Getting Away [Otto/Joe]

[Heidi]

Country: Germany
Current Time: 12:11
Weather Conditions: A cool, breezy day, with brief periods of spontaneous rainfall. The thermometer reads a mostly-unwavering nine degrees Celsius (forty-eight point two degrees Fahrenheit).


Translations:

Es sei denn, dass Sie, Kind sterben wollen, dann bleiben Sie besser in der Linie! BEWEGEN SIE SICH! - Unless you want to die, child, then you better keep in line! MOVE!


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


The sullen faces of the marching people were endless as the line moved. It wouldn't be too hard for Adelheid to blend in, especially now that she didn't have that stupid uniform. Wearing a winter sweater from her usual dirndl, and clad only in a simple brown skirt, she would look just like the unhappy men, women and children before her. The SS men that worked with Doctor Strumfelder might recognize her, but if she kept her head down and stayed quiet, she might be able to pass off as another person being taken away. Maybe she could even pretend to be a mute, so they didn't have to expect an answer?

Peeking out from the tiny alley she was hiding in, Adelheid waited for the nearest guard to turn his back. She then snuck over to the line, and bowed her head, like one of the nuns during prayer. Her face stony, she let her eyes relax, the lids drooping and the pair now half-shut. Her arms also relax, hanging limply by her side, and she winced a little, feeling a small sting from her still-healing ribs. It had been a few weeks since the incident with Herr Claude at the school, but the bones were still healing a little.

Drifting towards the line, as if lost in her own little world, she flinched as the harsh sound of boots on pavement came towards her. As weakly as she could, she looked up, and saw an SS man coming to stand over her. She flinched back, her eyes showing a hint of fear, and he roughly grabbed her by the shoulder.

"Es sei denn, dass Sie," he snarled, "Kind sterben wollen, dann bleiben Sie besser in der Linie! BEWEGEN SIE SICH!"

Adelheid gave a tiny, "Eep!" and did as she was told. She hurried towards the line, merging with it, becoming just another face among the sad people. Where these people were going, Adelheid didn't know; all she knew was that Herr Claude was one of them. The Nazis also made the people work very hard, and were cruel and talked loudly to them. In fact, the thought of being treated like that scared her, since they seemed to be worse than Doctor Strumfelder.

Looking around anxiously, a small part of Adelheid felt victorious, but it was buried under the fear she now felt. What if she did something wrong, and they killed her? What if her Jungmädelbund group noticed she was missing before Adelheid could get away properly? Or worst of all, what if Doctor Strumfelder caught her with these people?

Hopefully, everything would be all right. She could escape with these people, and finally be free of Doctor Strumfelder. Maybe she could find Herr Claude, too, and she could help him. He was the only one she felt she could trust, and in her eyes, the kindest Not-Nazi that ever lived. Why did Doctor Strumfelder have to shoot him? And yell at him? He was a very, very nice man, not like Doctor Strumfelder!

[Otto Wolff]

The shiny black Mercedes came to a sudden stop next to the street curb, the brakes screeching tiredly and making the blonde, young man driving the vehicle wince as he glanced at his companion. "Vielleicht sollte ich diejenigen ansehen", he admitted with a sheepish smile. The older dark-haired man sitting on the other seat raised his eyebrow slowly. "Ach, was du nicht sagst", he answered in a wry tone.

Otto Wolff had not gotten a good night's sleep for a while and it was making him irritated. His irritation manifested itself in him scowling (well, even more than usually, which meant quite a lot), making snappy comments at his co-worker Brenner and driving his subordinates up the walls with him nitpicking over every detail of their work. Brenner had really started hoping Otto would take some time off and cool off for a while, but with the current amount of work it was nearly impossible even to consider it. On top of all the work, Otto had decided to pursue his own personal crusade that Brenner found a waste of time, but he was not going to argue with his superior about it. Brenner was about to say something, but Otto was already getting out of the black Mercedes and Brenner followed his example with a sigh.

Otto was a tall, broad-shouldered man with dark hair and a slightly receding hairline. He was clearly much older than his companion and the men looked very different from each other in other aspects also. Brenner was a more lightly built blonde man with blue eyes and he had a face the ladies surely could find quite agreeable. Otto on the other hand had a more muscular build, but also a face that seemed to carry a constant scowl and his slightly crooked nose did not make him look very forthcoming, either. Still, the two men were good friends and had learned to work together well over the years. It had become obvious to them that the differences in their outward appearance and in their way of conduct made them a surprisingly good team.

Both of the men were dressed in civilian clothes, with no visible signs that would affiliate them with the organization they worked for. Otto had a long, dark coat and under it he was wearing his black suit with a neat black tie. Brenner was almost similarly clothed and the men could have easily blended into the civilian population if needed. Right now Otto had other things to do, however, and he started walking towards the line of tired-looking people that the SS-soldiers were urging along the street. The sight of men, women and children dragging their feet as they fearfully tried to make themselves just another face in the crowd was not unfamiliar to Otto. It was an image that he had become used to, although to him it made the city look very unbecoming and ugly. Maybe once the war was over, Germany would again be the beautiful place he remembered from his childhood.

Otto's eyes scanned through the line of ragged prisoners. Right now he was searching for a particular prisoner and he had found out that the Jew he was looking for was most likely part of this group. Otto had also received information that these people were making the last of their journeys quite soon and they were headed for what the SS called, "special treatment". This was a bureaucratic and subtle way of saying that the people had been marked for death.

Otto stopped next to a SS-Scharführer, who merely regarded him with a passing glance at first. Otto produced a slip of paper from his inside coat pocket and showed it to the Scharführer, who only grew irritated when a civilian dared to be as self-conscious as to interrupt his work. Otto didn't seem too daunted by the guard's angry glance. "Ich suche nach diesem Juden. Er soll nicht ein Teil dieser Gruppe sein", Otto said in his low voice and as he said so, he slipped a small metallic disc from his pocket. He showed it to the Scharführer only briefly, but well enough so that the SS-guard recognized the Dienstmarke of the Gestapo. It was a special ID-disk reserved to the police and just presenting the silver-colored disc of the Gestapo was enough to make the Scharführer to change his attitude quite quickly.

"Ein besonderer Jude?", the man asked with disbelief and glanced at the mass of people massing along the street. The Scharführer was clearly not happy, but he had to play along with the Gestapo and with a sigh he raised his hand. "Halt!", the man barked his order and the SS-men were quick to make sure that the people stopped, enforcing the order with vicious punches and kicks. The Scharführer took the paper from Otto and muttered something as he walked to the mass of prisoners, Otto and Brenner following close at his heel.

"Warum diese ganzen Mühe durchgehen?", Brenner asked Otto as they stared at the line of prisoners. "Aussuchen Sie gerade einen anderen."

"Weil ich für diesen zahlte und es derjenige war, den meine Frau wollte. Und ich werde verdammt, wenn ich der SS mich davon betrüge, MEINEN Juden zu haben", Otto growled and Brenner knew not to argue with him. Once the Kriminalkommissar set his mind on something there was no way he was backing out, come hell or high water. It was the principle of it, Otto always said, you could not let go of your principles.

The SS-guards shoved some of the prisoners against the wall of the building so that the right prisoner would be easier to find. And this one should not be so hard to spot, the scars on the Jew's face were quite an distinguishing feature. "Dort. Ich denke, dass das mein Jude ist", Otto pointed at one of the prisoners. "Joe Claude. Bringen Sie ihm hier."

Two SS-guards approached one of the prisoners and pulled him away from the line of people so violently that the man fell down hard on the cobblestone street.


Translations:

"Vielleicht sollte ich diejenigen ansehen."
"I should probably take a look at those."

"Ach, was du nicht sagst."
"You do not say?"

"Ich suche nach diesem Juden. Er soll nicht ein Teil dieser Gruppe sein."
"I'm looking for this Jew. He is not supposed to be part of this group."

"Ein besonderer Jude?"
"One particular Jew?"

"Warum diese ganzen Mühe durchgehen? Aussuchen Sie gerade einen anderen."
"Why go through all this trouble? You could just pick out another one."

"Weil ich für diesen zahlte und es derjenige war, den meine Frau wollte. Und ich werde verdammt, wenn ich der SS mich davon betrüge, MEINEN Juden zu haben."
"Because I paid for this one and it was the one my wife wanted. And I will be damned if I let the SS con me from having MY Jew."

"Dort. Ich denke, dass das mein Jude ist."
"There.. I think that's my Jew."

"Joe Claude. Bringen Sie ihm hier."
"Joe Claude. Bring him here."

[Cpl. Joe Claude]

The long line of prisoners shuffled along, their heads bowed against the mid-day wind. The Jewish-American had no idea what he was doing here…hadn’t he just been given a home by this actress’s husband? But he had just been thrown back in with the rest of the Jewish pack.

All he was going to do was to keep alive for as long as he could. He was not going to die in Germany, looked down upon by every German living, a “flea-bitten Jew.” He was going to escape this hell hole one way or another.

It was cold, the wind whipped his face and he felt his bones seem to shake, every where he looked he could see German citizens just walking along in their nice woolly sweaters and jackets. The prisoners however where nothing like that, they wore striped shirts and trousers, their bones sticking out of the clothing, exposed to the cold air.

It wasn’t just men in the line today, but women and children. The children looked the worst, so pale and frightened that Joe didn’t like to look at their scared, starved faces, they were the first ones to go along with the elders, and it then was the women and finally the men who were the last to die.

Talking of children, Joe had turned his eyes to look over the heads of the line and see a figure suddenly appear in the crowd just up ahead, she didn’t look Jewish but she did look familiar. It had been a few weeks ago since Joe had seen the little girl in the school yard, Adelheid, he hadn’t seen her after that and was beaten to in an inch of his life afterwards…that couldn’t be her could it?

He wasn’t too sure and before he could do anything he heard a car pull up close by. His eyes strayed from the little girl-like figure in the skirt to the car that stood, shinning black with black-clad men standing around it, their eyes now turned to the pitiful site of Jews.

The line was ordered to halt after a few words in German had been uttered between the men, one of them, Joe recognised as the actress’s husband, ah. They were here for him and no sooner had he thought this, Joe that is, had been pulled out suddenly and sharply and roughly by a black clad uniformed SS guard and thrown on to the cobbled streets.

He hit the ground hard and felt blood drip down his left arm by the elbow. If his military friends could see him now…what would they think eh? He got to his feet quickly, his eyes turning from one man to the other. He stared at them, his eyes like a frightened rabbits, he didn’t move a muscle.

[Heidi]

Translations


Aus dem Weg, Mädchen![/i] = Out of the way, girl!

Herr Claude, warten Sie! = Mr. Claude, wait!

Herr Claude, bitte! Lassen Sie mich bitte mit Ihnen kommen! HERR CLAUDE!! = Mr. Claude, please! Please, let me come with you! MR. CLAUDE!!


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
[/size]

Slowly, Adelheid turned her head, black eyes scanning the crowd for Herr Claude. She held herself, not just because a cold breeze had stirred up, but because she felt exposed in the crowd. Out of all the men, women and children there, she looked to be one of the healthiest; she couldn't possibly fit in with them. Yet, she was moving along with them, the scary SS men in black not noticing her. For once, was something going to work? Would Adelheid make it this time, and not ever have to return to Doctor Strumfelder's house ever again?

Suddenly, a few people behind her, she spotted a Z-shaped scar on someone's face. Her heart leapt - it was Herr Claude! She had to force back a smile of satisfaction, and that wasn't hard when she saw his face. He looked so sad...and he looked hurt, too. Adelheid couldn't forget the gunshots that day - how dare Doctor Strumfelder hurt her beloved Herr Claude! Unlike the doctor, Herr Claude hadn't done anything wrong!

"Halt!" barked someone, the voice strong and a little scary. Everyone abruptly stopped, and the black-clad SS men marched towards the line. Seeing her chance, Adelheid scurried through the few people between her and her friend. Her eyes were shining brightly, even though the sunlight was muted by the cloudy skies.

"Herr Claude!" she whispered loudly, causing a few people to turn their heads. As soon as Adelheid was in range, she reached for his nearest hand. "Herr Claude!"

"Aus dem Weg, Mädchen![/i]" snarled one of the SS men, shoving Adelheid hard out of the way. They seized Herr Claude by the arms, dragging him away from the group. Adelheid groaned, slightly stunned, a kind hand helping her to her feet soon after. Muttering her thanks to the nice person, the girl rubbed the back of her head, then looked up.

The Nazis all had Herr Claude surrounded. Adelheid's eyes widened, and she bolted out of the mass of people. An SS man stomped towards her, attempting to seize her by the hair and take her back. However, she pulled away from him, moving in a serpentine as quickly as she could.

"Herr Claude, warten Sie!" cried Adelheid, attempting to make a grab for his arm and latch onto it. However, the SS men forced her back, and she struggled against their strong hands. They gripped her by the arms and hair, and as she pulled and tugged with all her might, grunting, she gave her friend a look of desperation.

"Herr Claude, bitte! Lassen Sie mich bitte mit Ihnen kommen! HERR CLAUDE!!"

[Otto Wolff]

Otto felt slightly satisfied when he finally saw the scarred face of this cursed Jew he had been looking for. In all honesty, he didn't really care which Jew worked for him and he had gone through all the trouble only because he refused to admit defeat. Otto was just about to tell Brenner that they would take the Jew with them and leave, when a small girl with ink-black hair darted from the line of the prisoners and implored for "Herr Claude" to take her with him. The small girl was quickly seized by two guards and the child fought furiously against them to get to the scarred Jew. Otto and Brenner exchanged surprised glances and the Scharführer looked equally puzzled.

"Wer ist dieses Mädchen? Was tut sie?", Otto demanded to know as he pointed at the small girl. The child did not really look Jewish and she seemed far too healthy when compared to the other prisoners in the crowd. Otto frowned and tilted his head as he studied the child. What a strange occurrence, the girl seemed to know this Jew and she wasn't even wearing the uniform that the other prisoners had on. Maybe the SS had just grabbed her from the streets? Otto just couldn't figure it out and Brenner could already see from Otto's expression that the wheels had begun turning inside the Kriminalkommissar's head. Not a good sign, he thought. Otto loved to solve puzzles and mysteries and this girl surely was one. Why couldn't Otto just avoid trouble, why did he feel that he had to involve himself with every riddle and plot they came upon? Brenner glanced up at the sky and sighed, he knew there was going to be trouble.

The Scharführer stared at the Jew and the girl for a while, but then quickly sprang into action. "Sie ist gerade ein dummer kleiner Jude.. Nehmen Sie ihren Rücken!", the man shouted and the guards roughly pulled the girl away, one of them grabbing the girl's arm so hard that it was sure to leave some nasty bruises.

"Nein, warten Sie. Ich will ihren Namen wissen", Otto claimed and the guards glanced at the Scharführer for confirmation. The man sighed and nodded and the guards held their ground, although they did not release their grip of the little girl. The middle-aged Scharführer was growing more irritated with each passing second and he was practically seething as his assistant handed him the list of prisoner names and numbers. The Scarführer looked at the papers, then at the girl, his face distorted with anger and disgust. "Es scheint, dass sie eine Zahl nicht hat..", The Scharführer glanced at his assistant, who clearly was to blame for this outrage. "Oder Dienstkleidung eines Gefangenen, aus irgendeinem Grund", the Scharführer added and his assistant shrunk away, he knew he would be in serious trouble later on.

"Wirklich..? Vielleicht sind Ihre Schreibarbeiten nicht ziemlich aktuell", Otto remarked mockingly. "So, es scheint dass sie ein wichtiger Informant sein konnte, wenn sie diesen Juden kennt. Ich werde sie mit uns nehmen."
"Was?", Brenner whispered to his friend, but Otto acted as if he didn't even notice him. "Sie beide. Wenn sie nicht auf der Liste ist, sollte sie von keiner Bedeutung zu Ihnen irgendwie sein. Richtig?"

The Scharführer was clearly so furious that he could have slapped his assistant for making him look bad in the eyes of his men, the whole group of prisoners and the Gestapo, no less! He just wanted to get out of the situation quickly, so he nodded. "So, ein Jude oder ein anderer. Ich glaube dass es gerade weniger Arbeit für uns nicht wirklich von Bedeutung ist, nicht wahr?", the Scharführer snapped and sneered at the little girl who had had her part in making him look so unprofessional.
"Sehr gut", Otto said contentedly and then glanced at the guards still struggling with the girl. "Befreien Sie sie."

The guards let go of the small raven-haired girl and Brenner moved in to grab Joe Claude by his arm. Otto contemplated on whether he should go seize the girl or not, but then he figured that since the child had wanted to accompany the Jew so desperately, she would follow them on her own. The two men left the Scarführer growl irritated commands at the remaining prisoners and Otto walked back to the Mercedes. He opened the door and nodded at Brenner.
"Sie können im Rücken mit dem Juden sitzen. Beobachten Sie auf ihn aufmerksam. Ich werde fahren", he said and Brenner regarded the other man with a tired and slightly scornful expression. Brenner shoved Claude inside the car and once he got on the back seat, he pushed him away from himself as if afraid that the Jew might infect him with something.

Otto held the front door open for the girl and raised an eyebrow at her. "Sie können hier auf dem Vordersitz sitzen, Kind", he said, trying to appear slightly friendlier so he would not scare the girl too much. A tall, official looking man with dark hair and eyes that appeared almost black, Otto would not have easily managed to look very friendly, no matter how hard he tried.

Translations:

"Wer ist dieses Mädchen? Was tut sie?"
"Who is this girl? What is she doing?"

"Sie ist gerade ein dummer kleiner Jude.. Nehmen Sie ihren Rücken!"
"She is just a silly little Jew.. Take her back!"

"Nein, warten Sie. Ich will ihren Namen wissen."
"No, wait. I want to know her name."

"Es scheint, dass sie eine Zahl nicht hat.."
"It seems that she does not have a number.."

"Oder Dienstkleidung eines Gefangenen, aus irgendeinem Grund."
"Or a prisoner's uniform, for some reason."

"Wirklich..? Vielleicht sind Ihre Schreibarbeiten nicht ziemlich aktuell."
"Really..? Maybe your paperwork is not quite up to date, then."

"So, es scheint dass sie ein wichtiger Informant sein konnte, wenn sie diesen Juden kennt. Ich werde sie mit uns nehmen."
"Well, it seems that she could be an important informant if she knows this Jew. I will take her with us."

"Sie beide. Wenn sie nicht auf der Liste ist, sollte sie von keiner Bedeutung zu Ihnen irgendwie sein. Richtig?"
"Both of them. If she is not on the list, she should not be of any concern to you anyway. Correct?"

"So, ein Jude oder ein anderer. Ich glaube dass es gerade weniger Arbeit für uns nicht wirklich von Bedeutung ist, nicht wahr?"
"Well, one Jew or another. I guess it doesn't really matter, just less work for us, isn't it?"

"Sehr gut. Befreien Sie sie."
"Very good. Release her."

"Sie können im Rücken mit dem Juden sitzen. Beobachten Sie auf ihn aufmerksam. Ich werde fahren."
"You can sit in the back with the Jew. Keep an eye on him. I will drive."

"Sie können hier auf dem Vordersitz sitzen, Kind."
"You can sit here on the front seat, child."

[Cpl. Joe Claude]

Being the one who was the most un-powerful in the little circle that Joe now found himself, he stayed quiet, staring at the ground once he had done staring at the people around him.

Did he just hear that? Or was his mind playing tricks on him and making him hear things that weren’t actually there? He turned around suddenly as a “Herr Claude” rang through the air. ”Adelheid?” he frowned, whispering more to himself than to the other members of the group or even to the girl herself. It had been her he had seen in the crowd….! But she wasn’t Jewish was she? No, she didn’t look it; did she not realize what she was getting herself in to? Obviously not, how could she when she was only a little girl.

The girl was now up beside him and had made a grab for his arm; he had just stood there, watching her. His eyes full of pity, but he couldn’t do anything, he would get beaten if he made any move towards her, he bit his lip and looked down at the ground as the men grabbed her away from him, tears springing to his eyes….he was powerless, he wanted to help but he couldn’t, he simply couldn’t.

A small conversation erupted between the members of the circle that Joe had developed into, Otto was talking fast and angrily to his assistant and then to the other SS men.

The conversation finished, with Adelheid now being released, Joe blinked as he saw the girl be set free, and he smiled softly, a little smile so only she could see it.

He was grabbed by the arm all of sudden and stumbled after Brenner who was pulling him rather quickly and roughly along towards the car. Joe sensed that Otto wanted to get out of here before any thing else happened to his disliking.

The car door opened a quick mutter of German to Brenner which made Joe’s stomach turn in disgust and in the car he went. Brenner now appeared on the other seat and Joe watched him, his eyes not turning from Brenner’s face, wanting to make him uncomfortable. After a minute or so of staring, he leant against the window and stared out at it at the towering buildings and Nazi flags. He sighed and ran a hand up to his scars, feeling them slowly, he glanced down at his hand as he did so, staring at the lines of hunger itched even on his hand.

[Heidi]

Adelheid's arms hurt from where the men's fingers dug into the flesh; it reminded her of the bruises Doctor Strumfelder had often left on her. Each breath shaky with fear and upset, she watched as the men near Herr Claude talked to the ones near the line of people. The people behind her were whispering and muttering in some places, but Adelheid paid no attention to them. She only fixed her eyes upon her friend in front of her, who was looking sadly towards her. His entire face was somber and stony, as if he had given up, and could only watch as the black-clad men talked amongst themselves.

At the mention of a name and a number, Adelheid's head tilted, wondering why the people were being numbered. The two black-clad men that seemed to be in charge of everyone else seemed to be in trouble; apparently, not having a number was a bad thing. Then there was talk of paperwork and other things, and Adelheid's head tilted further to the side. Just what was going on there?

"So, ein Jude oder ein anderer. Ich glaube dass es gerade weniger Arbeit für uns nicht wirklich von Bedeutung ist, nicht wahr?" eventually snapped one of the black-clad men in charge. He was glaring at the child angrily, and Adelheid's shoulders hunched, the girl trying to become smaller. However, she was then released, another black-clad man ordering her to be, the girl falling backwards with a little yelp. She lay on her back for a moment, blinking, but then scurried to her feet and ran after Herr Claude. Unfortunately, he was pulled into the car before Adelheid could reach her friend; the door abruptly slammed behind Herr Claude, as well the man pulling him. She was about to yell in protest, but then, another door was opened, this time by the black-clad man who had told the others to let her go.

"Sie können hier auf dem Vordersitz sitzen, Kind," the man said kindly, trying to pull a little smile despite his cold-looking face. Adelheid shrank again, taking a small step back. Why couldn't she sit in the back with Herr Claude? Why did everyone keep pushing him around? Were they going to take her back to Doctor Strumfelder...?

But then again...she had found her friend. Herr Claude was the nicest Not-Nazi of them all, and he was very sad, since nobody seemed to like him. Adelheid knew the feeling; the orphanage had always been a lonely place. If she left him behind like the other Not-Nazis had, as well as Herr Jonas, she'd be no better then them!

"...Danke," the girl said quietly, and hurried into the car. Once she had taken her place upon the seat, she looked backwards, and gave a reassuring grin to Herr Claude. She then nervously looked at the black-clad man who had helped her, giving him a polite smile and a nod, to add to her thanks.

[Otto Wolff]

The little raven-haired girl took a step back when Otto told her she could sit in the front and for a moment Otto thought the girl would make a run for it. He could see how she was torn between fear and devotion to someone who, Jew or not, appeared to be her friend. Finally the girl climbed into the car, flashing a smile at the Jew and then glancing at Otto and nodding in thanks.

Otto smiled back at the child, his smile brief and somehow unsure, as if the man wasn't very used to smiling too often. He closed the door and was soon sitting on the driver's seat, his mind furiously working over this new turn of events. The black Mercedes started with a rumble and Otto turned it around on the street before starting back towards the same direction they had arrived from.

"Schmerzte es?", Brenner asked from the back seat and Otto raised his brows, glancing briefly at his friend and looking puzzled.
"Was?", he asked, looking confused.
"Lächeln", Brenner shot back and gave his friend a crooked smile.
"Unterhaltsamste", Otto answered in a wry manner.

It was clear that the men must have known each other for quite a while now and sarcastic remarks like this were a common thing between them. Otto kept glancing at the little girl as he drove on, she certainly did not look Jewish at all, but wasn't really an image of pure Aryan heritage either with her dark eyes and ink-black hair. Then again, Otto himself didn't look like a model Aryan either.

"Ihr Jude starrt auf mich", Brenner continued in his annoyed tone of voice and stared back at Joe Claude with obvious disgust.
Otto placed his arm on top of his seat so he could turn around to regard Joe Claude a bit better for a while before returning back to his driving. "So scheint es. Vielleicht mag er Sie?", Otto suggested and Brenner snorted at him.
"Ich zweifle daran", Brenner said and tried to ignore the Jew's staring. "So jetzt haben Sie Ihren Haustierjuden und dieses kleine Mädchen, das wir für nichts wirklich brauchen. Was sind Sie dabei zu tun?"

Otto frowned at his question and was silent for a moment. He had made a solid and simple plan earlier and everything had been going just fine until this little girl had shown up. Instead of really answering Brenner's question, Otto's next words came in English.
"I think our Jew here is an American. A soldier, am I correct?", Otto asked, directing his words to Claude. He didn't have the typical German accent and it would have been very hard to guess his origins based on his accent. The R's rolled softly and lazily from Otto's tongue and it was clear he had used the language more than passingly over the time. "You must have made some mess, getting into a group like that. I would ask you why you were not assigned to a POW-camp, but I guess people have figured that being a Jew comes first. You were marching to your death back there and then I would be without my workforce. I had already arranged everything and then they suddenly wanted to give me some other Jew. What did you do? Did you badmouth the Führer?", Otto glanced briefly at Joe Claude as he posed the question.

"Und die sind Sie, kleines Mädchen? Sie kennen ihn..", Otto was going to say 'Jew', but then figured that the girl might not understand him if he used that expression and he quickly continued with another choice of words. "Sie kennen 'Herr Claude'? Sie sind nicht ein Jude.. Sie sind eine Deutsche, habe ich Recht? Wie ist Ihr Name?"

Otto realized he was asking maybe a bit too many questions at a time and he tried to appear slightly friendlier to the girl again. "Sie können mich Otto nennen. Der Mann zurück gibt es Brenner. Sie müssen nicht Angst vor uns haben, wir werden Sie nicht marschieren oder Sie ringsherum ähnlich jene Männer zurück dort schieben lassen. Wenn Sie verloren werden, können wir Sie nach Hause nehmen?"

"Ja, sind wir sehr nette Leute", Brenner added with a more than a small hint of sarcasm, receiving a disapproving glance from Otto.


Translations:

"Schmerzte es?"
"Was it painful?"

"Was?"
"What?"

"Lächeln."
"Smiling."

"Unterhaltsamste."
"Most amusing."

"Ihr Jude starrt auf mich."
"Your Jew is staring at me."

"So scheint es. Vielleicht mag er Sie?"
"So it seems. Maybe he likes you?"

"Ich zweifle daran."
"I doubt that."

"So jetzt haben Sie Ihren Haustierjuden und dieses kleine Mädchen, das wir für nichts wirklich brauchen. Was sind Sie dabei zu tun?"
"So now you have your pet Jew and this little girl we don't really need for anything. What are you going to do?"

"Und die sind Sie, kleines Mädchen? Sie kennen ihn.."
"And who are you, little girl? You know this.."

"Sie kennen 'Herr Claude'? Sie sind nicht ein Jude.. Sie sind eine Deutsche, habe ich Recht? Wie ist Ihr Name?"
"You know 'Herr Claude'? You are not a Jew.. You are a German, am I right? What is your name?"

"Sie können mich Otto nennen. Der Mann zurück gibt es Brenner. Sie müssen nicht Angst vor uns haben, wir werden Sie nicht marschieren oder Sie ringsherum ähnlich jene Männer zurück dort schieben lassen. Wenn Sie verloren werden, können wir Sie nach Hause nehmen?"
"You can call me Otto. The man back there is Brenner. You don't have to be afraid of us, we will not make you march or shove you around like those men back there. If you are lost, we can take you home?"

"Ja, sind wir sehr nette Leute."
"Yeah, we are really nice people."

[Cpl. Joe Claude]

The poor little girl did not know anything, nothing. She didn’t know what a Jew was most likely, or where they were going to or…or anything. She was just a little child; children were not meant for this sort of game.

She smiled at him and he smiled back slightly, his eyes trailing back to Brenner who was now starting to feel a bit awkward with Joe’s constant staring. The two SS men exchanged a joke and then Brenner turned to Joe, his eyes showing clear disgust. Joe turned away and continued staring out of the window.

These Nazis were seriously brain washed…pet? a pet Jew? err no thank you! Joe clenched his hands into fists silently and swiftly in his lap, calming himself and then let them roll out on to his lap, palms facing upwards.

English words suddenly erupted from Otto’s mouth, the first English words that Joe had heard since Strumfelder’s cruel barks of anger at seeing Joe around. What was it with everyone knowing what he was? Well, not everyone but important people at least. ”Yes I was. A Corporal.” his voice was a monotone, flat and lifeless. ”Badmouth? No, there are a lot of us Jews here, they might have just got me mixed up with someone else, I don’t know.” he shrugged, his eyes looking around Otto’s face and then down to the floor, he was debating whether to say anything else but decided against it as the conversation moved to Adelheid.

Joe decided to stay quiet and watch the conversation unfold; he was not in the mood to argue with anyone today. He was too hungry and cold to even bother talking about his past and the scars but if they forced him to then he must.

[Heidi]

Translations:


Nein, ich bin ein Christ, und Ja, ich bin ein Deutscher. = No, I am a Christian, and yes, I am a German.

Mein Name is Heidi. = My name is Heidi.

Nein, Herr Otto. Ich habe ein Haus nicht. Ich pflegte, in einem Waisenhaus zu leben, aber es ist jetzt gegangen. Ich war... Ich war in der Linie...weil die Nazis jeden von dort wegnahmen, und ich dachte, dass sie mich nicht bekommen würden. Sie fanden mich, aber und sie bekamen mich, und ich wurde dort in der Linie gebracht. Ich traf Herr Claude, während ich von den Nazis davonlief. = No, Herr Otto. I don't have a home. I used to live in an orphanage, but it's gone now. I was...I was in the line...because the Nazis took everyone away from there, and I thought they wouldn't get me. They found me, though, and they got me, and I was put there in the line. I met Herr Claude while I was running away from the Nazis.


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++



Pet? Pet? Since when was Herr Claude anyone's pet?! Adelheid was tempted to give these black-clad men a piece of her mind for saying such a thing. And what was so bad about the Jews, anyways? Sure, some of the bullies from the orphanage had been Jewish, but there were only a few! Herr Claude was a Jew, and he wasn't a bully, and he was nice!

Soon came a stream of words in the Not-Nazis' language; Adelheid could not help but be caught off guard when she heard it. She had never heard anyone else speak...Not-Nazi? No, what was it old Herr...Pierpont called it? Ingleesh? Something like that. But yes, she had never heard anyone else speak it but Doctor Strumfelder. The child paid little attention to the words after the first sentence, instead surprised at how tired Herr Claude sounded. Hopefully, her poor friend would have somewhere nice to sleep, and then, he might feel better.

"Und die sind Sie, kleines Mädchen? Sie kennen ihn..." the driver said in German, after finishing his talking in...Not-Nazi, or Ingleesh, or whatever it was called. After trailing off, he was quiet, as if thinking. He then finished with, "Sie kennen 'Herr Claude'? Sie sind nicht ein Jude.... Sie sind eine Deutsche, habe ich Recht? Wie ist Ihr Name?"

"Nein, ich bin ein Christ, und Ja, ich bin ein Deutscher," answered Adelheid. She paused for a moment, wondering how to answer the question about her name. Even though the driver didn't look like it, he might have been an SS man, and he might have known Doctor Strumfelder....

"Mein Name ist Heidi," answered Adelheid, remembering the pet name that the orphanage's nuns sometimes used on her, as well as a few other girls. She listened carefully as the man introduced himself as "Otto", and the man with Herr Claude "Brenner". He then asked if she was lost, and that he could take her home if she wanted. The girl bit her lip, and looked at Herr Otto, shaking her head.

"Nein, Herr Otto. Ich habe ein Haus nicht. Ich pflegte, in einem Waisenhaus zu leben, aber es ist jetzt gegangen. Ich war... Ich war in der Linie...weil die Nazis jeden von dort wegnahmen, und ich dachte, dass sie mich nicht bekommen würden. Sie fanden mich, aber und sie bekamen mich, und ich wurde dort in der Linie gebracht. Ich traf Herr Claude, während ich von den Nazis davonlief."

[Otto Wolff]

(( Sorry for the long post again and slight godmodding, but I thought that travelling from one place to another would be a bit pointless to RP so I took some liberties. ))

The Jew seemed tired and subservient when he answered Otto's question, telling that he was.. or had been a corporal. When Otto asked why Claude had received this special treatment, he gave an answer that was less intriguing than Otto had anticipated. Otto very much doubted that Claude would have simply been mistaken for someone else. He had been specific about who he wanted to work for him and people rarely wanted to mess up when it came to orders from the Gestapo. Still, he was not going to make his doubts known to the Jew quite yet and he nodded. "Ich verstehe", was the only thing he said in answer to Claude's explanation.

Raindrops started hitting the roof and windows of the car, with just a few drops appearing on the glass first, but soon the rain fell more rapidly. Otto turned his attention to the small raven-haired girl, she seemed well-mannered and shy. The child told Otto that she was a German and not a Jew, things which Otto had already guessed. When asked for her name, the girl seemed to pause for a second and Otto tilted his head slightly as he drove. He disliked questioning people while he drove, he could not quite concentrate on the emotions and the small signs that people unknowingly gave him when he talked with them.

Otto might have been a man of seemingly few emotions, but he had always been good at reading other people. That was why he had made such a good detective back in those days in München and why he was doing well-suited for his current job. There were plenty of people to interrogate and when needed, the Gestapo had more extreme measures for extracting information. Still, Otto had always favoured more civilized ways of obtaining information.

Right now he nodded at the girl and listened as she told him that her name was Heidi and that she had been living in an orphanage and chased by "the Nazis", meeting Joe Claude while running away from them. Otto couldn't quite figure out why the SS would wish to kill a child of German origins, no matter how un-Aryan her appearance was. Still, he would not argue against her story here in the car.

The Gestapo office he worked at would just scare the girl and he was not certainly going to put the little girl in a prison cell. Otto came to a quick decision and the car veered around a corner, the tires sliding slightly on the wet pavement. "Ich werde Sie in mein Haus bringen.. fürs Erste", he announced.
Brenner seemed puzzled and shook his head. "Was wird Ihre Frau sagen?"
"Sie wird nichts sagen, da sie in diesem Augenblick nicht Haus-ist. Eine Fotografie.. oder sowas, weiß ich nicht. Außerhalb Berlins", Otto waved his hand around. "Sie wird nicht zurück eine Zeit lang sein."

Brenner nodded and seemed slightly unsure of Otto's decision, but didn't bother to argue with it. Buildings decorated with swastika-flags swished by as the Mercedes speeded through the streets of the city and the rain drove people on the streets under their umbrellas and awnings of the stores. Finally the car slowed down and came to a stop in front of a two-storied building with an old but lavish look. It was raining heavily outside when Brenner ushered Claude out of the car, cursing the rain. Otto walked around the car to open the door for the girl. Brenner was holding Claude by his arm again and Otto set his hand lightly on the little girl's shoulder, more to just show her the way than to urge her along.

Once the group arrived inside the building, they found themselves inside a vast lobby with a few doors and a white half-spiral staircase leading to the two apartments in the upper floor. "Hier", Otto said and lead the way up the stairs. There was no name sign on the door to indicate who lived in the apartment, Otto opened the door and stepped inside first. The apartment seemed quite expensive with a high ceiling, plenty of wooden paneling and wooden floors to match the luxurious mood of the building. Whoever Otto was, obviously he wasn't short on cash.

There was a rap of claws on the wooden floor and a sleek black and red Doberman arrived to meet the newcomers. It growled quietly at Claude, but at Otto's command sat down and happily waved it's pitiful little tail. The dog was torn between going to meet the guests and obeying it's masters command, but had clearly been well trained since it stayed on it's spot. "Gut, Luger", Otto patted the dog on his head and then turned around to look at the others.

"Ihre Schuhe, bitte", Otto pointed at the feet of his strange guests, seeing to it that each person left their shoes in the hallway before he lead the way into the kitchen. The kitchen had a very rustic look to it and Otto pulled up chair from under the pine dining table for the girl. With a little bit of hesitation, he did so for Claude also. Brenner let go of Claude and let him go sit on the chair on his own accord, seemingly happy that he didn't have to guard the Jew so closely anymore.

"Now, let's hear the real story of what has happened. I can only assume the scars were done to you.. by someone from the SS? The Gestapo, maybe? Seems quite a personal deed to me.. Were you questioned over something? And how were you captured?", Otto raised his brow and set his hands on the table, so he could look down at Claude. "I just pulled you out of a line of prisoners where you would have gotten killed for sure. The least you owe me is some answers. If I take you back to that group, you will end up in smoke over Germany", Otto continued in his low and steady tone of voice. In fact, he had not raised his voice even once in the presence of Claude or the small girl.

The Doberman, Luger, had followed the guests into the kitchen and was now sitting near the table, looking at the child and wagging it's small docked tail, hoping it would get a chance to go meet this interesting small human it was not familiar with. Otto regarded the small girl now and smiled slightly. "Und Sie, kleine Heidi", he started and sighed. "Sie müssen nicht irgendwo mehr gehen? Keine Familie oder Freunde überhaupt? Es war mit jenen Leuten nicht sehr sicher, es ist gut, dass wir Sie fanden. Seien Sie nicht beunruhigend, Sie sind hier ziemlich sicher. Wenn Sie uns ehrlich alles erzählen, was mit Ihnen geschehen ist, könnten wir im Stande sein, sowohl Ihnen als auch Ihrem Freund hier zu helfen. Sie wollen ihm helfen, stimmt das?"


Translations:

"Ich verstehe."
"I see."

"Ich werde Sie in mein Haus bringen.. fürs Erste."
"I will take you to my home.. for now."

"Was wird Ihre Frau sagen?"
"What will your wife say about it?"

"Sie wird nichts sagen, da sie in diesem Augenblick nicht Haus-ist. Eine Fotografie.. oder sowas, weiß ich nicht. Außerhalb Berlins."
"She will not say anything since she is not home right now. Some photography.. thing, I don't know. Outside Berlin."

"Sie wird nicht zurück eine Zeit lang sein."
"She won't be back for a while."

"Ihre Schuhe, bitte."
"Your shoes, please."

"Und Sie, kleine Heidi."
"And you, little Heidi."

"Sie müssen nicht irgendwo mehr gehen? Keine Familie oder Freunde überhaupt? Es war mit jenen Leuten nicht sehr sicher, es ist gut, dass wir Sie fanden. Seien Sie nicht beunruhigend, Sie sind hier ziemlich sicher. Wenn Sie uns ehrlich alles erzählen, was mit Ihnen geschehen ist, könnten wir im Stande sein, sowohl Ihnen als auch Ihrem Freund hier zu helfen. Sie wollen ihm helfen, stimmt das?"
"You do not have anywhere to go anymore? No family or friends at all? It was not very safe with those people, it's good that we found you. Do not worry, you are quite safe here. If you truthfully tell us everything that has happened to you, we might be able to help both you and your friend here. You do want to help him, don't you?"

[Cpl. Joe Claude]

The car journey was rather awkward for Joe. He wasn’t used to sitting in a car so grand like this since America even; he had only been used to walking places in France or being driven around in army jeeps…the girl wasn’t called Heidi? Why was she faking her name? And then it dawned on Joe, he realized that it was because Strumfelder may find her and if she hid her name and called herself something else then she may not be found again by the evilest doctor ever, or so Joe thought.

Raindrops began to fall on to the windscreen and windows of the car as it sped along through the streets of Berlin, flashes of red and white and black flags could be visible through the misted up glass. Joe thought of the people he had left behind, the other Jews who were now stumbling through this rain most likely, some falling and dying where they fell.

The car veered suddenly around a bend and Joe clung on to the door rest in slight shock, the sudden movement had put him off balance but he was able to stay upright and looked unfazed if a bit shocked.

They were going to Otto’s home, oh how lovely. The thought filled Joe with dread and slight happiness that he was away from the ghastly camp and its conditions for a while now it seemed.

His kind wife was out. She had been lovely, so caring and he really owed her he debt of staying alive. Joe had promised himself that he would never like another German again, that he would kill every officer and Nazi person in the world, including their family. But however horrible Otto looked on the inside, the man had saved him from dying so in a way Joe felt rather in his debt and would trust the man if he was kind to him…as kind as a Nazi officer could be that was.

The car stopped and the door was flung open, Brenner grabbed Joe by the arm and took him up towards an apartment block, the rain driving down on to Joe’s head as he entered the lobby. It was a nice lobby, Joe felt extremely out of place here. Luckily there was no one around to stare at him in his Jewish uniform. Otto led the small party up the stairs and through a door, the front door, of his own apartment.

A dog appeared suddenly and growled low at Joe, Joe stared away from the dog as to not attract attention to it. But a quick command from its master and the dog sat down on its haunches, its tail wagging all of a sudden, Joe had never been a fan of dogs…never.

Joe did as he was told, taking off his wooden clogs and leaving them by the door, his feet were blistered but as he hadn’t been at the camp long, they weren’t as badly sore as some of the older lasting prisoners. They were now lead to the kitchen, surprisingly enough after a small pause, Otto himself held a chair out for Joe who now felt a lighter feeling appear in his arm as it was let go.

Slowly, Joe made his way to the chair and sat down gingerly on it, looking around the kitchen. Otto now erupted into English and Joe looked back at him, staring up at the tail figure. Otto then questioned Adelheid but before she could answer, Joe quickly stepped in and answered the questions he was to answer.
”They were done by Erhard Strumfelder, about four months ago by now. I was captured in France, a small town that my unit had captured, we were holding it for re-enforcements. As I had been injured during my capture I was taken to a hospital, Strumfelder asked me questions about what unit I was in, the normal stuff and I didn’t answer so he did these.” he waved a hand to his face; he would leave out the bits he wanted to leave out. ”And yes, I had guessed we were on a death match as we were told that we were not coming back to the camp we had just been in.” he added, his eyes dull and lifeless, his voice still a monotone.

[Heidi]

Translations:


"Nein, überhaupt nicht. Mein Vater ist zum Himmel, und meinem... Mutter gegangen... Sie nennen sie wirklich eine Mutter, stimmt das? Ich wusste nie wirklich, wie eine Mutter oder ein Vater waren. So, meine Mutter ließ mich am Waisenhaus, weil sie sagte, dass ich sie nicht brauchte, und dass ich dort bleiben würde, selbst wenn ich nicht wirklich weiß, was sie dadurch meinte. Ich meine, ich habe eine Mutter nie gehabt, und ich bin...ganz richtig...so brauchen Leute Mütter richtig nicht?" = No, not at all. My father's gone to Heaven, and my...mother...you do call her a mother, don't you? I never really knew what a mother or a father was. Well, my mother left me at the orphanage because she said I didn't need her, and that I would stay there, even if I don't really know what she meant by that. I mean, I've never had a mother, and I'm...all right...so people don't need mothers, right?

"Und... ist er nett?" = And...he is nice?


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Like the obedient child she was, Adelheid simply nodded when Herr Otto said they were headed for his house. She couldn't help but feel a little nervous, though; last time anyone took her to someone's house, she ended up living in a wardrobe until that day. And, the time before that, she had been shot outside of the inn Herr Jonas had taken her too. And before that, she ended up being almost arrested by the Not-Nazis at an old French couple's!

No, the promise of being taken to a house did not hold good memories. But of course, Adelheid's face - or Heidi's face, rather - was completely neutral, not betraying even a hint of emotion then. She had slipped into her old coping mechanism of dealing with a confusion situation: staying almost emotionless.

After a few swerves and abrupt stops - ones that had Adelheid gripping her door's handle for balance - the vehicle finally stopped. The rain that had begun before had grown heavier, and they would probably get very wet outside, having no umbrellas. Herr Claude was escorted out of the car by Herr Brenner, who didn't look too pleased that he had too; Herr Otto went around to get Heidi. She slowly swung her legs around, tugging up her skirt a little to avoid getting it to wet.

"Danke, Herr Otto," she said quietly, sliding out and landing on her feet, the minor impact creating a small splash. Although she flinched when he touched her, she allowed Herr Otto to guide her into the house by her shoulder. Heidi's eyes remained glued to Herr Claude and Herr Brenner, to make sure the latter didn't hurt her precious friend. Herr Brenner was far too rough with Herr Claude for Heidi's liking.

And when they finally entered the building, Heidi couldn't help but freeze a little. It looked too much like Doctor Strumfelder's apartment for her to be comfortable. Still, she hid it, if not for the abrupt tensing of every muscle in her body. Stiffly, she walked forward, reminding herself again and again to remain calm. If Heidi panicked, she was dead. They would send her back to Doctor Strumfelder, and once more, he would try to make her a Nazi, and all she would have was that wardrobe. She was free now, and she was never going back, never!

As they opened a door, a dog's sudden growl caught Heidi off guard. Startled, her eyes fell upon a prick-eared, sleek-looking canine, black and red-brown. She gave a, "YEEP!" of surprise, bolting behind Herr Otto and peeking out fearfully. When Herr Otto ordered it to sit, and moved towards the beast, Heidi would run to Herr Claude and hide behind him. Even though she saw dogs whenever she had been allowed out, that didn't mean she couldn't be scared by some of them.

"Ihre Schuhe, bitte," Herr Otto suddenly said, and Adelheid immediately stepped out of her wet boots. A frown appeared on her face when she saw Herr Claude's feet; they looked horrible, all blistered and dirty. It was no surprise, either - he was wearing wooden shoes! Had the Nazis forced him to wear wooden shoes?! If they did, then it had to have been Doctor Strumfelder's idea, it had to be!

However, Herr Otto had proved to be nice so far. He was even gentlemanly enough to pull out a chair for her, for which Heidi said, with a hint of sweetness, "Danke," in return. Herr Claude got to have a chair, too, but he didn't get his as fast as the child did. Heidi made a mental note to be extra-fast in getting a chair for Herr Claude, since no one else would probably do it for him. Still, he had a chair then, and answered in...Not-Nazi...when Herr Otto asked him a question or two in...Not-Nazi. Or was it called "Ingleesh"? She also thought she heard the name "Erhard Strumfelder", too, but maybe it was a...Not-Nazi...word that she didn't know. Either way, the supposed-name sent a shiver down her spine.

"Und Sie, kleine Heidi," began Herr Otto, now looking at the girl, "Sie müssen nicht irgendwo mehr gehen? Keine Familie oder Freunde überhaupt? Es war mit jenen Leuten nicht sehr sicher, es ist gut, dass wir Sie fanden. Seien Sie nicht beunruhigend, Sie sind hier ziemlich sicher. Wenn Sie uns ehrlich alles erzählen, was mit Ihnen geschehen ist, könnten wir im Stande sein, sowohl Ihnen als auch Ihrem Freund hier zu helfen. Sie wollen ihm helfen, stimmt das?"

Heidi shook her head vigourously. "Nein, überhaupt nicht. Mein Vater ist zum Himmel, und meinem... Mutter gegangen... Sie nennen sie wirklich eine Mutter, stimmt das? Ich wusste nie wirklich, wie eine Mutter oder ein Vater waren. So, meine Mutter ließ mich am Waisenhaus, weil sie sagte, dass ich sie nicht brauchte, und dass ich dort bleiben würde, selbst wenn ich nicht wirklich weiß, was sie dadurch meinte. Ich meine, ich habe eine Mutter nie gehabt, und ich bin...ganz richtig...so brauchen Leute Mütter richtig nicht?"

She then glanced nervously over at the dog.

"Und... ist er nett?"

[Otto Wolff]

Brenner did not hide his disgust when he saw the blistered feet of the Jew. He glanced once again at his friend Otto, as if seeking confirmation on if he really wanted to bring the Jew inside his home. The Kriminalkommissar didn't seem to notice this as he was already occupied with assuring Luger that the guests were not a threat.

Little Heidi had first hid behind Otto, which quite surprised the man, but then sought shelter behind Claude from the sleek guard dog. Otto could see how much Luger would have wanted to go and meet the girl, but the dog also sensed that the human child was afraid of him. It kept a respectful distance from the people as they moved into the kitchen.

Otto asked his questions and listened to Claude's answer, the man seemed at least slightly more truthful this time, going into more detail of what had happened to him. On hearing Claude mention the name Strumfelder, Otto stood up straight and regarded the Jew with a mild surprise. "This name I know. I am surprised that you have not yet been shot. Or maybe he trusted that you would die like the others would?" Otto was clearly referring to Jews in general and his voice did not convey any emotion, neither hatred or compassion, towards the fates of the countless Jewish men, women and children.

The little girl, Heidi, was sitting meekly on her chair, she didn't seem to understand the conversation that passed in English between Otto and Claude. Otto felt sorry for the small girl, who in her childish innocence had befriended a Jew. She was only a child and she would not understand these things, no matter how much the children were taught about the differences of the lesser races and true Germans. A child's mind might be programmed to know the facts, yes, but to truly understand them was a whole different matter.

Otto asked Heidi if she had any family, relatives or friends at all, hoping that he might take the girl to someone who would take care of her. Much to his dismay the girl said that she did not have anyone and that she had been left in the orphanage by her mother. She innocently said that she did not truly understand what a mother and a father were and it made Otto's heart ache slightly for the girl. He had never been much of a father and he wasn't any good with children, but a child should at least know one of his or her parents.

"Ich meine, ich habe eine Mutter nie gehabt, und ich bin...ganz richtig...so brauchen Leute Mütter richtig nicht?" the girl asked and Otto smiled a short and slightly saddened smile. "Nein, Sie irren sich, Heidi. Eine Mutter und Vater sind wichtige Dinge zu haben, es sind sie, die Sie über alle Dinge Leben unterrichten und Sie geschützt halten sollten. Aber wenn ein Kind seine Mutter und Vater nicht kennt oder sie verloren hat, dann brauchen sie jemanden anderen, um sie zu unterrichten und sie geschützt zu halten. Sie scheinen in eine junge Dame mit guten Manieren hineingewachsen zu sein, aber Sie brauchen noch jemanden, um Sie zu schützen und zu unterrichten. Wie eine Mutter oder ein Vater würde."

Brenner rolled his eyes at Otto's fatherly wisdom and seemed to regard the man's speech slightly ridiculous. His unhappiness towards Otto's decisions was apparent and Otto had not failed to notice this. With Brenner it was hard to say if he found the situation truly so distasteful or if he was just acting to make Otto appear the nicer one of them to create a trust between him, the girl and the Jew. Right now Brenner just kept quiet and stood near the window, glancing out into the courtyard every now and then.

Heidi regarded the Doberman with hesitation and Otto only now remembered that the girl had asked if the dog was nice. Otto nodded and moved in to scratch the dog behind his cropped ears. The dog's tongue lolled out and he squinted his black eyes happily.

"Und haben Sie Angst vor Luger nicht. Er ist ein sehr netter Hund, er ist nur an den Leuten ärgerlich die versuchen würden mich oder meine Familie anzugreifen. Er weiß dass Sie Freund sind, weil ich ihm erzählte. Hier," Otto grabbed the leather collar of the dog and brought the animal near to where Heidi was sitting. He ordered the dog to sit some distance away from Heidi, so that the girl would not be too afraid of him but could pet the animal if she felt courageous enough. The dog made a show of trying to seem as harmless as possible to this little creature and the animal bowed his head low, whining and whimpering like a puppy to assure the child of his friendly intentions.

Otto moved away from the dog and walked over to open some of the cupboards as if he was searching for something. "I still cannot believe that there would not be something more personal behind this all. You are still alive and usually a Jew who crosses someone from the SS has a very short life span," Otto spoke, mostly to aloud to himself as his mind worked over the new information he had just received.

"Haben Sie etwas heute gegessen, Heidi?" Otto asked as he finally opened the refrigerator and pulled out a porcelain dish holding five thick sandwiches filled with meat, cheese and butter; a veritable luxury to many people these days. They had been prepared by the maid who frequented the apartment whenever needed, Otto did not have time or desire for cooking and housekeeping while his wife was gone. Otto set the plate down on the table and took a glance at the Jew who clearly had been without any decent food for a good while. With a sigh Otto picked up a sandwich and set it on the table before the Jew. He would not be much use to him dead, anyway.

"Do you know anything about the girl?" Otto asked as he looked thoughtfully at the plate of sandwiches which had been intended as his own dinner for the evening. "Do you know why the SS would chase her?" He did not really assume that Claude would know much, but if he had seen what had happened, he might have better understanding on the true nature of things than a child would.

"She said she met you while running away and yet also claimed she was put in the line later. And it is clear that you have been a prisoner for much longer than she has, like you said, you were captured four months ago. If she met you while running away, you would not had much time to befriend each other, the Jews are not allowed to communicate with civilians, anyway. And she does seem to trust you quite a bit. So I'm wondering... what is there about this story that I don't know yet?" Otto asked in his low and calm tone, mercilessly poking holes into little Heidi's story. Otto's dark eyes seemed to pierce into the very soul of Joe Claude and it appeared as if the man was quite accustomed to asking endless questions from others.


Translations:

"Nein, Sie irren sich, Heidi. Eine Mutter und Vater sind wichtige Dinge zu haben, es sind sie, die Sie über alle Dinge Leben unterrichten und Sie geschützt halten sollten. Aber wenn ein Kind seine Mutter und Vater nicht kennt oder sie verloren hat, dann brauchen sie jemanden anderen, um sie zu unterrichten und sie geschützt zu halten. Sie scheinen in eine junge Dame mit guten Manieren hineingewachsen zu sein, aber Sie brauchen noch jemanden, um Sie zu schützen und zu unterrichten. Wie eine Mutter oder ein Vater würde."
"No, you are wrong, Heidi. A mother and father are important things to have, it is them who should teach you about all things life and keep you safe. But if a child does not know his mother and father or has lost them, then they need someone else to teach them and keep them safe. You seem to have grown into a well-mannered young lady, but you still need someone to protect and teach you. Like a mother or a father would."

"Und haben Sie Angst vor Luger nicht. Er ist ein sehr netter Hund, er ist nur an den Leuten ärgerlich die versuchen würden mich oder meine Familie anzugreifen. Er weiß dass Sie Freund sind, weil ich ihm erzählte. Hier."
"And don't be afraid of Luger. He is a very nice dog, he is only angry at the people who would try to attack me or my family. He knows you are friend because I told him so. Here."

"Haben Sie etwas heute gegessen, Heidi?"
"Have you eaten anything today, Heidi?"

[Cpl. Joe Claude]

He didn’t exactly know what to really do. He hadn’t thought this far at all.

Otto spoke in reply to Joe’s answer about what had happened to him four months ago, and Joe responded pleasantly –
”Yes, a lot of people know him. I am not sure exactly why he kept me alive, not sure at all.” he genially didn’t have a clue why Strumfelder had postponed his death, to be honest, some times Joe felt that Strumfelder should have shot him there and then in the interrogation unit four months ago. But then Vlakte – Theo – wouldn’t have escaped alongside Joe and wouldn’t be now getting married to a pretty French woman, safe in Allied occupied France and soon to be moving to England.

Adelheid, who had scurried to the chair next to him, was now sitting on it, babbling away in German to Otto, making up her side of the story. Otto surprisingly believed what she said, speaking his fatherly wisdom to her even though Joe thought he looked too old for children. Maybe he had children, Joe didn’t care.

Brenner hadn’t said a word and Joe’s eyes quickly glanced over at the man who was staring out into the courtyard by the window, shrugging to himself, Joe turned back to Otto whose eyes were now looking in side some cupboards and then the fridge, the dog was now near the girl’s chair, sitting with its tail wagging innocently at her, its eyes like a puppy’s…pathetic creature. Little did she know that that dog could attack at any moment, it had been trained well obviously by the SS man, very well it seemed.

Otto spoke and Joe hardly listened as he watched the sandwiches appear, they looked so good but he had a feeling that Otto would not give them to a Jew. He was wrong however. Otto came over, speaking to Adelheid first and then, with a pause to think, set the sandwich in front of Joe. The Jew wasn’t too sure on how to respond, it looked healthy and delicious enough to not have been tampered with and he was so hungry.

Carefully and slowly, the man picked up the sandwich, drawing the plate nearer with his weak hands and stared at it for a few seconds as Otto spoke. He glanced at Otto and then took a small bite of the food, it tasted lovely, and the best thing he had eaten in a long while. He replaced the nibbled sandwich on the plate, keeping one hand rested to tell Otto that he was not yet finished with it and thought quickly.

”Do I know anything about her? No, not much at all. And I have no idea why the SS chased her, they seem to do that a lot to anyone now-a-days.” he shrugged and took another bite of the sandwich, and began to chew then swallow. The next set of questions took him off guard and he nearly chocked on the food. Otto’s eyes were piercing into him.

Joe bit his lip as his chocking subsided and glanced at the girl and then back to Otto, ”Why do you want to know about anything?” he started asking questions now. ”I admit, I have seen this girl more than once, but I don’t think it is any of your business, no offence, that I….I…” he trailed off and frowned, no…he should stop being smart and come out with the truth, he was going to die anyway.

”I escaped about a month ago, taken to a hospital in Allied France, met this girl there, the hospital was blown up and a friend and I were able to save her but then I never saw her again until today.” he abruptly stopped and looked down at his sandwich, taking a third bite from it.