So, I know it's been forever and I'm sorry! I've been really busy with school and other things.
FUN FACT ABOUT ME: I am currently assistant director for a production of Sound of Music at a local community theatre.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this. I know it's kind of short but it should tie you over for a little while.
She plucked the soft pale flower out of the vase and spun it by the stem between her fingers. Where had it come from? How long had it been there? No dust had settled on the flower's petals and the darkness of the cabinet had not yet caused it to wilt. It couldn't have been there for long.
Edelweiss.
Maria's mind began racing. Who could have put these flowers here except Georg? She smiled at the thought that he had been in this house, exploring the different nooks and crannies for the best place to put…
-Your husband is dead-
She remembered the telegram and its contents and thought her stomach would plummet through the floor. Although, perhaps it was something else that was causing the nauseating sensation. She shook her head, knowing that it most likely was but not wanting to think about what, or who, might be the culprit.
"Mother." She whirled around to see Liesl, trembling, holding in her hand the very telegram which had hurled Maria off a cliff. "What's this?" She waved the paper in the air.
Maria swallowed. "It was a telegram I received a few hours ago"
Liesl suddenly burst into tears. She crumbled to the floor in a heap.
Maria set down the flowers and slowly made her way to crouch down beside Liesl. She searched her brain but found no reassuring words worth offering. Liesl moved slightly, resting her head in Maria's lap, and curled up into a ball like a kitten.
"I hate this." She whispered, her shaking.
Maria ran her fingers through Liesl's soft brownish hair and stared straight ahead. "Me too." She replied. "Me too."
They sat there, like that, until someone from downstairs hollered that the cookies were ready.
As they made their way down the stairs, Liesl leaned over and said quietly into Maria's ear. "You have to tell everyone else. They don't deserve to be lied to."
Maria nodded. "Children," She called as she entered the kitchen. Six heads turned towards her, with six pairs of hopeful optimistic eyes which were excited to eat a sweet snack and maybe do some exploring later on. She knew that what she had to tell them would shatter their innocence. "Why don't we eat in the living room?"
"Father never let us eat in the living room." Marta said, a look that was a mixture of guilt and excitement crossing her face. "If he comes home and finds us sitting in the living room eating cookies, he might leave and never come back."
Maria almost laughed, but her heart had sunk too low to allow anything more than a weak smile. "Don't worry, I'll take all the blame if he comes home." She assured the children, doing everything in her power not to burst into tears.
She ushered everyone into the other room and they all situated themselves with cookies on the couch, peering curiously up at her. She took a deep breath, and let it out immediately after, unable to speak. Her eyes flew to Liesl, who was giving her a pointed look that basically said, 'if you don't tell them, I will.'
"Children there's something that I need to tell you."
"Children, there's something Maria and I need to tell you." Georg said, squeezing her hand.
"Or rather," Maria butted in. "Ask you."
The children shared glances of confusion.
"I have-. Er, we have-." Georg began, struggling to find the right word. "We are-. We hope that you will accept that we…"
"Father just get to the point." Liesl eyed them both suspiciously.
Georg fought to find the right words but seemed unable.
"You're father and I," Maria took a deep breath. "We are going to be married."
Maria shook her head, knowing that this announcement would have a very different effect on the children than when Georg and she had announced their engagement not earlier this year. It seemed so long ago, everything had changed so much since then. Her life had been so absolutely blissful then, and she had thought it was too good to be true. Now she knew it had been too good to be true.
"Mother, just get to the point." Liesl demanded.
"I received a telegram yesterday-. No, today." All the days seemed to blur together with everything that had happened. "And have been informed that your father-." Her voice caught in her throat as she saw the faces of the children light up at the mentioning of their father. "Your father-. He-. He's, um, he's no longer with us."
"Mother, we know that he's no longer with us." Gretl said, her eyes wide. "What we want to know is where he is."
Maria looked around at the rest of the children who had fully understood her previous statement, and then back at Gretl, the only one young and naïve enough to still have hope, the one who was now forcing her to come right out and say it bluntly.
"Gretl," She sighed. "Your father is dead."
And then all seven of them started sobbing at the same time. It was like on her very first meal with them, except their tears weren't over the frog they had hidden in her pocket, or the pine cone they had placed on her chair. They were justified tears if Maria had ever seen them. And there was nothing she could do to ease them. Crying seemed to be becoming a regular occurrence in her life.
…
Several Weeks Earlier.
…
Rolfe stood in shock of what he had just done. As his fellow soldiers filed in around him, he was frozen, staring at the limp body lying on the ground. He heard the screeching of tires in the distance and knew that the family had gotten away.
"Don't bother chasing them. It's him we wanted." The general told his men.
They all stood surrounding the body, which was unmoving and bleeding profusely from the shoulder. Rolfe knew that the Captain could be no less that unconscious and could very well be dead.
"Someone check his pulse." Commanded the general.
At first no one volunteered. Checking the pulse was the worst part; the part where they discovered whether someone was dead or alive. If the person was dead, it meant you had just killed someone, if the person was alive, it meant you would have to kill someone.
Rolfe held his breath and stepped forward. He walked up to the victim, who lay, still unconscious, in the center of the floor. I'm sorry. He thought, and wished for a moment that the older man could hear his apology. He stopped briefly when before kneeling down and lifted two fingers to the neck of the Captain.
It was slight and faded, but he felt the slight thumping as the blood pumped through his veins. He didn't know whether to be terrified or relieved. Thump-thump, thump-thump. He stood up abruptly, making his decision.
"He's dead." His lie echoed and bounced off of the marble walls.
"Damn." The general cursed. "He was rumored to have enemy intelligence."
"They said they wanted him dead or alive, didn't they?" Rolfe asked pointedly.
The general nodded and glanced around the great hall. "We should go."
The men lined up and Rolfe followed them.
"What do you want us to do with the body, sir?" Asked someone.
"Leave it. We don't need the extra weight."
AND THERE YOU HAVE IT. ARE YOU HAPPY NOW? This reveal marks the beginning of the end of the saga.
Thanks for all the love guys. I am truly humbled by your wonderful, kind reviews.