Newborn Nazi

by Rhoda D'Ettore

  The men all stood at attention, not responding.

  “Each one of you has excelled in all the tasks commanded of you. Because of that, you will all be promoted to Stormtrooper. However, because of your special talents and skills, you will each report to a command near your home towns. It will be your duty to assist in the round up and identification of Jews, deviants and other undesirables. These may very well be people you have known your whole lives. Do not show weakness. For the future of Germany, these criminals must be expelled from our Fatherland.”

  “Sieg Heil. Sieg Heil.” The chants repeated for some time until the Group Leader began calling names. Eventually he called on Edmund.

  “Trooper Geiger, come here.”

  Edmund stepped forward, “Yes, Group Leader.”

  “I understand you are from the Landstuhl area? Is that correct?”

  “Yes, Group Leader.”

  The man circled Edmund who stood at attention. “Do you foresee any problems arising that would prevent you from completing your orders?”

  “No, Group Leader. I swore an oath to protect the Nazi Party, Germany and the Aryan people.”

  “Good. You will fly to Landstuhl in the morning. Pack quickly. Enjoy your flight, Stormtrooper Geiger.”

  Edmund smiled. He was ready to go home.

  The next afternoon he arrived in Landstuhl and was met as he disembarked the plane. “Stormtrooper Geiger reporting for duty, sir.”

  “I am Group Leader Randolph. You will report directly to me. While under my command, you will not be living in barracks, but in your own home. Is that understood? It is imperative we dominate the residential neighborhoods with our presence.”

  Edmund faced forward with a straight back, “Yes, Group Leader. Understood.”

  “Here is a list of those who are sought for questioning or incarceration. A car will drive you home tonight. In the morning you will help the local police find these criminals so they can be detained.”

  “Yes, Group Leader.”

  “Do you have any questions, Geiger?”

  “No, sir.”

  “Good. Dismissed.”

  An hour later he arrived at Hedwig's home and rushed for the front door, expecting it to open at once.

  Locked. He thought, That's strange. Why would she lock the door? Is she still afraid of the riots?

  He banged on the door. He banged harder. “Hedwig. Let me in.”

  The door opened, “Edmund. You are home. What a surprise.” Hedwig embraced her little brother.

  Edmund brought his bags into the living room. “Why was the door locked? I never remember you locking the door before.”

  Hedwig responded, “I was upstairs preparing for a bath.”

  “And? Has this neighborhood become so bad that you need to lock the door? I was told Jews ran rampant in the streets, but I was not informed this area deteriorated so quickly.”

  He's still blind, Hedwig thought.

  “Why didn't you tell me you were coming? For how long are you staying?”

  “I am here indefinitely. Landstuhl is my new command until my orders change. That means I get that great cooking of yours everyday.”

  “Isn't that wonderful.” Hedwig said. Wonderful if you don't kill me and Heidi, that is.

  Edmund went to the kitchen and grabbed an apple. “So tell me, how are you? What news do you have to share? I assume you were safe during the riots?”

  Hedwig informed him, “The riots were mostly in town. We had no damage here, but it was a terrifying night.”

  He took a bite of the fruit. “So, let me see your finger.”

  “What?”

  “Has Lieutenant Gottlieb finally gotten around to proposing marriage? Or are the two of you going to pretend forever that you don't care for each other?”

  Hedwig swatted him with a rag. “Go upstairs and get changed out of your uniform. What do you want for dinner?”

  In unison they both answered, “Apple strudel.” They laughed together.

  “How did I know you were going to say that, I wonder?” Hedwig jested. “Get going, upstairs.”

  As he reached the stairs, something shifted in the basement. Edmund looked at his sister. “Did you hear that? Stand back, let me investigate.” He went to the door.

  “Edmund, I said go upstairs. It is a stray cat I sometimes feed. It was really cold last night so I put him in the basement.”

  “Oh? Let me see.”

  How do I get out of this? Hedwig thought. “Go get changed, I'll put him outside. I can't have a cat in the house with your allergy to them.”

  “I'm not allergic to cats. Are you feeling all right?”

  Hedwig pointed her finger to the stairs, “Have we ever had a cat?”

  “No.”

  “Why not?” Hedwig demanded.

  Edmund shrugged, “I don't know. Why not?”

  “Because you are allergic to them, that is why.”

  Examining his sister's face, he was unsure whether to believe her. “That is something someone should have told me before I reached almost 19 years.”

  “It didn't matter before. We never allowed you around cats, so you were safe.”

  Edmund walked away. When he reached the stairs, he stopped, keeping his back to Hedwig. “Tell the person in the basement to leave before there is trouble.”

  Hedwig froze. How should I respond? “What are you talking about? There is no one in the basement.”

  With cold eyes, Edmund turned to her, “Even as a child I would have known someone was in the basement. I expect better of you than this.”

  Hedwig remained silent.

  “Gustav is a good man. Although he has not yet proposed, he deserves an honorable wife to be the mother of his children. If the man is not out of the basement by morning, I will shoot him then cut him up in little pieces to feed to the dogs.”

  He climbed the stairs, and shouted, “Good night, sister. Good-bye, Stranger in the Basement.”

  Chapter 62

  Hedwig raced out the door and headed to the local Catholic church. She entered the confessional, “Forgive me, Father. For I have sinned, and I don't have time to waste.”

  Father Becker replied, “Frau Hedwig Schultz? Is that you?”

  “Yes, Father. I need your help.”

  The priest scoffed, “You could help yourself if you attended Mass more often.”

  “Please, Father. I am in serious trouble.”

  “What is it my child?”

  “My brother, Edmund, just returned. I need you to hide something for me until he leaves. Please? This is a desperate situation. I do not know what will happen if Edmund finds it in my home. I can provide you with funds as a safekeeping fee.”

  The priest nodded. “I assume this item is precious to you?”

  “Life is always precious, Father Becker.”

  “Is it possible to place the trunk of old clothing you wish to donate on your back step where two of my assistants can come and retrieve it?”

  He's telling me to put Heidi in a trunk? Hedwig became excited, “Oh yes, Father. The trunk will be there.”

  “I will have two men there in an hour.”

  Hedwig clasped her hands, “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

  Hedwig stopped at a shop for a brief transaction. I need apples and walnuts for the strudel. I need to keep Edmund happy while he is here.

  When she arrived at the house, Edmund was still upstairs. Hedwig tried to be quiet and sneaked into the basement. She looked around for the old trunk Fritz used when he traveled.

  In the corner, covered with dust was the trunk. YES. She thought.

  Hedwig sprang from the secret room. “Heidi, there is no time. Edmund is here, and I have to get you out of here. Help me get this trunk upstairs. You are going to hide in the trunk, and someone from the Catholic Church is going to pick you up and help you.”

  Heidi grabbed Hedwig, “No, please. Don't send me away. Please. I trust no one but you.” Heidi then embraced herself as she paced
, “Edmund won't hurt me. Edmund loves me, you know that. He would never let them take me.”

  “Don't be stupid, not only would he let them take you, he would call them to take you. This is the Nazi Germany you so love.”

  The two women carried the trunk up the basement stairs and through the kitchen. Hedwig kept watch for Edmund. She then opened the back door, and put the empty trunk on the step. After a quick glance for onlookers, she signaled to Heidi to get in.

  Before Hedwig closed the lid, Heidi declared, “You are the best friend I ever had. I owe you my life. Thank you.”

  Good thing I am a better friend than you are, Hedwig thought.

  Hedwig kept watch through the window. Finally, the parish charity van pulled into the driveway. Two men got out and headed for the back door.

  Edmund pranced down the stairs and turned on the radio. “What are you looking at out there?”

  “Nothing. The charity van arrived. The church held a charity event to collect clothing for the poor, so I offer the basement as storage space. Now that the economy is finally rebounding, people are being more generous with their donations.”

  Edmund looked out the window to see two men carrying away the trunk. “Erik Koehler and Adolf Bauer? I hope neither of them was the man in the basement. You could so much better than those two.”

  Edmund headed out the door to greet the men. “Erik. I have not seen you since my father took us fishing years ago. How are you?”

  The two men stopped, still holding the trunk. Erik responded, “I volunteer for the church now. Father Becker was good to us as kids. He helped our family during the Depression. To thank him, I donate my time.”

  The other man shifted his grip and the trunk twisted. Heidi bounced around inside but stifled a gasp. Edmund watched them closely, “So do either of you visit my sister often?”

  Erik grew uncomfortable. “No. I see her at Mass every now and then. Would you mind if we stopped by another time to talk. We have several more deliveries and pick ups today.”

  Edmund got close to Erik, and gritted his teeth. “My sister is engaged to an honorable Lieutenant in the SS, and a dear friend to me. I will not have her good name disgraced by anyone like of you. Do you hear me?”

  Adolf Bauer tried to respond, “We don't know--”

  Edmund back handed him across the face. “I did not ask for information. I gave it.”

  Bauer dropped his end of the trunk and ran away. The trunk landed on the ground with a thump.

  A scream came from inside before the lid swung open, revealing a woman.

  Edmund yelled, “What is the meaning of this.” Edmund grabbed the woman. When his eyes met Heidi's he let go. “You? What are you doing in the trunk?”

  “Please, please, Edmund. Let me go.”

  Edmund backed away. His eyes lost focus as he tried to comprehend the situation. He waved his hand to grant permission for the two to leave. His breath increased as his eyes bulged.

  Heidi whispered to him, “Thank you.”

  “GO.” boomed from Edmund's quivering throat.

  She ran to the van with Erik.

  Edmund headed for the house, trying to discern what just happened What is this sister of mine up to? Nothing she ever tells me is the truth.

  Chapter 63

  Edmund burst through the door in a rage. “What was that? What just happened? In my own home.” Hedwig darted behind the dining table.

  “Don't you run from me. You tell me what is going on.” Edmund chased her around the table.

  “Calm down, Edmund. It's not what you think.” Hedwig circled the kitchen again.

  Edmund pounded his fist on the table, “I don't know what I think. But you do nothing but lie. I want the truth.”

  “You are scaring me. Stop it. Please.” Maybe I can charm him into submission? “I'm a woman, the mother of the future of Germany, and you are scaring me.”

  Edmund threw the table across the room. “You tell me why Heidi was sneaked out of this house in a trunk. Now.”

  Hedwig backed against the counter top. She reached for the closest thing to her as he lunged for her. He grabbed her collar pulling her in close. “Tell Me.”

  Hedwig pulled his hair back and pressed the blade of a knife against his throat. He began to laugh. “You won't do it.”

  “Try me. Now, are you going to calm down so we can speak to each other like adults, or are you going to yell and threaten like a child.”

  “I am trained in combat. I could snap you in half.”

  Hedwig scoffed, “I'll bet Lieutenant Johann Reinhard thought the same way. We both know how that turned out. Are you ready to play nice?”

  “Yes,” Edmund agreed as his sister released her grip.

  “How long have you cared for Heidi?” she asked.

  Edmund stepped back trying to regain his composure. Thoughts race through his mind as his breathing began to steady. “Since birth? I don't know. She was always a part of our family. What does this have to do with her hiding?”

  “When you were ten years old, I found a picture you kept of the two of you. You told me you were going to marry her one day. Do you remember?”

  Edmund lost patience, “This is ridiculous. You haven't spoken to the woman in years, then she mysteriously shows up in a trunk on your front lawn? I want answers.”

  “If Heidi agreed to marry you today, would you do so?”

  Of course I would, are you crazy? Edmund thought. “Probably.”

  “I thought so. Well, little brother. Your beloved Nazi Party put Heidi's name on a list as a Jew. Her parents were taken and are probably dead. She is being hunted.”

  Edmund slammed his fist on the table. “LIES. Again, lies from you. Tell me the truth.”

  “It is the truth. Go to the police, search the lists yourself. They searched this house for her. That is why the door was locked, to give me warning. It was Heidi in the basement. She has been there for a month.”

  Edmund paced back and forth. His hand pushed his hair back. “You are twisting things the way you always do. Look at her, there is no drop of Jew in her. I have the lists upstairs.”

  Like a jungle cat, he bounced up the stairs in two leaps. After a few minutes, a heart-wrenching scream came from his room. “NOOOOOOOOOO. That's impossible.”

  Edmund collapsed on the bed in tears.

  Hedwig waited for about fifteen minutes then went to him. “The dream of the perfect Germany and the reality of what we have are two different things. I'm so sorry, Edmund.”

  Soggy red eyes and a runny nose made him look more like a child than an SS Stormtrooper. Hedwig reached for her brother to cradle him.

  “I don't understand. Everything I was taught. Everything I trained for. What was the point? Was it all lies? And Why?”

  Hedwig rocked her little brother. “I don't know why. All I know is that when a government wants family and friends to turn on each other, that government is evil.”

  Edmund pulled away from her. “Can I ask you something? Were you really going to slash my throat?”

  Hedwig responded, “Were you really going to snap me in half?”

  Edmund admitted, “No. I could never do that.”

  “I could. And you are not the first brother I held like that.”

  “What.” Edmund exclaimed in horror.

  “You are a lot stronger than I am now. You are bigger, and as you point out, you are well trained. You scared me.”

  The man-boy nodded his head. “I promise not to act like that anymore with you. It has been drilled into me to act a certain way. Often what is right and wrong becomes confused. Sometimes I feel like I am two different people.”

  “Yeah, I knew a man like that once. Long ago. He could be sweet and charming, and the next minute he would fly into a cold-hearted rage.”

  “Lieutenant Reinhard?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Is Lieutenant Gottlieb ever like that with you? Mean and demanding?”

  “No, Edmund. Gustav is not li
ke him.”

  “I have something to tell you. I am the local consultant who is supposed to round up the Jews. That is why I had the list with me. They wanted local officers who could identify people in case they were using false names or documents.”

  “That does not sound like a fun job to me.”

  Edmund admitted, “If Heidi could be on that list, then anyone can be. I have been ordered to live here until further notice. What you do is your own business. I will not go into the basement. My rank alone will protect this address from random searches.”

  Hedwig squinted, “What are you saying?”

  “I am simply saying that I will be spending a lot of time out of this house. When I am home, I will want to eat and sleep, and will never have any need to enter the basement.”

  “Heidi is gone. It doesn't matter now.”

  “It's a big basement, Hedwig. There is room down there for a lot of trunks.”

  Hedwig laughed, “Jacob always hated when we spoke in codes.”

  Jacob, she thought. Jacob told me not to trust Edmund ever again. Is this a trick?

  Chapter 64

  Two weeks later, Gustav arrived.

  The front door opened, “Schatzi. Where are you?”

  “Gustav. Welcome back.” Hedwig rushed to him for an embrace.

  Gustav walked to the radio and found an appealing song. “Come here, darling.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her close. Every time I have to leave, all I do is imagine us dancing.”

  “Is that so?”

  Gustav twirled her around the room. “When I heard about the riots, I feared the worst for you. I tried to leave without permission and was reprimanded.”

  Dancing cheek to cheek, Hedwig retorted, “Then you didn't try hard enough or you wouldn't have gotten caught.” After a moment, she added, “Did you go home to see your parents or come straight here?”

  “I can visit with them later. I had to see your beautiful face first.”

  “There is a lot we need to discuss. Perhaps you should go home and---” Hedwig was interrupted by Edmund coming through the door.

  Gustav stepped back, embarrassed when he realized they were not alone.