"Herr Detweiler!" the Von Trapp children called as they neared Track 2.
Emil glanced in the direction of the shouts and was surprised to see the children approaching from a different stairwell than he had anticipated, but relieved to see them nonetheless. As they neared him, he noted that they appeared to be alone and that there were only six of them present.
"Hello!" he hurriedly bid them, mindful that the conductor had already made the last call for boarders.
"Quick, take your passports and board the train!" he instructed the four oldest children while handing them the documents. "You all have your tickets?"
Friedrich nodded to confirm the question.
"Where's Liesl?" Brigitta suddenly asked with panic.
"She was just behind us on the stairs!" she explained to Emil, while glancing toward the rear stairwell from which they had come.
"Quick! You six board the train. It's about to leave. I will check the stairs for Liesl. Where's your mother?" he asked while pushing them towards the conductor.
"She left to find Father," Friedrich answered with alarm.
"She'll miss the train too!" Marta gasped with realization.
"And so will you if you wait too long. Now move along!" Emil coaxed them with a forced smile as he started to sprint toward the stairs to see if Liesl had fallen or been separated from her family. "I'll be right back!" he called to the worried bunch.
Kurt and Brigitta boarded the train as instructed and found seats towards the rear of the car. Louisa and Friedrich followed closely behind, holding tightly to the two little ones.
As the six children sat in relative safety, they stared straight ahead in shock.
"I can't believe they're not here," Kurt said with a frown.
"I think Mother is with Father," Brigitta pondered aloud, while glancing between her five siblings. Louisa and Friedrich nodded in agreement.
"Why did Mother not come with us, Friedrich?" Marta lowly questioned while looking at her older brother with wide eyes.
"Because Father needed her, Marta," Friedrich replied without emotion, replaying the past few minutes in his mind to try to figure out when they had separated from Liesl.
"And because they're in love," Brigitta persisted.
"People in love would do anything for each other," she said matter-of-factly. " Father was alone and needed her help more than we did."
Louisa nodded in agreement with her sister.
"But Liesl was supposed to be with us," Marta said in a whisper.
"I wonder where she's hiding?" Gretl inquired while knitting her eyebrows together.
The elder children glanced at each other worriedly, fearing that it was not Liesl's will to be apart from her family. Marta and Gretl merely looked at each other, not understanding the situation.
"I don't think she's hiding anyplace," Friedrich explained with caution to the two little girls. "We just got separated from her."
"But we were just with her," Gretl said as she frowned and crossed her arms on her chest.
"Yes. We were supposed to stay together," Louisa reminded everyone. "Father and Mother said to make sure we do not separate. That was the one order they gave us and we didn't obey."
"So it's all our fault," Marta stated in a soft voice, tears welling in her eyes.
"No, it's not our fault," Friedrich protested, "We thought Liesl was behind us the whole time and she was until a few minutes ago. How could we have known?" As he spoke, Gretl and Marta leaned their heads up against Friedrich's shoulders and glanced up at him.
"So she just disappeared?" Gretl questioned with wide eyes.
Suddenly Marta gasped. "Did the bad men get her?" she asked in a small voice upon remembering the conversation she had had in the car with her brothers and sisters.
"Let's hope not," Friedrich said with a shake of his head.
A moment of silence passed.
Tears began to well in Marta's eyes and Gretl's lip began to quiver when she glanced around the car at her siblings' frightened faces.
"Mother wouldn't want us to cry," Louisa reminded everyone as she rubbed Marta's head to try to comfort her.
"She and Father would know what to do if they were here," Kurt sighed while starting to kick his foot absently in the air.
"And Liesl never gets scared," Gretl asserted with a look of awe. She looked at Marta and the two little girls nodded to each other encouragingly.
For a moment, nobody muttered a word. Suddenly, Brigitta sat upright and turned toward her siblings. "Let's pray they're all together. And safe," she suggested. "That's what Mother and Father would want us to do."
The other Von Trapps all nodded in agreement and huddled their heads together to say a silent prayer.
When the children had finished praying, the door to their cabin opened and Emil reappeared, just as the train began to pull slowly out of the station. His face was tense with worry.
"There was nobody on the stairwell," he told the six children cautiously, worried that he would upset them even further than they already must be.
His statement was met with silence and inactivity, nobody wanting to believe the statement and not really knowing what to say. However, after a moment the children started to migrate toward the windows one by one so that they could stare out into the darkness and catch a final glimpse of their homeland.
Emil joined them at the windows as they slowly pulled around the side of the building. As he watched, he saw two figures exiting one of the doorways in the rear of the station. Squinting his eyes, he tried to focus on the two individuals in the darkness.
"That's Mother and Father!" Marta called with the first spark of enthusiasm that any of the children had exerted since boarding the train.
"And they're together!" Brigitta added with relief.
Georg and Maria emerged from the cargo storage room with hesitation, unsure as to where their predators were prowling. The sounds of a car screeching out of the parking lot caught their attention immediately. Georg motioned for Maria to stay where she was and ran a few paces forward to get a better view of the scene, hiding behind a tree on the side of the building. He let out a grateful sigh when he confirmed that the car leaving was in fact Herr Zeller's.
Georg ran back towards Maria and spoke with relief. "They left. They must think we made it on the train."
Maria exhaled a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. "Thank God," she whispered.
"Yes," Georg agreed, as he approached his wife and placed a hand to her cheek. "But we still have to get out of here."
Maria nodded and nerves caused her to rub her hands on the side of her skirt. "I know we do. Are you sure they didn't leave anyone here…to find us?" she whispered with fear in her voice.
"The car was full. I think we're safe to assume that they all left, but we must still be wary. What a relief though," he said while looking to Maria comfortingly, "even if only temporary."
Maria nodded in agreement with her husband's presumption. "I still can't stop thinking about the children, Georg," she said with worry in her voice.
"I won't be settled until I know that they're safe." As she spoke, Maria wrung her wrists and looked Heavenward.
Georg rubbed Maria's two shoulders and placed a light kiss on her forehead. "I know you're worried. So am I, but let's just pray that they're safe." He embraced Maria and held her close.
The couple stood silent for a moment, revelling in the comfort of each other's presence and thinking about the children. "It's all we can do at this point, I suppose; just have patience and pray," she mused softly into Georg's ear and then let out a nervous laugh.
"What?" Georg asked with a grin, sensing something on his wife's mind.
"You know as well as I do that patience is not my virtue," Maria replied with an exasperated sigh.
Georg urged her away from his embrace so that he could meet her gaze. His eyes twinkled with amusement as he raised his hand to trace the outline of his wife's nose and jaw line.
"No it isn't, Fräulein," he teased, but suddenly grew more serious. "But prayer is."
"Yes. I suppose a nun in the family could be a blessing," Maria replied with an innocent smile.
"Yes it is. And it is even better if that nun is beautiful…"
"Oh Georg, really," Maria said in a low voice, her cheeks reddening.
"…And loving…" he continued as he pulled her closer and leaned his head against her brow, never looking away.
Maria closed her eyes and smiled sweetly.
Georg brought his hand forward to move a strand of hair off of her forehead and his countenance became more serious. "And did I forget brave? Because that is the most important."
"Oh, Georg," Maria murmured. She sighed in comfort as she leaned her head toward his chest. "Do you really think I'm brave? Lord knows I don't feel that way sometimes."
"My dear, would a noble man like myself ever lie?" Georg said lowly with a soft smile.
Maria returned his gesture. "You don't have it in you to lie, Captain."
"And you don't have it in you to give up without a fight. In my book, I'd call it bravery."
Maria stared up into Georg's eyes. "I suppose. I'd probably call it stubbornness," she countered with a smile.
"I did mention that you are the most stubborn person I know as well, did I not?" Georg quipped with a smile.
Maria chuckled. "Many times, Captain."
With a more serious tone, she continued to speak. "In any case, I'm glad we're together at least."
Georg nodded in agreement.
"It's a challenge though," she said with a sigh. Maria held her gaze with Georg for a moment and then looking away, stared off absently into the night, "Trying to keep our spirits up when we don't know for sure if the children are safe or where we will end up. A true test of faith."
"Yes."
Georg urged Maria to face him again and brushed her temple with his lips. He leaned against the storage room door and motioned to Maria. She followed his lead and the couple remained motionless for a few moments, pondering what to do next.
"I don't know how I would have handled this without you. I can't even imagine being here alone with seven children. There'd be tears, tension, and worries that just seem to disappear when you're here," Georg told her with complete sincerity.
"They're strong children, Georg. Braver and more mature than I realized."
"Yes they are, but you bring it out in them. You'll never know what a blessing you are to this family, Maria. Let alone to this Sea Captain. I am scared to even think about the ornery person I would have been if I had to face this alone," Georg sighed, taking hold of Maria's hand and squeezing it tight. "Thank you."
Maria nodded her head and closed her eyes in thought. "I could never be anyplace but with you, no matter the circumstances."
Georg placed his arm around Maria's shoulder and the couple fell quiet for a moment, each staring off into the night.
Breaking the silence, Georg spoke in a gentle voice. "Well this has certainly changed my view of everything. I imagined us curled up in our bed, not roaming the streets of Salzburg, when I thought about our first night home as husband and wife. I'm sorry I couldn't give you a proper homecoming," he said apologetically, in a serious tone.
Maria leaned her head away from Georg's shoulder and turned to face him. She placed her index finger on her husband's lips and raised her other hand to run through his now tousled hair.
"Shh…," she whispered. "We're together and safe. That's all that matters." She gazed intently at Georg and saw how he diverted his gaze past her stare, guilt blatant on his countenance.
Maria raised both hands to either side of his head and urged Georg to look at her. With wide eyes and a modest smile she continued to speak. "And besides, we were able to thoroughly christen our home while the children were out early this afternoon, were we not? Or was that not a proper enough homecoming for you, Captain?" she whispered coyly while softly smiling at Georg.
He leaned forward and left a light kiss on Maria's forehead. Moving his head back to meet her gaze, Georg stared intently at his wife. "I'll never forget how happy I was when I carried my beautiful bride up the stairs to our own bedroom."
Maria reached forward and gently stroked the length of Georg's arm with her fingertips as she returned his intense gaze. "I dreamed of that for weeks and God let my dream come true, giving us that time together. Nobody can ever take that away from us."
Georg placed his hand over Maria's to rest, as her fingers lingered on his forearm. Holding his wife's gaze for an eternity, he finally broke the silence. "We've had so many good memories at the villa," he recalled wistfully.
"And those memories will stay right here," Maria whispered while placing her hand to Georg's heart. "We're a family Georg, and will be no matter where we are."
Georg nodded.
"When we left tonight, we took all of our real valuables with us: our children, our love, our faith, and our memories. God will figure out everything else, Georg. He always does," Maria continued with a soft smile.
"Well, when you put it like that, I can't think of another way I would have ever wanted to bid our villa farewell," Georg said with a straight face, gazing at Maria with woe. He believed her words and knew they were full of truth, yet was still thinking of the worldly possessions they had left behind that he could no longer offer to his family.
Maria reached upwards and stroked Georg's cheek with compassion. The couple embraced and Georg gently rubbed Maria's back in the silence of the night. They both reflected on their situation and their next course of action.
After a moment, Georg moved his head back to look his wife in the eyes. He traced the outline of her nose and lips with his finger. "I don't deserve you."
"God seems to think otherwise. And for the record, so do I."
Georg opened his mouth to protest, but Maria held her hand up and opened her eyes wide, giving him a sidelong glance. Her look softened and she smiled. "I thought that by now you'd know better than to argue with me, Captain."
Georg's eyes twinkled and he chuckled with a slight shake of the head and roll of the eyes. "I wouldn't even dream of it, Fräulein. You're a tough fight, so I'll take your word for it this time."
Maria smiled for a moment and then became more serious. "God knows what He is doing. He brought us together at just the right time, because we both deserve and need each other, Georg. Remember that. Please?"
Georg nodded his head and pulled Maria toward him into his arms. As the couple stood in each other's presence, a train slowly pulled out of the station, causing them both to glance upwards in anticipation. Instinctively, they both knew that this was the train that the children should be on. Georg and Maria began scanning the windows for any glimpse of their family.
"I see them, Georg! In the rear cabin!" Maria cried, while embracing her husband around the waist and resting her head on his shoulder.
"They're safe," she breathed with a sigh of relief.
Several heads pressed up against the windows in the rear cabin caught Georg's attention, and amidst the many waving hands, he saw Emil. As he glanced at his friend, relieved that Emil was safely leading his children out of the country, Georg squinted his eyes to decipher something that his friend was mouthing to him.
"Oh look at them waving!" Maria exclaimed.
She clasped her hands together in relief and then followed the children's action and began waving to them. She walked a few paces, in an attempt to follow the now accelerating train, but just as quickly returned to Georg's side, knowing that the children would soon be out of view. Maria sighed as she watched the train go around a bend as it travelled at a steady pace out of the country to safety.
"Oh Georg, Gretl was blowing kisses to us! I miss them already" she sighed as her throat tightened. She looked off in the direction of the train that was barely visible in the distance, happy that the children were safe but longing to be together as a family again.
Her statement was met with silence.
"Georg?" Maria could not help but notice her husband's tense posture and his continued quietness. She lifted her head from his shoulder and glanced upwards at him, noting the tension and worry in his eyes.
"What is it?" she asked with surprise, taking hold of Georg's hand and placing her other hand to his cheek.
"We'll be together again soon. They're safe now, darling. That's the most important thing," she encouraged with a smile.
Exhaling deeply, Georg cast his gaze on Maria and stared into her eyes. "Did you see the expression on Emil's face and what he mouthed to us as they passed?" he asked Maria, utter fear evident in his tone.
With growing nervousness, she shook her head slightly.
"He said 'six' and held up the same number of fingers. I scanned the windows and saw six of our children, so we know they are safe, " he continued. "But Liesl wasn't there."