The first ray of sunlight peeked over the mountains, falling upon the Von Trapp children one by one. The faint scent of cooking ham drifted to them, and slowly, each one lost his or her battle against returning consciousness. After a long moment, they were all sitting upright, recomposing themselves and gathering their surroundings. Their parents had their backs to them, sitting next to a strong fire a little way from the camp.
Brigitta looked over at them. "What are you cooking?" she asked.
Georg and Maria turned simultaneously and smiled at their children. "Good morning, sleepy-heads!" Maria exclaimed, her voice filled with the cheerfulness the children usually cherished. This morning, however, they were too sleepy to appreciate it. "We thought that a big breakfast would help us on our journey today!"
Louisa rubbed her eyes and scowled, falling back onto her blanket. "Wake me when it's ready."
"It's ready!" Georg announced, in a voice similar to Maria's.
Louisa darted upwards, not expecting that tone from her father. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Is it wise to use up our food like that?" she asked.
Her father nodded innocently, and he smiled again. "Oh, yes! I think we deserve a feast!"
"But we don't know how much farther we have to go, and who's to say the next people we come across are as nice as the Meinhards?" Louisa pressed.
Georg smiled at her insistence. "I know for a fact that today is a good day," he said in that same cheerful voice.
"How?" the children chorused.
Not saying another word, their father pointed beyond them, his gaze set to the distance. They all turned and saw a small village not too far from their camp. Their attention went straight to the pennant flying in the center, its white cross amidst a red plane beckoning them like a lighthouse.
"Switzerland!" Liesl gasped. She turned and stared, open mouthed, at her parents.
"Why didn't we see it yesterday?" Brigitta asked, also turning. "It's not far at all!"
Maria's smile widened. "It was cloudy yesterday; we could barely see fifty meters in front of us," she explained. "It's about a two hour walk from here, we estimate."
"Father!" Gretl exclaimed and leapt from her spot, running into Georg's embrace.
"I haven't forgotten your chocolate, my darling," he said, laughing and rubbing her hair from her face. The girl buried her head next to his chest, and Georg looked up, seeing the same excitement mirrored on the rest of his children's faces.
"So, who wants a slice of ham?"
The children stood up excitedly and gathered around the fire. They helped themselves to the prepared food and started to eat hurriedly.
"There's no rush!" Georg exclaimed.
The children stopped their hasty consumption and stared at him for a moment.
"The village will still be there if we take our time."
Looking a little sheepish, they nodded and slowed their pace. Maria took a piece of bread and nibbled on it quietly.
"Don't you want some ham, Mother?" Brigitta asked. The other children looked over at her.
"No, thank you, my dear," Maria said, shaking her head. "I'm fine with my bread. The meat is for you. You have to keep up your strength, and I want you all to eat something proper before your father buys out the village's chocolate!"
Gretl reached up and offered her father a piece of ham. Accepting it, he looked down at his child and grinned. "Will you miss camping outside, Gretl?"
"No; Friedrich snores," she answered, and the entire group, Friedrich included, burst out laughing.
"Well, what if we have to share a hotel room when we get there?" Louisa asked.
Gretl looked up at her father. "They won't put the girls with the boys, will they, Father?"
He laughed and stroked her cheek. "I don't think so, sweetheart," he whispered. Looking up at Maria, he winked. "But that's just for you children."
Maria nodded, digging into her pocket for some ginger root.
"What's that?" Kurt asked. "You were eating it last night too."
Maria paused in breaking off a piece and looked quickly over to Georg. They had decided not to tell the children of their news until they were assured that both Maria and the baby were officially healthy. She glanced over at the children, once again seeing them all staring at her. Unable to be dishonest with them, she finished breaking off the piece. "It's for my stomach; this whole situation has left me very anxious."
"You don't look anxious, Mother," Brigitta said, her face paling at the thought of her mother being ill. She turned to her father. "And it's almost over, right?"
He gave her an assuring nod, and then looked up at Maria again. Their eyes locked. "It's really just beginning," he said lowly.
Maria smiled and nodded, feeling the sunlight drown the children away as she stared at her husband.
"Father?" Friedrich's voice came from a distance.
The boy repeated himself two more times before the Captain felt a hand on his chin, pulling his face away from Maria. He saw a pair of impatient eyes staring up at him.
"Friedrich is talking to you, Father!" Gretl declared, her voice a mixture of impatience and surprise at her father not readily answering one of his children.
"Forgive me," he murmured, tapping his daughter's nose. He looked up at Friedrich, who was far more patient than his sister. Next to him, Liesl was glancing quickly between her two parents. "I'm sorry, Friedrich, what were you saying?"
The boy straightened. "Are we going to live in Switzerland?" he asked.
Georg looked over at Maria again, who nodded. Clearing his throat, he shifted Gretl in his lap. "We will stay there for a little while, yes," he started. "We can get our bearings and make ourselves more presentable. After that, your mother and I would like to go to America."
The older children stared at him with blank expressions, shocked at the faraway destination. Marta looked worriedly up at Liesl, who put her arm around the girl.
"America?!" Brigitta said, frowning. "That's so far!"
Georg sighed. "I want to get as far away from Hitler as possible," he said. "After what we went through in the Abbey, and now our hike over the mountains, I want to eliminate the possibility of ever putting my family through such traumas again."
"But, Switzerland is neutral," Friedrich said. "Can't we stay there?"
"It's still too close to Germany for my peace of mind," Georg said. "And it may not remain neutral; it may be forced to join a side."
"Like Austria was forced?" Louisa asked, staring at her father.
"Some don't call it that, but yes, like Austria was forced to join," he said, nodding.
Maria saw Gretl scrunch her nose. "Aren't there cowboys in America?" she asked, looking slightly excited at the prospect.
Maria laughed aloud, despite the somber mood of the children. "Not where we'll be going, darling."
Gretl looked down, unsure whether or not to be pleased with the answer.
Maria, eager to revive the cheerful mood, clapped her hands together. "It'll be like a new adventure!" she exclaimed.
Following her lead, Liesl nodded, starting to accept the idea of leaving their homeland forever. "And we'll be together," she said, hugging Marta again. "That's all we need, right?"
The little girl nodded, still looking scared. She looked over at her mother. "Do they sing in America?" she asked.
Maria's heart tightened. "Yes, my love," she answered, looking around at the rest of the children, whose fears were also starting to dim. "They sing."
To be continued…