The Daughters of Marburg

by Terrance Williamson

  “Very good. What is your name?”

  “Ursula,” she replied as she stood tall with perfect posture.

  With a quick smile, Clementine turned around and began walking back towards Mrs. Muller and the major.

  “It’s important to make a good first impression,” Ursula whispered to Lilly. “That should buy me a few days. You should answer next.”

  “Me?” Lilly whispered harshly. “I’m unaccustomed to any of this.”

  “You’ll figure it out soon enough.” Ursula grinned. “Just pay attention to what they say and repeat it back to them. They’ll be so happy they won’t bother you for a while afterwards.”

  Good to know, Lilly thought as she studied Ursula warily, wondering if it was right to trust her. Just pay attention.

  “Now, you may have gotten away with that in the League”—Clementine returned her attention to Ursula, and Lilly watched as her newfound friend’s blood ran cold— “but in the Society, rehearsed responses will not be tolerated. It is not enough for you to recite what we want to hear, but you must believe it, also, with your whole heart. If Hitler states that four plus four equals ten, you must not only accept it, but you must believe it. If Mrs. Muller instructs you in the Society’s ideals, you must accept them as your own and without question. If not, you will be expelled.”

  The room grew silent, and Lilly watched as all the girls gave nervous glances at each other. Peeking up at Ursula, Lilly noticed her cheeks red with shame, and she felt distressed on her behalf.

  “Now, with the League, we educated you on how to be part of the community through sports, games, and traveling, and we turned you into girls that we all are proud of.” Clementine turned to Mrs. Muller, who gave a nod.

  “You took part in working for the whole community, fulfilling the needs of society wherever it was required. Now, however, you are approaching a wonderful time in your life: womanhood. Through the Society”—Clementine began to pace with her heels echoing throughout the gymnasium— “we will bridge the gap between the League and the National Socialist Women’s Association.”

  “This is the boring part,” Ursula whispered again, seemingly forgetful of her previous humiliation. “They like to give these speeches. Most of us are just here for the education and job opportunities. And to have fun, of course.”

  Again, Lilly found Ursula wonderfully perplexing. She was contented, at least, to know that there were other girls like herself. Looking around the square, Lilly saw each of them watching Clementine intensely, hanging off of every word, and none more so than Edith. Lilly thought that she could even see tears in her eyes and wondered what was troubling her so terribly.

  “Whatever talents you discovered in the League will be further developed in the Society,” Clementine continued. “We will be able to explore, together as individuals, what makes you unique as a woman. Then, you will go on to secure jobs or, ideally, get married and have more Aryan children for our glorious nation. Here you will be afforded opportunities to education that, for generations, have only been available to men or those of the higher classes, such as the degenerate Jews.”

  Lilly rolled her eyes. She had undeniable proof, in the very house that she was staying in, that the notion was utter nonsense. How can they keep repeating the lie over and over again without expecting someone to say something? Lilly wondered, but then she caught the major glaring at her. He seemed to her as a predator waiting to pounce on his prey, and she hoped, desperately, that he hadn’t seen her response to Clementine’s anti-Semitic denouncement.

  “Speaking of men.” Clementine grinned. “For those of who were in the League, you will be familiar with our Fuhrer’s desire for more Aryan descendants. So, without beating around the bush, you should see to it that you enjoy yourselves. There’s no need to wait for the ridiculous and archaic tradition imposed by the Church with marriage. While it is ideal for you to land husbands, it is more pressing that you produce Aryan children to swell the Reich.”

  Lilly was dumbfounded. Are they seriously encouraging premarital relations? Why would they be so desperate for more children? Something doesn’t make sense.

  “I was at the last Nuremberg rally,” Ursula leaned over and whispered, which wasn’t out of place as all the girls were bashfully deliberating. “Over nine hundred girls came home pregnant.”

  Lilly shot Ursula a shocked glance, and Ursula chuckled at her reaction.

  “It’s true.” Ursula professed. “It’s good to be us.”

  “You will learn home economics to properly run a house”—Clementine continued, growing impatient with the girls’ blushing— “how to cook pleasing meals for your families and, most importantly, how to care for your children. You will learn gymnastics to strengthen your body and bring out your inner beauty. You will have opportunities to be instructed in fashion design, sewing, weaving, the arts, music, and, for those so inclined, politics.”

  Clementine again paused as she looked out at each girl, slowly, staring them in the eyes. Yet when Clementine looked at Lilly, she glanced away as the intensity was too much to bear.

  “The positions of privilege”—Clementine spoke with spite, and Lilly braced herself for what was to follow— “which were once held by the eternal enemies of Germany, are now yours for the taking. You will no longer just be nurses, but you will be doctors. The days of you being subjected to nothing more than a secretary are over. Instead, you will have secretaries of your own. And, better yet, you will be able to choose the education or interest that best suits your unique personality. You won’t be the best of Germany, but rather, you will be the envy of the entire world. Tonight, in this room, is where you choose your destiny.”

  The room went silent as the girls absorbed what their charismatic leader had offered them. Does she really believe that? Lilly frowned ever so slightly as she examined Clementine. The major’s attention, she noticed, had shifted onto Edith, and he was watching her with clearly callous thoughts.

  “Thank you.” Mrs. Muller looked gratefully at Clementine. “Now, Major Wagner, you had something you would like to say?”

  “Yes.” The major took a step forward as he looked out over the girls, and Lilly’s heart began to pound again, fearing that he was about to single her out for failing to salute. “I wanted to publicly recognize one among your own ranks for their services to our sacred Germany. Irma, would you step forward, please?”

  One of the younger girls, about the same age as Lilly, though she was much shorter, stepped towards the major. She was wearing her golden locks in the braided style that was popular and, for the briefest of moments, Lilly thought Irma was the Jewish girl in Wilhelm’s attic. She found it odd, really, how strange it was to see this Germanic girl who looked so similar to the Jewess in hiding.

  Standing behind Irma, and much closer than was acceptable, the major placed his hands firmly on her shoulders. Even Mrs. Muller, Lilly noticed, seemed to find his proximity to the girl inappropriate.

  “Irma here has placed our great nation above all other interests,” the major began with a bright smile. “She discovered that a family of Jews was hiding in the church where her parents attended. This was the same family that had been distributing treasonous pamphlets which denounced our Fuhrer. She discovered them and, even against her parents' wishes, reported the finding. Now, her parents are in protective custody and are being questioned as we speak.”

  Lilly couldn’t believe what she was hearing. The family that was murdered in the market, along with the priest and the nun, had been turned in by this girl? And now her parents were in custody!

  “It would be sensible to stay clear of Irma,” Ursula spoke to Lilly, and she noticed that she, too, was disgusted.

  “The state is above all, even family.” The major turned his attention to Lilly and stared at her as he spoke. “There are traitors everywhere, even within your own home.” Then, turning his attention to Edith, “There is no greater service than to the community, and to the whole of Germany. We are your fami
ly now.”

  Chapter Seven:

  Resistance

  “Many, perhaps most, of the readers of these leaflets do not see clearly how they can practice an effective opposition. They do not see any avenues open to them. We want to try to show them that everyone is in a position to contribute to the overthrow of this system.”

  White Rose Leaflet

  “We’re back!” Edith shouted after the two girls returned home.

  At once, Mr. Sommer rushed down the stairs, and Lilly watched as he nearly tripped and tumbled in his eagerness to greet them. Grimacing with worry, Mr. Sommer looked over each girl, ensuring that they still possessed their limbs.

  “How was it?” He cleared his throat and straightened out his shirt as he composed himself, and Lilly thought that perhaps he felt a little foolish for his alarm.

  “Marvelous!” Edith smiled brightly and brushed past her father as she walked towards the stairs. “Can Ruth start dinner early? I want to tell you all about it!”

  “Ruth is no longer with us,” Mr. Sommer spoke softly.

  “She’s dead?!” Lilly’s eyes bulged.

  “What? No!” Mr. Sommer frowned. “What a silly thing to imagine. I had to dismiss her.”

  “Why?” Edith paused on the stairs.

  “She behaved dishonorably. I discovered her rifling through your belongings,” Mr. Sommer replied, and Lilly noticed that the shirt he was wearing conveniently covered the small patch on his neck. “I’d conclude that she stole the diary after all.”

  “I thought Lilly disposed of it?” Edith grew suspicious.

  “I lied.” Lilly glanced at her father.

  “You lied?” Edith tilted her head.

  “Yes, I thought if Ruth was suspected of something seditious, then it would place all of us in a precarious position.” Lilly swallowed and, quite honestly, was rather impressed with how quickly she could produce the fabrication.

  “I knew it!” Edith held a finger in the air in vindication.

  “So, what happens now?” Lilly shook her head.

  “Until we engage a new maid, we will have to cook for ourselves,” Mr. Sommer replied despairingly, recognizing the burden he had inflicted.

  “What?!” the girls replied in unison.

  “Oh, come now, it can’t be that difficult.” Mr. Sommer marched into the kitchen with purpose.

  With a swift, incredulous glance at each other, the girls dashed into the kitchen to observe their father and take in the entertainment.

  “What are you looking for?” Lilly asked as she watched her father searching through the little cabinets.

  “Well, to start, I suppose it would be beneficial to know where the food is kept.” He paused as he looked around helplessly.

  “At the market…” Lilly squinted and looked worriedly at Edith.

  “Do you want us to go for you in the morning?” Edith asked slowly.

  “Why isn’t there any food here?” Mr. Sommer scratched the back of his neck.

  “Where would we keep it?” Lilly asked, trying her best not to sound condescending.

  “Where is it usually kept?” Mr. Sommer shrugged.

  “We really need a new maid,” Lilly sighed. “We’re not off to a great start.”

  “Well, maybe not.” Edith cleared her throat as she grinned, and it was evident that she was waiting for someone to ask a follow-up question.

  “Why’s that, Edith?” Mr. Sommer reluctantly took the bait.

  “The Society is preparing to instruct us in home economics.” Edith clasped her hands together in excitement. “I would think that in a few short weeks, us girls can be cooking for you.”

  “No need for a maid then?” Mr. Sommer rubbed his chin, and Lilly thought that he seemed disappointed.

  What are you planning? she wondered. If Ruth was Jewish, did you really dismiss her? Or was it your plan all along to get her to safety?

  “We will be able to cook and clean without any assistance.” Edith again smiled brightly. “You’ll have to hire one in the interim, but when we’re trained, I can imagine that it would save considerably on wages.”

  “I think it would eradicate it altogether, no?” Mr. Sommer frowned.

  “Oh, you’ll be paying us.” Edith nodded firmly. “At a reduced rate, of course.”

  “I can see why you haven’t landed a husband yet.” Mr. Sommer grinned cheekily. “No one can afford you.”

  “That was unkind!” Edith grew indignant before she suddenly burst into a laugh, and even Lilly couldn’t help a smile.

  “Alright, tomorrow morning, why don’t the three of us go to the market?” Mr. Sommer rubbed his hands together. “I could use a little outing, just the three of us.”

  “You’re not working tomorrow?” Lilly frowned.

  “The movers are coming in the afternoon, so I was able to secure a day off.”

  “The movers!” Edith turned to Lilly with a giddy shriek. “Oh, I forgot all about that! I can’t wait to have my stuff back. Life is good, Papa, life is good.”

  Mr. Sommer’s grin faded as he reflected on his daughter’s statement, and Lilly guessed his thoughts. For the Sommers, Lilly supposed life was good, to an extent. Still, she couldn’t help feeling the guilt that their favorable existence was built on the lives of those who had been destroyed. The family that once lived in this house was, likely, just as happy as Edith, if not more. Because of the regime to which Lilly now belonged, the family here had been displaced on the simple coincidence of their birth.

  “I mean,” Edith continued as she leaned on the island, entirely ignorant of what her family was feeling, “because of the Society, we, as girls, now have opportunities that our gender could only dream of. The privileges of the rich have been stripped away. I don’t have to rely on a husband to make my way in the world anymore. I could be a doctor, Papa! I could have my own practice!”

  “Is that what you intend, then?” Mr. Sommer asked sincerely.

  “No.” Edith shook her head adamantly. “Though that is tempting.”

  “Then what?” Lilly pressed.

  “I’m going into politics. I have the passion for it and, if anything, I’m ambitious.”

  “Ambitious?” Lilly raised an eyebrow. “What previous positions have you held?”

  “I’ve plenty of determination!” Edith growled at Lilly. “I wasn’t able to hold any positions of significance because of the accident of my birth.”

  It’s so sad that she doesn’t see the irony in her statement. Lilly thought about the previous owners of the house.

  “I want to see girls like myself lifted up,” Edith continued. “Girls who don’t want to settle on marriage and simply raise children. Girls who want to pursue careers.” Edith took a deep breath in as she smiled. “I can’t stop grinning. I feel so liberated.”

  Lilly watched her sister with a grieving heart. Lilly couldn’t fathom how Edith was so blind to what the Nazis really were. Surely Edith could see that the classes at the Society were all aimed at motherhood and harmonious matrimony. The promises of liberation were an enticement to have them produce Aryan offspring.

  “At what cost?” Lilly finally spoke up and was almost surprised that she had even dared to defy the Society.

  “What do you mean?” Edith’s grin faded.

  “Lilly.” Mr. Sommer shook his head to stop her.

  “I just wonder if—” she began.

  “Lilly!” Mr. Sommer snapped his fingers, and she looked at him with wide eyes.

  “If I were you, I would be very careful.” Edith glared at Lilly.

  “Are you going to turn me in?” Lilly clenched her jaw. “Like Irma who had turned in the Jews that were killed in the market? If you want the major to stand that close to you, you should just ask him.”

  “You little wench!” Edith rushed over to her sister, but Mr. Sommer jumped in between the girls as he pulled Edith away from Lilly.

  “Go upstairs!” Mr. Sommer shouted at Edith.

  Reluctantly, Edith
obeyed, but not without adding, “I’m warning you!” as she pointed a finger at Lilly before storming away.

  “That was foolish,” Mr. Sommer spoke crossly to Lilly when the two of them were alone in the kitchen.

  “I can’t take this anymore.” Lilly’s eyes began to well up with tears. “I don’t understand how everyone irrationally accepts what they are being told. There is no questioning if it is right or wrong.”

  “Because they kill or imprison anyone who questions,” Mr. Sommer scoffed, “and I can’t let that happen to you.”

  “I don’t know if I can live with myself being silent anymore.” Lilly shook her head. “I didn’t think twice about Hitler or the Nazis until we came here, to this house, and I saw how unfounded the lies of the Jewish threat were. The family that lived here is no different from us.”

  Mr. Sommer studied her for a moment, and Lilly recognized that there was something pressing that he wanted to discuss with her.

  “Papa, I know that we’re of like mind,” Lilly began. “I know that you’re involved in some things which you can’t tell me about. I know that Ruth was Jewish, and I’m aware you knew this as well. I want to help. I need to help.”

  “That’s very brave of you”—Mr. Sommer examined his daughter keenly— “but I don’t think you understand what you’re asking.”

  “You and Sergeant Wolf are in league with some sort of conspiracy.” Lilly looked at her father who, she noted, didn’t bother pretending that she was misguided.

  “Either I’m painfully obvious in my dealings, or you are more perceptive than I believed you to be.” Mr. Sommer ran his tongue along the inside of his cheek as he thought.

  “Mother was perceptive.” Lilly grinned briefly. “I think I inherited that trait from her.”

  “That she was.” Mr. Sommer shook his head at the recollection. “Did I ever tell you that I proposed to her three times?”

  “Pardon?!” Lilly shot her head back. “I never heard that!”

  “That’s usually the part I skip.” Mr. Sommer gave his head a shake as he reflected. “I had just returned home from the war.”