Laura E. Williams

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from Behind the Bedroom Wall...

By morning, Korinna still hadn't chosen a name for her new kitten.  The black and white "mouse-catcher" raced around in crazy circles and made flying leaps at Korinna's stockinged legs as she dressed.    After a cold breakfast of rye bread spread with a thin layer of jam, Korinna left her kitten purring next to the coal stove in the kitchen.

"I'm leaving, Mother," Korinna called from the front hall, shouldering her book pack.

Frau Rehme came from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel and hugged her daughter.  "Come home right after school today.  Aunt Hendrikia is coming over for dinner."   

"I won't forget," Korinna promised as she slipped out into the cold morning air.  She pulled the door shut behind her.    Korinna stomped her feet to keep warm as Rita and Eva crunched over to her through the snow.

"Guess what?" she said as she joined her friends, and they continued on towards school.  "Papa gave me a kitten to catch the mice I heard.  She's the cutest little thing.  And look."  Korinna stopped walking and angled her calf to show them.  "The little monster bit a  hole in my stocking!"   

"What does the kitty look like?" Eva asked.

"She's black and white and so fuzzy.  Maybe you can help me name her."

Eva sighed.  "I wish I could have a kitty.  But, of course, I don't have any mice in my walls."

Korinna shuddered.  "I hope the traps really did scare the mice away.  What if I ever saw a mouse race across my floor?  I'm scared of them."

Giggling, Eva said, "I know what I'd do - I'd scream."

Korinna nodded.  "And I'd - "

Rita made an impatient sound in the back of her throat.  "Wait until you hear this," she interrupted, slicing her hand through the air for emphasis.  "Hans stopped by last night.  Guess why Herr Haase was taken away."

”Why?" Korinna asked flatly.

"He was involved in a secret organization that helps Jews!  He's being taken to the work camp, but first they're going to try to find out who else is in the organization."

Korinna shrugged.  "Maybe he'll never say who else was in the organization."

"My brother says they have methods for extracting secrets out of prisoners."

Eva's eyes widened.  "What kinds of methods?"

"Secret methods," Rita said, her voice a loud whisper.  "Hans isn't even allowed to tell us and we're his family.

"And look at this," she continued, taking a small notebook out of the pocket in her coat.

Korinna and Eve looked at what Rita had scratched into the book in her messy scrawl.

"Fraulein Demmer makes a face at the Fuhrer's picture,"  Korinna read out loud.  "She says it's a sin what's happening to the Jews.  When she sees me she looks guilty and doesn't say anything more for the rest of the night."  Korinna stopped reading suddenly.  "Fraulein Demmer?  You mean Elsie Demmer?"

Rita nodded smugly.

"But, Rita, Elsie's your cousin!  You're going to turn in your cousin?" Eva exclaimed.

Rita's face turned red.  "She's an enemy of Germany, isn't she?  She shouldn't be so sympathetic to the enemy, and if she weren't so guilty, why did she avoid me for the rest of the night?  She knows she's wrong!"

"But still, Rita, family..."   Eva started walking again.

Korinna put a hand on Eva's shoulder.  "Remember, even family members can turn against the new Germany."

Rita snapped the small notebook shut.  "They said to watch …everyone."

Korinna nodded.  She had a little black notebook just like Rita's.  "Hurry up," she said.  "We'll be late."  They ran the last few hundred meters to the school and quickly made their ways to their classrooms.

Korinna sat next to Eva for history.  History was her favorite subject, especially with all the exciting events that were currently taking place.  Someday, every student in the world, every person in the world, in fact, would know the name Adolf Hitler.  Everyone would honor and love him as she did, and everyone would say what wonderful things he'd done for Germany, the strongest and greatest power in the world.  Korinna smiled, opening her new history book.

"Heil Hitler!"   

Korinna looked up, startled.

"I am Herr Richt, your new history teacher.  Fraulein Meiser will no longer be here.  Today we are going to study..."

Korinna didn't hear the rest of Herr Richt's comments.   Where was Fraulein Meiser?  Beautiful Fraulein Meiser with her long blond braid she wore wound up on her head like an upsidedown basket - what had happened to her?  Korinna tried to swallow past the lump in her throat.  Her eyes slid sideways to Eva.  Eva stared forward, but her eyes were filled with tears and her hands were clasped tightly in front of her on the desk.

Korinna looked down at her own desk.  What was it Fraulein Meiser had said last week?  She had been instructing the class as to which pages they should paste together in their history books when, in the middle of it all, she had suddenly sighed and looked at the ceiling.  "When will all this stop?" she had asked the ceiling.  "When?"  Then she had shaken her head and continued reading off the list of forbidden pages.  Korinna now remembered she had found it disturbing enough to mark it down in her small notebook.

And, that day after school, she had read her notes to her Jungmaedel leaders.  She had tried to gloss over this little bit of information about her history teacher, not thinking it very important in retrospect.  But her leaders had seemed particularly interested in what Fraulein Meiser had said during class that morning.

Now, Korinna wondered if she had had something to do with Fraulein Meiser's disappearance from school.  Surely what her teacher had said in class wasn't enough to send her away.  Or was it?

Korinna tried to concentrate on the lesson, but Herr Richt had a voice that crept along like a slug in her mother's garden.

Finally, class was over.  Korinna followed Eva out of the room.  "Eva," she called.

Eva stopped and turned.

"Do you know why Fraulein Meiser isn't going to teach anymore?"

Eva shook her head.  "Someone probably reported her as being un-German," she said bitterly.

Korinna twisted the leather strap on her bookbag.  "She wouldn't be arrested just for saying something that sounded disloyal, would she?"

"Who knows these days?  One can never be too careful.  Poor Fraulein Meiser."  She shook her head and started walking down the hall.

Korinna hurried and walked along beside Eva.  "I know you feel bad about what we saw yesterday.  You know, with Herr Haase.  But you should watch what you say.  Rita thinks you're sounding un-German."

Eva stopped walking and turned to Korinna.  Her lips trembled and tears threatened to tip over her lower lashes.  "You know," Eva said slowly, "I can't help the way I feel about things.  I want a strong and rich Fatherland just like my comrades.  But sometimes I honestly wonder if it's worth it."

"Eva!"  Korinna lowered her voice, quickly looking around, but no one was paying them any attention.  "You mustn't say things like that!  If anyone heard you talking like that you'd be turned in to our Jungmaedel leaders."   

"You're the only one who heard me, Korinna.  Are you going to turn me in?"   

Korinna stared at her friend, her comrade, her fellow Jungmaedel member.  But part of being a loyal German was turning in traitors.    

"I have to go," Korinna said abruptly.  She turned and walked away from Eva, but she could feel Eva's eyes staring after her.

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