would say. ‘My first reaction is to say, “Mind your own business.” But that’s the wrong answer, isn’t it?’
‘Is it?’ asked Mark in his mind.
The imaginary mum would nod. ‘It’s what I do all the time,’ she’d say slowly. ‘Turn off the TV, avoid arguments with people like Mrs Latter who want to discuss everything and sign petitions and things. But…’ and she’d shake her head. ‘That’s what people in Germany did, didn’t they? They didn’t agree with Hitler. Or not with everything he did. But they went along with it, till it was too late. They simplyshut their eyes and let things happen.’ The imaginary mum would nod her head and look at him seriously. ‘You’ve made me think a bit,’ she’d say.
And then she’d start listening to the news all the time and going to demonstrations and signing petitions like Mrs Latter, which would be really embarrassing…and anyway, Dad said most of the time Mrs Latter just got people’s backs up.
And maybe Mum would have to go to prison if someone like Hitler did get into power, and there was no way he wanted her to go to prison, or spend all her time involved in stuff like Mrs Latter.
But maybe…maybe…
‘What’s up?’ asked Mum, the real Mum. ‘Porridge too hot?’
‘It’s okay,’ said Mark.
Mum sighed. ‘Look, ask me questions when I’m not so rushed. Okay?’
‘Okay,’ said Mark.
chapter twelve
The News
There was still no sign of Ben at the bus stop on Monday.
‘He must have a really bad cold,’ said Anna.
‘His mum told my mum she didn’t want him going to school in the rain in case it got worse,’ said Little Tracey. ‘’Cause he gets asthma sometimes when he gets a cold. Come on, Anna!’
‘Come on what?’ asked Anna.
‘Go on with the story about Heidi,’ said Little Tracey.
For a moment Mark thought she was going to refuse—would say she’d forgotten how it went over the weekend or something like that.
But instead, Anna began, and the story flowed as if there had been no break, as though it was as clear as a movie in her mind, and all she was doing wasdescribing what she saw and heard on the screen inside her mind.
‘Frau Leib brought her news one morning,’ said Anna, her voice clear and low. ‘Along with the fresh goat’s milk in the bright green china jug with the flowers on it.’
(Two of Frau Leib’s nannies were in milk now. One was called Lottie and the other Hildegard, after two old friends of Frau Leib. Heidi wasn’t at all certain if she would want a goat named after her but she never said so to Frau Leib, and sure enough, the next baby goat was called Heidi.)
Frau Leib waited till Fräulein Gelber had gone upstairs to write the letters she seemed to be so often writing now.
Frau Leib seemed to know that Fräulein Gelber wouldn’t approve of gossip, particularly the gossip she had today.
‘They sent him away!’ she whispered excitedly, as she stoked the fire in the old cracked stove. ‘Just last night and Lisl came running over to tell me this morning.’
‘Your daughter? What did she say? Sent who away?’ asked Heidi.
‘Herr Henssel!’ Her voice was happily horrified. ‘He has the farm over past the mill. No one would have guessed! None of us guessed!’
‘Guessed what?’ wondered Heidi, but Frau Leib went on as though she hadn’t heard.
‘His sister married a draper in town.’ She lowered her voice and brought her wide, shiny face close to Heidi’s. ‘A Jewish draper. The sister and her husband disappeared a long time ago, and everyone thought, Oh, they have been taken to the camps. Herr Henssel never spoke of them. But Herr Henssel has been sheltering his sister and her husband all the time! He has been hiding them so they wouldn’t take them to the work camps! Someone must have seen, someone must have noticed, and they must have notified the authorities, because today they took him away—took them all away. Oh, it is awful!’, but Frau Leib’s small eyes
‘Is it?’ asked Mark in his mind.
The imaginary mum would nod. ‘It’s what I do all the time,’ she’d say slowly. ‘Turn off the TV, avoid arguments with people like Mrs Latter who want to discuss everything and sign petitions and things. But…’ and she’d shake her head. ‘That’s what people in Germany did, didn’t they? They didn’t agree with Hitler. Or not with everything he did. But they went along with it, till it was too late. They simplyshut their eyes and let things happen.’ The imaginary mum would nod her head and look at him seriously. ‘You’ve made me think a bit,’ she’d say.
And then she’d start listening to the news all the time and going to demonstrations and signing petitions like Mrs Latter, which would be really embarrassing…and anyway, Dad said most of the time Mrs Latter just got people’s backs up.
And maybe Mum would have to go to prison if someone like Hitler did get into power, and there was no way he wanted her to go to prison, or spend all her time involved in stuff like Mrs Latter.
But maybe…maybe…
‘What’s up?’ asked Mum, the real Mum. ‘Porridge too hot?’
‘It’s okay,’ said Mark.
Mum sighed. ‘Look, ask me questions when I’m not so rushed. Okay?’
‘Okay,’ said Mark.
chapter twelve
The News
There was still no sign of Ben at the bus stop on Monday.
‘He must have a really bad cold,’ said Anna.
‘His mum told my mum she didn’t want him going to school in the rain in case it got worse,’ said Little Tracey. ‘’Cause he gets asthma sometimes when he gets a cold. Come on, Anna!’
‘Come on what?’ asked Anna.
‘Go on with the story about Heidi,’ said Little Tracey.
For a moment Mark thought she was going to refuse—would say she’d forgotten how it went over the weekend or something like that.
But instead, Anna began, and the story flowed as if there had been no break, as though it was as clear as a movie in her mind, and all she was doing wasdescribing what she saw and heard on the screen inside her mind.
‘Frau Leib brought her news one morning,’ said Anna, her voice clear and low. ‘Along with the fresh goat’s milk in the bright green china jug with the flowers on it.’
(Two of Frau Leib’s nannies were in milk now. One was called Lottie and the other Hildegard, after two old friends of Frau Leib. Heidi wasn’t at all certain if she would want a goat named after her but she never said so to Frau Leib, and sure enough, the next baby goat was called Heidi.)
Frau Leib waited till Fräulein Gelber had gone upstairs to write the letters she seemed to be so often writing now.
Frau Leib seemed to know that Fräulein Gelber wouldn’t approve of gossip, particularly the gossip she had today.
‘They sent him away!’ she whispered excitedly, as she stoked the fire in the old cracked stove. ‘Just last night and Lisl came running over to tell me this morning.’
‘Your daughter? What did she say? Sent who away?’ asked Heidi.
‘Herr Henssel!’ Her voice was happily horrified. ‘He has the farm over past the mill. No one would have guessed! None of us guessed!’
‘Guessed what?’ wondered Heidi, but Frau Leib went on as though she hadn’t heard.
‘His sister married a draper in town.’ She lowered her voice and brought her wide, shiny face close to Heidi’s. ‘A Jewish draper. The sister and her husband disappeared a long time ago, and everyone thought, Oh, they have been taken to the camps. Herr Henssel never spoke of them. But Herr Henssel has been sheltering his sister and her husband all the time! He has been hiding them so they wouldn’t take them to the work camps! Someone must have seen, someone must have noticed, and they must have notified the authorities, because today they took him away—took them all away. Oh, it is awful!’, but Frau Leib’s small eyes
Similar Books
