed Austria and it was no longer the same place that she remembered from her childhood memories.
It was night by the time the bus stopped just down the road from her old villa. The moonlit road was quite deserted and all that could be heard was the soft chirping of crickets in the brush by the road. Walking slowly down the road, anticipation and also apprehension filling every step forward, Leisl did not know what to expect. She knew that the villa would probably be in ruins- if not destroyed then at least vandalized in a last attempt to anger and disparage her father. The metal gate still stood, although slightly bent. Taking a deep breath, she lifted the latch and pushed the gate open.
The house was still intact although it might as well have been crumbled on the ground. It was in such a state of disrepair that Leisl could barely recognize it. Some of the steps were crumbling and one of three walls had fallen in. The roof was slightly battered and had holes in places. The garden was dead- but that was only to be expected. Leisl couldn't help but quicken her pace as she approached the front door. Stepping into the house, the entrance bathed in moonlight she could see that the Nazi's that had used this house had indeed decided to ravage her once lavish home. She couldn't endure the sadness that washed over her as she looked at the blood red swastikas painted on the broken walls and the burned Austrian flag and much of her father's treasured library burned to ashes in the centre of the foyer. She couldn't go in. She had seen enough.
I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat
But always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance
Leisl knew that things could have been much worse- not just with regards to the house but involving her whole family. She knew how lucky they were that they had escaped. She knew how lucky they were that they were all together. They had made a good home for themselves in America. It had been their open window as Maria called it. Leisl smiled at the memory of her mother telling her that as they sat in the parlour together discussing her very first broken heart. Her mother had said, "When the Lord closes a door, somewhere he opens a window." It seemed that there had indeed been many open windows for the family and they were all quite happy now. Leisl had been the only one who wished to return to Austria after the war. She knew that of course she would not stay here, but she had unfinished business here. She had to finally let go. She had to say goodbye- to her first mother, to her youth and to the boy that had once changed her life.
Faith was something that Maria had helped her to find again while in that house. She had instilled hope that the Captain would once again become a father and faith in the Lord. She was grateful for everything Maria had done here. Without her, she certainly didn't think she would have been strong enough to come back to Austria and let her heart have peace.
In truth, Leisl knew she had much to be thankful for and as she tried to convince herself of this she didn't even realize that she had wandered to outside to the back garden by the lake. There in the moonlight, standing pristine and beautiful, just shielded behind a row of willows, was the gazebo. It was a small blessing. She had trouble catching her breath as she saw it. Running forwards towards it like a young girl she ran her hand over the smooth glass of the wall and opened the door. It was just as she remembered it. It was a beautiful scene as she gracefully walked into the centre of the gazebo and curtsied to the memory of the boy that had left her behind. It was akin to the time that she had danced by herself on the terrace during the party the Baroness had thrown here except she moved slower and Fredriech was not there to swoop in.
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
Leisl swept across the floor with poise and let her mind drift into distant memories that seemed to have happened a lifetime ago. She twirled and finally swayed in the centre of the gazebo, arms still outstretched as she remembered the time she and Rolf had danced here. She had been sixteen then- sixteen going on seventeen as she had always insisted and terribly naive. Perhaps she was still a bit naive now but she had most definitely grown up. As she stopped dancing she stared out through the glass, across the lake that she had once fallen into out of a boat with her siblings and mother. The mountains were in rare form tonight. They were breathtakingly magnificent and Leisl was reminded of what she loved most about Austria.
I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances
But they're worth taking
Lovin' might be a mistake
But it's worth making
Don't let some hell bent heart
Leave you bitter
When you come close to selling out
Reconsider
Give the heavens above
More than just a passing glance
I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
(Time is a real and constant motion always)
I hope you dance
(Rolling us along)
I hope you dance
(Tell me who)
I hope you dance
(Wants to look back on their youth and wonder)
(Where those years have gone)
Leaving the gazebo, there was one last thing she had to do. Walking back to the front of the house she stopped by the flag pole and grabbed hold of the line. Pulling it down took a folded flag out of her shoulder bag and clipped it onto the line. Reeling it back up, she walked over to the gate and stared up at the proud Austrian flag. It rippled in the breeze and brought a contented smile to Leisl's lips. Looking at it, she could almost pretend that things had never changed and that she was still the same sixteen year old waiting for life to start. This was her final goodbye and that last patriotic act reminded her of one thing – although people had once thought that they ought to be German she was Austrian and no boy, no heartbreak and no war could ever change that.
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
Dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
(Time is a real and constant motion always)
I hope you dance
(Rolling us along)
I hope you dance
(Tell me who)
(Wants to look back on their youth and wonder)
I hope you dance
(Where those years have gone)
(Tell me who)
I hope you dance
(Wants to look back on their youth and wonder)
(Where those years have gone)
Well what do you think? If you would like this to be a twoshot with Maria and Georg in the next segment please leave a review and let me know. 3 Happy Reading