Amanda on the Danube: The Sounds of Music

by Darlene Foster

  Michael took Amanda back out into the garden, to her mom and Leah.

  “Where did you go?” asked her mother. “I was frantic. One minute you were with us and the next you were nowhere to be seen.”

  “I—I just wanted to see what was in that building.” Amanda pointed behind her. “I didn’t plan to be long.”

  “Well, you could have at least told us where you were going!” Leah turned away in a huff.

  15

  The statue of Mozart stood on top of a large marble block decorated with carved musical instruments and chubby cherubs gazing toward heaven.

  “He looks so young,” remarked Amanda.

  “He was only thirty-five when he died,” replied her mother. “But he accomplished so much in such a short time. Do you know he was composing music by age five? Remarkable.”

  Amanda pointed to vivid red flowers planted in the shape of a treble clef. “Isn’t it cool how they placed these flowers right in front of his statue?”

  Examining the clever landscaping, Amanda spotted a hooded monk hanging around a rose bush. She nodded her head toward the bush and whispered to Leah, “Keep my mom busy for a few minutes.”

  Leah sighed. Turning to Amanda’s mom, she said, “I think you could get a great shot from this angle, Mrs. Ross.” She led her to the other side of the monument.

  Amanda headed down the path leading to the rose bush where the monk appeared to be dead-heading flowers. Keeping his head down, the monk met Amanda on the pathway. Amanda gulped. With shaky hands, she handed the precious violin to the outstretched hands of the hooded cleric.

  WHACK!

  A boy on a skateboard came from out of nowhere and flew between them. He grabbed the instrument, knocking both of them down. Amanda sat up and stared after the boy in disbelief as he disappeared down the pathway and around a corner.

  She turned to look at the monk whose hood had flown back, revealing a woman with curly grey hair.

  “This is not so gut.” The monk muttered as she got up. She quickly pulled the hood back up over her head and slunk away in the opposite direction.

  Amanda sat dumbfounded for a moment, then jumped up and ran down the path shouting, “Stop that boy!”

  “Amanda, where are you going?” called her mom.

  Realizing it was pointless to follow the boy on a fast-moving skateboard, she turned back and burst into tears.

  “A boy…a boy on a skateboard stole the violin.”

  Her mom put an arm around her. “It’s OK, sweetie. Jozsef will understand. It can’t have been valuable or he wouldn’t have given it to a twelve-year-old, would he?” She gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Let’s go meet the others.”

  Leah gave her a weak smile and didn’t say anything.

  As they passed the Mozart statue, Amanda thought she glimpsed another, larger monk lurking in the shadows.

  They soon arrived at the square in front of the Opera House, where Amanda’s dad and Leah’s parents waited. Amanda barely noticed the impressive building with marble columns and a horse and rider on each corner.

  She was lost in thought. ‘Did I try to give the violin to the wrong monk? It sure looked like Enid Schmidt under that monk’s outfit. Could that boy on the skateboard have been Sebastian? And why would he take the violin from his aunt? Is it his aunt?’

  “You’re very quiet.” Leah tapped Amanda’s head. “What’s on your mind?”

  “I’m just so confused, that’s all. And I’m upset that I lost the violin.”

  “Don’t go spare. We can’t let it spoil our holiday together.” Leah looked across the street. “Look at those horses and buggies lined up to take people on rides. The drivers are dressed like Mozart.”

  Amanda smiled when she saw the ponies. “The horses are cute. Mom, can you take a picture of me by one of the horses?”

  “Of course, sweetie,” replied her mom.

  Amanda walked over to a brown pony. He wore a crocheted hat covering his pointy ears and forehead. She reached over to pat his nose. The horse glared at her, bared his teeth and suddenly snapped at her hand. She leapt back.

  “I just can’t trust anyone anymore!” Amanda stared at her hand, amazed there were no teeth marks on it.

  “Amanda, I don’t think you should go too close to the horses,” said her mother as she snapped a picture. “Now, let’s check out the shops.”

  “Oh yes, let’s,” agreed Mrs. Anderson.

  The girls rolled their eyes.

  They walked down a long, wide street with no traffic, tons of stores on each side, and coffee shops in a line down the middle. Men in white wigs and tight pants that met white socks at the knees strolled amongst the tourists. Wearing long elaborate brocade coats and vests, with lace ruffles at the neck and wrists, they looked like they stepped out of the eighteenth century, except some held cell phones to their ears.

  The moms went into a large clothing shop. Reluctantly, the dads trailed behind.

  “OMG! Will you look at that huge bear!”

  Amanda ran over to a store with the word Steiff on the window. Pressing her face against the glass, she saw a menagerie of stuffed animals: giraffes, donkeys, cows, dogs, sheep, and kangaroos. Just inside the front door, a life-sized grizzly bear greeted customers.

  “This place is awesome.” Amanda picked a teddy bear off a shelf and hugged the soft toy. She looked at the tag in his ear and read out loud, “The Original Teddy Bear? I wonder what that means.”

  Another customer heard her and said, “Have you not heard of how the teddy bear got its name?”

  “No, I haven’t.”

  “Do you know who Theodore Roosevelt was?”

  “Yes, he was a President of the United States.” Amanda knew her history.

  “One story is that he visited the Steiff toy factory. When he saw the bears he poked one round tummy and said, ‘He looks like me.’ So from then on they have been called Teddy Bears, after Theodore ‘Teddy’ Roosevelt.”

  “What a cool story. Thanks for sharing it with me.”

  “You should buy one of the famous Steiff animals, originally created by Margarete Steiff, a young girl with polio. She believed only the best is good enough for children. There are some small ones over here that won’t take up too much room in your suitcase.”

  “Leah, which one should I buy? They are all so cute.”

  “This little giraffe is adorable, but so is the kangaroo. I don’t know, I love them all.”

  While the girls tried to decide on the best stuffed toy to buy, a boy wearing a baseball cap zoomed past the window on a skateboard.

  16

  Did you see that?” Amanda looked out the window.

  “Did I see what?” asked Leah, holding an armful of stuffed animals.

  “There he is again.”

  The boy went past in the opposite direction. A few minutes later, with his skateboard under his arm, Sebastian entered the store and glanced around. Hoping he wouldn’t see them, the girls slipped behind the huge grizzly.

  A man wearing a white wig, a long old-fashioned, red velvet coat and breeches walked into the store, spotted the boy and grabbed his arm. “Where is the instrument?” he hissed.

  “I do not know what you are talking about,” cried the boy.

  He broke free of the man’s hold and sped toward the door, bumped into the grizzly and almost toppled it over. He jumped on his skateboard and whizzed down the street, dodging pedestrians. Shaking his fists, red coattails flying out behind him, the man ran after him.

  “Let’s follow them.” Amanda dashed out the door.

  Leah opened her mouth to object but was too late. She quickly put down the stuffed animals and followed her friend. Running down the street after the man in the red coat, they crashed into two other men in eighteenth-century outfits.

  “So sorry,” gasped Amanda. “We need to talk to that guy in the red coat.” She pointed. “Do you know who he is?”

  “No, we don’t. He’s not one of our group,” said one of the y
oung men. He pulled out a package from the pocket of his long coat. “Would you like to buy tickets to the opera tonight? It’s Mozart’s The Magic Flute. Perhaps your parents would like to go along with you. We have a special offer if you buy a family package.”

  “No, sorry but we have to go back to the boat tonight,” said Amanda as she lost sight of the man in the red coat.

  “That is too bad. You would have enjoyed the performance.” Both men smiled and turned to speak to another couple.

  Amanda looked left and then right. “Where do you think he went?”

  “I think I might have seen him go into that big church over there.” Leah pointed to a building with a tall steeple and a multi-coloured, zig-zag tile roof.

  “Let’s go check it out.” Amanda headed in the direction of the church.

  “But, who is this guy and what does he want with the violin?” Leah asked.

  “I don’t know, but I sure would like to find out. Something weird is going on.”

  St. Stephan’s Cathedral was printed on the plaque outside the giant front door. The girls entered with a crowd of sightseers. Amanda felt like an ant standing under the high vaulted ceiling. She noticed someone in red by the large stone pulpit which sat on a pillar in the middle of the nave. The girls followed the stairway that curved its way around the pillar from ground level to the pulpit.

  “Look at these toads and lizards decorating the railing,” said Amanda. “They look like they are biting each other. Oh, and look at the dog at the top of the stairs!”

  A guide smiled and explained, “This stone dog is here to protect the preacher from intruders. The toads and lizards symbolize the fight between good and evil. Medieval builders liked to include figures in their work.”

  Amanda was so intrigued she forgot to look out for the man in the red outfit.

  The guide pointed to a sign indicating stairs leading to the top of the steeple.

  “Let’s climb the stairs to the top. I bet there’s a great view.” Without waiting, Amanda started up the spiral staircase.

  “Amanda, there are 343 stairs!” Leah followed with a groan.

  “I know, but we’ll be able to see a lot. Come on.”

  The girls were breathless once they reached the top. They surveyed the panoramic view of Vienna.

  “See, I told you this would be awesome,” Amanda declared.

  The small room at the top of the steeple was stuffy and crowded. Above them hung thirteen bells, each with its own name. One bell began to chime just as Amanda spotted a red coat among the crowd.

  “Hey, you!” she shouted.

  The person in the red coat descended the stairs. Amanda followed, shoving her way between the many tourists. When she got to the bottom, he was nowhere to be seen. She waited patiently for Leah.

  “What took you so long?”

  “There was a long queue and I couldn’t get past. What is it about this guy anyway?”

  “I’m not sure, but I have a feeling he could lead us to the violin, or David, or something. Besides, he seems familiar, don’t you think?”

  “He’s probably just another guy trying to sell opera tickets!” Leah bit her lip.

  A guide handed the girls a brochure. Amanda glanced through it. “It says here that Mozart was married in this cathedral and had a pauper’s funeral here too. He had no money when he died, but his funeral was paid for by a wealthy patron of music. I guess a lot of famous people are buried in this church.” She glanced around as if expecting a ghost. “Look at that huge coffin over there.”

  “What is with you and graveyards and tombs?” Leah lifted her eyebrows. “You are so weird.” She followed Amanda over to a massive pinkish stone tomb with hideous creatures carved all around it.

  Amanda checked her brochure. “This is the tomb of Emperor Frederick III. The creatures are supposed to be trying to wake up the deceased emperor.”

  “This is too spooky for me, let’s leave,” said Leah.

  “Wait a minute!”

  In the dim light, Amanda noticed something purple on the floor near the corner of the tomb. She walked over, bent down and picked up a girl’s jacket. Her jacket. The one that went missing along with David.

  17

  He’s here! He has to be. Leah, we must find him.” Amanda shook her missing coat in front of her friend’s face. “Maybe the guy in the red coat is looking for him too. There must be a connection.” She stuffed her jacket into her backpack.

  “Amanda, this is a big place. If he is here, how will we ever find him?”

  “Maybe he’s down there.” Amanda walked toward a sign by some stairs.

  To the Catacombs

  “Not more tombs and dead bodies,” muttered Leah.

  Amanda and Leah walked down a long set of marble stairs and entered a cold, moist, gloomy chamber. They heard voices. Curious, they followed the sounds along a dimly lit hallway. Nowhere else to go, they entered a room filled with tarnished metal coffins. Urns of various sizes and shapes sat on shelves and in glass cabinets. A tour had already started.

  “In this room, the coffins hold the bodies and the urns contain hearts and other organs belonging to members of the Hapsburg family,” explained a guide. “They believed in order to preserve their bodies, they should be buried separate from their internal organs.”

  “Ew.” Leah scrunched up her nose and looked away. “How ghastly. I want to leave.”

  Amanda ignored her and followed the group down another narrow, dark hallway and through an iron gate. In front of her lay piles and piles of human bones, all jumbled together like pick-up sticks.

  Her mouth dropped open and her hand went to her chest. “Who—who were these people?”

  “Many of them died during the great plague of 1735,” explained the guide. “It is believed that this underground burial place holds the remains of over eleven thousand people.”

  A skull looked straight at her. Its open mouth appeared to be saying, ‘Help!’ Amanda shivered. Someone touched her shoulder and she flinched.

  “This is just too creepy. I’m leaving right now,” said Leah.

  Once out of the bone room, they found themselves in another dreary stone hallway. Amanda thought she heard a moan. “Did you hear that?” she whispered.

  “No,” said Leah, walking briskly ahead of her.

  “Stop, Leah. I heard it again. Someone moaned. It’s coming from that doorway.” Amanda pointed to the right.

  “I am not going in there. There will only be another pile of bones. I’ve seen enough to give me nightmares for years.”

  Amanda pushed against a heavy wooden door. It wouldn’t budge. She pushed again and still it wouldn’t open. She backed up and pushed hard with her shoulder. The door swung open. She fell forward into a dark room. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Amanda saw the outline of a large coffin with a metal cross laying on top. She crept a little closer when she heard another moan.

  “Leah, there’s someone in here.” She heard the moan again.

  Amanda pulled out a small flashlight from her backpack and shone it around the room. She covered her mouth to stop a scream. At the back of the casket, someone lay tied up and gagged. She cautiously walked over to the person.

  “David?” Her eyes bugged out. She quickly removed the gag. “Are you OK?”

  “Danke. I am happy to see you. I have been very frightened. Bitte, I mean please, let us leave this place.”

  Amanda dug to the bottom of her backpack and pulled out her Swiss army knife. She cut the ropes binding the boy’s arms and feet. “First, let’s get you out of here, then you can tell us what happened.”

  Once out of the gloomy crypt and sombre cathedral, Leah took a deep breath. “I am so glad we are out of there.” She turned to David. “What nasty person put you in that awful place?”

  “They came to the room on the boat and knocked on the door. They said I had to leave with them or I would be hurt. They said they would protect me.” David’s eyes filled with tears. “But they did not
tell the truth.”

  “Who were they?” asked Amanda.

  “I don’t know. A man and a woman.” David bit his lip. “They didn’t tell me their names but they said they knew my family.”

  “Amanda! Leah! Over here!” Amanda’s mom called from across the street.

  The girls each took one of David’s hands and crossed the street.

  “Where have you been?” asked Mrs. Ross.

  “We went into the cathedral. It’s totally awesome. We walked up the steps to the top of the steeple and could see all over the city. Sorry, Mom, it just took longer than we thought it would.”

  Mrs. Ross noticed David and smiled. “Who is this?”

  “This is our friend, David. His parents went back to the boat early, so we said he could stay with us.”

  “Really?” Mrs. Ross looked puzzled. “The rest are having an ice cream. Perhaps you’d like to join us.”

  “Super!” said Amanda.

  “I could do with an ice cream,” said Leah. “I think David would like some too.”

  After feasting on the delicious ice cream, everyone, including David, boarded a train with U-Bahn in large letters on the side, which would take them back to the boat.

  In spite of a very crowded train, the parents found seats. The children stood and held onto a pole. David fidgeted, his eyes darting around. Amanda gave him a reassuring smile.

  At the next stop, Amanda gulped. The same man in the red coat and white wig got on the train. She looked at Leah and nodded her head in his direction. They crowded around David so he couldn’t be seen. The man shoved his way through the crowd toward them but got squashed between a pole and a very large woman. He couldn’t move. Amanda was thankful he was facing the other direction.

  Leah whispered, “Wait here.” She pushed her way near the man. She reached for the tails of his coat and tied them around the pole with a secure knot.

  When Leah returned, Amanda quietly announced, “Our stop is next.”

  They were about to get off the train when they saw the man turn and notice them. He lunged forward to follow them and jerked back. He took another step, but couldn’t move ahead. Annoyed, the man looked behind him and realized he was tied to the pole. He twisted to untie the knot. The very large woman bumped into him, knocking off his wig.