They reached the valley just as the sun was sinking below the horizon. Fortunately, there was still enough light left to gather wood for a fire, a task the boys and Louisa happily took on. They had challenged each other to see who could gather the most, and by the time Georg had created a small circle of rocks to start it in, there was a large pile of sticks and logs beside him. A small argument had started about who had truly gathered the most, but Georg ended it quickly by declaring them all winners. Temporarily satisfied with that answer, they left to help Maria and Liesl with the blankets.
After he had a roaring fire started, Georg called his family over to eat, and they happily joined him, letting the flames chase away the chill of the early spring night. He ate his fill quietly, lost in thought as he gazed at the mountains they still had to climb. A couple of the larger ones still had snow on their peaks. Though they had dressed warmly, he was not sure what they wore would be sufficient for climbing a snow-covered mountain. He simply could not ask them to do that. It would be horrible if they escaped from the Nazis only to die of exposure.
His feet carried him away from the group as he continued to contemplate the mountains, musing on the best way to get through them. Some of the smaller peaks would be warmer for sure, but the March air was biting, even in the low lying meadow where they lay tonight. Perhaps they could go around the mountains. Or perhaps they could find somewhere to lie low for awhile and wait out the cold. A hand on his shoulder caused him to turn, and he found his wife standing next to him. "You were quiet at dinner," she observed, stepping to his side.
"Just thinking about where to go next," he told her, wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her into his side. He kissed her temple before letting his eyes stray back to the mountains.
"Some of the smaller peaks have started to turn green," she said.
"Hmm. It will add a few kilometers to the journey though."
"We've made good time so far."
"The first days are always easiest. It will start to get harder when everyone's tired."
"Harder but not impossible." He turned from the mountains to gaze at her, amazed at how she always remained optimistic, even in the most dire circumstances.
"You truly are a light in the dark, my love," he told her, causing her to blush. He pulled her closer again, letting their lips meet, savoring her sweetness. After a few seconds, she pulled back and glanced toward the fire. The children were silhouetted in its light.
"Georg, the children are right over there."
"So? We're married. I've done nothing improper." She gave him a small smile, but it was fleeting. He frowned at her, sensing that she had more to talk about than their upcoming journey over the mountains.
It took her a couple minutes, but she finally spoke. "I was just thinking about what happened the yesterday morning," she finally confessed, her voice low.
Georg sighed. "I was afraid it was something like that." He pulled her close to him, laying his head on top of hers. "I never wanted you or any of the children to experience such things. I should be the one to protect you from them, but it seems like I cannot even do that right."
"But you did protect us from those men. Yes, they scared us, but nothing more serious happened. And truthfully, I was never very worried because I trusted the whole time that you would save us. But the way that you saved us. . ." She trailed off, but Georg understood. He grimaced.
"Believe me, Maria, if I could have found another way, I would have. I just did not see another option."
"I know. And I do not disagree with your decision. Those men obviously wanted to cause us harm, and I do not think they would have stopped until they did so if you had not taken decisive action."
"But it goes against your faith."
"Mmm." She was quiet for a few moments. "Father Thomas once told me he believes we both have good hearts and that God will use those to show us the way."
"He would certainly know more about such things than I would." Georg considered for a moment, trying to think of how to best put his thoughts into words she would understand. Georg knew he and his wife had different views about God and the church, but he felt they had proven over the years that the two could be compatible. "When it comes to judgment day, no one is coming with a clean slate, and I know mine will likely be filled more than others. But I hope that I can at least say that I did my best in each moment, that I made the decision I felt was right with the information I had."
"I suppose that is all any of us can do." She squeezed his hands. "I have never thought you anything less than an honorable man, and my opinion has only strengthened in recent days. I just sometimes struggle to reconcile that belief with my others."
"Understandably so."
"I love you, Georg. No matter what horrors I see or what dangers we face, that is one thing on which I have always been able to rely."
"And I love you."
They stood in silence for a few more minutes before he glanced back at the fire where all the children still sat. "I suppose we should get back to the children," he remarked. Maria nodded, and he grabbed her hand. He gave it a squeeze and continued to hold it as they walked to their children.
"Is everyone ready for bed?" he asked, dropping Maria's hand to swing Gretl into his arms.
"It's still early," Kurt complained.
"Trust me, you'll want the sleep when we start walking tomorrow."
"But I'm not tired!"
"Okay, you don't have to sleep if you can't, but why don't you at least lay down and close your eyes? You might surprise yourself."
"Can you sing to us, Father?" Gretl asked.
"Of course," he said easily, happy to be able to offer whatever comfort he could in the admittedly dismal circumstances. With a sudden longing for a guitar (and a small grin at the thought of carrying it up the mountains), he began to sing the first song that popped into his mind, a folk tune which happened to concern two men meeting for battle. However, the children did not seem to mind the rather unorthodox lullaby, so he continued.
After three more songs, all but his eldest two children were asleep. He glanced at them. "I trust that you don't need me to continue singing to fall asleep?" They shook their heads.
"We're good, Father," Liesl said, speaking for both of them. He smiled, kissing her on the forehead and ruffling Friedrich's hair before standing and making his way to the nest of blankets he shared with his wife.
"Did you get them all to sleep?" Maria questioned, settling onto the blankets. He dropped beside her, slowly pulling off his shoes and socks.
"All but Liesl and Friedrich."
"Should we talk to her about what happened yesterday? I know she was frightened."
Georg considered a moment. "Let's give her some time to work through things herself and come to us if she needs us. We should watch her closely to make sure it has not affected her overly much, but I do not want to add to any lingering fright she might feel." She gave a small nod, and he leaned closer to press a soft kiss to her lips. "Come, let's get to sleep. We have a long day ahead of us." She lay down beside him, automatically curling against his side, her head resting on his shoulder. He stroked her back gently as they both drifted off to sleep.
As Georg had expected, it was even harder to get started the following morning than it had been on the second day. Gretl did not even try; she began to complain as soon as Georg announced that they were to continue their trek. Georg quieted her with a promise to carry her on his back as he had done previously, and she consented somewhat grudgingly. They ate a quick breakfast of bread and cheese, and Georg noted that their supplies were dwindling. It would only be a couple more days before they would have to find other sources of food.
He glanced over at Maria, and she nodded, having obviously sensed his thoughts. "I suppose it's good that I learned some survival skills in the Navy," he said, grinning in spite of himself. He could not help it. His wife truly brought out the best in him.
"How much longer are we going to have to walk, Father?" Friedrich asked.
"We probably have another five or six days or so," Georg said, glancing at the mountains in front of him. "We covered much more distance than I expected in the last couple days."
"Are we going to those mountains?" Marta asked, pointing.
Georg nodded. "There's a couple smaller peaks over there. Once we cross them, we'll be in Switzerland. We should be able to find a small village once we're over the border where we can take shelter for a little while before continuing."
"Six days is a long time," Marta said, her eyes wide with fright.
"It'll be over before you know it," Georg told her. "And the faster we get moving, the faster we can get there. Is everyone finished?" The children all nodded, and they started to gather the things together automatically, clearing the campsite without complaint. Georg felt pride well up inside him as he watched them work seamlessly together. Once they had finished, he hefted Gretl, still carrying his pack, onto his back as Friedrich took Johannes and Maria Phillip. Once he was sure that everyone was ready, Georg led the way towards the next mountain.
As Georg had expected, they were not able to travel as quickly on the third day as the first two due to both fatigue and the fact that the climb was considerably steeper than the first foothill they crossed. Georg, too, was beginning to feel the effects of the previous days, a slight burning sensation in his calves. He knew he was not as young as he once was, and carrying a child or two over the mountains would certainly take a toll on his body. But he was determined to make it, and he knew instinctively that determination would carry him through.
Mid-morning, they passed a small shack tucked back in the trees, and all the children began clamoring to explore it. He glanced briefly at the sun before acquiescing, deciding the rest would do them all good anyway. They quickly moved to the shack, and their parents hung back with a fond smile. "It's as if they've never seen a building before," Georg remarked with a chuckle.
"I think it's just nice for them to find something somewhat familiar," Maria said. "It makes them realize that we're not going to be in these mountains forever."
"You, my dear, are frighteningly insightful." Georg glanced at the children, noting their preoccupation with the shack, and turned his head to press a brief kiss to his wife's lips. She smiled sweetly at him.
"Father, what do you think it's for?" Brigitta questioned,
"I suspect it's a hunting cabin," Georg said, joining his children to examine the small structure. "These mountains have dozens of them."
"It doesn't look very clean," Gretl said, crinkling her nose as she looked at the inside.
"Well, there's no one who's responsible for maintaining them. They get used from time to time when a hunter needs to take shelter for the night, but they're not all that concerned with cleaning up after themselves." He swept his gaze quickly over the interior before turning away. It was pretty much what he expected—a single, dirt-floored room with various forms of refuse littering the floor. A small slit of a window in one wall emitted the only light besides that coming from the open doorway.
The children quickly lost interest in the cabin, and they sprawled out on the ground outside it, enjoying the brief respite. Georg allowed them all a few minutes rest before standing. "Is everyone ready to get going again?" he asked.
"We're ready, Father," Friedrich said, scrambling to his feet. Georg smiled approvingly at his son. The other children soon followed Friedrich's example, hefting their packs onto their backs. Georg lifted Gretl up as well, and they started off once more.
By mid-afternoon, the sky had darkened considerably as storm clouds rolled in, covering the sun. Georg frowned at the sky. It looked like it was going to rain any minute and rain could easily be deadly to his family given their lack of shelter and the chilly air. He mentally reviewed the contents of their packs. He had packed some canvas they could use for shelter in a pinch, but it would be a tight squeeze to get everyone inside, and he doubted they would be able to have a fire there. The best option would be another hunting cabin such as the one they had just seen. Georg considered for a minute, trying to think of how they might find one. They had been following a narrow path since the last cabin which Georg suspected was a deer path. It seemed likely that another cabin might be near it. He also suspected it would be near a body of water so the hunters did not have to pack in large amounts of water, so he instructed his family to search for one of those.
Louisa heard the water first, and Georg let her lead the way until a small creek appeared in front of them. They followed it for only a minute or two before a cabin came into sight. Georg inwardly sighed in relief when he saw it; the clouds were growing heavier by the minute, and he did not know how much longer the rain would hold off. Bending down, he set Gretl on the ground and took his pack from her so that she could run into the cabin with her brothers and sisters. He followed more slowly, his eyes sweeping the land around them. Kurt's voice interrupted his thoughts.
"This one's a lot better than the other one!" he exclaimed. "It's actually got two rooms and a fireplace." Laughing at his exuberance, Georg joined him in the cabin.
They split into three groups. Georg took Louisa and Kurt to try and find something to eat since he had the best knowledge of edible plants. Maria took Friedrich and Brigitta out to collect wood, and Liesl stayed behind with the youngest four to clean up the cabin as best as they could. Fortunately, they had found some edible mushrooms growing not too far from the cabin, and they managed to gather enough to last the family for the night and still beat the rain back to the cabin. Georg found Friedrich and Brigitta already stacking wood in the small fireplace when he returned.
"Where's your mother?" he asked them, setting aside the bag of mushrooms he carried.
"She wanted to get one more load to make sure we had enough for the night," Brigitta said. "She said she'd be back in a few minutes."
Georg frowned as he looked at the sky outside. "Hopefully she gets back very soon. It doesn't look like the rain is going to hold off much longer." As if echoing his sentiments, a flash of lightning lit up the sky, followed closely by a clap of thunder. His frown deepened.
"Father, Kurt says there are fish in the creek so we could eat them," Marta said, distracting him momentarily from his worries about his wife.
"We don't have anything to catch them with," Georg told her.
"We could use our hands," Kurt suggested.
Georg chuckled at the image that brought to mind. "I don't think that will work very well." There was a sudden staccato sound on the roof, and he glanced out the window again. The rain had started, but there was still no sign of Maria.
"You said she was coming in just a few minutes?" he asked Brigitta. His words came out more sharply than he intended, and she cowered a moment before her chin jutted out bravely.
"Yes. She just wanted to get one more load."
"Where were you collecting wood?" he asked, worrying his bottom lip as he watched the rain grow stronger. It was coming down in sheets now.
"We were about 500 meters that way," Friedrich said, pointing. "There was a large grove of trees, so we found a lot of sticks and smaller logs." Georg squinted in the direction that his son had pointed, but he saw no sign of his wife.
"Is Mother going to be okay?" Gretl questioned.
"Of course she'll be. She loves the rain," Liesl assured her younger sister. Her eyes, however, remained on her father, watching him carefully. He continued to stare out the window at the pouring rain for a minute or so, the children all watching him fearfully. He knew Maria had a decent sense of direction, but perhaps she had gotten lost with the gathering dusk. Or maybe she had tripped and hit her head, knocking her unconscious. Or maybe. . .
Before Georg's thoughts could spiral too far out of control, he began to remove his traveling cloak and coat, setting both on the ground of the cabin. "What are you doing, Father?" Brigitta asked.
"I'm just going to go check on your mother," he told her.
"But it's raining so hard! And it's cold! You'll be freezing," Brigitta objected.
Georg offered her a reassuring smile. "I've been much wetter and colder before," he assured her. "I'll be fine. I'll be back before you know it." He turned to the rest of his children. "Liesl is in charge while I'm gone. I want all of you to listen to her. Go ahead and get the fire started; there are some matches in my bag that you can use." None of the children moved, so he let his smile widen in an attempt to comfort them. "Go on, get to work. I'll be back soon." And with that, he left the cabin.
As soon as he stepped out into the rain, he let the smile slip from his face. Something was seriously wrong. Maria was smart enough to realize that with the nighttime temperatures dipping into the single digits and sometimes even below that, staying out in the rain could easily be fatal. Something had prevented her from coming back to the cabin before the downpour started, and Georg could not think of anything good that might have done so.
"Maria!" he called loudly, but the wind carried away his voice. He doubted she would have heard him unless she happened to be standing right in front of him. Still, he had to try, so he continued to call her name as he headed in the direction Friedrich had indicated. His clothes were already soaked through, clinging to his skin, but he barely felt them. As part of his naval training, he had once had to submerge himself in full uniform in the middle of February. After ten minutes in the water, he had stopped feeling the cold, and he had managed to stay in the water for another forty-five minutes after that, beating the previous record by nearly three minutes.
Now, all of his attention was focused on finding his wife, leaving him little time to worry about whether or not he was cold. His steps grew faster until he was jogging, and he reached the clearing Friedrich had described in no time. What he saw there nearly stopped his heart. Maria lay on the ground, rain pelting down around her, mud covering her clothes and a pile of wood in front of her.
"Maria!" he shouted, sprinting toward her. Fortunately, it looked as if she was already beginning to stir; her head turned at the sound of his voice, and she blinked in confusion. By the time he reached her side, she was trying to sit up, but he stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "What happened?" he questioned, his eyes full of concern.
She looked confused for a minute. Finally, she stammered, "I don't really know. One minute I was about to start back toward the cabin with my firewood and then the next thing I know, I'm lying on the ground here. I must have fainted or something."
That concerned Georg even more. Maria was not the type of woman prone to fainting. "Have you been eating enough?" he questioned. She nodded.
"I'm fine, Georg. It was just a momentary dizziness, I think." She started to sit up, but he stopped her once again. "What are you doing?" she questioned as he slid an arm under her legs and one under her shoulders.
"I'm taking you back to the cabin."
"I can walk, Georg," she objected.
"I'm sure you can, my love, but right now, I ask that you indulge your very worried husband and let him carry you." She sighed but did not object, so he took that as consent.
He reached the cabin in record time, but she was still shaking uncontrollably by the time he did. Nine very worried children watched him carefully as he carried her into the main room. He gave them a tight smile and explained the situation succinctly before they could ask questions "Your mother just had a slight dizzy spell and fainted, but she's okay now. I just need to get her warmed up. Liesl, could you get a blanket and my jacket and bring it into the back room for me?" Liesl immediately jumped up to do as he asked, and he carried his wife into the room, setting her gently on the ground when he reached it. Liesl entered right behind them and held out the desired items. "Thank you, Liesl. You can set them over there. We'll be out in a minute, but I need to get your mother out of these wet clothes first before she takes ill."
"She's going to be okay, Father?" Liesl asked.
"She'll be fine, Liesl. You can tell your siblings not to worry."
"Your father is just being a bit overprotective," Maria assured the young girl. Hearing Maria speak seemed to reassure Liesl more than anything, and she left, closing the door behind her. Georg immediately began to work on peeling the wet clothes off Maria's body.
"I'm probably going to need your help with some of these," he told her. She nodded, already trying to work the clasps of her dress. Unfortunately, her fingers were shaking so much that she couldn't hold them. Georg seemed to notice her predicament, and he moved her hands aside so he could unfasten the garment.
"How are you not shivering?" she questioned, noting that he was just as wet as she was.
"I was out in the rain for less time. Besides, I'm a Navy man. We're used to being cold and wet." He cursed under his breath. "Sometimes, I hate women's clothing," he told her. "Too many fasteners and clasps." She giggled involuntarily, and he glanced at her, curious.
"I was just thinking about the last time you said that," she told him. He chuckled as well.
"It seems that I have many reasons for wanting you out of your clothing quickly, my dear, and I'm thwarted by these tiny fasteners every time." He finally unhooked the last one and helped her pull off the dress. Her underclothes soon followed, and he wrapped her tightly in his jacket and then in the blanket Liesl had brought. Her teeth were still chattering violently, and he bent to lift her again to carry her out to the fire. She gasped.
"Georg, the children are out there!"
"Extenuating circumstances. I'm sure they'll forgive you for not dressing appropriately. Besides, you're completely covered. I promise. And if it helps, I do plan on taking my shirt off as well so it can dry. I will unfortunately just have to live with soaked trousers for awhile." Before she could object again, he walked out of the room with her in his arms. The children all watched as he set her in front of the blazing fire. "Good work on the fire," he complimented.
"What's wrong with Mother?" Gretl questioned.
"She just needs to get warm so she doesn't get sick. And it's hard to get warm when you have wet clothes on. Louisa, could you go get your mother's clothing from the back room and bring it out by the fire to dry?" As he said this, he quickly unbuttoned his shirt and hung it by the fire. The children watched him warily, not moving despite his request. "Go on, get something to eat," he encouraged. "We're just going to try and warm up for a few minutes."
Kurt and Friedrich moved to get food, taking their younger brothers with them, and Louisa did finally start toward the back room, but the other four girls continued to watch him. "Why can't Mother walk?" Marta asked.
"I can walk, Sweetheart," Maria said, her words a bit broken due to her chattering teeth. "As I told Liesl, your father is just being overprotective." Georg gave a non-committal grunt as he settled in behind her, pulling her back against his body in an attempt to warm her more quickly.
"Do you want us to get you any food?" Liesl asked.
"It would be great if you could bring your mother something. Thank you, Liesl."
"What about you, Father?" Brigitta asked.
"I'll eat once all of you finish. Don't worry about me." The children stared at him skeptically, but they did eventually move to get their food.
"You need to take care of yourself, too, Georg," Maria chastised once the children had moved away.
"I will, don't worry. But right now, I'm more worried about you. I'm not the one who fainted for no reason and ended up on the verge of hypothermia."
"I'm not on the verge of hypothermia," Maria protested, but a violent shivering spell belied her words. Georg wrapped his arms more tightly around her, trying to give her as much warmth as possible. He dropped a quick kiss into her hair.
"You should listen to the Navy captain, my dear," he told her. "I've seen hypothermia before."
"And did you warm all your sailors up this way?" she inquired.
He smiled, happy to hear that she at least had her wit. "Only the special ones." They sat in silence for a couple minutes, and Maria's eyelids started to close. It seemed the combination of the warmth of the fire in front of her and the warmth of Georg's body behind her was very soothing.
"I got you some food, Mother," Liesl said, dragging Maria out of her stupor. She smiled at her daughter and took the food.
"Thank you, my dear."
As Liesl turned away, Georg leaned forward and whispered, "I hope you don't mind mushrooms with this meal." Maria giggled, obviously remembering the same incident he had. They had gone out to eat at a new Italian restaurant a couple weeks before. Maria, who had been learning Italian under Georg's tutelage, refused to ask for a German menu or allow Georg to translate. She had eventually ordered, pronouncing the name of the dish correctly, so Georg thought she had worked out the words on her own. However, when the dish had arrived, she was clearly surprised, especially when she began eating it and found it full of mushrooms. Though she had cleared her plate without complaint, he had eventually teased her enough to discover that she had expected something else entirely.
"I like mushrooms well enough as long as I'm expecting them," she told him. "They were just a surprise." He chuckled, pulling her close so that he could rest his chin on her head. As he did so, he silently thanked God for bringing her into his life. Not only had she taught him to love again, but she had been his strength through the trying times he had faced the past few years. He had loved his first wife deeply, no doubt about that, but theirs was a love that had developed over time, a love based on the hardships they had faced and the children they had raised. His love for Maria was different, more all-consuming. It was based less on the past and more on the present and the promise of their future together. While he had a love for Agathe that developed from his relationship with her, his relationship with Maria seemed to have developed from his love. He had found a woman he could love and cherish in his first wife, but he had not found his soulmate–a concept he would have scoffed at until meeting Maria–until later in life. It still surprised him sometimes.
He had also realized in the past three days that perhaps God has a plan, a reason for even the most painful events in life even if that reason is impossible for a mortal to understand. Georg still missed his first wife, but even he would admit that she would not have fared well trekking over the mountains with her children. She had been raised in the lap of luxury and was accustomed to the finest things. Georg had loved providing her with those. Maria, however, had always seemed somewhat uncomfortable with material wealth, preferring simple things and pursuits. He had no concerns about her ability to make it over the mountains with him and the children–and likely keep everyone's spirits high as she did so. He could not have picked a better companion if he tried.
The children begged their father for a story after they had eaten, and he consented without too much pestering, telling a watered down version of one of his favorite war stories as they all curled up in front of the fire. As he spoke, Maria's shivering gradually lessened, and she soon fell into a peaceful slumber. By the end of his story, all of the children had followed her example, and he sat in silence for a few minutes, content to watch them all sleeping. Eventually, however, the stress of the previous days began to catch up with him as well, and he shifted to lay down, Maria still cuddled against him, following the rest of his family into dreamland.
The sunlight streaming through the small cabin window hit Georg directly in the face, and he blinked awake, spending a moment trying to place his location. He felt the warm body of his wife in front of him. He pulled her slightly closer, as always enjoying the feel of having her in his arms. He felt her stiffen slightly, and she suddenly pulled the blanket more tightly around herself. Georg chuckled softly. "You're still covered, my dear," he assured her. "Though our nine wonderful children are nowhere near awake enough to notice if you were not."
"I still can't believe I slept naked in front of the children."
"I personally wish you would sleep naked more often." Even after almost four years of marriage, she nearly always put on a nightgown before falling asleep, even after multiple satisfying rounds of lovemaking. She claimed it was because the children sometimes joined them which, though true, did not happen very often and usually only under extenuating circumstances.
They shifted together, the unique connection between them driving their actions. Georg now hovered over her, supported by one arm, and she lay beneath him, smiling as she gazed up at her husband. "Maybe when we have a solid door between us and them again," she told him.
His expression darkened at the reminder about their current situation, but he shook those thoughts from his head, refusing to allow himself to dwell on them. "How are you feeling?" he asked.
"I'm fine, Georg."
"I'm worried about you," he said, letting his free hand ghost over her cheek in a gentle caress. "It's not like you to collapse like you did last night."
"I'm just tired," she told him. "It's been a pretty stressful couple of days. I feel fine. Truly."
He still looked worried, but he did eventually nod. "We could stay here another day if you want," he suggested. "There is shelter and I can probably even find a rabbit or two."
"No, we need to keep moving. I know you want to get over the border as quickly as possible."
"I'm more concerned about your health than anything," he told her.
"I appreciate that, but you don't need to be. I'm fine." He worried his lip between his teeth for a moment, and she raised her head to soothe him with a kiss. Georg responded immediately, suddenly very aware that his wife was naked beneath him. His free hand moved to cup her hip and then travel up her side and around her front, caressing her through the blanket. She moaned softly, the sound fortunately muffled by his lips.
He finally broke the kiss when he needed air, leaning his forehead against hers. "I don't think we've gone so long without making love since Phillip was born," he muttered.
"You're insatiable, Captain," she grinned. He grinned back, kissing her again. His lower body pressed into hers, telling her just how much he desired her.
"You know," he remarked breathlessly, "this cabin does have two rooms." Maria glanced over and noted that all of the children were sleeping peacefully. Turning back to Georg, she nodded her assent. He needed no second bidding; he immediately stood and scooped her into his arms, carrying her to the second room. As soon as the door closed behind them, he set her on her feet and his lips were on hers again. The blanket dropped to the ground as she reached up to wrap her arms around his shoulders and pull him close, and he growled as the action revealed her naked form. With that, they immersed themselves in each other.