The Daughters of Marburg

by Terrance Williamson

  “Does she speak to you?” Edith held her conclusion in reserve.

  “Not audibly.” Lilly placed a hand over her heart. “It’s more like an impression where I can comprehend what is intended without words.”

  “Interesting.” Edith stared at her hands as she fumbled with her fingers. “What does it signify if I can’t sense that?”

  “She’s still with you.” Lilly reached over and squeezed Edith’s hand. “Even if the sensation is absent, she’s still here. Besides, this is likely all a fabrication of my imagination. I like to believe that it is actually her, but who really knows. Life is too complicated to try and discern what is happening in the unseen realms. Sometimes it’s easier to concede and permit yourself to trust.”

  “Do you really suppose we’ll see her?” Edith looked intently into Lilly’s eyes. “You know, in the end.”

  “What I believe”—Lilly paused as she gathered her thoughts— “is that no one knows, truly, what happens when we pass on. I’m convinced that our actions and what we do here, on Earth, are significant and that they echo into eternity. Otherwise, why shouldn’t you, or I, climb through that window and save our own skin?”

  “Hmm.” Edith leaned her head on Lilly’s shoulder.

  “Also, I’m unable to explain what I’m sensing in my spirit when I feel that our mother is close, and that gives me courage to suppose we’ll see our loved ones again. I think the world would be a much brighter place if we all considered how our actions carried an eternal weight. God knows I wish I believed it sooner.”

  “I never knew you were so philosophical.” Edith smiled lovingly.

  “Marburg has changed me.” Lilly grinned back. “I’m so embarrassed when I think about what my focus in life was when we lived in Berlin. I was so fixated on the trivial.”

  “And now?” Edith asked.

  “And now I’m persuaded that the only thing worthwhile pursuing in this life is family. Not from the sense that the Society pressed where a woman’s only purpose is to raise more Aryan children, but rather, from the pursuit of life.” Lilly paused as she closed her eyes. “When I was in the market, my only thought was on Mother. When Papa was beaten, all I could think about was how to save him. When Wilhelm and I shot the major, my only concern was him, however indecent my thoughts were at the time.” Lilly grinned, and Edith giggled. “But not once did I wish, in those moments of terror and panic, that I had more money, or the finest dresses, or the largest apartment. There’s been a purging in my soul”—Lilly tapped her chest— “and all the insignificance of my previous life has burned away. I understand now, all too late, that you, Papa, Wilhelm, and Mother are all that matter.”

  Edith squeezed Lilly’s arm gently in her appreciation.

  “None of my friends from Berlin sent me a single letter,” Lilly scoffed. “I’m not even sure they miss me.”

  “They were superficial.” Edith sat upright. “You’re not missing out on anything.”

  “I suppose you’re right.”

  “So, Miss Schultz was a spy, then?” Edith shifted the subject.

  “I don’t think she had much of a choice, really.” Lilly shivered as a breeze rushed through the cell. “The major mentioned that he had her family in custody. She had to act as a spy, or he would kill them.”

  “What a ruthless man.” Edith frowned sharply.

  “He’s a little more than ruthless,” Lilly scoffed. “I think he and the devil are one and the same. I wonder what happened to Miss Schultz, anyways.”

  “He told me that they were sent to a labor camp out east.” Edith shook her head. “If what Papa is stating is true, then I believe Miss Schultz will be enduring a trial worse than death.”

  “Do you think the major was telling the truth?” Lilly squinted.

  “That’s impossible to say.” Edith rubbed her eyes. “I’m not sure how he keeps his stories straight in his own head. So, should we go over the plan one more time?”

  “I don’t think there’s a need.” Lilly patted the sharpened stick by her hip and glanced at Guenther, who was nearly asleep.

  “Are you sure about this? I’ll happily trade places with you,” Edith pressed.

  “I’m certain.” Lilly grabbed onto Edith’s hand.

  “So, what did you have in mind for the arrangements?” Edith asked with a grin.

  “Arrangements?” Lilly frowned back at her.

  “For the wedding!” Edith attempted to appear as excited as possible, but Lilly understood how depressing the thought was.

  “Well, for the flowers, I can’t go with lilies.” Lilly smiled. “That would be a little too on the nose.”

  “What about tulips?” Edith tugged on Lilly’s arm. “They would be stunning with your complexion. Though, I suppose we’d have to plan your wedding around the season. What would you have for a dress?!”

  “A dress!” Lilly closed her eyes as she imagined. “I would prefer something simple yet elegant. I don’t want a long train, and I hate the frills. Also, I definitely don’t want anything too gaudy.”

  “I can see it.” Edith again leaned her head on Lilly’s shoulder. “I can envision you walking down the aisle with Papa, Wilhelm’s waiting at the altar, your maid of honor looks nearly as stunning as you do, and Mother is watching over you.”

  “What makes you assume that you’d be my maid of honor?” Lilly glanced at Edith.

  “Who else would you pick?” Edith became offended. “Don’t you dare say Ursula!”

  “Why would you rule out Mrs. Baumann?!” Lilly began laughing the moment the words came out of her mouth.

  “Can you imagine it?!” Edith also laughed. “She would be so frustrating to deal with, especially on a wedding day. I love that woman, but she’s something else.”

  “That she is. She certainly helped with Papa, though.” Lilly grew solemn.

  “That was scary.” Edith shook her head as she recalled. “I thought we were going to lose him.”

  “He looked so awful,” Lilly shook her head, “and now Wilhelm looks similar.”

  “They beat him?!” Edith turned sharply to her sister. “I’m so sorry! They have no mercy!”

  The door to the corridor opened. Lilly and Edith quickly stood with their backs to the wall near the window.

  The major came into view as he walked briskly over to their cell, followed by his escort. Standing a good measure away from the cell bars, the major didn’t say a word as he wiped blood off of his hands with a cloth. Lilly wondered whose blood he had drawn, and her heart filled with rage at the thought of it being Wilhelm’s or her papa’s.

  “Where are the Jews?” the major asked, absent of patience. It was clear to Lilly that he had endured a trying experience and was not in the mood to be provoked.

  Slowly, Lilly walked closer to the cell bars as Edith stayed in position, ready to enact the plan.

  “You said that you enjoyed the game,” Lilly spoke softly. “I’ve been playing, when you haven’t been paying attention.”

  “Where are they?!” The major slammed his fist against the bars, but Lilly was expecting an outburst and didn’t react. She was luring her prey.

  “You were right, by the way,” Lilly began.

  “Right about what?” The major stared at his feet, and Lilly recognized that he was growing even more exhausted.

  “You were worried that I wouldn’t tell you the truth and that I would simply make demand after demand.”

  “Don’t test me!” The major glanced up at Lilly as he raised a finger in warning.

  “We both know you won’t do a thing to hurt me.” Lilly prodded at the major’s pride.

  “Open the doors!” the major ordered Guenther, who obeyed immediately.

  “What are you going to do? Slap me again?” Lilly scoffed as the major barged inside.

  “I’ll make you suffer in ways you didn’t even know possible.” The major squeezed Lilly’s jaw and wrenched her towards him.

  The smell of his sweat mixed with alcohol ne
arly made Lilly vomit, but she needed to press onward. Her prey was entering the trap.

  “Go ahead, beat me.” Lilly undid the top button of her uniform.

  “What are you doing?!” The major looked down at Lilly’s chest.

  “I know why you haven’t touched me.” Lilly held out her hand as she backed away from him.

  “Where are they?!” The major kicked the chair, and it flew against the wall, splintering into several pieces.

  “You mentioned that you have no preference. I’d wager that you can’t even perform with a woman,” Lilly mocked as she undid another two buttons of the uniform.

  “I’ve had enough of this!” The major removed his leather gloves. “This ends tonight.”

  “I’d like to see you try,” Lilly continued to mock the major.

  Sticking his leg out, the major pushed and tripped Lilly, as she fell backward onto the concrete floor. Gasping for air, Lilly watched as the major turned his attention to Edith.

  “No! Wait!” Lilly grunted as she stood again. “Don’t touch her!”

  “It will hurt you more if I use Edith.” The major removed his jacket, and Lilly noticed that his gun wound was bleeding through his shirt.

  “It’s illegal for you to be intimate with an inmate!” Edith backed away from him as she squeezed into the corner.

  “What do you think?” The major turned to Guenther.

  “Sir?” Guenther gave a confused look.

  “What makes a good soldier?” The major turned back to Lilly.

  “I don’t understand.” Lilly shook her head.

  “Guenther, here”—the major pointed over his shoulder as he suddenly changed to a casual demeanor— “was one of the boys in the Hitler Youth. He turned out to be a fine soldier. Do you know why?”

  “I…” Lilly stumbled as she glanced at Edith, who was also confused.

  “Good soldiers don’t ask questions. They don’t think. They obey whatever order I give.”

  Lilly glanced at Guenther who, she could see, was slightly hurt by the crude designation.

  “Further to your point, Edith”—the major turned to her— “you’re right, what I’m about to do is not legal. But I can assure you that there won’t be any witnesses, and there will be no trial for you to tell your story.”

  Lilly and Edith looked at each other with panic.

  “Guards, you may leave. Lock the cell. Come back in an hour.”

  “Sir.” Guenther obeyed as he locked the cell and the major’s escort left the company alone.

  Throwing his jacket into the corner with the broken chair, the major pointed in warning for Lilly to stand back.

  “Please,” Lilly spoke softly as she begged, “don’t hurt Edith. I’m the one you should punish.”

  “I will, don’t worry.” The major offered a cruel smile. “But I need you to watch how painful this will be for Edith. You have one last chance, Lilly, to save yourself, your Wilhelm, your father, and your sister. You can all live.”

  “But we can never be free.” Lilly shook her head.

  “You chose that fate, not me.” The major held up his hand to remove himself from all responsibility.

  Then, as the major turned again to Edith, Lilly smiled. Their plan had worked to perfection. They had lured their prey into the trap. The major was alone, without his escort.

  With the major’s attention focused on Edith, Lilly slipped the weapon out from her hip. As the major was undoing his belt, Lilly walked slowly, without his knowledge, towards him.

  Edith, too, had to make sure the fiction was executed flawlessly. She screamed and begged for him not to go through with this wicked deed which, Lilly found revolting, seemed to please him considerably. She sensed that he was, in fact, telling the truth about his absence of preference, but the position of power over others was what he craved most.

  Studying the exposed part of his neck, Lilly raised her fist, exacted her aim, and brought the weapon down against his flesh with all her might. To her shock and disappointment, she wasn’t able to penetrate his skin, and the major spun around as he grabbed his neck, curious what she had used to strike him with.

  With his attention on Lilly, Edith grabbed his SS knife from his holster and, swiftly, plunged it into the gunshot wound on his back. With a gasp, the major’s breath left him. He spun around wildly to strike Edith, but he missed and stumbled.

  Taking advantage of his imbalance, Lilly pushed him to the ground, and he fell on his chest. In petrified shock, Lilly looked at her hands which were now stained red with his blood.

  “Help me!” Edith barked as she knelt on his back, and Lilly snapped into action as she, too, jumped onto the major, not allowing him to face them.

  Raising the knife, Edith paused, and Lilly understood that Edith couldn’t bring herself to plunge it, again, into his back. It was a gruesome task, but Lilly recognized its necessity.

  “I’ll kill your father for this!” The major tried to knock the girls off, but his wound was seriously impeding his physical aptitude.

  Still, his vile statement was all the convincing Edith needed and, with all her might, brought the knife down against the Major’s back.

  Again, the major gasped for air, but Edith offered no clemency as she repeatedly struck him while she screamed with all the hate that she had in her heart for him. Lilly wept as she watched her sister who, she understood, wanted to protect their father at all costs.

  “That’s enough!” Lilly grabbed Edith and pulled her away from the major as she wildly swung in the air, desperate to inflict further wounds.

  “Let me go!” Edith shouted as her eyes were wild with bloodlust.

  “It’s alright.” Lilly wrapped her arms around Edith who, eventually, began to weep and threw the knife onto the ground.

  “I can’t stand this!” Edith continued to sob, and Lilly felt her sister’s strength waning.

  “You did what was necessary.” Lilly stood back and held her sister’s face in her hands. “Now! Go!”

  In desperation for survival, the major crawled to the cell door, but it was locked, and his blood ran across the concrete floor. Sitting upright with his back against the cell bars, he faced the girls as his breathing labored.

  “You’re coming with me!” Edith grabbed her hand.

  “I’m not leaving Wilhelm.” Lilly shook her head. “Go!”

  “That wasn’t part of the plan!” Edith looked at Lilly with the greatest tearstained indignation. “I’m not escaping without you.”

  “Go! Go! Go!” Lilly pushed Edith towards the window. “This is your only chance!”

  “Damn your misplaced sense of romanticism!” Edith grabbed Lilly by the arm.

  “Fine!” Lilly shouted. “I’ll come right after you.”

  At this, Edith hung her head and, again, wept. “You’re lying.”

  “I’m not, I promise!” Lilly pulled Edith in for a quick embrace. “Now, go, help Lilly’s family escape.”

  “I don’t know how!” Edith sobbed.

  “Yes, you do!” Lilly pushed for Edith to leave. “Take them to Wilhelm’s family in the Netherlands.”

  “Please! You promised!”

  “I’ll never forgive myself if I leave Wilhelm. I know that he’s the only one for me. You still have a chance at happiness. Now go before the guards return. We only have an hour. That should give you a decent head start.”

  “I’ll never forget you.” Edith’s tears ran unrestrained. “Promise me that you won’t think poorly of me for leaving.”

  “I could never think poorly of you.” Lilly looked at her sister with compassion.

  “You’ll tell Mother how much I miss her?” Edith trembled.

  “She already knows. She’ll be the one guiding you. Just listen to your spirit.”

  With one last, tight embrace, Edith left Lilly as she squeezed through the bars, though it was awkward, and Edith complained bitterly. Finally, she made it through and, with one last glance into the cell, ran towards their house.


  Returning her attention to the major, who was clinging to life, Lilly noticed that he had unholstered his pistol but that he didn’t contain the strength enough to even remove his weapon.

  Walking over to the major, Lilly knelt beside him as she looked into his eyes, and he glared back at her.

  “I hated you, I truly did,” Lilly began, “but I won’t die with hate in my heart. I forgive you. I won’t forgive your cruelty, or your brutality, or what you did to others, but I can, at least, forgive what you did to me. Love, you see, will overcome. In my death, I win your game. I will be the martyr that ignites the fire of resistance in all who watch my execution. I’m not killing you with malice, but rather, with compassion for those you hurt.”

  “We found…we found the journal.” The major sputtered blood.

  “You’re still trying to make me confess to where they are?” Lilly raised an eyebrow. “I know you didn’t find the journal. If you had, you would’ve found her already. Would you like me to tell you where they are?”

  The major looked at her earnestly as his eyes shifted between losing focus and regaining it.

  “They were in Mrs. Baumann’s attic.” Lilly grinned as the major’s countenance fell into a confused rage. “They were there all along.”

  The major held his chest as he fell into a depression for his oversight.

  “Would you like me to end it?” Lilly asked as she looked back at the major’s knife. “I can make your suffering swift, or I can draw it out.”

  “No.” He gave a limp wave. “I survived…once. I can…survive…again.”

  “We both know you won’t survive this.” Lilly looked at him with compassion. He was a monster who deserved no clemency, but Lilly recognized that she needed to retain her humanity. She would treat him cordially, in his final moments, though he didn’t merit such considerations.

  “This…lake…of fire…” The major’s eyes rolled back in his head before he fought to regain consciousness. “Is it real?”

  “The lake of fire? I don’t know.” Lilly shook her head.

  “Why…do you…forgive?” The major began to weep.