Marta crept into her almost twelve-year-old daughter's room and shook her. "Liesl, wach auf. Wir müssen diesen Ort verlassen."
(Liesl, wake up. We must leave this place.)
Liesl slowly opened her eyes and asked in a tired voice, "Was ist passiert, Mama?"
(What happened, Mama?)
"Nichts, um das Sie sich kümmern müssen. Kommen. Die Überzeugungen, die ich Ihnen beigebracht habe, sind gefährlich. Wir müssen fliehen, bevor es zu spät ist."
(Nothing you need to concern yourself with. Come. The beliefs I taught you are dangerous. We must escape before it's too late.)
"Was ist mit Papa?"
(What about Papa?)
Marta's lips pursed and she looked at her daughter sadly. "Dein Vater wird nicht mitkommen."
(Your father won't be coming with us.)
"Wieso den?"
(Why?)
"Er hat sich auf die Seite dessen gestellt, von dem ich fürchte, dass er selbst der Teufel ist."
(He has sided with who I fear to be the devil himself.)
"Hitler?"
"Sprich nicht seinen Namen in diesem Haus! Kommen. Schnell. Wir müssen gehen, bevor wir entdeckt werden."
(Do not speak his name in this house! Come. Quickly. We must leave before we're found out.)
The mother and daughter quickly gathered necessary items, but few as they didn't want to carry much.
They made their way to a train station and managed to get across the border to England.
From there, they took a ship to the United States, docking in New York.
They eventually came upon a borough and in a heavy accent, Liesl said, "Brooklyn."
YOU ARE READING
An Epitaph to War
ActionLiesl escaped Germany with her mother before her teenage years due to her father, a man in charge and the coming future. After all, German Jews were very much at risk, as were all who shared the same beliefs. The young girl meets two boys who becom...
