by Ward Wagher
“That’s my department,” Schreiber stated. “And as for how to do that? I really do not know. We have been spinning ideas over at the Ministry of Information. There’s nothing I can report on at this juncture.”
Schloss was beginning to feel weary. His day had started early, and it was time to move things along.
“Thank you for your help today,” he said as he stood up. “I’m afraid we have a lot of long days ahead of us.”
He turned and walked out of the room and down the hall to his office. He remembered being this tired once before but wasn’t quite sure when it was. But the current situation was nothing he could escape. Dangerous, dangerous times, he thought. If he could just have the luxury of dealing with one problem at a time.
The office seemed like a refuge when he arrived. He collapsed into his chair and leaned back. He put his hand over his eyes and tried to breathe deeply. That seemed to help, and he found himself relaxing. He felt a hand on his shoulder.
“I wondered if you might have had a bad day, Darling,” Gisela said.
“It has been a long one.”
She slid onto his lap and swung her long red hair out of the way. He wrapped his arms around her waist and then favored her with a languorous kiss.
“You know, Schatzi, this is a much nicer way to spend the afternoon. Thank you for coming down to my office.”
“I think we need to go back up to the apartment and have some quiet time together.”
“I really need to stay available,” he said. “We are in another war.”
“Willem knows where to find you, Darling.
He shook his head. “I am not quite sure what to do at this point. The people of the Fatherland look to me to be their warrior. I am but an inconsequential man.”
“You will do whatever you need to do, Hennie. Just like you always have.”
“Let’s just sit here for a few minutes.”
“Herr Schloss, you should go lie down.” He opened his eyes again to see Frau Marsden steam into the room.
He grinned at Gisela. “Another one of my minders has arrived.”
Then Karl and Peter walked in.
“What is this?” Schloss asked.
“Karl and I were talking,” Peter said. “We thought it might be a good idea for you to get some rest this afternoon. We can hold things together for you.”
“Darling, I believe you are outvoted,” Gisela said. She slipped out of his lap and grabbed his hand. “Come.”
“We have a war to fight,” he complained.
“You’ve done all you can for today,” Rainer said. “Get some rest, Herr Schloss. This will be a long summer and you must pace yourself.”
Heinrich Schloss allowed his wife to lead him from the room. Frau Marsden followed, leaving Peter and Karl in the room.
“He is still fragile,” Rainer commented.
“We need to protect him,” Peter said. “He is the man who will lead us to a much better future.”
“And we still have to deal with the present.”
Willem Kirche eased into the room. “Is there anything I can help you with, meine Herren?”
“We just sent the Reich Chancellor up to his apartment to get some rest. We will be leaving momentarily.”
“I am glad you talked him into that,” Kirche said. “He seemed to be getting very tired again.”
Peter smiled. “We were able to outvote him this time. If you notice something like that again, Willem, please let me or Karl know.”
“Of course,” he replied.
Upstairs in the Reich Chancellor’s apartments, Schloss lay down for a nap. Frau Marsden eased into the room and placed her hand on his forehead. He drifted into a dreamless sleep. And his people struggled against the Russian invasion.
THE END
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ward Wagher lives in Greenville, South Carolina with his wife. A college professor and an Information Technology professional, Wagher writes Adult Christian Fiction, and Christian Science-Fiction.
Visit Ward’s web site at www.wardwagher.com. He can be reached at [email protected]