by Susan Finlay
He opened a cupboard against one wall and found a few dishes, but no food. In another cabinet he found a few shirts. He pulled one out and held it up. It seemed serviceable. After he put it on, he took out another for his father, then continued surveying the cabin. A mouse skittered across the floor. Ryan almost walked into a huge spider web with a hairy spider in one corner of the cabin and he shivered at the thought. He really hated spiders. As he looked away, he caught sight of something white on the floor in one corner. He eased forward. It was a skull. He involuntarily shivered again, then backed away and returned to Max. Sitting down in the dark on the floor next to his father again, he suddenly began to get a sense of his father’s vivid imagination. Ryan could almost see a fight happening in this cabin; an intruder, perhaps, startling the inhabitant. A quarrel, a hit over the head with a board, the intruder rummaging through the building and stealing whatever it was he was looking for.
Ryan closed his eyes and pushed the image away, wishing for the first time that Karl had given them a knife before he sent them away.
A loud thump directly overhead made Ryan jump. Another one, louder, followed and then another, Soon a constant loud thrumming signaled the rain had begun all over again, some of it coming through the opening in the roof.
SOFIE STOPPED HER horse at the edge of Günzberg. The search party had checked in the village for signs of Max and Ryan. Several people they talked to had reported seeing two strangers fitting their descriptions the day before, but no one knew where they’d gone. While she waited for the remaining men to return, her horse took advantage and nibbled on a mound of tall grass.
Karl sidled up beside Sofie, allowing his horse to take advantage and nibble on grass, as well. Sofie watched his horse for a moment, then turned her attention to Karl. “How are we going to find them? I’m worried. They could be anywhere in this area.”
Karl said, “Ja, well, we know they made it to Günzberg. That is a good sign.”
“They probably continued on to Ulm or Senden because you were not here,” Gerhard said, riding up. “We should give up the search and go home.”
Of all the people in the search party, Gerhard was the one Sofie liked least. He always seemed to dwell on the negative.
“I am not giving up,” she said. “If we must go door-to-door, I will. Max and Ryan need us.”
Gerhard glared at her, his stony eyes reminding Sofie of her grandfather’s when reprimanding her as a child, a look every bit as threatening as the storm that seemed to be brewing in the sky overhead. Karl had warned her that Gerhard hadn’t want her with the search party. Making demands was not a smart move on her part. She moved her horse away from him and stared off in the distance, distracting herself from her anger.
It was mid-morning, but dark clouds were quickly moving in from the west. Where would Max hide? When they’d first arrived in this century, he’d found a clearing surrounded by bushes and trees, and suggested they hide there. Wouldn’t he do the same here? Only this time he wasn’t on foot—he and Ryan had horses. The horses should have been easier to spot. They’d checked outside the shops and on the roads and spoken to numerous people walking around the village. No one could tell them where the two had gone.
Sofie moved her horse back, close to Karl again after Gerhard had moved away. Karl was staring off in the distance, at what, she couldn’t tell. When he looked at her, she said, “I’m sorry, Karl. I want to check outside of town, away from the roads. I understand I’m not in charge and that everyone else wants to go back to Senden. That is all right. I can manage on my own.”
“You cannot ride alone. It is not proper and not safe. I talked with Gerhard. He says he and boys will split up. Two will stay in village and the rest will check local farms. I go with you. Everyone meets back in town later.”
Sofie nodded, relieved. Karl trotted back over to Gerhard who had joined his sons near the town’s stable. They talked for a moment and then Karl approached Sofie, but kept going and waved instead of stopping. Smiling, she took off after him. They rode side-by-side into the countryside. She told Karl about the hiding spot Max had found when they’d first time traveled and he thought it worthwhile to look for similar spots with brush tall enough to mask Max and Ryan’s horses, but in this area they found mostly open farmland and low crops. They changed direction and circled around the village.
Clouds overhead were growing darker and heavier, the wind brisker and cooler. The ground and trees were already wet from an earlier rainfall. The smell of rain was heavy in the air. Any moment a new rain shower would pour down on them. She spotted a dilapidated building ahead; it was practically falling down. Karl apparently saw it, too, veering to the right, heading toward it.
Finding a sturdy sapling to secure their horses near the tiny wooden cabin, Karl walked inside to check it out. He was gone for several minutes, making Sofie curious and worried for his safety. Thunder clapped overhead and the first thick drops of rain came splattering down—the kind of giant drops Tobias had dubbed ‘dinosaurs’ tears’ ever since he saw a dinosaur movie when he was younger where a baby dinosaur’s mother had died. Sofie swiped at them, clearing them away from her eyes. She stepped under the roof’s overhang to block some of the rain and heard Karl yell out, smiling, sticking his head out the door, “You can come inside,”
“What took you so long? Is it safe?”
“You will see.”
Sofie squinted her eyes, then stepped through the doorway, pulling the door shut behind her.
It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dimness of the old cabin. It seemed part of its roof had caved-in at some time and rain was driving in through the opening. Though it was still daytime, the storm clouds made it dark as night outside. She moved aside to get out of the rain coming in through the open door and saw the trio. Max was sitting on the filthy floor, his back leaning against a wall that looked as if it might give way at any moment, his eyes closed. Ryan was beside him, wiping Max’s forehead with a cloth.
“Oh, my God, Max.”
Karl touched her arm and whispered, “He’s hurt. I will ride back to the village and get help. I’ll move your horse to the other side of the cabin. Ryan says that’s where he left their horses. You stay here, ja.” It wasn’t a question, which wouldn’t have mattered even if it were, because she couldn’t have answered. Her mouth gaped open at the sight of Ryan’s shirt tied across Max’s abdomen, soaked in blood. Flashes of images inside critical care units at the hospital back in the U.S. rushed in. Pushing those memories aside, she nodded to Karl, rushed to Max’s side and kneeled down. Stroking Max’s hair, she said, “God, Ryan! What’s wrong with him? What happened?”
Ryan told her the story. They both cried together.
SOUND OF HORSES’ hooves outside the cabin alerted Sofie and Ryan that Karl had returned. Trying not to wake Max, Sofie carefully slid away from him. He’d regained consciousness earlier, for a time, and had even smiled and tried to talk. She’d gone outside and gotten the flask from her saddlebag, giving both Max and Ryan drinks. She and Ryan discussed cleaning the wound, but neither of them knew whether that would advisable at the moment. The possibility of infection worried her more than anything else. Hay forks were notoriously dirty weapons.
She stood up and walked to the door. Karl, Gerhard, the boys, and a stranger tethered their horses and greeted Sofie as they reached the cabin.
“We brought a doctor,” Karl said. “He will see if he can help Max.”
“Thank goodness,” Sofie said. “He’s sleeping now, but he’s lost a lot of blood.”
After examining Max, the doctor inserted leeches into his wounds, then covered them with a bandage. Ryan gave the doctor another fresh shirt he’d found in the drawer. Between the doctor and Ryan, they got Max’s bloody shirt off and the new one on.
“He is a lucky man,” the doctor said when he was finished with Max. “I do not believe any organs were damaged. The leeches will need to be removed in a few days. But I think he will pull through.”<
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“Thank you for helping,” Karl said. “We will see that the leeches are removed once we get to our destination.”
Ryan had told Sofie earlier about the skull he’d seen. Now, curious, he reminded her about it. “Ask the doctor who lived here. Find out if he knows what happened.”
Sofie turned to the doctor and told him what Ryan had seen.
“Ah, Herr Schmidt lived here. He was a hermit. Very odd man. People did not like him much. Thought he was a witch or something. He frequently chased off people from here with various weapons. Came to town only to buy supplies. A man claiming to be his brother showed up in town once and asked where he could find him. No one saw either of them after that. Must have been two years ago.”
“So the skull could belong to either of them?”
“Possibly,” the doctor said. “Interesting. I will talk to the townsfolk. Maybe someone will know more about it.”
Sofie translated the account for Max and Ryan.
“Yikes, Dad. That kinda sounds like your grandmother—you know, living like a hermit.”
“Yeah, it kinda does.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
MONIKA REACHED OUT and grabbed hold of Sigrid’s arm, pulling so hard that Sigrid nearly fell.
“Mutter!” Sigrid cried.
“What a foolish thing you did,” Monika said. “Have you any idea how dangerous it is for you to run off?”
“What? I only wanted to see what was happening. Hanna and Anneliese were with me.”
“Where? Where are they?” Monika asked, staring at her youngest daughter. “Where are they now? Both you girls should know better than to pull something like this. I am very angry with both of you.”
“We never meant to cause a problem,” Sigrid said.
“Well, it is done,” Monika said, in her sternest motherly voice. “We must find your sister and Anneliese. Do you know where they are?”
“They are over there,” Sigrid said, pointing to a group of seven or eight girls.
Monika looked at the girls. “Where? I do not see either of them.”
“I saw them a couple minutes ago,” Sigrid said, apparently surprised.
Monika sighed. “Come along. We have to find them.” She turned. “Oh, no, now where have Lotte and Tobias gone?”
“We’re here,” Lotte said from behind a couple of other women. “We lost your momentarily.”
Tobias said, “I think I saw Hanna and Anneliese a minute ago, walking across that street.” He was pointing to the intersection where a huge brawl was going on.
Monika’s heart sped up at the thought of the girls getting tangled up in that mess. Almost instantly, she swept Sigrid along with her toward the brawl and yelled out.
Hanna’s head appeared from behind a tall, heavyset woman and she waved at her mother and sister, then started running toward them with Anneliese in tow.
“Oh, I am glad to see you all,” Hanna said breathlessly. “We turned around and Sigrid was gone, and we did not see any of you.” She was panting slightly and smiling with relief.
“Why did you take off like that?” Monika asked, steel in her voice.
“We thought everyone was coming,” Hanna replied innocently. “We rarely see something exciting happening and I guess we just got caught up in it.”
Monika could sympathize with her daughter, understanding how easy it was to get caught up in the moment and excitement, and while she didn’t want to squelch their curiosity or fun, she also didn’t want to encourage them to act impulsively and carelessly.
“You must be more careful. We cannot afford anyone to become lost or in danger, do you understand?” She looked around, and included Tobias and Lotte in her look.
Everyone nodded, looking appropriately chagrined, except Lotte, who looked amused.
“Good,” Monika said. “Now, what is this brawl about?”
Hanna smiled and said, “Someone said things are disappearing around town and people are accusing each other of stealing.”
“Oh, that is just great,” Monika said. She shook her head and said, “And we left our wagon unattended.”
“Uh oh,” Tobias said.
“We should leave now,” Monika said.
When they turned the corner, Monika gasped. “Oh, God, am I mistaken, or was our wagon not left in front of the apothecary’s shop?” She looked up and down the street in case it had gotten moved, but their wagon was nowhere to be seen.
“Oh, Mutter,” Hanna said. “I am sorry. This is my fault.”
Monika sighed, her shoulders slumping. This was a disaster. Not only had they lost a valuable asset of their farm, but also their transportation back home and the materials for the wedding dress. “This is not your fault, child. You did not steal our wagon. You could not have known this would happen.” She rubbed her forehead, trying to ward off what was threatening to become a monster headache.
“What are we going to do?” Sigrid said.
“I have no idea,” Monika said. The small group stood there in silence.
Suddenly, Tobias said, “Maybe someone saw the crooks. It must have just happened.”
“You are a smart boy,” Monika said. “They can’t have gone very far yet. We were only gone minutes. Let us search for them, ja?” She knew there was little chance of finding the thieves but at least there was a glimmer of hope and that was something they all needed at the moment.
“Surely we can find them,” Hanna said.
After an hour of searching, they decided they had no choice but to return home on foot.
“How will we explain to Papa that our wagon was stolen?” Hanna said. “He will be angry.”
“I do not know,” Monika said, as they began walking steadfastly down the same dirt road they had traveled on earlier by wagon. Dust kicked up by passing horses and pedestrians filled the air, getting in their eyes, noses and mouths, reminding her of the powder she used to apply to her face back in the U.S that would always make her sneeze. She’d almost forgotten what it was like to wear facial powder, blush, eye shadow, and lipstick. Reminders of that previous life had intruded on her current life and got her thinking about everything she’d unwillingly given up. After what seemed like hours, her feet and back ached, and the stench of the fish that was rotting in her arms from the heat of the summer day was becoming enough to make her sick. She would have to discard the fish before they returned home. Birds circled overhead, giving her an idea. She unwrapped the fish and set it on the ground, then hurried away, looking over her shoulder to see the birds already diving down to partake of the welcome feast.
As she continued walking, her thoughts turned to her husband. Gerhard knew of her time travel adventure, that she wasn’t from here and that she’d left behind another family. He hadn’t really wanted to know much about her past, though. It was as if he wanted to pretend none of that was real. For all she knew, he might not have believed her. Perhaps he’d only humored her and pretended to believe. Either way, she was sure he wouldn’t deal with this very well. As for her children, they would all be shocked by it and might never speak to her again. The thought of the now stolen wagon adding to the sudden appearance of people from her past was unpleasant, to say the least.
She wanted to see her father and her son again, certainly, but she sorely wished she could do it in private and keep her families apart. It was already too late, though. Some of them—Karl, Gerhard, and the boys—were already together and before long they might all be together at the farm.
Then all hell could break loose.
She felt as if she were a woman with a shameful secret, a woman who’d given up an illegitimate child for adoption only to be confronted years later by the grown child, ruining her new family? Worse, she felt like a bigamist scamming two families into thinking they were the only family. She knew she hadn’t really done anything wrong, but yet she ‘felt’ wrong, and believed her family would think that way. In a way she was a bigamist because she did have a husband in the twenty-first century and a husband in t
his century, but that wasn’t really the same, was it? There didn’t seem to be any precedent from which to judge. How could there be?
She shook her head and tried to distract herself with the scenery, but the sight of farmers working in a field only reminded her of her husband and sons again, making her want to cry. Being the mother, she was supposed to be the strong one, yet she felt weak, as if carrying the weight of the world squarely on her shoulders. That weight seemed to be growing heavier by the minute, and she didn’t think she would make it.
She chided herself. Why am I not looking forward to being reunited with Max and Karl? What kind of mother and daughter am I? Instead of being happy, I feel as though I’m being punished for keeping secrets. She hung her head down and sighed.
She must have sighed a bit too loudly, or made some other sound, because Sigrid put her arm around Monika’s shoulder and said, “Mutter, I do not think Papa will be angry. He will understand. You did nothing wrong. We could not help that someone stole our wagon.”
Monika turned her head and looked into her daughter’s eyes, feeling all at once a surge of pride in her daughter and a need to cry. She might not be the prettiest or most popular girl, but her daughter did have a good heart and gentle nature. Perhaps she had done something right as a mother.
“I am sorry for being glum, my dear girl,” Monika said. “I think I will feel much better when we are all back at home, safe and sound. It is all a little too much. The men’s absence, worrying about your father and brothers, and the stolen wagon are getting to me, I am afraid.”
Sigrid nodded, and with a brief wave, dashed back ahead to walk with her sister.
Tobias walked over to Monika moments later and slipped his small hand into hers, looking up at her and smiling sweetly, as young boys often can. “It will all be fine,” he whispered. “They will like each other. You will see. I like all of your children, at least the ones I have met—Max and your daughters—so I know they will like each other. You should not fret.”
She halted suddenly, surprised at his uncanny awareness; she thought she’d been careful to hide her apprehension about seeing her eldest son and introducing him to his step-family. She smiled at the boy, and he suddenly threw his arms around her waist. In the blink of an eye, he withdrew and skipped ahead to also walk with the girls.