The Daughters of Marburg

by Terrance Williamson

  “He’ll be back tomorrow. Just you watch.” Wilhelm also leaned against the tree. “Listen, you don’t have to say anything, but did the major, um, hurt you at all?”

  “No, but I thought he was about to do much worse.” Lilly gave a knowing look at Wilhelm. “Still, he did get his hands on the journal.”

  “Journal?” Wilhelm frowned.

  “Lilly’s journal,” she explained but Wilhelm’s confusion only increased. “The girl who’s hiding in your attic.”

  “She wrote in a journal, and now it’s in the major’s possession?” Wilhelm stood up straight as he began to panic.

  “I only gave it because—”

  “You gave it to him?!” Wilhelm threw his hands out in astonishment.

  “Listen!” Lilly barked back. “I only gave it to him because he mentioned that he was delivering it to Sergeant Wolf for analysis. I know that the officer is on our side.”

  “And you believed the major?” Wilhelm crossed his arms.

  “He wouldn’t even touch the diary!” Lilly grew frustrated. “He made me wrap it up in a cloth first.”

  “That was reckless!” Wilhelm continued berating her. “Maybe you’re not cut out for resistance work.”

  “How dare you! I did what I had to do!” Lilly pointed at her chest.

  “Now you sound like Edith.” Wilhelm narrowed his gaze.

  Swiftly, Lilly delivered a strong slap against his face which, satisfyingly to her, stunned Wilhelm.

  “I’m nothing like her!” Lilly raised her hand again, threatening another blow.

  “You are the—” Wilhelm began but bit his tongue as he paused and began to pace. “Sorry, my nerves are on edge. I took it out on you.”

  “It’s fine,” Lilly spoke with a clenched jaw.

  “Which means it’s not,” Wilhelm muttered as he again leaned against the tree.

  “How’s your face?” Lilly asked after a moment.

  “I was wrong about you not being cut out for resistance work.” Wilhelm smirked. “You have a vicious right hand.”

  “Sorry.” Lilly shook her head as she, too, grinned.

  “I admire your spirit.” Wilhelm looked at her with mesmerization.

  “So, back to the matter at hand, are you certain that my father will be released tomorrow?”

  “He’s been trained on what to say.” Wilhelm stood up straight. “I think he’ll excel at their questions and return home first thing tomorrow.”

  “Who trained him?” Lilly tilted her head as she studied Wilhelm.

  “I did.” He turned towards her but then looked into the water rushing by them. “My parents are resistance as well. They’re in the Netherlands, you see. They left on this river, right here.”

  “The Lahn?” Lilly frowned. “But it goes south?”

  “It does, initially”—Wilhelm nodded— “but then it meets up with the Rhine. From there, you take the Rhine north and into Holland. There is a merchant who comes by once a week. He doesn’t ask questions. My parents paid him, and he stowed them in his boat until they arrived at the Rhine. Then they paid another merchant, and now they are working, undercover, in the Netherlands.”

  “Doing what?” Lilly asked.

  “Ruth, your maid, took the same journey.” Wilhelm took a deep breath. “She will follow along the same route and, when she arrives at my parents, they will help her escape to England.”

  “That’s brave!” Lilly shook her head in amazement.

  “Makes me proud to be their son.” Wilhelm smiled. “And now that your father is a part of it as well, I can imagine that it makes you proud as well.”

  “I think I’d rather have him alive than be proud.”

  “I can understand that.”

  “So, the Nazis aren’t curious what happened to your parents?” Lilly frowned.

  “For all they know, my parents are in Africa,” Wilhelm replied instinctively.

  “I remember you saying that when we first met.” Lilly nodded. “So, why then did they have to take the rivers to get to the Netherlands?”

  “Well, for one, they wanted to make sure the route was safe and the merchants could be trusted. They even falsely disclosed that they were Jews to test if they would be turned in or not.”

  “That was risky.”

  “Very.”

  “Can I meet her?” Lilly asked.

  “Who?” Wilhelm frowned.

  “The girl in the attic.”

  “I don’t trust Edith.” Wilhelm shook his head. “While she’s nearby, even next door, I can’t allow it.”

  “That I understand.”

  “What’s going to happen with you two, anyways?”

  “I don’t know,” Lilly sighed. “We used to be so close. I mean, we’ve always had our differences, but they were just repressed. Now, under stress, they seem to be magnified.”

  “Forgive her.” Wilhelm turned towards her.

  “Absolutely not!” Lilly glared at him. “She doesn’t deserve it.”

  “It’s not for her sake.” Wilhelm crossed his arms. “I need you focused. As I said, the Nazis will pay for what they’ve done, but I can’t have you distracted. Forgive her, so that you can repair your family and be of a singular mind.”

  “I don’t know if I can do that.” Lilly returned to staring at the river running by.

  “What are you doing?” a voice spoke from behind them, and both Wilhelm and Lilly spun around, startled, to find Guenther. He was in his Hitler Youth uniform on a bicycle at the base of the bridge, and a pistol was holstered to his hip.

  “Oh, it’s just you.” Wilhelm clutched his chest. “You scared me.”

  “That’s not an answer.” Guenther stepped off the bike as he began to walk slowly towards them. Lilly thought that he appeared to enjoy having caught them unawares.

  “I’m simply showing Miss Sommer around.” Wilhelm retrieved a cigarette and offered one to Guenther as well, who refused with a quick shake of his head.

  “At this time of night?” Guenther leaned with his back against the lower railing of the bridge, and Lilly couldn’t help but wonder as to the purpose for his weapon.

  “I suppose I could ask you the same thing.” Wilhelm shrugged.

  “I’m on patrol.” Guenther crossed his arms.

  “And they let you have that?” Wilhelm pointed to the gun.

  “Why are you hiding under a tree?” Guenther ignored Wilhelm as he looked suspiciously at them.

  “Why do you have a pistol?” Wilhelm took a puff from his cigarette.

  “I gave you a chance.” Guenther removed the pistol from its holster and held it down by his side.

  “Wilhelm!” Lilly latched onto him.

  “It’s alright,” Wilhelm whispered. “He’s just trying to intimidate us.”

  “I saw them take your father.” Guenther took a couple of steps towards them as he spoke to Lilly. “Now, why would that be?”

  “It’s a misunderstanding, that’s all.” Wilhelm also took a couple of steps forward, and Lilly understood that he might attempt something rash. “It’s going to all be worked out in the morning.”

  “He’s in there, isn’t he?” Guenther nodded to the prison across the river.

  “You know, Guenther”—Wilhelm continued to walk towards him, and Lilly’s heart raced as she watched Guenther grip the pistol tighter— “I respect your devotion to the Hitler Youth, and to keeping our city safe, I really do, but Lilly here is worried about her father. Why don’t you get on your bicycle and peddle away?”

  “Do you really believe that I’m that ignorant?” Guenther began to laugh.

  “Sadly, I do.” Wilhelm stamped out his cigarette, and Lilly thought that perhaps he was running out of patience.

  “Please!” Lilly couldn’t bear it any longer and stood between the two men but then turned towards Guenther, “Put that away before you kill someone.”

  “You should listen to her.” Guenther glared at Wilhelm.

  “Wilhelm!” Lilly gave him a
slight push to back away.

  “Alright, alright,” Wilhelm sighed and threw his hands in the air as he relented.

  “I should report you two.” Guenther holstered his pistol.

  “If you do, I’ll tell them about your weapon.” Wilhelm scowled.

  “I know you’re up to something, Will.” Guenther began to leave. “One of these days, I’ll watch as they hang you from the gallows.”

  With that, Guenther got on his bicycle and sped away.

  “We shouldn’t linger,” Wilhelm whispered to Lilly.

  “Why did he call you Will?” Lilly asked as they walked back towards the house. “And why does he hate you so much?”

  “He’s a Nazi.” Wilhelm shrugged. “Hate is all he knows.”

  “Yes, but why you, specifically? And don’t think that I’ll forget about him calling you Will.”

  “It’s a long story.” Wilhelm waved in his dismissal.

  “Don’t you dare!” Lilly held a finger in his face. “I’m desperate for the distraction.”

  “Fine, but you can’t think poorly of me afterwards.” Wilhelm looked at her in warning.

  “I promise,” Lilly replied as they ducked into an alleyway.

  “Maybe we should talk at the house.” Wilhelm peeked out into the street to make sure no patrols were nearby.

  “Good idea.” Lilly nodded. “Are we not allowed to be out, by the way?”

  “We’re not doing anything illegal.” Wilhelm glanced at her reassuringly. “But the patrols are usually bored to death and eager for something that will bring them a promotion.”

  Quietly, and under the cover of darkness, Lilly and Wilhelm returned to Mrs. Baumann’s house unscathed. Lilly, for her part, found it fortunate that Guenther was the only one who had spotted them. She prayed that he wouldn’t act on his hatred with Wilhelm, whatever the root cause was.

  Entering inside, Lilly noticed that it was entirely dark, and it was evident that everyone had gone to bed.

  “Do you have any coffee?” Lilly asked as she hung her coat up.

  “Coffee? Now?” Wilhelm looked at her curiously.

  “I’m going to be awake all night.” Lilly shrugged. “And you promised me that you’d elaborate about Guenther.”

  “I was hoping that you’d forget,” Wilhelm muttered.

  “Of course not.” Lilly grabbed his arm and led him to the kitchen table, being careful not to trip in the dark.

  “I’ll get the coffee going, then,” Wilhelm grumbled as he rubbed his tired eyes and flicked on the kitchen light. “I do have to work in the morning, though.”

  “You do?” Lilly frowned. “Where do you work?”

  “The Hitler Youth.” He frowned back.

  “I figured that was voluntary.” Lilly sat at the table.

  “For the actual youth, yes, but for us leaders, we are paid. It’s not much, but it’s something.”

  “So, what’s the story behind Guenther?” Lilly leaned her chin on her fist, although she could scarcely think of anything other than her father’s state.

  “Did it help?” Wilhelm asked as he lit a candle and set it on the table before turning the kitchen light off so as not to disturb anyone else in the house.

  “Did what help?” Lilly looked at him, confused.

  “Seeing where your father was.”

  “Yes, actually.” Lilly smiled quickly. “I only wish I knew how to get him free.”

  “Tomorrow.” Wilhelm grinned reassuringly. “You’ll see.”

  “Alright, distract me.” Lilly tapped her hand on the table as he brought her a cup of coffee.

  “Did you see the way that he rode his bicycle?” Wilhelm snickered. “Did you know that the inventor of the bicycle regretted his invention?”

  “Wilhelm,” Lilly sighed.

  “The inventor realized that it liberated women. They no longer needed a man to drive them around. That’s what I heard, at least. I’m not entirely sure if it’s true.”

  “I know you’re stalling.” Lilly grew annoyed.

  “I bet if the inventor saw Guenther on the bike, then he would’ve really regretted it.”

  “Wilhelm, he almost shot us today. I deserve to know why.” Lilly reached out and took his hand in hers.

  Wilhelm grew silent as he looked down at her hand and then back into her eyes. The dim light of the candle bounced off of Wilhelm’s hazel-brown eyes, and Lilly felt her heart fluttering. She didn’t know if it was the desperation for diversion from her worries, but she couldn’t deny that there was something to Wilhelm which went beyond mere attraction.

  “Right, Guenther.” Wilhelm pulled his hand back, and Lilly felt foolish for the gesture. “And you promise to not think unwell of me?”

  Lilly nodded encouragingly.

  “Alright.” Wilhelm rubbed his eyes. “But please remember that I was a different person back then.”

  “Stop stalling!” Lilly moaned.

  “I hurt him,” Wilhelm blurted, and Lilly was surprised to see regret in his eyes. “I really hurt him.”

  “How?” Lilly asked softly and almost reached out to take his hand again when she remembered his previous reaction.

  “I don’t know how to tell you.” He looked at her apologetically.

  “Try.”

  “He was in love with my sister, and—”

  “You have a sister?” Lilly shot her head back in surprise.

  “I don’t talk about her much.” Wilhelm scratched the back of his neck. “She has different opinions about the political climate. She promised not to tell anyone about what our parents and I are involved with, but she refused to have any dealings with us.”

  “Where is she?” Lilly glanced again at the photographs and noticed that there were none of any other children besides Wilhelm. The only photo which had his sister was the one with the whole family.

  “She’s in Frankfurt, actually,” Wilhelm replied, “but other than that, I have no knowledge of her.”

  “And it’s just the two of you?” Lilly tilted her head.

  “There was another. She passed when I was younger.” Wilhelm glanced at her. “Ilse. I don’t remember much of her, but I do recall my parents being distraught for years. I don’t think they ever fully recovered.”

  “We lost a brother.” Lilly stared at the table. “He passed a few months before I was born. My mother named me Lilly because she said I was like the spring, bringing new life. Papa doesn’t talk about it.” Lilly looked out the window by the table as she thought about her father, hoping with every fiber in her being that he wasn’t suffering. “But our mother would from time to time.”

  “I don’t understand life. Existence can be so unbearable, but in the same breath, it can also be quite wonderful.” He reached out and slowly put his hand on Lilly’s.

  “So, Guenther.” Lilly swallowed as she squeezed back on Wilhelm’s hand. “You were saying that he loved your sister?”

  “Yes,” Wilhelm sighed. “Despite how she felt towards me, I still cared for her. I saw what a wretched creature Guenther was and, unfortunately, I intervened.”

  “What did you do?” Lilly leaned in.

  “I spread some rumors.” Wilhelm covered his face with his hands to hide his shame.

  “Rumors?” Lilly frowned.

  “I’m much too embarrassed to elaborate, but I exaggerated a truth about Guenther’s indiscretions that, if he defended it, would only bring the truth to light. It was clever but unkind. Still, it was enough for my sister, and she never spoke to him again.”

  “Does Guenther know?”

  “That it was me?” Wilhelm asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m sure he suspects that I was the instigator, but if he was certain that I was at fault, I doubt I’d still be alive.”

  “Hmm.” Lilly squinted.

  “You think less of me, don’t you?” Wilhelm leaned back in the chair, depressed.

  “No!” Lilly leaned forward. “Not in the slightest.”

  “Y
ou’re merely attempting to lift my spirits.” Wilhelm remained disheartened.

  “Honestly!” Lilly shrugged. “You protected your sister from an unhappy marriage. That’s honorable.”

  “It should’ve been her choice.” Wilhelm stared at the table. “It wasn’t my place to intervene.”

  The light in the stairway turned on as heavy footsteps rushed down and a frantic Mrs. Baumann, wearing a long nightgown, came into view.

  “Where the hell were you?!” Mrs. Baumann whispered harshly as she sped over to the kitchen table and stood over Wilhelm with her hands on her hips and a severe scowl.

  “I wanted to show Lilly where the prison was,” Wilhelm defended as he slunk down in the chair, understanding the chastisement that awaited him.

  “And you thought it would be best to run out without warning your grandmother?!” Mrs. Baumann’s eyes bulged with indignation. “Our neighbor was beaten and taken from his own home, and you didn’t think that I should know where you had gone?!”

  “Sorry, I—”

  “I have half a mind to do the major’s work for him.” Mrs. Baumann waved a fist in the air at Wilhelm.

  “I asked him to take me,” Lilly lied as she defended Wilhelm.

  “Lilly”—Mrs. Baumann turned to a sudden, sweet demeanor— “that’s generous of you to attempt deception to save my grandson’s hide, but I’m entirely aware of his dereliction of my concerns. Still, your interest in my grandson does give me courage.”

  “Grandma.” Wilhelm grew embarrassed.

  “Don’t ‘Grandma’ me!” She returned to her ferocity as she pointed a crooked finger in his face, and he nearly jumped back in fright. “I’ve never laid a hand on you, I’ve treated you with an abundant kindness, and this is my repayment?”

  “I—”

  “You’re fortunate that I beat you a thousand times in my imagination already.” Mrs. Baumann huffed.

  “Is he home?” Walter shouted from upstairs.

  “Go back to sleep!” Mrs. Baumann shouted over her shoulder.

  “Yes or no will do!” Walter barked back.

  “Yes, alright, he’s home, but I’m about to kick him out.”

  “Thank you,” Walter spoke politely, and Lilly could hear his feet shuffling on the floor above them.