As Maria leaned over the gate to the lake as she had done the day before,
she was watching the harmonicas birds tweeting in the distance as the sun
set across the lake. Thinking about the one thing that had been on her
mind since her return.
"Fraulein!" She heard a call. It was Frau Schmitt. "Sorry to disturb you but the Captain wishes to see you."
Maria turned around from the lake and looked startled at her, "He wants to see me? About what?"
"He didn't say." Frau Schmitt replied before starting to walk away, "He said it with a matter of some urgency."
"Right, okay, I'll go straight away." Maria said noticing the hint of importance in Frau Schmitt's voice.
**** Georg rubbed his hands over his face as he read the telegram again. The words recycling in his head like leaves in a fast wind. 'You have been requested to take your place in the Navy of the Third Right'. As he heard a knock on the door, he quickly hid the telegram in his pocket in case it was one of the children.
Maria entered; looking rather worried she shut the door behind her, "Frau Schmitt said you wanted me." She said.
"Oh yes." He replied almost forgetting he had called for her. He got up from his chair and gestured for her to take the seat he had sat on.
"Is everything alright?" She asked as she sat down watching his worried expression on his face.
Georg took the telegram out of his pocket and passed it to Maria. She took it and began reading it.
"Oh dear!" She said out loud as she read the words of the telegram. "You're not going to accept are you?"
Georg took a seat next to her, bending over in an attempt to make his communication more personal to her, "No, no. I wouldn't dream of it. But....it really isn't that simple."
Maria looked up as she passed him back the telegram. "Really?" She asked in a rather worried tone.
"To go against the Third Right is unthinkable." He said as he broke eye contact from her in order for him to rub his hands over his face again. "Unless..." He rose quickly, "Unless I am no longer in the country!" He said with an intriguing expression on his face.
"You're leaving?" Maria asked with a disappointed expression on her face beginning to think how heartless he was being.
Georg turned around taking his place next to Maria again. "We're leaving." He announced in a sincere tone. "All of us. We need to leave Austria. It's not safe for us to stay." And with this, he took hold of her hand and patted it reassuringly in a friendly manner.
"How long have we got?" Maria asked feeling her skin go goose pimply.
"I've been requested to join the Third Right Navy on the 30th of this month, so that gives us 3 weeks." He said as he arose from his chair again. "Plenty of time to get out of Austria."
Maria looked to the floor in worry, worry for the safety of the children, and worrying that she will never get to tell him what the Mother Abyss had made her promise to do, to tell him how she really felt about him.
"Fraulein!" She heard a call. It was Frau Schmitt. "Sorry to disturb you but the Captain wishes to see you."
Maria turned around from the lake and looked startled at her, "He wants to see me? About what?"
"He didn't say." Frau Schmitt replied before starting to walk away, "He said it with a matter of some urgency."
"Right, okay, I'll go straight away." Maria said noticing the hint of importance in Frau Schmitt's voice.
**** Georg rubbed his hands over his face as he read the telegram again. The words recycling in his head like leaves in a fast wind. 'You have been requested to take your place in the Navy of the Third Right'. As he heard a knock on the door, he quickly hid the telegram in his pocket in case it was one of the children.
Maria entered; looking rather worried she shut the door behind her, "Frau Schmitt said you wanted me." She said.
"Oh yes." He replied almost forgetting he had called for her. He got up from his chair and gestured for her to take the seat he had sat on.
"Is everything alright?" She asked as she sat down watching his worried expression on his face.
Georg took the telegram out of his pocket and passed it to Maria. She took it and began reading it.
"Oh dear!" She said out loud as she read the words of the telegram. "You're not going to accept are you?"
Georg took a seat next to her, bending over in an attempt to make his communication more personal to her, "No, no. I wouldn't dream of it. But....it really isn't that simple."
Maria looked up as she passed him back the telegram. "Really?" She asked in a rather worried tone.
"To go against the Third Right is unthinkable." He said as he broke eye contact from her in order for him to rub his hands over his face again. "Unless..." He rose quickly, "Unless I am no longer in the country!" He said with an intriguing expression on his face.
"You're leaving?" Maria asked with a disappointed expression on her face beginning to think how heartless he was being.
Georg turned around taking his place next to Maria again. "We're leaving." He announced in a sincere tone. "All of us. We need to leave Austria. It's not safe for us to stay." And with this, he took hold of her hand and patted it reassuringly in a friendly manner.
"How long have we got?" Maria asked feeling her skin go goose pimply.
"I've been requested to join the Third Right Navy on the 30th of this month, so that gives us 3 weeks." He said as he arose from his chair again. "Plenty of time to get out of Austria."
Maria looked to the floor in worry, worry for the safety of the children, and worrying that she will never get to tell him what the Mother Abyss had made her promise to do, to tell him how she really felt about him.