The Daughters of Marburg

by Terrance Williamson

  Lilly, in her shock, simply sat beside him with her mouth open.

  “You know,” Wilhelm began with a wry smile, “ever since I quit smoking, I can think so much clearer.”

  Rolling her eyes, Lilly refused to indulge.

  “And it turns out”—he retrieved another cigarette from the pack— “smoking wasn’t all that bad for me.”

  “Oh, you silly boy!” Lilly couldn’t help a smile form as she leaned over and tried to grab it out of his hands.

  “Watch the road!” Edith barked as she grew annoyed at their flirting.

  “We’re here now anyways.” Wilhelm tried to sound cheerful, but his attempt fell on the sisters’ deaf ears as Lilly was reminded of the potential terror that awaited them.

  The girls in the back, however, delved into their giddiness as they clapped excitedly and leaned forward to try and get a better glimpse.

  “I’ve heard so many good things!” one of the girls spoke to another.

  “Me too!” the other replied. “I just hope there isn’t as much politics as there was in the League. I’m just here to learn how to be the best cook, and then I’m going to land a husband!”

  Lilly, unfortunately, was not sharing in any of the eagerness. The facility, which looked like a school, but much smaller, was situated on the outskirts of Frankfurt. With tan brick walls, the building was nothing more than a square. If Lilly hadn’t known any better, she would’ve believed it to be a military outpost, especially with all the Nazi banners hanging near the main entrance.

  Exiting the vehicle, Lilly and Edith began to shiver in the cold. The winter jacket which came with the uniform was not at all suited to these conditions, and Lilly wrapped her arms around Edith as they both tried to shelter each other.

  “No matter what happens, we need to stick together,” Edith whispered to Lilly.

  “Let’s get inside!” Wilhelm ordered. “It’s freezing out here.”

  “Yes, sir!” one of the other girls replied sarcastically as those with her giggled at his expense.

  But as they were hurrying towards the facility, Lilly caught a harrowing sight and stopped in place. The cold, winter air faded away as her eyes locked on a scene she didn’t even conceive imaginable.

  “What’s wrong?” Edith asked when she noticed Lilly wasn’t beside her and the rest of the company also turned around to inspect.

  “Oh my goodness!” one of the girls clasped a hand to her mouth.

  “What is it?” Wilhelm asked and squinted as he looked in the direction of their gazes.

  About fifty yards away, down the street leading into Frankfurt, was a man tied to a pole, dead. Stripped naked, there was a sign hung around his neck that Lilly couldn’t read as it was handwritten sloppily in red ink.

  “Can anyone read it?” one of the girls whispered.

  “It says ‘I violated a German girl,’” Edith replied.

  “He’s a Jew then?” one of the girls scoffed, and both Lilly and Wilhelm glanced at each other knowingly for the inconsiderate remark.

  “Wait.” Another of the girls took a step forward. “Isn’t that Hans?”

  “No, it can’t be!” the third girl’s teeth chattered as she stood near the other girls in the cold.

  “Who is Hans?” Lilly asked, and the girls looked at her warily, not entirely sure if they should trust her.

  “He’s a half-Jewish boy we know from Frankfurt. He was part of the Hitler Youth until they discovered his heritage.” One girl, who was tall and lanky, yet gorgeous, replied. She was almost a foot taller than Lilly, who marveled jealously at her wonderfully curly brown hair and an adorably freckled face.

  “Let’s go.” Wilhelm nodded, and Lilly could tell that he was sickened by this event.

  “Oh well,” one of the girls snickered, “he’s only a Jew. Better him than us.”

  But when none of the other girls found this amusing, Lilly wondered if there were more among them of the same “persuasion.” Still, the image of the man, frozen and dead, lingered with Lilly as though it were permanently imprinted on her mind. She couldn’t understand why, because of his birth, that he would be subjected to such cruelties. Regardless of her convictions, she kept these thoughts to herself while they were in mixed company.

  Opening the door for the ladies to enter, Wilhelm stood by with a polite grin under the strain of the poor weather as they walked inside but, before Lilly could enter, Wilhelm grabbed her arm. Not crudely or in an unkind sense, but in his touch, she detected that he was telling her to be safe. There was a deep worry in his eyes, and Lilly looked back at him with a confidant nod, indicating that he need not trouble himself further.

  “I’ll pick you up in a couple of hours,” he spoke to all the girls before closing the door behind them.

  Walking into a gymnasium, Lilly smiled when she heard a few stringed instruments and a piano playing a composition from Bach. Then, Lilly noticed that there were large mirrors on every wall, and they were hung beside each other around the entire length of the room. She would have thought this odd if she hadn’t also spotted the dancers at the opposite end of the gym. On a small stage, beside the dancers, was an orchestra with a girl at a piano, another two at cellos, and another five at violins.

  Suddenly, one of the dancers tripped and fell. The ensemble came to a grinding halt, and the other dancers rushed to her side to help her up.

  “Again, from the top!” an instructor shouted with her hands held behind her back.

  Restarting the performance, the music from this little orchestra swelled in the small gymnasium as the acoustics echoed marvelously throughout. The dancers, in their form-fitted outfits, began a dazzling routine with wooden hoops and Indian clubs, and Lilly was transfixed.

  She had watched dances like this in Berlin, and her heart was enraptured again in the fine movements, the elegant displays of passion amidst the romanticism of the strings and the piano. She hoped—prayed—that if they were forced into this Society, that she could become like one of those girls.

  Suddenly, the door opened behind Lilly as about ten other girls rushed inside, giggling and desperate to escape the cold. This added disruption, however, didn’t go unnoticed by the instructor, who immediately stopped the performance, which greatly irritated Lilly as she could’ve watched them practice for hours on end. Besides, she more than welcomed the pleasant distraction.

  “Ladies,” the instructor began as she walked over to them briskly, and, to Lilly’s relief, she didn’t seem nearly as intolerable as Lilly had assumed. In fact, she seemed sweet and, dare she believe it, happy.

  “You must be here for orientation?” the instructor asked the group of girls.

  “That’s right, ma’am,” Edith replied boldly, and the instructor’s eye lingered on her for a moment, judging her character.

  “Follow me.” The instructor threw her hands behind her back again and offered a warm smile before turning and walking into the middle of the facility, followed swiftly by the girls.

  “Here will be suitable.” The instructor abruptly stopped, and the girls obeyed as they stood in a disorganized clump before her.

  “How many of you were previously part of the League?” she asked, and all but two hands shot in the air while Edith and Lilly gave each other embarrassed glances for being the only outsiders.

  “That’s alright.” The instructor smiled. “It’s never too late to join. Ladies, would you please show these two newcomers where they should stand in the square? But first, we will have the dancers and the musicians join in as well.”

  At once, the dancers, musicians, and the new recruits to the Society formed into a square. Luckily, one of the girls that had come with them, the tall, lanky one, was kind enough to show Edith and Lilly to their places.

  While it was only three-quarters of a square, as the portion facing the instructor was left open and only three sides were filled with the girls, Lilly couldn’t help but feel a pinch of pride. She was among the most beautiful young ladies she had ev
er seen. They were all adorned in their matching uniforms, and they were in a facility which clearly appreciated the arts.

  “Sound off!” the instructor shouted, but still, Lilly was of the opinion that this lady was happy and quite enjoyed the routine.

  “One!” the girl to the left of the instructor shouted as she then turned her head to the girl beside her.

  “Two!” the next girl shouted as she also turned her head to the left.

  This procession continued until the girl next to Lilly shouted and, following suit, Lilly turned her head to the left and spoke loudly but was still too shy to shout, “Seventeen.”

  At this, the square burst into a giggle and turned to the instructor who, with a cheeky grin, walked briskly towards Lilly.

  “My dear,” the instructor began as she stood before Lilly, who was now a bright red with embarrassment, “what is your name?”

  “Lilly,” she replied as she cleared her throat.

  “And your surname?”

  “Sommer.”

  “Lilly Sommer? That is beautiful.” The instructor smiled genuinely, and Lilly found her soft voice comforting. “You may call me Mrs. Muller. I’m the music and dance instructor here.”

  Lilly nodded in her agreement, wondering if Mrs. Muller’s pleasantness was merely her way of disarming Lilly before she screamed and shouted like the major had at dinner.

  “Well, Miss Sommer, you should understand that there are a few rules you’ll need to abide by while you’re in our group. Don’t worry, they aren’t difficult.” Mrs. Muller smiled. “One of the rules is that you shout your number. We do many camping trips in the summer, you see, or outings into the countryside or different cities nearby, and it is imperative that we are all accounted for. If we’re out camping or in the city, then I won’t be able to hear you whisper your number. Do you understand?”

  “I do.” Lilly nodded. “Thank you for explaining it to me.”

  “You’re welcome.” Mrs. Miller gave a wink. “Remember, everything you do is practice. Absolutely everything.” Mrs. Miller paused as she squinted at Lilly. “’We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.’ Do you know who said this?” Mrs. Muller asked.

  Lilly’s mind went blank as her only thought was on the lingering eyes from everyone watching her. Not only could she not think of the source of the quote, she could scarcely remember her name if Mrs. Muller asked her again.

  “Aristotle,” Edith interjected in Lilly’s defense.

  “And what is your name?” Mrs. Muller stood in front of Edith as Lilly gave a slight breath of relief when the attention shifted to her sister.

  “Edith Sommer, ma’am,” she replied.

  “Sisters?” Mrs. Muller glanced back at Lilly. “Good, good. But you’re wrong.”

  “Pardon?” Edith fluttered her eyes in shock.

  “Aristotle didn’t say that. Rather, it was an American philosopher, Will Durant, who was paraphrasing Aristotle.”

  “I…” Edith was speechless which, although Lilly dared not admit it, gave her a bit of cheer.

  “Greek translated to English is never so poetic,” Mrs. Muller continued before returning to her spot at the head of the square as she announced, “From the top!”

  “One!” the girl to Mrs. Muller’s left began again and, when it came to Lilly’s turn, she shouted, “Seventeen!”

  A brief clap erupted around the room, and Lilly sensed that they weren’t mocking her, but rather, they were all quite pleased with her energy. Her perception of this group felt so askew, and now she was wondering if she had it all wrong from the beginning.

  Again, the image of the deceased man outside floated by her mind as a reminder. She knew, without a doubt, that for all the congeniality of this Society, there was a dark underpinning that she would need to be extremely careful of.

  “Good.” Mrs. Muller nodded firmly. “Whatever you shouted is your number, from here until the end of your education. That is the place where you will fall in the square from now on. Remember your number.”

  Seventeen, seventeen, seventeen, Lilly repeated as she locked the number into memory.

  “Now”—Mrs. Muller grinned and rocked on her heels as she grew excited— “we have a very special guest for you girls today. All the way from Berlin, the leader of our Belief and Beauty Society has taken it upon herself to address you ladies personally.”

  The room erupted into excited chatter and clapping as the girls looked at one another with a mix of awe and anticipation. With a signal from Mrs. Muller, a younger girl that was sitting in the corner, which Lilly hadn’t noticed until now, rushed to a door near the back and opened it.

  On cue, a tall woman walked briskly inside, trailed by another young girl who, Lilly assumed, was her aide. Then, Lilly’s heart stopped when Major Wagner entered the gym as well, with his hands held firmly behind his back and a company of about four SS soldiers in his train.

  Lilly could scarcely breathe as she watched the evil officer casually march towards the square. She felt the tears flooding her eyes and remembered the look of shame on her father’s face when the major was berating him. She didn’t believe she would be able to contain her rage if he challenged her.

  Yet as the two walked towards the square, Lilly thought that perhaps the major was a little frightened of the Society’s leader as he remained a few paces behind her. She couldn’t understand why he, of all the immoral people, would feel anything, but she was certain that this leader held some sway over him.

  Eventually, the two came to a stop in front of the square and, when Major Wagner caught Lilly and Edith among their ranks, he gave a happy smile and wave as though he were delighted to see them.

  “You know the major?” the tall girl whispered with a sort of dread.

  “Not by choice,” Lilly replied, although she wondered if it was foolish to express her opinion with someone she didn’t know.

  “I’m Ursula,” the girl continued to whisper out the side of her mouth.

  “Lilly,” she replied in the same fashion.

  “I know. I was standing right beside you when you introduced yourself to Mrs. Muller.” Ursula offered a cross glance but then suddenly grinned. “I think I like you, Lilly. I’ve already decided that we will be good friends.”

  Lilly chuckled quietly at the unexpected kindness and looked up at Ursula with a sort of fascination. She was older than Lilly, that much was certain, but something about Ursula felt chaotic. Not in a destructive sense, but rather, Lilly grasped that Ursula carried a relaxed attitude that she wished she could adopt.

  “Please join me in welcoming Clementine zu Castell, who has graciously taken over the Belief and Beauty Society from her predecessor, Dr. Jutta Ruediger.” Mrs. Muller turned towards the Nazi flag and offered the salute, followed by the girls.

  All, that is, except Lilly. She understood the dangerous game that she was playing, but she couldn’t salute the flag which would murder a family in the market. She couldn’t salute the flag which would subjugate her family to the terrors of Major Wagner. And so, in the defiant manner which was available to her, she kept her arm by her side.

  “I promise at all times to do my duty to the Fuhrer, so help me God!” Everyone, apart from Lilly, belted.

  But Lilly’s breathing ceased when she caught the glare from Major Wagner, who was watching her in one of the mirrors on the wall. With a wicked grin, he turned around and examined her with an expression that nearly made her faint. That was so stupid! Lilly felt a lump forming in her throat. He’s going to kill me for such a silly action. Papa made me promise that I’d return to him, and now I’ve gone and dug my own grave.

  “Miss Sommer,” the major began, and Lilly’s heart throbbed as she grew faint. “Would you—”

  “I believe the floor is mine,” Clementine spoke with such a commanding tone that the major seemed almost stunned into silence.

  “I was going to—”

  “The Society is mine.” Clementine turned and
glared at him, and he appeared rather sheepish. “You have the Hitler Youth, but these girls are mine to address as I wish.”

  “Of course.” The major offered a quick nod and relented as he delivered a vengeful glance at Lilly, who understood that she would suffer immensely for the sake of his wounded pride.

  “Good evening,” Clementine began after she turned to face them, and at once, Lilly understood the major’s restless disposition around her.

  Clementine was imposing, yet not in a ruthless sense, nor did she invoke trepidation, but rather, she radiated an infectious and natural charisma. Lilly wished that she could appear as confident with Clementine’s short, wavy hair that flowed to one side, her custom-tailored black jacket accompanied by a sleek black skirt, and her narrow blue eyes that pierced Lilly’s soul.

  “I appreciate your welcome,” Clementine continued. “As some of you may know, I had my reservations about leading this Society as I didn’t believe I could work on a national level. Now, as I look upon your faces, I’m encouraged.” She paused as she grew emotional, and Lilly could feel her magnetism. It was as if there was some force working in the unseen realm, driving her to aspire to any demand this woman delivered.

  “I’m encouraged because I can feel your dedication to our righteous cause.” Clementine placed a hand to her chest. “Quickly, who can tell me the goal of the League of German Girls?”

  Immediately, every girl shot their hands in the air, except, of course, for Lilly and Edith.

  “Yes, you.” Clementine pointed to Ursula.

  “The goal is to raise girls as torchbearers of the national-socialist world,” Ursula began proudly. “And to make girls who are at harmony with their bodies, souls, and spirits. We should be healthy in body with balanced minds so that we may embody the divine creation. We must believe in our sacred nation and our leader and pass on these beliefs to our children.”

  “And how is this goal achieved?” Clementine took a couple of steps forward as she stood in their midst.

  “Through healthy life choices,” Ursula continued, “such as a well-balanced diet, exercising, abstaining from smoking or alcohol, and employing makeup sparingly.”