This was my contribution to the TSOM Proboards Adventskalender, organised by mucwriter. As it is inspired by a passage in Forever Liesl, I have held off publishing it until now, on what would have been Charmian Carr's 74th birthday.

Happy Holidays to all and a Happy Birthday to Charmian. Rest in Peace.

"We're here."

"Yay!"

"Come on."

"Last one there is a rotten egg."

Maria smiled as one by one, the seven von Trapp children shot out of the train carriage. Though the sky was cloudy, there had been no rain and the day was rather warm. The children were all dressed in the playclothes their governess had sewn for them from the old drapes in her bedroom. They'd become very popular amongst her charges.

Especially when they visited her mountain.

Maria had loved the Untersberg ever since she was a child. As such it had been one of the first places she had taken the children.

They had fallen in love with it almost as quickly as she had. Every other day one of them would be asking her if they could go up there again.

Carrying the picnic basket in one hand and clutching Marta's hand in the other, Maria followed the others towards that special spot, where she had gone so many times in her life; for solace, freedom and most recently, picnics.

"Late again, Fraulein," Friedrich, commented in a remarkably good impression of his father when they arrived.

Everyone laughed, and Maria laughed along with them. It was so wonderful to see these children, who she had come to love so very much in just a few short weeks, having fun; looking so different from the first time she had met them.

She wasn't disobeying her employer's orders. Mornings were still spent in the classroom. Maria had ascertained where each child was in his or her studies and had carried on from there. And, if she did say so herself,they were doing remarkably well.

When it came to schoolwork, Liesl just got on with it. Maria had discovered this was the case with every aspect of her life. She was a rather good student, but as the load of looking out for her brothers and sisters was lifted somewhat and she was able to focus more on her studies, she had flourished.

Friedrich pushed himself. He was so determined to be grown up that he often didn't realise that what he was attempting was too difficult. At times he was as stubborn as his father, and wouldn't accept the truth until the very end. And when he did, a shy, aloof boy, in desperate need of a father figure, appeared.

Louisa was smarter than she appeared. The thirteen year old had still not opened up completely to Maria the way her siblings had; and she hid her abilities away like everything else. But, on those rare moments when she really tried she was just as competent as the others. Maria wondered what she could achieve if she was always honest with herself.

Ever the joker, Kurt was probably at the bottom of the pack, but he was far from unintelligent. The Captain's youngest son was far more interested in learning outside the classroom; eager to discover how any and every contraption worked, from the gramophone to his collection of model planes and everything in between.

Brigitta, on the other hand, was miles ahead for someone her age. She was not only reading the same books as her eldest sister, but mastering a curriculum meant for someone Liesl's age. But since she loved learning so much, she had no desire to not do anything and Maria didn't feel bad about giving her additional work.

Marta was still struggling with the spelling of certain words, but had quickly grasped the basics of mathematics, and took great delight in adding up everything she could. Maria had lost count of how many times she'd heard that the new book she had received for her birthday meant she had Gretl now had eight fairytales to choose from.

Gretl knew the alphabet inside out and was beginning to read simple sentences. Like Marta, she wanted to read everything she saw; but, given she was dealing with words, wasn't as successful as her sister. But it didn't bother her. The youngest von Trapp was just excited and proud to be learning at all.

After lunch they spent the day relaxing. Weather permitting, they would take trips into Salzburg or up to her mountain, or simply romp around the grounds, playing games. When it rained, they would run around the ballroom; the large room providing enough space for many of their activities to work just as well, provided a bit of extra care was taken.

After dinner, she would help the children prepare for bed, sometimes assisted by Frau Schmidt or more often, Liesl. She'd read the little ones a bedtime story or sing them a lullaby, while the older ones would be allowed half an hour of reading time before lights out.

Maria knew she was bending some of the rules just a little, but she had never been good with rules. She was not going to force the children to march like soldiers or cadets, but she made sure that they got sufficient exercise and fresh air every day.

And the Captain had never told her that his children couldn't play.

When lunch was finished, Maria lay down on the blanket and closed her eyes. But a moment later, a tiny voice interrupted her.

She opened one eye and found Gretl right next to her; crouched down and staring at her governess intently.

"Yes, Gretl, what is it?" Maria asked, doing everything in her power to keep her voice calm.

"Will we be coming back here? After…" Gretl asked innocently, her eyes wide.

"I don't know schatzi," Maria answered. She knew exactly what the child was talking about. These excursions were far from the Captain's wishes for his children. She was determined to talk with her employer when he returned from Vienna, but as of now she knew he would not approve of his children having mountain picnics while wearing old curtains.

There mightn't be many more opportunities for her to visit her mountain with the children.

"Oh," Gretl sighed. Then her face brightened. "Well, if we won't be coming back, I'm going to go pick you some flowers."

"Alright then," Maria smiled. But as soon as the girl was out of earshot she groaned softly.

She needed a moment to herself. As much as she loved these children and enjoyed caring for them, there were seven of them, and at times that was truly daunting and overwhelming. On top of that, she hadn't had slept well last night.

"Liesl," she called. The sixteen year old looked up from her needlework.

"I'm just going to sit by the brook for a moment. Can you keep an eye on everyone and make sure they're alright? Especially if…"

She trailed off, but Liesl nodded in understanding. "Of course Fraulein."

The one downside of her mountain was the bathrooms; or lack thereof. There was nothing in the way of plumbing; you had to do your business among nature. An old derelict barn offered something in the way of privacy but that was it.

"Thank you," she answered. Liesl once again nodded her response and, confident that no harm would come to the children in ten minutes, Maria headed off in the direction of the brook.

As it turned out, Liesl was the person who had to venture towards the barn first. When a faint, but startled gasp was heard, Louisa volunteered to go and see if she was alright.

"Li," Louisa called. "Liesl. Are you alright?"

"Lou? Is that you?"

"Yes," she answered. "Are you alright?"

"Yes. I'm just…I just…"

She didn't need to continue, for Louisa had turned the corner and could see exactly what had startled her sister.

Leaning against the barn wall was a large, hideous looking hay scythe. Louisa let out a long breath.

"Whoa."

Liesl looked sideways at her. Louisa had always been the one at the forefront of the tricks to scare the governesses, climbing into the room armed with spiders or toads or other creepy-crawlies. And, ever the tomboy, she was no stranger to rough play, getting dirty or really anything her brothers enjoyed.

"Don't even think about it."

"Yes Father," Louisa muttered.

"Don't say that," Liesl replied, defensive.

"You sound like him."

"Louisa. I'm serious," Liesl was firm. "That could be really dangerous."

"Alright." Louisa conceded, but her face was sour.

Satisfied,Liesl started walking back towards the picnic site. Her Fraulein was still over by the brook and everyone else seemed occupied and okay, so she sat down and resumed her needlework.

A moment later, footsteps were heard, followed by a long, maniacal laugh.

"I am the Grim Reaper," Louisa cackled, standing in front of her siblings, holding the scythe high in the air.

Liesl looked up and sighed. But before she could reprimand her sister, Kurt had spoken.

"Give me that!" he shouted, leaping up from the grass. "You can't be the Grim Reaper; you're a girl."

"Are you saying you want to be physical manifestation of Death?" Brigitta interrupted.

"The Grim Reaper…" Kurt announced, staring at his sister. "…is a boy."

"Not always," she continued, her nose still buried in the book she was reading. "In some ancient cultures Death took on the form of a woman."

"Exactly," Louisa's eyes gleamed triumphantly. "If you want this…" she said, slowly waving the scythe about in front of her brother "…you can come and get it."

She ran off and Kurt gave chase. Marta, ever shy, stayed put, as did Friedrich. But Gretl, having just returned with a bunch of flowers for Fraulein Maria followed her brother and sister, desperate to be in on the fun.

"Oh no," Brigitta sighed, setting down her book.

"Now they've done it," Liesl groaned.

"Should I get Fraulein Maria?" Friedrich asked.

Liesl pondered for a moment. "No, we'll go after them and break it up," she finally decided. "Just don't let Marta out of your sight, okay?"

"I won't." Friedrich promised. He could see where his sister was coming from. Fraulein Maria was very worn out today; she had to be if she needed a break. And they could handle this by themselves. The past eleven governesses had done very little for them and they'd had to tackle things on their own. There was no reason this should be any different.

"That thing looked scary," Marta murmured timidly, shuffling ever closer to Friedrich.

Brigitta and Liesl exhaled almost simultaneously. Then, with a nod at each other, they headed off after the others.

"Give it Louisa!"

Kurt stretched his arm in the direction of the scythe, but it was still out of his reach.

Gretl was standing beside them. She had seen Louisa and Kurt run off and wanted to join them, but had decided that, unlike Kurt, she didn't want a turn with the blade Louisa was holding. But she also didn't want to return to the others and look like she hadn't been able to handle herself out there with the 'big kids'.

So she just stood there, waiting for it to end.

"I found it," Louisa shot back.

"Actually, I did."

All three children looked up to see Liesl and Brigitta in front of them, both with very determined expressions.

"And I told you not to touch it," continued Liesl.

"Please, let's just go back," Brigitta added. "Fraulein Maria wouldn't like this and if Father…"

"Oh no," Louisa rounded on her sister. "I don't want to hear that. Father never let us have a good time."

She swiped the scythe through the air in front of her.

"Oh no! You got me!" Brigitta announced theatrically. In an attempt to appease her sister's wish, she pantomimed lowering herself slowly into the grass.

A moment passed and she let out a chuckle for Gretl's benefit.

"Now that the great Grim Reaper has claimed a life…" Liesl declared. "Maybe she can take a break?"

Louisa sighed, nodded and lowered the scythe.

Liesl knew her sister was being rebellious, and she couldn't blame her. She was right; their father hadn't let them act like children for five years. The newfound playtime Fraulein Maria had given them was exhilarating.

And she had to commend Brigitta for her quick thinking.

"Can't I have a turn?" Kurt asked indignantly. "I want to be the Grim Reaper."

"No." Liesl's tone left no room for argument. She helped Brigitta, who was still sprawled on the grass, to her feet. "But I think we can do something that doesn't involve…" she waggled a finger at the scythe "…that."

Louisa dropped the scythe and turned to face Kurt.

"You can't be the Grim Reaper, but you can be 'it'." She tapped her brother on the shoulder and took off running. Kurt was hot on her heels, while Gretl went the opposite direction.

But the five year old was unsteady on her feet and quickly lost her balance. Her siblings all stopped running when they heard her cry out.

The last thing they saw was a pair of chubby legs, as their youngest sister fell down the hill.

A jumble of noise broke Maria from her reverie. But as soon as she heard the sounds she realised it was not the sound of her charges playing happily. Something was wrong.

She was up and running immediately.

Arriving at the picnic site her suspicions were confirmed. Liesl was holding a whimpering Gretl, who was clutching her arm and pouting. Brigitta and Kurt were talking to each other softly about, to Maria's guess, the current situation, while Friedrich was engaged in a heated argument with Louisa, who was clutching an old hay scythe, the blade running through the grass whenever she moved.

Marta was the only one not speaking; standing off to the side, clearly not wanting to make the situation worse.

"Children…" she called out to no avail. Her voice was lost in all the sound her charges were making. None of them seemed to notice her presence. Not even little Gretl.

Not wanting to inject any more anger into the situation, she raised her voice; but, rather than shouting, hit the high, clear note of B flat.

As predicted, it caught their attention. Everything seemed to pause and all was silent for a moment. Then, seven pairs of eyes looked up at her, the expressions in them ranging from awe and shock to relief and embarrassment.

Louisa dropped the scythe as though it had been burning her. Maria's gaze darted to it for a moment, and then went back to the children.

She felt horrible about leaving them alone. She had complete confidence in Liesl and was sure whatever had happened had to have been an accident, but it still made her uneasy.

If their father found out about this, he would dismiss her on the spot. Playclothes and running around her mountain may not be activities her employer approved of, but they were harmless.

Children playing unsupervised with a large blade was another matter entirely.

"What were you doing?" She tried not to sound overly cross. She didn't want to jump to conclusions, and knew that if she upset the children she would never get the answer out of them.

"We were just playing," Louisa wouldn't meet her governess's gaze.

"I see," Maria answered. She sighed and walked over to Liesl, who was still trying to comfort her youngest sister.

"Where did it hurt you?" she asked Gretl.

The five year old stuck out her arm. Underneath her elbow was a scratch. It was rather long, but didn't seem to be deep.

"I think you'll be okay," Maria told her. "Let's go and wash it."

Gretl let out another little whimper, but she nodded. Maria took her from Liesl's arms and turned back towards the picnic site.

"Put that back where you found it," she instructed Louisa firmly. "Before it cuts somebody else."

"The blade didn't do it," Gretl murmured. "It didn't touch me. We were running and I fell down the hill and I hit my arm on a rock."

"I see," mused her governess. "We're still going to put it away."

"Yes Fraulein," Louisa answered. Her face was ashen. She took off towards the barn and while Maria took Gretl to wash her arm, the others began to pack away the picnic items and the rest of their belongings.

"Everyone upstairs," Maria announced when they walked through the door of the villa.

All the children stayed silent and began making their way up the stairs. They had never seen Fraulein Maria angry before, so they knew they were in big trouble.

"We're sorry, Fraulein," Liesl took the lead and spoke first once everyone was settled inside the classroom.

"Thank you," Maria replied. "Apology accepted."

"You're cross, aren't you?" Brigitta asked. The lack of an 'it's alright' practically confirmed it in the children's minds.

"Yes," Maria sighed. "But more than that I'm confused about why you did it."

"We just wanted to play," Kurt said. "We haven't been able to play since before…."

"Until you arrived." Friedrich finished before anyone could say what all eight people were thinking: before their mother had died.

"I know, and I'm sorry for that," Maria continued. "Children should play, but I think you all know better than to play with a scythe."

"It's my fault," Louisa spoke up, though her voice was still soft and her eyes went everywhere except her governess's eyes. "Liesl told me not to touch it. I should have listened. But it seemed like it would be fun, and I never meant for anyone to get hurt."

"I know."

Despite their track record with governesses and the fact that she had found them with a scythe, Maria knew her charges were not bad children. And what Louisa had just told her, while not exceptionally significant, was still the most the girl had opened up to her.

"You didn't think to come and get me though?" she asked. In a way that was what confused Maria the most.

"We wanted to let you rest."

Maria was once again touched. She couldn't remember the last time someone had given her that kind of consideration. When she had lived with her uncle, it was the exact opposite. And while she had been treated well at the Abbey, allowances were not the norm, especially for the postulants.

The fact that the children had seen that she needed her own space and given it to her, when more often than not they never wanted her to be out of their sight, was something truly special.

Regardless of the events of today, these children were good children.

"Well let's just put this behind us shall we?" she proposed, clapping her hands together. "And not touch any more blades, alright?"

Everyone nodded and a collective murmur of "Yes Fraulein," was heard.

"Also," Maria continued, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "You are never to mention this to your father. Understood?"

Seven faces grinned back at her.