June of 1930
Liesl - age 9
Friedrich - age 7
Louisa - age 6
Kurt - age 4
Brigitta - age 3
Marta - couple days old
Friedrich and Kurt were laying both down on their beds. The first day of their summer break had started and they were already bored.
Their father had announced that Uncle Max would be visiting them, since he hadn't met their newest addition to the family yet.
Liesl and Brigitta had been glued to their new baby sister, wanting to hold her, feed her and play with her. Louisa, just like the boys, didn't care much for such things. Just like them she enjoyed activities that allowed for them to use more energy.
Instead of being glued to the baby, she was intrigued by the new horse their father had bought, Nolan. She had been begging her parents to let her ride on him, but the horse had yet to get used to it. After weeks of strengthening the young horse, Nolan now was allowed to ride for no more than twenty minutes a day, with a child on his back.
"Boys, come on downstairs, will you? Uncle Max is here!" their father called. Friedrich and Kurt quickly jumped off their beds and ran down the stairs.
"Hello Friedrich, Kurt." Uncle Max said, acknowledging both with a nod. The boys echoed their greetings.
"Oh my." their uncle said dramatically. "What do you think, Liesl, it looks like your brother Kurt has shrimped, don't you agree?"
Kurt frowned. "Have not!" the boy defended. Liesl grinned and nodded. "Yes, sir, I agree. He becomes shorter every day. Must be something that he caught from someone, I hope it's not a virus".
"You save 'sir' for your grandfather and father. They enjoy being called 'sir'. Not me, makes me feel old. It makes them feel superior, they get a kick out of it." Uncle Max said. Liesl blushed while the rest of her siblings looked at their father and laughed.
What Uncle Max just said went completely over Kurt's head, who still was trying to defend himself and secretly checking if he really had shrimped. "You're lying, Liesl! I"ll tell mother you're lying, and you'll be in trouble!" Kurt threatened.
"They're joking, can't you tell, silly?" Friedrich sighed.
"Alright, alright, that's enough." their father said, stopping both Liesl and Louisa from getting the words that were laying on the tips of their tongue out of their mouths. Kurt mumbled under his breath, saying he was not short.
"Is it true what Uncle Max says, father?" Liesl asked.
"No, I do not enjoy being called 'sir', it makes me feel old as well. However, when you children use it, it's either because you're in trouble, or because we're discussing something serious that requires your attention. Besides, there is nothing wrong with a respectful child." their father explained. Uncle Max made a face at the children, one which meant he thought that their father was lying.
"Well, who's going to introduce me to your new sister, eh?" Uncle Max said as he put a hand on Kurt's shoulder. Kurt looked up and glared at Uncle Max, who stood behind him and quickly removed his hand.
"I'm sorry, Kurt. You're right, you're not short. You know who is?" Kurt shook his head. "That sister of yours over there." he said, pointing at Louisa, who sighed and rolled her eyes.
"If we would've caught that virus Liesl was talking about, the only person we could've gotten it from would be you, Uncle Max." Louisa retorted.
Georg couldn't help but smirk. "Looks like you just got owned by a six-year-old, Max". Max shook his head and snorted, while ruffeling Louisa's hair, who ducked away. "You're ruining my hair and making knots!" she glared.
"Can we finally show you the baby?" Liesl urged, tugging Uncle Max's sleeve. Uncle Max followed the bunch to the drawing room. Marta was fast asleep in her mothers arms.
"Hello, Max." Agathe greeted. "You look wonderful, Agathe. Congratulations with your newest daughter".
"Isn't she the cutest thing you've ever seen?" Liesl exclaimed. "Oh, yes. However, I think you're cute yourself too." Uncle Max responded, while tickling her.
"Stop it, Uncle Max! I'm not cute! I'm going to be ten next month!" Liesl shrieked.
Max shared a look with Georg, who nodded. "Yes, time flies, now doesn't it?" Georg responded.
"It does, I sometimes still imagine us as those rascals we were when we were just boys. We were handsome back then". Both smiled at the memory.
"Well, as long as you're not going to inspire the next generation with your antics…" Agathe said.
"What does she mean?" Louisa asked, looking confused between the three adults. "Your Uncle and I have done some very stupid things when we were kids, nothing I want any of you to repeat." her father said sternly, pointing at each child.
"Now I want to know what you did!" Friedrich said. "Yes, tell us a story, please Uncle Max!" Liesl pleaded, followed by a chorus of yesses.
"Yes, father never tells us any good stories!" Louisa joined in.
Her father frowned. "I tell you stories all the time!"
"You do, but you never tell us any good stories." she sighed.
"Your standards are fairly high then, I'm fantastic at telling stories," he laughed.
"Go on to the terrace and leave your sister here to sleep. Uncle Max and I will tell you some stories." their father said. At this the children got excited and ran off.
Georg and Max followed. "So, Liesl really is going to be ten next month?" Max stated rather than asked.
"Yes, she is. She's growing up too fast. It does soothe me knowing that I have five other children who aren't ten yet, thank goodness".
"Are you going to continue till you have your own little army? I can totally picture it. You commanding them around with a whistle, and them marching in uniforms." Max joked.
"Who knows. I don't think they'll ever listen that well though, or would be on the same page with each other. A man sure can dream." Georg laughed.
"What do you mean? What man can dream?" Louisa asked, walking back into the hall towards them.
"Were you eavesdropping?" her father asked with mock sternness. He crouched down to meet her eye level and raised his eyebrow.
"No, sir! Honest! You two were just talking loudly. I swear on my siblings that I did not eavesdrop!" she swore, placing her right hand on her heart. He wasn't sure how much swearing on her siblings meant, since she was always complaining about them and arguing with them.
"Oh Georg, don't scare the poor child. You know you can be frightening, don't you?" Max said.
Max turned around, to the other children. "See, that's what I mean when I'm talking about your father enjoying his power. Scaring little children just because he can. Nasty, don't you think?" Liesl and Friedrich grinned and nodded.
Georg couldn't keep a straight face any longer, and a smile appeared on his face. He gently smacked the back of Louisa's head, took a seat and pulled her into a side hug.
"I wasn't really scared, Uncle Max." Louisa said. "Even though father is a hardass." she continued.
Both men choked on the whiskey that had just been poured. "You called me a what? Good heavens, where did you even hear that word?" her father asked in shock.
"I heard Uncle Max say it before. He says that you're a hardass, just like grandfather." she replied innocently.
"I bet you were eavesdropping then too, huh". He flicked her nose and pulled her onto his lap.
"Is it really true grandfather was a hardass?" Kurt asked.
"Oh, yes. Though I have to admit the stunts your father and I pulled weren't quite as innocent." Uncle Max said.
"Your father got in trouble all the time, for small things such as running inside, not doing good at school and talking during dinner. Your grandfather made sure your father never made the same mistake twice." he continued.
"He tried to make sure, but failed. I had a way of finding trouble as a boy, or the other way around." Georg interrupted.
"What's the biggest trouble you've ever gotten into?" Friedrich asked curiously.
"I think that'll have to be the time your Uncle Max, a friend of ours and I burned down a shed".
"Will you tell us the story, please?" Liesl pleaded with eyes no one could ever say no to. Georg shifted Louisa on his lap, who decided to jump off and take a seat opposite him, so she could watch him.
"Alright then. Your Uncle, our friend and I thought it was an amazing idea to steal some cigarettes and alcohol from my father, your grandfather. We must've been around thirteen or fourteen years old, I think. I had just gotten home from school for the summer break, and we wanted to celebrate that. We had created a list with things we wanted to do that summer, such as playing a prank on someone and going swimming." their father started, taking a breath before continuing.
"So we took the contraband, and went to an empty shed in the woods. Lots of children used to hang out there and nobody really knew who it actually belonged to. The three of us enjoyed an evening of drinking and smoking. My father was well known and respected by people around the neighbourhood. Apparently a lady saw us go into the woods, and called my father".
"Oh no! Did she tattle on you?" Liesl asked.
"I can assure you, she did." Uncle Max answered.
"After the enjoyment, the three of us split ways and I went home. I was completely unaware of the fact that we had been spotted. I climbed through the window, I left ajar, into my room. Guess who waited for me, my father, in a chair, in my room. Obviously he wasn't too pleased, as you can imagine, but he showed none of that. He just calmly asked if I knew anything about a burned down shed. I said I didn't, because at that point I really didn't know that we accidentally burned it down".
"We were stupid for not fully stomping those ciggies out." Uncle Max said while shaking his head. Georg nodded in agreement. "That we were".
"My father then asked me if I knew anything about his alcohol and cigarettes that had disappeared. I again told him I didn't. Which was stupid if I look at it now. Obviously he already knew, he could even smell it, I was visibly drunk, but oh well. My father then stood up and searched me for his missing things. The stupid boy I was, I didn't get rid of them before entering the house. So now I had added lying to the list. To my confusion he told me to sleep, and left the room".
"The next morning he woke me up early and made me exercise outside. I did it every day, but he made sure it was a lot harder than normal. It doesn't sound so bad, but with a headache, sunlight is not your best friend. After breakfast he called me into his study, told me to cut a switch, and gave me a good switching." Georg said.
The children gasped. "Did he really?" Liesl asked. Her father nodded.
"Did it hurt?" Louisa asked.
"Oh, I can assure you it did." he answered.
"After dinner he made me chop firewood and told me to start a fire. He then went to my room with me and made me collect some belongings of mine. We also stopped on the way outside for some books from his study. My father then made me kneel down in front of the fire, with my arms stretched to the sides, while he started burning some things of mine. He burned my favourite miniature ship, that I had worked months on, right in front of my nose".
"That's cruel!" Liesl gasped. Her father shrugged, leaned back and took a sip.
"He then started adding books onto my arms. Each time I lowered them too much or I dropped the books, he burned another thing of mine. I think I kneeled down for about an hour or fourty minutes. He said the run and standing at attention was for drinking and smoking, the switching for stealing, the books for lying, the burning for burning down the shed." their father finished.
"I think that's way too harsh!" Friedrich said. His siblings nodded in agreement.
"Well, don't think you wouldn't get in trouble for such a thing, but I agree, it was quite harsh." their father agreed.
"Did you cry, papa?" Kurt asked.
"No, son. I didn't cry because I don't think my father would have appreciated that very much. He couldn't stand me and my siblings crying".
"I don't think he would like Marta very much then, all she does is cry." Louisa noted. Her father chuckled at that.
"Can Kurt and I make a list, just like you did?" Friedrich asked.
"I can't see why not, but you have to promise to not add stupid stuff to it like we did". Friedrich and Kurt promised they wouldn't do such things, and ran off.
Louisa walked towards her father and leaned against him. "Papa?" she asked. "Yes, little ladybug." he answered.
"Well, I was just wondering. Remember when I started school and you got angry at my teacher for hitting me?" He nodded and hummed, remembering.
"Don't you agree with hitting, because of your father?" she asked, looking up at him. Whatever he thought she was going to ask, it was not this. When did she become so wise?
"Perhaps, Lou. I don't think hitting is the right way for most incidents. There are better ways to teach a child not to do a thing. However if a child does something that is really wrong, or you've warned him or her numerous times, some good swats might get his or her attention, so it won't happen again." he said thoughtfully.
Louisa frowned. "Will you swat me too?" she asked.
"Not unless you plan to do something as stupid as your Uncle Max and I did. I don't want you to not do something because you're afraid you're going to get spanked. I want you to not do something because you know it's the right decision. So go play and be a kid. Stop worrying about adult stuff, leave that to us".
Louisa was content with that answer and ran off with Liesl. The boys had come back outside with a piece of paper and some pencils.
"Do you want to be father or Uncle Max?" Friedrich yelled over his shoulder to Kurt, who was trying to keep up with the running.
"You better hope they're not getting themselves into trouble." Max grinned.
"Oh they're always getting themselves into trouble. I don't expect much else, they're my children after all." Georg laughed.
The two of them were disturbed by yelling from Friedrich and Kurt.
"I bet they're fighting about who gets to be me." Max said.
"You wish." Georg scoffed.
When the yelling didn't stop Georg intervened. "Turn that down a notch or two, boys!"
Friedrich turned sheepishly to his father. "Sorry, father!" he said, and continued with Kurt.
Max had left about an hour before dinner, promising the children he'd visit soon. "Boys! Get inside, dinner is ready!" their mother called.
Friedrich and Kurt were too absorbed with making their summer list to hear their mother calling for them. She went back inside to retrieve the whistle they used to call the children whenever they were out of reach to hear them, and blew it. Immediately their heads went up. "Dinner boys!"
"We're coming!" Friedrich yelled, while collecting everything. They rushed into the hall at the same time as Louisa.
"What did you two do, all day outside, hanging over a piece of paper?" she asked. Kurt started to tell, but was stopped by an elbow in his stomach. He glared sideways at his brother.
"Nothing much, just some drawing." Friedrich lied. Louisa snorted. "Since when do you draw voluntarily? I bet you're planning something stupid, and I am going to tell father all about it." she said and ran to her chair.
"What is it you're going to tell me all about, huh?" her father asked. Louisa shrugged.
"Just about the idiotic things those fools are probably planning".
"Well, we'll have to wait and see if they're actually going to do something foolish, don't we?" their father responded.
After dinner the boys hurried up the stairs, to their bedroom. They actually were up to no good. Hearing the stories about their father and friends when they were boys had inspired them.
Early in the morning they were going to wake Louisa and tell her to get ready because she was going to go ride through the forest on her favourite horse, Nolan, together with her father.
Both boys couldn't wait to see her reaction when she found out it was a prank.
Friedrich and Kurt quickly went over their plan, before going to sleep. Around four in the morning, Friedrich's alarm went off. He walked over to Kurt and gently shook him awake. "It's time!" Friedrich whispered.
The boys tiptoed towards Louisa's room. "Louisa, father told us to wake you up. He said he had a surprise for you." Friedrich said, while pulling off the
covers. "Ugh, leave me alone." she answered grumpily, reaching for the covers.
"He said something about the forest and riding Nolan. Please get ready or you might get all of us in trouble." he prompted.
Louisa immediately jumped out of her bed and started getting ready. As soon as she was ready she ran past both boys into the hall and down the stairs. However she soon realised that no one else was awake yet. Glancing at the clock she knew the boys had been lying.
She stomped up the stairs and into their bedroom, ready to confront her brothers.
"You lied! You filthy fools!" she yelled. Friedrich and Kurt couldn't control their laughter, which enraged their sister only further.
Louisa grabbed pillows from Friedrich's and Kurt's bed and started slamming it into them.
When she planned on throwing a blanket she suddenly was restricted from behind. It didn't take much time before she figured out who that might be. Her brother's faces went from smiling to ones with slight fear as they tensed and looked at the ground.
"I would drop that if I were you." was whispered in her ear.
Louisa dropped the blanket, turned around slowly and stood eye in eye with her annoyed father. Her father released her and she quickly stepped back, falling in line with her brothers.
"And what do you three think you're doing?" he inquired.
"They woke me up and said that you were going to take me riding! But they lied!" Louisa explained.
Their father raised a brow and had to suppress a smile as he turned to his disruptive sons. "Report." was the only thing he said, though he had to admit it was quite laughable.
"We just thought it would be funny to trick Louisa into thinking she was going to ride Nolan and then have her find out it was in the middle of the night." Friedrich confessed.
Agathe appeared halfway through his explanation. The noise had woken her up too, so she decided to see for herself what was going on.
Georg ran his hand over his face and nodded a couple of times, before answering and turning his attention back to his sons.
"I have to say, it's very… creative of you. Why don't you two apologise to your sister and we can all go back to bed, eh?" he mirrored Louisa by crossing his arms.
"Sorry, Louisa." the boys said.
"That is not fair! They lied to me and woke me up! They should be in trouble!" Louisa yelled and added a stomp to emphasise her point.
"I agree with Louisa, but there is no reason you should be yelling or stomping, young lady. Friedrich and Kurt, you are confined to your bed until breakfast and after that you will be confined to your room until it is time for lunch. Am I clear?" their mother asked.
"Yes ma'am." the boys echoed.
"As if that's a punishment." Louisa scoffed under her breath.
"I think both of you could use some extra rest, considering this night's escapades. You two will be properly apologising to your sister during lunch, there will be plenty of time to think about what you are going to say. All of you back to bed." she ordered.
Louisa didn't move and continued to glare at her brothers and father.
"All right, enough with the glaring now. You heard your mother. Back to bed." her father said as he turned her towards the door and gently smacked the back of Louisa's head.
"Traitor." Louisa scoffed as she got directed out of the room.
Louisa in fact did not immediately return to sleep. After changing back into her nightclothes she laid back in bed and pondered about her revenge. When she had fully prepared her plan, she finally fell asleep.
The next morning 'the troublesome three', as their parents called them since they always got themselves in trouble, slept in.
The boys apologised during breakfast and got off with a warning. Georg had promised that Louisa got to ride Nolan in between breakfast and lunch, causing Friedrich to lose his turn. The weather was very nice, so after lunch the children had decided to play outside.
"Shall we play at the stables?" Louisa asked Friedrich and Kurt. Kurt looked very unsure and started fidgeting. "I don't know Louisa. I don't want to get in trouble." Kurt replied.
"Come on, you're not afraid of a little fun now are you? Besides, father said we would get in trouble if we rode Nolan. That isn't the same as playing at the stables".
Both boys didn't want to lose their dignity and agreed to Louisa's proposal.
The three of them ran off to the stables, leaving Liesl with Brigitta. Liesl didn't even notice that they had run off, she was too preoccupied with making daisy crowns.
"Let's play cowboys! Friedrich and I'll try to steal your horses and you'll have to protect them." Louisa said, pointing at Kurt.
"But you won't leave will you?" Kurt asked. He didn't like being left alone, especially in the stables with all the noises from the horses, which scared him.
Louisa sighed and put her hands on her hips. "Stop being a baby. We will stay right here". Before Kurt had a chance to protest they had already left.
Louisa had dragged Friedrich by the arm towards the hay. "Let's try to get into Nolan's box." she whispered in his ear. Friedrich nodded.
Carefully they made their way to Nolan. While relocating they saw Kurt in the aisle looking lost and awfully nervous. Louisa couldn't help but snort at the sight.
Kurt heard the sound and immediately turned around. "Aye! I see you." he yelled. Friedrich and Louisa ignored him and got into Nolan's box.
Kurt followed them, but didn't manage to open the door. "You'll be in trouble!" he yelled.
"Isn't it so much fun in here, Friedrich?" Louisa teased. "Oh yes!" he replied. "Good thing that we don't have any babies in here who are scared of trouble to spoil all the fun".
"I'm not scared! Let me in!" Kurt yelled. "If you add 'please' to the sentence, I might consider it." Louisa said.
Kurt sighed. "Would you let me in please?" He heard the door open. "Come on in then" Louisa motioned with her hand. Kurt walked in.
"Go on, give Nolan a pat". Kurt looked unsure and glanced over at Friedrich, who returned a shrug.
Kurt walked over to Nolan and petted him. "Friedrich give me a hand will you?" Louisa asked as she grabbed Kurt and tried to hoist him up on Nolan's back.
Kurt did not at all like this. "No, no! Let me down! I don't want to sit on his back!"
Louisa and Friedrich ignored him as they hoisted him on Nolan's back. "See that's not so scary, now is it?" Louisa asked while grinning.
"You know that you're awfully bossy sometimes, right?" Kurt stated rather than asked, while he pouted. "I'm not bossy, I just have many great ideas others don't have. Besides, I bet that if I were a boy, you wouldn't say such a thing. You're friends with that stupid Dieter after all." she remarked while crossing her arms and scrunching her nose.
"Dieter is not stupid!" Kurt defended.
"Yes he is!"
Deciding this was fase two of her plan she chose not to continue the argument and staring contest.
"I really have to go to the toilet. I'll be right back." Louisa said and she left. As fast as she could she ran towards her father's study.
"Father! I have something really important to tell you!" she said as she barged in.
Georg looked up and raised an eyebrow. "Well, take a seat and tell me then".
Louisa shook her head. "Don't have time for that. I saw Friedrich and Kurt heading to the stables, and when I followed them I saw Kurt climbing into Nolan's back. You have to come before he gets hurt!" she said while motioning her hand for him to follow her.
"You are sure you didn't go in yourself?" he asked.
Louisa nodded earnestly. "Honest, I didn't go in, I just saw them go in and followed them to see what they were doing".
Her father wasn't born yesterday, and could see that she was lying, even though she was fairly good at it. He could always tell when she was lying, they used the same ways after all. He decided to play along and find out what was actually going on.
"Alright then, show me." was all he said as he stood up and strode towards the stables with Louisa leading him.
She stopped in front of Nolan's box and indicated with her head that he should open the door. As he opened the door he was met with wails. Kurt was clutching his leg.
"What on earth happened here?" their father demanded, speaking slowly and quietly. One thing all three could agree on was that whenever he used that tone, it usually didn't end very well for the one receiving it.
"Nolan threw me off." Kurt hiccuped out, in between hoe sobs. Georg pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to gather his strength and calm down.
"Where does it hurt?" he asked as he kneeled down next to the boy. Kurt pointed at his leg. His father checked his leg to make sure that it wasn't broken. "It's not broken. Don't fight the pain. You feel it, let it be there and try not to think about how much it hurts." he said as he patted the boy's head. Kurt nodded and his sobs subdued.
"I still need to know what happened. Why were you on him in the first place? Haven't I made it clear that you were not to disturb Nolan?" he snapped, his voice getting louder with each sentence.
"Well, you said we couldn't ride him." Friedrich pointed out. His father grabbed his arm, turned him around and smacked him twice, before turning him back to face him.
"I have told all of you numerous times that Nolan is a young horse and needs his rest. You two are smart enough to know that going into his box and doing God knows what is not acceptable!" he nearly yelled while pointing his finger at Friedrich. The boy looked at him with wide eyes.
Louisa tried to slowly walk away, hoping no one would notice she was even there. Her movement caught her father's attention. He sighed and let go of Friedrich. "You stay right where you are." he snapped and pointed a finger at her.
"Alright, back to you." their father said as he turned towards Kurt. "Do enlighten me please. Why did you think it was acceptable for you to get on Nolan's back?"
"I never wanted to get in here in the first place! Louisa said I was a baby if I didn't come in and then she lifted me up his back!" Kurt defended.
Their father turned around to Louisa, who was still standing in the doorway and returned a sheepish smile. "Really, is that so?" her father asked.
Louisa tried to form an answer, but everything seemed to have left her mind, as it went blank.
"You better give me an answer now." he demanded as he stepped towards her.
"I just… It's just not fair that they got off with nothing for that prank they pulled and I wanted to get revenge." she said meekly while suddenly finding the ground very interesting. She would have yelled her defence, but considering her father's tone and the fact that he had already swatted Friedrich she chose for the safer road.
He strode towards her and grabbed her chin, causing her to look him in the eye. "I cannot believe that you came up with this plan just to get your own brothers into trouble! Do you have any idea how hurt all of you could have been? I can assure you that Kurt was quite lucky by the looks of it!" he now nearly fully yelled. Her father turned her around and smacked her a couple of times, like he had done with Friedrich just now.
He then looked at Friedrich who looked a bit more relaxed now. "Don't even think that you're not in trouble, because you are responsible for your own actions." he said pointing at Friedrich.
"You two, go find a corner in my study". Friedrich and Louisa ran off, not wanting to earn any more of their father's rage. "I'll carry you inside." he said and he picked Kurt up.
After placing a chair in the corner for Kurt to sit on he was met with Agathe, who was watching from the doorway.
"You might need to give those two a quick lesson on how to stand properly." she said as she motioned to Louisa and Friedrich.
Louisa was tracing the wall with her finger while Friedrich was tracing the baseboard with his foot, both while slumping and leaning against the wall.
Georg sighed and nodded. "Both of you stand up straight, no leaning against the wall".
Both of them stood upright, however it still wasn't what he meant. "Feet together and toes touching the wall." he instructed firmly. He walked over to Louisa and used his foot to nudge Louisa's feet forward, causing the tips of her shoes to touch the wall. He then walked over to Friedrich to do the same.
"Straight knees, don't lock them. Hands to your sides, straight back, shoulders back and down". He said as he corrected Friedrich. Louisa felt like groaning. Staring at the wall was no fun and standing straight without moving and talking didn't help either.
"Long neck, you look straight ahead of you and no talking. Don't even think about moving or looking anywhere but straight ahead of you." he said as he walked over to Louisa who had looked over her shoulder to see what was happening behind her. Her father flicked her ear as a reminder.
"How you are standing right now is what your father and I mean by standing straight, this and nothing less." their mother said. Louisa fought the urge to look over her shoulder and rolled her eyes instead, thinking no one could see it.
"That also includes not moving your eyes, Louisa." her father scolded. She was very confused on how her father always seemed to know what she was doing even if she thought he wasn't looking.
"Every time you are being sent to a wall or corner you stand at attention, like this." their father clarified.
Without another word Agathe and Georg left the room and discussed how they were going to handle the situation. After hearing what Louisa had done she answered "Crafty and stubborn little madam she is", while she shook her head. He chuckled. "That she is. Wonder where she gets it from".
After returning to his study and waiting for another five minutes or so he decided it was time to deal with the situation.
"Friedrich and Louisa, you may turn around and break position". Both of them immediately did so, relieved they could finally move. Georg walked over to Kurt who was still positioned in the chair, facing the wall. He carried Kurt to the settee and placed him down. "All of you take a seat".
Friedrich and Louisa sat down next to Kurt and watched their father carefully as he started pacing across the room. He stopped in front of them and pointed a finger at them.
"Your mother and I have made it very clear to you that Nolan needs his rest. What happened to Kurt was his way of saying he had enough. Do you three have any clue how hurt any of you could have gotten? Nolan is way bigger and heavier than you. If he would have stepped on you you'd be crushed to the ground." he said as he looked at each of the three. Friedrich, Louisa and Kurt all looked contrite, which he saw as a win considering all three could be very stubborn.
He paused, brought his hand up and ran a hand over his face. "Alright, Friedrich tell me which 'D rules' you broke". Usually if one of the children got into trouble it was because they put themselves in danger or were disobedient, dishonest or disrespectful.
"Eh… Danger…and disobedience." he replied meekly. His father nodded and fixed his gaze onto Kurt. "Kurt?"
"Danger and disobedience." Kurt mumbled.
"Louisa, what about you?" he asked firmly. "Danger, disobedience and dishonesty." she answered, being the only one to look directly in his eyes. "Good…good." their father repeated as he nodded.
"So the three of you know what you did wrong." he said as he took a seat opposite them. He leaned forward, placing his elbows on his thighs, causing his eyes to be on the same level as theirs.
"Your mother and I have put rules in place to keep you safe. You know why that is? It is because we love you and we couldn't stand it if anything happened to you, do you understand that?"
He hated the slightly hesitant nod his children gave and sighed. He supposed he should tell them more often that he loved them, to make sure they felt loved, even though there were other ways he tried making clear they were loved.
"Well it is very important to know that you are loved. No matter how big you have messed up or how many times I have had to lecture you, your mother and I will never stop loving you." he tried to sound reassuring.
"Even when we get kicked out of school? Or if we get in trouble five times a day?" Kurt asked.
Georg couldn't help but snort. "Yes, even then. I do hope you're not planning on getting kicked out of school or causing that much trouble though". The four of them shared a laugh.
"Alright, back to business. Kurt I think you have learned your lesson, now haven't you?" he asked with a serious tone.
Kurt nodded, "Yes, sir. I won't go to the stables ever again without permission, I swear." he said trying to sound earnestly. His father hummed and nodded.
"Good. Now a bit of teasing here and there and playing pranks on your siblings is fine, but all of you have crossed a line today. It's not acceptable for you to break any rules in the process of doing so. So let's make amends. I want no more pranks." their father said.
"Yes, sir." they echoed.
"Kurt, you're excused. Do you think you can walk again?" his father asked.
"Yes, I think so".
"Off you go then".
As soon as Kurt left their father returned his attention to the other two. "Louisa, take a seat at my desk and Friedrich, take a seat right here." Georg said while he led the boy towards a smaller desk, mainly used for writing letters, positioned against the wall.
Louisa sighed, she could already tell what their punishment was going to be and she did not like it one bit.
"Your mother and I have decided that both of you are going to write twenty lines for each 'D rule' you broke, to make sure you won't repeat your mistakes. That means fourty for Friedrich and sixty for Louisa." their father explained while grabbing paper and pencils.
After he told them what they had to write they both got started. Louisa was writing much at a much faster pace than Friedrich, which was visible in her handwriting. Sometimes being a left handed person, forced to write with her right hand, had its advantages. Louisa kept switching the pencil between her hands, stopping her hands from cramping.
Friedrich and Louisa finished around the same time. Their father checked their papers to make sure they hadn't skipped any lines. "Good, you can stand up now." he said while he placed the bundles of paper onto his desk.
Friedrich and Louisa both stood up and stretched their legs and arms. Their father turned around and leaned against the desk. "Come here." he said, pointing to the spot in front of him.
"Tell me, have you learned your lesson?" their father asked.
Friedrich and Louisa nodded, standing in front of their father.
"I need a verbal answer." he demanded.
"Yes, sir." they replied.
"Very well. I don't want you two to drag your younger brother into trouble. He looks up to both of you and therefore he will accept almost anything you will tell him to do, because he feels pressured to do so. That does not change the fact that he is still responsible for his own actions, but do keep that in mind, will you?" he said, looking at both of them.
"Yes, sir" they echoed again, while nodding.
"I'm proud of you, remember that." Georg said as he pulled his children into a side hug and patted them.
"Off you go then." their father said, cocking his head towards the door.
Brother and sister didn't waste any time and ran towards the door and outside. Georg shook his head, he had told them many times not to run inside the house but they just kept doing it.
"You know, I think we should play a prank on father and mother." Friedrich whispered into Louisa's ear. She grinned widely at hearing his plan.
"I think we should." she nodded in agreement.
After discussing what they were going to do, the preparations started. The plan was to put salt into the teacups their parents were going to drink out during teatime.
Right before the maids were going to bring the tea to the terrace, Louisa and Friedrich slipped into the kitchen and put some salt in the teacups, meant for their parents.
After that they ran back to the terrace, where Liesl, Kurt and their mother were waiting, and took a seat. "Your father just went in, he'll be back soon." Agathe said.
The maids brought out the trays and not much later their father returned. Louisa started distributing the teacups, giving the ones with salt to her parents.
Friedrich and Louisa were watching their parents expectantly when they took a sip, but no reaction came. When they themselves took a sip however they were met with the taste of salt and immediately spat it back into the cup.
Friedrich wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "That's disgusting." he said while making a face.
"You thought you could play a prank on your mother and I, eh?" their father smiled. Liesl giggled, finding the situation amusing.
Louisa glared at her sister and then directed her glare to her father. "How did you know?" she asked, still confused.
"That I can't tell, it's meant to be a secret".
Friedrich sighed and leaned back in his chair, while Louisa wrinkled her nose and crossed her arms, also allowing herself to drop back into her chair, but not fully ready to admit the fact they lost.
"Don't dwell on it. I would say 'better luck next time', but considering it is us you were trying to trick, it will still not work." their mother said as she took a sip from her tea, trying to hide her smile.
"It's just not fair! You got some sixth sense! You always know everything about everything that we do! Father even saw I was moving my eyes this afternoon, while I wasn't facing him!" Louisa complained.
"Roll" Georg corrected, masking it up with a fake cough, earning another glare from Louisa and giggles from his other children.
"How do you even know that?" Louisa questioned.
"Like you said so yourself, I must have a sixth sense or something along the lines of that. A good one it is, I can sense if my children are misbehaving." her father shrugged. Georg looked over at his wife and smiled.
"Well I don't believe that. It's just unfair." Louisa muttered.
"What is the thing anyways with you and finding everything 'unfair' lately, eh?" her father smirked. Louisa ignored her father and stole Kurt's teacup. She took a big sip, causing Kurt to scowl at her.
"That's mine!"
"Oh well, I took one sip, big deal." Louisa mocked her brother, as she placed the cup back on the table.
She was confused how her parents found out they were going to play a prank on them, but what confused her even more was how the teacups with salt ended up with Friedrich and herself. She definitely was going to scare her younger siblings with some good scary story about 'the sixth sense' her parents had.
"Liesl, come sit with me, will you?" Georg called out.
"No, father, I'm too old for that now." Liesl giggled.
"And you are too old to call me 'papa' too, eh?" her father teased. Liesl nodded. "Everybody at school calls their father 'father'".
Georg shook his head and motioned for Louisa to come over, who shook her head. "I'm not sitting with a traitor." she said emotionlessly. Her father raised his eyebrow at that, while her mother took another sip, trying to hide her smile.
Louisa could seem really cold and closed off, but she in fact was really sensitive, just like her father. Seeing her daughter use the same ways as her father was quite amusing.
"What about you boys then? Come sit with me". Both Friedrich and Kurt shook their heads.
Brigitta, who was seated on a plaid, next to the table, occupied with a doll, looked up. "I'll sit with you, papa".
"Ah, of course my little Gitta wants to sit with me." he leaned down and picked her up. Brigitta leaned against her father's chest.
"You are the nicest one of your siblings, but don't tell them." he whispered loud enough for everyone to hear. Louisa scoffed and crossed her arms.
When it was time for bed, Louisa still didn't talk to her father. Her mother was tucking her in, when her father appeared in the doorway. He had his hands in his pockets and was leaning against the frame.
"Don't be too hard on him. Your father did not mean to betray you, Lou." her mother whispered softly. Just the scent of her mother was calmingly enough for Louisa. The girl hummed in response.
"Goodnight my little ladybug." her mother said as she was switching places with her father.
Liesl was their parents 'little lady'. Louisa was not sure how the name came about, she assumed they called her sister that because she was a very well mannered child, a little lady. She herself on the other hand could be considered as the wild child, interested in bugs of all sorts, therefore her nickname, 'ladybug'.
"Are you comfortable?" her father asked as he lowered himself onto the edge of the bed. Louisa shrugged.
"Please talk to me. I hate seeing you upset, Loulou." Georg said as he gently stroked her cheek with his thumb. Somehow what her father said annoyed Louisa even more. He was acting as if he didn't know what he did wrong.
Louisa shoved her father's hand away and turned her back to him. "Go away." she said, not really meaning it, she wanted him to stay and tell her everything was going to be alright.
Her father stood up and walked towards the door. "Goodnight, Louisa".
That was not the reaction she was hoping for.
"You know what, fuck you! You don't care about bloody anybody else besides yourself!" Louisa yelled, getting out of her bed, as if she were ready to fight. Her father turned around and just stood there watching her. There was no emotion visible on his face, which aggravated her even more.
Louisa walked over to him and tried to punch him, but he caught her hands before she had the chance to do so.
"If you have anything to say to me you say it without yelling or cursing. I am considering to let this slide, since it has been a rough couple of days for you, with the baby and last night's troubles, but if you do not get back into bed within the next three seconds, you will regret what you just said, and that is a promise." her father said calmly. He let her wrists go.
Louisa clenched her fists next to her sides. Why couldn't her father understand that she didn't mean it like that, she just craved attention, she just needed him. There was no going back, she was not going to give up so easily, without a fight.
"No".
"No?" her father questioned, towering over her.
"Are you deaf or something? I said bloody no! You are not the boss of me!" Louisa yelled fiercely.
That was the last drop for her father. He grabbed her upper arm and yanked her towards the bathroom. "Alright, it is the hard way you want, it is the hard way you shall get".
Louisa was trying to kick herself free, but her father didn't budge. When they got to the bathroom Georg locked Louisa between the sink and himself, while he grabbed a bar of soap. Louisa continued to try to slip away, but nothing worked. With her father's arm in front of her face, she decided to catch him off guard and bit him really hard in his arm, at the same time she kicked his shin.
Georg did not see that coming and accidentally created a gap for his daughter to sneak out. "Damn it." he hissed.
As fast as she could Louisa ran down the stairs, her father following her. It didn't take much time before he caught up to her. He picked her up and set her on his hip. Louisa continued kicking and even tried to bite him again, but he noticed just in time. "Didn't think so, young lady." he said as he grabbed her face with one hand, stopping her from being able to bite him again.
Tears started to roll down Louisa's face. "I hate you." she whispered, starting to get tired. "Hate me all you want, I am not putting up with this behaviour." her father said coldly, causing Louisa to cry.
Slowly she started melting into her father's chest as she wrapped her arms around him. He let go of her face, and sighed.
He walked back to the bathroom. When he wanted to set Louisa back onto the ground the girl started crying harder and clung onto him even harder.
"Don't let me go." she hiccuped out in between sobs.
"What has been going on with you lately, eh? You can tell me, Lou." he said as he stroked her head.
"I don't know… It's just I don't know if you still like me very much… You're picking the boys's side and you're busy with everybody else. But I don't know why I feel so angry, it's scaring me".
With one hand Georg placed the stool, positioned in the corner, in the middle of the bathroom and took a seat. He placed his hands on Louisa's shoulders and gently untangled her from him so that he could look her in the eyes.
"I am so sorry I made you feel that way, ladybug. I will never stop loving you. Trust me when I say I am proud of you and liking the person you are becoming." he affirmed.
Louisa looked at him with glossy eyes. "Really?"
"Yes, really. You are too much like me, we bottle things up and act all cool, when we are hurting on the inside. Does that sound familiar?" her father asked.
"Yes, I suppose so." Louisa nodded.
"We need to avoid outbursts like these, so I need you to come and talk to your mother or I about what you are feeling, instead of waiting and asking for our attention in a negative way. That is what you wanted, our attention, eh?" His eyes travelled across her face, studying it and watching her reaction.
He was recognising his own sister in Louisa. He himself didn't have these outbursts like them, his father didn't allow them. He had observed how the outbursts of his sister and children always happened to someone they felt safe with, which made it more complicated.
Louisa shrugged. "I think so? I am not sure. Sorry for all that, I didn't mean it." she apologised and started to cry again.
"Let's get you into bed. We will find out tomorrow what we are going to do about it".
The next morning, during breakfast Georg planned to apologise to Louisa. He deliberately did it in front of his other children, showing them too that he was sorry if any of them didn't feel heard either.
"I need to apologise to you, actually." he started. He was met with some confused faces.
"I am sorry if any of you got the feeling you couldn't come to me to talk about your feelings or problems, lately. I need to apologise to Louisa in particular, I hope you can forgive me".
Liesl walked over to Louisa and whispered something in her ear before she could respond. "We will forgive you if you take us out for ice cream." Louisa smiled.
"Yes, please! Can you take us!" the other children chimed in.
"Alright, I promise I will take you out for ice cream this afternoon. There are some errands I have to run in town too, so you can play with your friends for a bit. How does that sound, eh?"
He was met with excitement from his children.
After breakfast, Georg called Louisa to his study. "I think we need to discuss what happened last night, don't you agree?" he questioned.
"Yes, sir." was all she said.
"I know where your actions came from, but that does not mean you were justified to do so. I want you to write ten things you should and could have done differently, to avoid your outburst." her father said as he was taking paper out of his desk drawer and then placed it in front of her.
That afternoon, as promised, Georg took Liesl, Friedrich, Louisa and Kurt, by bicycle, into town to get some ice cream.
The cold substance was refreshing and a big contrast to the warm air surrounding them. "How does it taste?" their father asked, smiling at the sight of his four children seated next to each other on a bench.
The siblings gave a thumbs up, their mouths filled with the ice cream.
After they were finished their father dropped them off at the place where all the children from town hung out, while he ran his errand.
"Last night the boys went to the other side of Salzburg, to fight with the boys over there. You should have been there, it was legendary!" Edith exclaimed.
"Really?! I wish I were there." Louisa answered.
"Yeah, it really sucks you don't live as close so you can come yourself. Maybe the boys will show you their skills anyway. Or you will have to sneak out yourself. Lots of us did that".
Edith had an older brother, Alfred. She called her brother over. "Alfie! Come here! Louisa wants to see your fighting skills since she couldn't come yesterday!" Edith yelled.
The boys who went fighting the day before came up with some showcase where they could show their fighting skills off. The other children formed a circle around them, interested in what was happening.
While the boys were showing off their skills Liesl noticed one boy in particular, Eduard, a girl told her. He seemed to be constantly looking at her reaction, hoping to impress her.
After they were finished, a small girl, with a very loud voice, came up with the idea to play tag. "That's so boring! Why don't we change it, so it's a bit more exciting?!" another girl answered.
They now had created their own version. Instead of tagging someone, the tagger had to 'catch' someone by wrapping your arms around the other person.
The four Von Trapp siblings didn't notice that their father had returned, since they were too occupied with the game.
Eduard was 'it' and was chasing Liesl, trying to catch her. Just as he was about to, Georg intervened. "Stop that at once." he bellowed coldly. He walked over to the boy, who stood frozen.
"Do not come near my daughter ever again." he said as he leaned down, intimidating the boy.
"But father, he wasn't even doing anything wrong." Liesl defended. Her father kept his eyes on the boy while he spoke to his daughter.
"I do not care. I do not like the way he looked at you." he said coldly.
"I'm sorry Mr Von Trapp, it will not happen again, sir." Eduard said meekly.
"It is Captain von Trapp." her father corrected.
The boy gulped and changed his answer. "I'm sorry Captain von Trapp, it will not happen again, sir".
Georg nodded and then with his head he indicated that the boy should leave. Eduard gladly took the opportunity and ran away.
"Alright, say goodbye to your friends and then we are leaving." he ordered his children.
After they said their goodbyes the Von Trapps went to where they parked their bikes.
"I don't understand father. What did Eduard do wrong?" Liesl asked.
"I have been a boy myself, and I did not like the way he looked at you, nor his intentions." her father answered. Liesl scrunched up her face, confused.
Friedrich leaned towards Liesl and whispered, "Eddie has a crush on you, Rupert told me". Liesl gasped.
"Oh, I didn't know." she said.
"Don't worry father, I will protect Liesl." Friedrich beamed proudly, which caused Liesl and Louisa to snort.
"I know you will. Keep your sisters away from those boys." their father winked at Friedrich.
"But I am friends with lots of boys!" Louisa protested.
"As long as it does not become more than that, there will be no problem." he affirmed, ruffling Louisa's hair, trying to hide his smirk.
"Is everyone ready to go?" their father asked. He was met with a chorus of 'yes'.