Chapter 4
To their own surprise they had managed it to arrive in Vienna without any serious problems. The thing they were afraid of most, the pass-control at the boarder, went better than they would have imagined it. While Georg pretended to sleep, snoring louder than a whole army, Maria read feigning lost a book about churches in Vienna and Emily gave their faked passports to the inspector.
He studied them without great interest and soon left their almost empty compartment. The rest of the journey happened to be easy, too. Nobody seemed to be interested in the three nuns. They even needn't to show their passports again.
The only thing that gave them cause for concern was how Austria had changed, although they left only 8 days before. Even the little villages were paved with the flags of the Third Reich, at every station were at least two officers of the SS and the people seemed to life their lives as if nothing had happened.
As they arrived in Vienna they checked into a little hotel, which was mostly used by clergymen and nuns. First they had thought that might be too dangerous, but as Maria really had lived as a postulant and Emily had spent a few years at a nuns school, they soon got over their concerns. Georg or better Sister Bernice pretended to be a little dizzy. Although he never would have admitted it, he started to enjoy the masquerade. Emily and Maria even had to keep him back at their first dinner in the hotel, when he started a very long and very loud prayer in the best manners of an old, confused nun.
Georg's friend Josef Meiners lived in an old, but imposing house in the Spiegel Straße in the heart of Vienna, next to the Burggarten. The drizzle laid Vienna into grey mists; the streets were dark and empty, only lightened by the rare posted street lamps and the bells of St. Stephan's Cathedral rang for the midnight-mass.
The Captain, Maria and Emily stood in front of Josef's door. They still wore their nuns-robes and Emily worked with a picklock at the door.
"Shouldn't we ring the bell?" Maria whispered.
"And wake up the domestics?" Georg glanced at the street, gladly nothing moved.
"Here we go" The door opened with a low creak. "Do you know where this guy has his bedroom, Captain?"
"I suppose so."
The three made their way through the dark house, the small flashlight they had gave only little light. Although they tried to be as silent as possible, the old floorboards groaned from time to time.
"I'm feeling like a burglar." The Captain said.
"Because you are one. At least at the moment." Emily answered grinning. She enjoyed the whole situation; she always had loved such enterprises.
"I think it might be this door." The Captain stopped and opened the door carefully. "It is the door" he added proudly and they entered the room, closing the door low behind them.
In the middle of a huge bed laid a man, the sound of his snoring filled the air. Georg went to the bed and softly shook his old friend. "Josef, Josef, wake up!"
The man opened his eyes "What the hell..." He got up and turned the lights on.
"Pssssttt!" Georg reproved his friend.
"Pssssttt?" Josef looked confused at the three nuns standing in front of him. "This must be a dream. Three nuns - GEORG?" he said as the Captain took off his glasses and the cap and he finally recognized him "What the hell are you doing here? I thought you were somewhere in Switzerland? And why are you dressed like a - like a nun?"
"Pssssttt, Mr. Meiners." Emily interrupted him. "We won't wake up anybody, would we?"
"Of course not. But - what are you doing here Georg? And who are these people?" Josef said lower.
"Well, that's my wife." Georg pointed at Maria. "And this is a friend of us." The two women smiled at Josef. "And the clothes, well, masquerade.." He paused for a moment.
"Listen, Josef. We don't have much time. I need your help. When we left Austria I had no chance to organize the financial aspects of our future. You got to help me to save at least some of my fortune."
Josef nodded pensive. "Are you thinking of bonds?"
"Yes." Georg was relieved; his friend seemed to understand what he wanted. "But I don't want you to risk anything."
"It wouldn't be a problem to fake the issuing date. Well, not for me" He grinned. "They never will find out, that you bought them after you left Austria, but will think you bought them, let's say, 3 months before."
"How long will you need?"
"You don't have much time, I know. But to organize this, I'll need about 24 hours."
"Well, that's much faster than I thought it'll take."
"So, where are you planning to go to, Georg?"
"I don't know. We'll see. At the moment my greatest concern is the money."
"This problem will only last till tomorrow, believe me. Remember the Grubers?"
"Of course I do."
"They left Austria, too. Martin has bought some land in New England. It must be very beautiful there."
"New England? The United States - That would be an idea."
"And the von Mayers left for Australia. Well - much to hot there for my taste. Hey, but just this week I read something about New Zealand -"
"Excuse me, Gentlemen. As much I hate it to disturb your little chat - and as much I'm burning to learn more about New Zealand." Emily interrupted them impatient. "I think we'll better find date and place for our next meeting."
"Yes, of course. What do you suggest?" The Captain asked Josef.
"I think we can't meet in the daylight. Besides I'm having an important dinner tomorrow. Remember Baroness Kluge? Her husband died last week and left her with a huge fortune. Maybe I can convince her, to change the bank -"
"Mr. Meiners, please!" Emily rolled her eyes. That man talked too much.
"Right, Sorry. What about Midnight, in the Burggarten at the Goethe Statue?"
"That's a word. Captain, Maria, the mass will be over soon, we'd better return to our hotel now."
"See you tomorrow, Josef. And thank you."
"Yes, Thanks a lot." Maria shook his hand.
"It's a pleasure for me to help an old friend and his charming wife." Josef smiled.
They left Josef's house and managed it to return to their hotel without any problems. All felt great, because they had managed it again, to organize the things without being discovered. They spent the next day playing cards in the Lobby of their hotel, waiting for midnight to come. Although they hadn't had any problems yet, they were afraid there'll be some - they had had too much luck till now.
Besides Maria felt horrible. She still couldn't eat anything without getting sick and felt guilty every time she looked at her husband. The physical and psychical efforts of the last days just had been too much.
As midnight arrived they waited for Josef at the Goethe Statue in the Burggarten. They had already checked out at the hotel, their train back to Switzerland, back to safety would leave at three o'clock. And they waited. Josef didn't arrive at 0.05, didn't arrive at 0.10, didn't arrive at 0.15. They got nervous. What if something happened to him? What if the Nazi's had discovered him?
Suddenly a flash of light beamed them. "Look what we got here!" The harsh voice of a SS-Officer sounded. "Three nuns? Sister Bernice, he he, or should I better say CAPTAIN VON TRAPP?!?! You must have an abnormal inclination to nuns! You better follow us voluntary if you don't want to get shoot."
He and his two fellows pointed at them with guns. They turned around, hoping to escape - but behind them there was another SS-Officer.
This time there's no possibility to escape, the Captain thought. He glanced at Maria. What have I done? I never should have allowed her to come with me.
Maria was all white in her face. This couldn't be possible, it just couldn't. Her thoughts were running through her head, trying to find a way to escape this situation, as she suddenly touched her stomach.
"The Baby" she whispered.
To be continued....
To their own surprise they had managed it to arrive in Vienna without any serious problems. The thing they were afraid of most, the pass-control at the boarder, went better than they would have imagined it. While Georg pretended to sleep, snoring louder than a whole army, Maria read feigning lost a book about churches in Vienna and Emily gave their faked passports to the inspector.
He studied them without great interest and soon left their almost empty compartment. The rest of the journey happened to be easy, too. Nobody seemed to be interested in the three nuns. They even needn't to show their passports again.
The only thing that gave them cause for concern was how Austria had changed, although they left only 8 days before. Even the little villages were paved with the flags of the Third Reich, at every station were at least two officers of the SS and the people seemed to life their lives as if nothing had happened.
As they arrived in Vienna they checked into a little hotel, which was mostly used by clergymen and nuns. First they had thought that might be too dangerous, but as Maria really had lived as a postulant and Emily had spent a few years at a nuns school, they soon got over their concerns. Georg or better Sister Bernice pretended to be a little dizzy. Although he never would have admitted it, he started to enjoy the masquerade. Emily and Maria even had to keep him back at their first dinner in the hotel, when he started a very long and very loud prayer in the best manners of an old, confused nun.
Georg's friend Josef Meiners lived in an old, but imposing house in the Spiegel Straße in the heart of Vienna, next to the Burggarten. The drizzle laid Vienna into grey mists; the streets were dark and empty, only lightened by the rare posted street lamps and the bells of St. Stephan's Cathedral rang for the midnight-mass.
The Captain, Maria and Emily stood in front of Josef's door. They still wore their nuns-robes and Emily worked with a picklock at the door.
"Shouldn't we ring the bell?" Maria whispered.
"And wake up the domestics?" Georg glanced at the street, gladly nothing moved.
"Here we go" The door opened with a low creak. "Do you know where this guy has his bedroom, Captain?"
"I suppose so."
The three made their way through the dark house, the small flashlight they had gave only little light. Although they tried to be as silent as possible, the old floorboards groaned from time to time.
"I'm feeling like a burglar." The Captain said.
"Because you are one. At least at the moment." Emily answered grinning. She enjoyed the whole situation; she always had loved such enterprises.
"I think it might be this door." The Captain stopped and opened the door carefully. "It is the door" he added proudly and they entered the room, closing the door low behind them.
In the middle of a huge bed laid a man, the sound of his snoring filled the air. Georg went to the bed and softly shook his old friend. "Josef, Josef, wake up!"
The man opened his eyes "What the hell..." He got up and turned the lights on.
"Pssssttt!" Georg reproved his friend.
"Pssssttt?" Josef looked confused at the three nuns standing in front of him. "This must be a dream. Three nuns - GEORG?" he said as the Captain took off his glasses and the cap and he finally recognized him "What the hell are you doing here? I thought you were somewhere in Switzerland? And why are you dressed like a - like a nun?"
"Pssssttt, Mr. Meiners." Emily interrupted him. "We won't wake up anybody, would we?"
"Of course not. But - what are you doing here Georg? And who are these people?" Josef said lower.
"Well, that's my wife." Georg pointed at Maria. "And this is a friend of us." The two women smiled at Josef. "And the clothes, well, masquerade.." He paused for a moment.
"Listen, Josef. We don't have much time. I need your help. When we left Austria I had no chance to organize the financial aspects of our future. You got to help me to save at least some of my fortune."
Josef nodded pensive. "Are you thinking of bonds?"
"Yes." Georg was relieved; his friend seemed to understand what he wanted. "But I don't want you to risk anything."
"It wouldn't be a problem to fake the issuing date. Well, not for me" He grinned. "They never will find out, that you bought them after you left Austria, but will think you bought them, let's say, 3 months before."
"How long will you need?"
"You don't have much time, I know. But to organize this, I'll need about 24 hours."
"Well, that's much faster than I thought it'll take."
"So, where are you planning to go to, Georg?"
"I don't know. We'll see. At the moment my greatest concern is the money."
"This problem will only last till tomorrow, believe me. Remember the Grubers?"
"Of course I do."
"They left Austria, too. Martin has bought some land in New England. It must be very beautiful there."
"New England? The United States - That would be an idea."
"And the von Mayers left for Australia. Well - much to hot there for my taste. Hey, but just this week I read something about New Zealand -"
"Excuse me, Gentlemen. As much I hate it to disturb your little chat - and as much I'm burning to learn more about New Zealand." Emily interrupted them impatient. "I think we'll better find date and place for our next meeting."
"Yes, of course. What do you suggest?" The Captain asked Josef.
"I think we can't meet in the daylight. Besides I'm having an important dinner tomorrow. Remember Baroness Kluge? Her husband died last week and left her with a huge fortune. Maybe I can convince her, to change the bank -"
"Mr. Meiners, please!" Emily rolled her eyes. That man talked too much.
"Right, Sorry. What about Midnight, in the Burggarten at the Goethe Statue?"
"That's a word. Captain, Maria, the mass will be over soon, we'd better return to our hotel now."
"See you tomorrow, Josef. And thank you."
"Yes, Thanks a lot." Maria shook his hand.
"It's a pleasure for me to help an old friend and his charming wife." Josef smiled.
They left Josef's house and managed it to return to their hotel without any problems. All felt great, because they had managed it again, to organize the things without being discovered. They spent the next day playing cards in the Lobby of their hotel, waiting for midnight to come. Although they hadn't had any problems yet, they were afraid there'll be some - they had had too much luck till now.
Besides Maria felt horrible. She still couldn't eat anything without getting sick and felt guilty every time she looked at her husband. The physical and psychical efforts of the last days just had been too much.
As midnight arrived they waited for Josef at the Goethe Statue in the Burggarten. They had already checked out at the hotel, their train back to Switzerland, back to safety would leave at three o'clock. And they waited. Josef didn't arrive at 0.05, didn't arrive at 0.10, didn't arrive at 0.15. They got nervous. What if something happened to him? What if the Nazi's had discovered him?
Suddenly a flash of light beamed them. "Look what we got here!" The harsh voice of a SS-Officer sounded. "Three nuns? Sister Bernice, he he, or should I better say CAPTAIN VON TRAPP?!?! You must have an abnormal inclination to nuns! You better follow us voluntary if you don't want to get shoot."
He and his two fellows pointed at them with guns. They turned around, hoping to escape - but behind them there was another SS-Officer.
This time there's no possibility to escape, the Captain thought. He glanced at Maria. What have I done? I never should have allowed her to come with me.
Maria was all white in her face. This couldn't be possible, it just couldn't. Her thoughts were running through her head, trying to find a way to escape this situation, as she suddenly touched her stomach.
"The Baby" she whispered.
To be continued....