HANGING BY A THREAD

chapter 12

The one with the Berger's had been quite an encounter.

Seven children, hungry, stricken with fear, dirt with soil and dust entered the beautifully baroque residence of the Parisian family by late breakfast time.

Three pair of eyes were looking at them – one gentle and affectionate with its warm hazelnut shades, a second one of a deep blue as Raphael's and the other one of a pretty green, much reminiscent of the mountain's fresh grass.

"Children, these are my son Hans and his wife Rita" Raphael gestured to the couple standing in front of the stairs that led to the upper floor, "and this is my wife, Carmen"

"The one that makes pancakes?" Martha asked remembering what he had told them some time before their train trip was over.

The woman's face brightened with a wide smile, those children were a delight to see.

"Yes, sweetheart, I've saved some just for you, you must be very hungry" she spoke with soft gentleness in her voice

"We want them too" a tiny little voice spoke from somewhere behind them.

Two little brownish heads popped from Rita's calves.

Raphael had told them he had grandchildren. The one with loose hair and the pretty dress must be Else, the oldest, and the other with long braided hair must have been the 3 years one, Luisa.

"There's enough for everyone, my darlings. But before that, our guests need to get comfortable first. Would you like a bath, dears?"

Liesl's mind travelled back to memory, her mother had a bathtub into her governess room and yet had only used it for her to soak her dirty dress in. She immediately wished it could be Maria taking that bath, not her. She was missing her so much.

And so were the others.


"You have to brush her hair like this" Gretl instructed little Luisa as she held her doll with messy hair into her little hands

"Thank you!" the little girl replied.

She, Gretl and Else had bonded as well as if they had known each other since the day they were born.

The morning was following the same, usual routine - Hans, Rita and Erwin were out for work and school while Raphael and Carmen remained to look after the children. The youngest as the oldest.

They were finding it hard to cope with Maria and their father's absence and each of them needed as much support as the old couple could offer.

That same quiet morning the phone in the sitting room ran.

"Raphael Berger, who is it?"

"Raphael, it's me"

The voice was unmistakable.

"Georg! I was so impatient for your call!"

"I'm sorry it took me so long" he threaded a hand through his hair, checking at either his side that the street was still empty

"Please tell me you have news on Maria"

"I do, I have found her, Raphael".

Yes, he had found her, but his voice unmistakably sounded as if he weren't finished yet.

"Is she alright?" his friend was compelled to ask

There was a brief pause, seconds during which Georg pondered on whether to tell him the full truth or not. Maria wasn't in really bad conditions, but she wasn't in good ones either and telling him he still had to wait for the night to come before rescuing her wouldn't have certainly eased his preoccupation.

"She's a strong woman and was doing well when I saw her"

There was a shake in his voice as he pronounced those words, maybe because they were a lie, even if a white one, or perhaps because they were a promise he wasn't sure he could keep.

Georg needed to change the subject quickly as to not arouse suspicion in either his friend or the occasional locals passing by.

"How are the children?" his voice was now even more serious

"They're doing just fine, especially the little ones" he commented

"Gretl is actually getting along with someone?"

"She's spending every minute with Else and Luisa, teaching them everything she knows, she's very proud of not being always last anymore. That girl is an absolute delight, God knows what goes through her mind".

The old man seemed to almost hear a chuckle at the other end of the receiver because, actually, Georg was smiling too in a way.

"Georg, they are safe here" Raphael's words confirmed the reason why he was smiling, "although they miss you very much".

He had spoken his name time and time again through this conversation but this time, their father's name echoed around the room quickly, but the realization that it was their Georg took a longer time. And suddenly, the old man found himself surrounded by seven sets of watchful eyes, sparkling with joy, bursting with questions, waiting for nothing but to talk to their father.

"Where are you and mother? We miss you" a voice, probably Kurt's stood out from the others, fortunately not catching Georg, nor Raphael unprepared.

"Don't say anything that's going to make them worry" he had promptly instructed the man

"Your father has a message for you all".

He knew that his wrists would be bound if he dared as much as to speak a word about Maria, it was better to avoid the topic for the time being and come back to face it once news were more vivid and, most of all, more positive.

Georg wouldn't have had a reason from letting the children know how their beloved mother was if her condition wasn't dangerous in the best option, life threatening in the worse.

The only way to get out of that uncomfortable situation was to provide them a source of comfort that would calm their tormented spirits for a little while.

The receiver was lowered in the middle of the tight circle created by the children, their eyes unblinking on it, longing to hear the voice that would make their day.

"I- don't have much time, unfortunately, but I want to tell you that I love you all and am proud of you beyond words. I'm bringing your mother back soon, don't worry. In the meanwhile, enjoy your time with Uncle Raphael and don't eat too much!" he recommended, forcing a light and cheerful tone into his voice.

Most of his words spoke the truth but he wished them all could be.

It left a bitter aftertaste in him as he hung down the receiver at the payphone.

Now, back into those mountains.


Stick your index in this hole and pull, the grip will loosen, and you can free your hands when you need it. Then, pull this flap, this way the knot will hold.

Georg's instructions raced into Maria's mind as her stomach threatened to seize her with new waves of retching that she couldn't possibly stop, not matter how hard she tried.

That place was disgusting, the mixture of mold, smoke and whiskey was lethal to her sense of smell and certainly the stink of her releases that stained the collar of her blouse where she had been forced to wipe, were of no help.

The sequence of gargles and gags had increased quickly, and she pressed a palm firmly against her mouth, hoping this would prevent any further event.

She needed to breathe.

Long breaths in through the nose, hold it, and now out through the mouth.

It seemed all she could think of were her husband's words.

Her lungs filled and released the smelly air, slowly, rhythmically, for a couple of minutes. At first, she was convinced it was really helping her, the guide of Georg's voice slowly bringing her to a more peaceful and restful place.

But eventually, what she ended up exhaling out of her mouth were not deep breaths but profound sobs that soon became accompanied by a thick line of tears wetting her cheek as raindrops used to do on the windows of their car.

She never thought that thinking about him could hurt so much, after all she had been for two whole days without seeing, not knowing if he was still alive. But now having seen him was making her miss him with every fiber of her body and every breath of her soul. She needed him, she depended on him.

And he depended on her, too.

No matter if they heard, if they shouted, if they scolded, she needed to let the pain of her wounded heart out. She started to whine, weakly, choking on her breath at almost each sob.

"Maria?"

She clearly heard a voice calling her name, but its tone wasn't nowhere rough and rude as her captors', not even loving and affectionate as her husband's. It was briskly, chirpy, charming and very much familiar.

"Maria, it's me, Max".

Max?

She couldn't believe it.

The thought that it couldn't be him but nothing but another one of the Nazis awful threats and humiliations to her didn't even cross her mind.

It was definitely him.

"Max?" her voice was both frightened and incredulous.

Her mind was unable to comprehend anything else other than the fact that he, too, had been captured.

"It's you?

"For a long time to come, I hope" the teasing quality of his voice still present in his answer but lacking its beautiful sparkle.

The scrapes on her knees burned as she sat herself in front of the bars, hoping to benefit of the dim light to see his face between the bars of the cell right in front of hers. They were only separated by a thin corridor, and yet the distance felt like miles.

But, at least, they were grateful to be in each other's company.

"How long have you been here?"

"A couple of days I think, I'm not sure" Maria replied sincerely. She had lost all sense of time.

"Have they done anything to you?"

"No … they just put me in seclusion" she bowed down her head, hoping he would believe her, "did they hurt you?"

"Maria, I've been here for less than an hour, it's not me you should worry about" he firmly replied.

But that was Maria, the world could be falling on her shoulders and yet she wouldn't complain once about herself, focusing all her energies on helping others feel better.

"Do you know why they brought you here?"

"Yes, I'm afraid. I was found the day after the Festival and kept to the Salzburg base before Zeller instructed his deputy to move me here this afternoon"

"What for?"

"To- …" he didn't know where to find the strength to pronounce those words, "… to threaten you".

Maria felt blood draining from her face.

By then she knew, she was in trouble.

Why would they bring Max there? She couldn't figure out a reason, nor even was sure she wanted to know it either.

From the silence plunged between the two, Max understood she was still unaware of the real condition they were in.

"I'm here because I told them that I would cooperate" he explained

"Max!" her shocked gasp spoke deep desperation, "please, tell me you didn't" she begged

"I had to, Maria, but there's no way on earth I'm going to speak in the end. We just need to ensure our lives for as long as we can".

Maria was still in a shock.

She had been extremely sick through an entire day, then Max had showed up in the cell in front of hers and was now telling her he would cooperate with the Nazi for a reason she couldn't fully comprehend yet.

Then she remembered, and it seemed her brain stopped to ache for a second.

"Max, he knows where we are" she whispered as softly as she could

"No, God!" an expression of deeper worry crossed Max's face, "I've heard Zeller and someone else's plans and they're to wait for him here and directly bring him to Bremerhaven. That's why Zeller's here, to personally oblige to his orders, Georg mustn't come!".

Maria started to panic.

It was a suicide mission for Georg and probably a lethal one for them as well if they ended up being the only witnesses of the facts.

"Max, they'll kill both of us once they discover the truth!" her whispers became louder again.

Too much.

Too dangerously much.

"What did you tell her?!" a rough, threatening tone broke their conversation.

It was not only a voice but a soldier, a broad-shouldered, tall, and sturdy one with the visor of his cap high enough to show the upset frown between his thick brows in all its threat.

Maria's heart began to pound, fast and loudly into her ears, her eyes fixing the darkness of his and then, after swallowing the golf-ball sized lump into her throat, she opened her mouth to speak.

"He did nothing!" she shouted, "I- ... I asked him" she gulped, still looking at the soldier.

In no time her cell was sprung open, and two big hands gripped her in full strength and forced her in a standing position, her arms as thin as a toothpick between those stout, thick fingers.

Max gasped at the terrifying sight in front of his eyes, wishing she hadn't spoken at all, even more so the moment she looked at him while being pulled out of her cell.

Her eyes were tearful, frightened, defenceless, he could read a vulnerability into them that was making his heart break at the horror of it all.

But she would never forgive herself if she let them hurt him.

And he would never bear it if that petrified look ended up being the last time he would see her.

Both of them knew she was in dangerous trouble, all they could do was hope for the better.

The bone-breaking hands literally dragged her along the corridor, the soles of her feet unable to find the floor and help her into steps. She was shoved into a room on that same floor, certainly not the one where she had been the day she had arrived there.

It was oddly bright, illuminated by a lamp on the desk that worked intermittently, she almost struggled to keep her eyes open for how unaccustomed to light they'd turned her.

She was thrown violently on a tough steel chair and waiting for her were four different soldiers, along with the one that had brought her there.

Where was Zeller?

Before the question could finish to formulate into her mind, a tall, slim shade appeared on the floor under the door arch and raising her eyes a little bit, there he was. His mousy, swollen face marked by a mixture of anger and satisfaction, smoking that dreadful cigar, and making his way into the room with conscious steps.

"Baroness, I didn't mean for our next encounter to be so ... unprepared" he began to speak, "but my patience has a limit and as you may have noticed, I can't stand people that disobey my orders" he snapped two of his fingers together.

Not even the time for the sound to stop echoing in the room that a pair of hands tightened the rope around her wrists painfully tight.

"Ow!" she winced in pain as her bruised skin was squeezed beyond any limit.

Zeller took a couple more steps, stopping in front of her to thread all the five thick fingers into her golden air and then brush a viscid, palm-open caress along her cheek with his free hand.

"There, there" he scoffed her with the tone of his voice even more mocking than the amused look on his face.

His hands felt dirty, scaly, and dry against her skin. Not to mention how rough his touch was.

It was disgusting.

She shoved her head to the side with force, refusing to feel his hands on her or see his face for one more second. But his grip was still steady on her head, so he pulled it up violently, forcing her to face him again.

She despised that man with every drop of blood in her body.

Never she thought she could hate someone this much.

"I've tried to be ... gentle with you, treating you the proper way a delightful, little puppy like you should be treated. But you made a mistake Baroness, one that I cannot possibly overlook".

His fingers snapped again, this time accompanied with a gesture with his head and soon, one of the soldiers approached the desk and opened one of the drawers beneath it.

Whatever he would pull out of it, she knew she was in trouble.

A few steps, not more than a minute, and she felt the cold steel ring of a gun pressed against her temple.

Blood drained from her face at once.

"Now, you will tell me exactly where the Captain and the rest of your family is" Zeller blew a cloud of thick, grey smoke as he spoke, having positioned his disgusting whiskey-smelling face right in front of hers.

He meant to observe meticulously every detail of her reaction - every flick of her eyes, every drop of sweat falling from her forehead, every tremble of her lower lip - conscious that now, more than ever, he had her in his hands.

Maria panicked again, harder than ever.

She prayed Georg would magically appear from the door and put an end to that torture.

No, Max had told her what would have happened if he did.

Maria, they're waiting just for him, he mustn't come

Tomorrow we'll be out of here

We need to ensure our lives as long as we can

You have to hold on just one more day

I told them I would cooperate

You have to tell them where we've been hiding.

The voices of the two men kept buzzing, racing, and spinning into her mind.

"R- Rup ... Ruprecht ..." she tried but it seemed she had forgotten how to speak.

Her life was hanging by a thread, a pull to the gun trigger and life would abandon her body forever.

Every inch of her body was shaking as violently as a leaf in the middle of a storm, cold sweat and hot teardrops ran down her face, she was hyperventilating but her lungs had shrunk to a pebble for how little air she could get into them, everything spun.

It was she or Max.

Max or Georg.

Georg or Zeller.

And then everything went dark.


Author's Note: Hello everyone, sorry for the slight felay but thank you for being back to this fic! A cliff hanger was necessary for this chapter, I'm looking forward to read of you and I'll try to post the next one as soon as I can. I hope you enjoyed your reading since it was a particularly hard and challenging chapter for me to write and, I'll see you all next week!