"THE WHITE RIBBON" "I don't know if the story I want to tell you is entirely true." "Some of it I only know from hearsay." "After so many years, a lot of it is still obscure." "and many questions remain unanswered." "But I feel I must talk about the strange events that occurred in our village." "They could perhaps clarify certain things that happened in this country." "It all began, I think, with the doctor's riding accident." "After his dressage session on the Baron's estate." "he was heading home to see if any patients had arrived." "On entering the garden, his horse tripped on a wire strung between two trees." "His daughter saw the accident from a window and informed a neighbour who informed the estate's steward so that the doctor, who was in agony, could be transported to the district hospital over 30 km away." "The neighbour, a single woman of around 40, was the village midwife." "Since the doctor's wife had died in childbirth." "she had become invaluable to him as a housekeeper and receptionist." "After tending to the doctor's two children, she went to the school to fetch her own son." "Karl." " Have you seen Anni?" " You haven't even said hello." " Hello, Mrs Wagner." "Forgive him." " Hello, Klara." "We are so worried that Martin has forgotten his manners." "That's all right." " How is the Doctor?" " Not very well." " Will he have to stay in hospital?" " I don't know." " We'll go and see if we can help Anna." " Good." " Did you enjoy the choir?" " Yes." "Show how well you sang." "Goodbye, sir." "Last one is a rotten egg!" "If I remember rightly, it seemed odd to me that the children with Klara." "instead of scattering after school to their homes." "headed together to the outskirts of the village." "I could cut out some animals for you, like last week." "Would you like that?" "We can colour them in together." "Or make cutouts from lovely coloured paper?" "The golden paper I got for Easter, remember?" "Come on." "I'll make us something to eat." "What if he never comes back?" "What?" "Come on!" "Don't be silly!" "It's like when you get the flu." "Remember last winter?" "You were very sick, weren't you?" "And then..." " Hi, Anni." " How are you?" "Can we help you?" "How did the wire get there?" "Did the Doctor say?" "He was in no mood to talk." "His collarbone was sticking out of his neck." "I've asked his daughter." "She has no idea." "He rides through there every day." " Did you look at the wire?" " Of course." "It's thin but strong." "Almost invisible." "Sorry, madam." "You play too well for me." "Don't apologise, concentrate." "It'll help us both." "You play too fast for me, madam." "I am not Frederick the Great." "How could he have played Schubert?" "Let's start the Variation again." "Darling, if you like the music, sit beside me and turn the pages." "If you're bored, go to your room." "Or stay out of my sight." "I get nervous when you're sauntering around." "What time is it?" "Where's the nanny?" "With the twins, I presume." " It's twenty to nine." " Twenty to nine?" "Way past your bedtime!" " Has he done his homework?" " Of course, madam." "Do you want to turn the pages for me or not?" " Yes." " Then come over here." "Let's go back to the Theme." "Practise the Variations or it's no fun." " I'll do my best, Baroness." " So, from the ninth bar." "Please forgive us, Father." "Forgive us." "This evening no one here has felt like eating." "When night fell and you hadn't returned, your mother searched the village in tears." "How could we enjoy our meal, whilst fearing for you?" "How can we enjoy our meal now, having heard your lies and excuses?" "I don't know what's worse, your absence or your return." "Tonight we shall all go to bed hungry." "You surely all agree with me that I cannot leave your offence unpunished if we are to carry on living in mutual respect." "Tomorrow evening at this hour," "I shall give each of you, in front of your siblings, ten lashes of the cane." "Until then, you may ponder over your offence." " Do you agree with me?" " Yes, Father." "All right, then." "Go to bed now, all of you." "Don't touch me." "Your mother and I will sleep badly tonight." "I must beat you and the lashes will cause us more pain than you." "Leave us alone and go to bed." "When you were little, your mother sometimes tied a ribbon in your hair or around your arm." "Its white colour was to remind you of innocence and purity." "I thought you were now well-mannered enough to get by without such reminders." "I was wrong." "Tomorrow, once your punishment has purified you, your mother will retie a ribbon on you, and you will wear it until we can trust you again." "Where is the wire now?" " Who removed it?" " I don't know." "Weren't you here?" " Were you in town with your father?" " No." " Then you must have been here." " I was at school." "When you left, was the wire still here?" "I didn't check." " When did you get back?" " At noon." "I make lunch for the doctor and the kids." "I've been helping him since his wife died." " When was that?" " Since Rudolph's birth, five years ago." "I'm the midwife here." "We work together." " But you saw nothing?" " No." " How long was the wire there?" " I never saw it." "So nobody saw it, before or afterwards?" "Did it wind itself around two trees and vanish by itself?" "Well?" " Mother!" " What is it?" "Excuse me." "The day after the doctor's accident brought no solution to the mystery." "Then a second far more tragic incident almost made people forget the previous one." "The wife of a tenant farmer died in a work accident." "The woman, who had an injured arm, was discharged by the steward from harvesting duties and assigned to lighter work in the sawmill." "Stay outside, I'm not done." "You get out." "On the same day, I had a strange encounter." "The weather was beautiful and hot." "so I decided to improve my meagre menu with some brown trout which are plentiful in the river." "The Baron allowed me to fish there." "Martin!" "Martin, be careful!" "Are you insane?" "Do you want to break your neck?" "Hello, sir." "What's wrong?" "Have you gone mad?" "Do you know how high this is?" "Didn't you hear me shout to you?" " I did, sir." " Well?" "Well?" "You saw me and wanted to impress me, is that it?" " So why..." " I was giving God a chance to kill me." "He didn't do it so he must be pleased with me." "What are you saying?" "He doesn't want me to die." "Who doesn't want you to die?" "God." "Why would God want you to die?" "Promise me you won't do it again." "Look at me." "Promise me." "Don't you trust me?" "Yes, I do, sir." "All right." "Go home now." "I'll talk to your father after your piano lesson tomorrow." "Please don't tell him, sir!" "It's there." "Careful, it's all rotten." "Who sent her up here?" "No idea." "We had to collect loose ends and she fell through." " Did you see it?" " Not really." "You know how it is." "The foremen send the weaker harvesters up here." "Who sent her up here?" "It was on my way home, after that strange encounter with Martin, that I first met Eva." "Hello." "Excuse me." "Sorry for accosting you." "Aren't you the new nanny on the estate?" "Why?" "They say you're from Treglitz." " Who says that?" " The locals." "So?" "Nothing." "I don't know." "I'm the schoolteacher here." "I just thought..." "When I saw you, I thought..." "I'm the tailor's son from Vasendorf." " I know." " What?" " The Baroness told me." " What?" "That the teacher was from the village next to mine." "I see, yes." "Well, I thought..." "It looks as if you're going there now." " Where?" " Back home to Treglitz." "Does it?" " Are you going there?" " Yes, I am." "I wondered, since you'll be passing through my village, if you could say hello to my father and give him a fish." " What?" " He'd love that." "Especially over the weekend." "How...?" "I don't know." "I'm afraid I have nothing to wrap it up in." "Neither do I," "I'm afraid." "We could tie them on with fishing line." "Just like that, on the bicycle?" "That's not a very good idea." "Right, it was just an idea." " Is that your bicycle?" " No, it belongs to the estate." "Is this your first day off?" "You must be glad to be going home." "I can imagine." "Well, I still have a long way to go." "Right." "Goodbye." "Goodbye." "If you see my father in Vasendorf, say hello to him from me." "I don't know your father." "That's true." "It's my first time on a bicycle." "You're doing fine." "Just be careful." "That woman today, what was wrong with her?" "Which woman?" "Oh, her." "She was dead." " What's that?" " What?" "Dead." "What's "dead"?" "That's quite a question." "It's when you don't live any more." "When you stop living." "When do you stop living?" "When you are very old or very ill." " And the woman?" " She had an accident." " An "accident"?" " Yes." "It's when you're badly hurt." " Like Father?" " Yes, but much worse than that." "So bad that your body can't take it any more." "And then you're dead?" "Yes." "But most people don't have an accident." " So they're not dead." " No, they die much later." "When?" "Well, later, when they're really old." "Does everybody have to die?" "Yes." " Absolutely everybody?" " Yes, everybody has to die." "But not you, Anni?" "Me, too." "Everybody." " But not Father?" " Father, too." "Me, too?" "You, too." "But not for a very long time." "All of us, but only after a very long time." "And there is nothing to be done about it?" "It has to happen?" "Yes, but not for a long time." "And Mother?" "She didn't go on a trip." "Is she dead, too?" "Yes, she's dead, too." "But that was a long time ago." "Klara!" "Martin, are you coming?" "Karli?" " You can come in." " What is it?" " What do you think?" " I don't know." "It's a boy." "What?" "Don't you want a brother?" "You're lucky your father didn't hear you." "I'm sorry." "They knew it was dangerous for her." "What do you want?" "Do you want to sue the Baron?" "Or murder the steward?" "Go and cut off his head with your scythe!" "It won't bring your mother back to life." " Father, you loved our mother." " Shut up!" "After those two days in July, life in the village got back to normal." "The daily harvesting chores exhausted everyone." "Most of the children pitched in to help their parents." "I took up the steward's offer to be his secretary during the harvesting, as I hoped it would enable me to see the young girl again." "I couldn't get her out of my mind after our meeting." "But she rarely came out of the manor house." "The doctor was still in the hospital." "Anna and Rudolph, his two children, were cared for meanwhile by the midwife." "After the farmer's wife's funeral." "attended by the whole village, both accidents were forgotten." "Until the end of the summer when the harvest festival reunited the whole village, first in a joyful mood, then in horror and perplexity." "My thanks to you all." "You have worked well." "The heavens have been kind and the barns are full." "So the beer can flow, and you won't starve today." "Three cheers for the Baron!" "Hip, hip, hooray!" "Most honourable Baron and Baroness, dear merrymakers, let us hear on this festive occasion Psalm 145, Verse 15," ""All eyes look hopefully to you, Lord," "You give them food when they need it. "" "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost." "Amen." "Now enjoy your meal." "Eat and drink your fill." "You've earned it." "You promised us a chorale by your pupils." "Ask the pastor, Baroness." "We're still practising for the confirmation ceremony." "That's in spring." "This is autumn." "Our little singers aren't all very musical." "I'm sorry." "So, you two mothers?" "Not taking part in the festivities?" "It's so nice here in the shade." " Our son seems to be enjoying that." " Yes." "I can imagine." "Who wouldn't like it?" "Georg!" "What about you?" "Aren't you bored of caring for other people's children with all those young lads over there?" "No, sir." "I like being with the children." " How old are you anyway?" " Seventeen, sir." "Seventeen!" "Wouldn't you rather hold a suitor than the Baroness's children?" " Leave her alone, Georg!" " What did I say?" "Won't you get us something to eat, Emma?" "If you'll mind the children a moment, I'll go." "He was drunk but they couldn't stop him." "Leave Frieda alone!" "You can put it away!" "I'm the rooster on the tower!" "Someone cut the Baron's cabbages." "What?" "Someone's cut the Baron's cabbages!" " I never learned." " Neither did I." "You have to count out loud." "One, two, three." "Your pupils will laugh when they see us dancing, sir!" "They'd better not!" "And stop being so formal with me." "Am I so old?" " See?" "It's coming along!" " Well..." "Don't look at your feet." "Quite a job, eh?" "It's disgraceful." "There's an old saying:" ""Harvest's done, pay everyone." ""If we don't get our due, your cabbage will be sliced for you. "" "Well, they sure gulped down enough." "Come in." "What do you want?" "A favour, Father." "Yes?" "Yes?" "I found it." "It's wounded." " And?" " May I keep it?" " How will you go about that?" " We'll heal it." "And when it's healed?" "Won't you be attached to it then?" "Will you let it fly away?" "Peepsie still lives in a cage." "Yes, but it grew up in captivity." "This one is used to freedom." "Will you set it free, once it's healed?" " Have you asked Mother?" " Yes." "What did she say?" "That it was for you to decide, Father." "Really?" "That's what she said?" "Will you really take care of it?" "Yes." "You do realise that's a heavy responsibility?" "You will be its father and mother." "We'll have to find a cage for your patient." "Did you do it, or didn't you?" " Seems somebody saw you." " So what?" "They're lucky they still have their heads!" "I have to tell you, Father, I'm proud of it!" "Sit down!" "What did you think you were doing?" "Tell me." "Come on, tell me." "You know what, Father." "Because of your mother?" "You think they caused her death?" "Is that what you think that?" "That I'm not man enough to settle it?" "Is that it?" "Do you know what your actions may mean for us all?" "What if Frieda loses her job, which keeps us alive all year long?" "What if we can't work there in summer?" "Do you want to marry and run the farm in two years?" "Can you feed everyone without the help of the estate?" "How do you know they're responsible?" "How do you know they're innocent?" "I don't know." "But I also don't know the opposite." " What do you mean "not there"?" " He's disappeared." "I've looked all over." "He can't have disappeared." "When did you last see him?" " Around two o'clock." " Around two?" " Do you know what time it is?" " I know, Baron." " What does my wife say?" " She sent me to you." "She's terrified." "I can imagine." "You're an idiot, Huber." "Why do you think you're here?" "To take care of one child!" "Is that so hard?" " I'm so sorry, Baron." " You can keep your excuses." "Where did you last see my son?" "Here." "He left to play with the other children." " Where?" " He didn't say." "And my wife noticed nothing, either?" "The cabbage heads affair upset her." "She retired, indisposed." " Indisposed?" " Yes, a terrible migraine attack." "This is a madhouse!" " Have you seen my son?" " No." "Ask your sons." "Sigi has gone off with some other children." " What do you mean?" " That he's disappeared, damn it!" "The steward's children said they'd only seen Sigi very briefly, that he'd gone off with other children." "They didn't pay much attention to it." "The search began shortly after midnight." "The searchers. tired. some still drunk." "split up into two groups:" "one searched all the buildings on the estate, the other combed the countryside." "Around 2. 30am." "the siren sounded again, calling the men back to the estate." "Sigi had been found." "He was in the sawmill." "tied upside down." "His trousers were pulled down, his buttocks bleeding from lashes." "He was in a state of shock." "unable to walk." "Lying on his belly, he was carried home on a makeshift stretcher." "Next Sunday, after the service, the Baron asked the pastor to let him speak." "City policemen questioned many of you this week, to no avail." "At first I thought my child had been tortured by those who cut off my cabbages, to get even." "For what?" "Apparently, it was my fault their mother died in the sawmill, which is absurd." "At least, young Felder told the police that was his motive for his "reaping feat"." "I've always helped the Felder family." "But people aren't always grateful." "It takes character." "Don't run away, Felder!" "It's your honour I want to salvage!" "It turns out the "valiant" Max Felder boasted of his feat to his fiancée." "Then the coward hid among his family, so he didn't have time to torture my son." "As for his father, he'd bite off his tongue rather than cover for his wayward son." "I'll remind you of a fact that most of you may have forgotten." "Two months ago, our doctor had a riding accident, and is still not back from the hospital." "This accident was caused by a wire strung in his garden, with the explicit intent of bringing him down." "There, too, nobody knows, saw or heard anything." "We all know it:" "those who injured my son, and the doctor, are here among us, in this room." "I will not let such crimes go unpunished, and I hope nothing like this happens to any of your children." "That's why I call upon you all:" "help me find the culprit or the culprits." "If we fail to find out the truth, our community will no longer be at peace." "The landowner's speech frightened the locals." "The Baron wasn't popular, but as a powerful figure and employer of half the village, he was respected." "His comment on the peace of the community didn't bode well." "And the mysterious nature of these criminal deeds awakened the age-old mistrust of the farmers." "Come in." "Eva!" "May I come in?" "What a question!" "Of course, come in." "What's happened?" "What's wrong?" "They sacked me." "What do you mean?" "Nothing." "They just sacked me." "The tutor was also sacked." "I don't know where to go." " I'm afraid on the road alone." " Don't worry." "Calm down." "Come, sit here." "Calm down and tell me what happened." "Well?" "What happened?" "The Baron's son isn't at all well." "His parents are desperate and angry." "Now they say the tutor and I are to blame, because we didn't pay enough attention to him." "But I'm only there for the twins." "I've always taken care of them very well." "When you and I were dancing, the Baroness had given me permission." " I haven't done anything wrong." " I know, come on." "Now stop crying." "Where can I go now?" "My family needs my earnings." "You'll find something else." "You know, the Baron is quick-tempered." "But his bark is worse than his bite." "No, it's all over now, I know it." "The Baroness doesn't want to see anyone." "She wants to take the children with her to town or to her parents' estate." "I'll try to talk to her." "We used to play piano together, four-handed." "But I wasn't very good." "Now she's got the tutor, who studied the flute in town." " He doesn't play that well." " That's true." " Who would do such a thing?" " What?" "Beat a child like that." "I don't know." "Can I stay here tonight?" "Don't send me away, sir, please." "How could you think that?" "I'll just wait for daybreak, here in the classroom." "Then I'll leave." "At home they won't understand this." "They'll think I did something wrong." " Do you want me to go with you?" " What?" "Tomorrow, after school?" "I'll find a carriage, I'll be back by evening." "Why would you do that, sir?" "Stop being so formal." "Why would you do that?" "Come here, I'll play something for you." "If you want." "Good morning, Father." "I'm back again." "They set me free." "I can see that." "So what?" "Won't you forgive me, Father?" "Forgive you for what?" "The fact that the estate won't give me any work?" "That Frieda was sacked in disgrace?" "That your brothers and sisters have nothing to eat?" "Or what?" "The next day, after school, I went to the estate to inquire about Sigi's health and to approach them about Eva's reinstatement." "I was told the Baroness had left that morning with her children." "Reluctantly, the steward lent me a carriage to take Eva home." "As we left the village, we passed the doctor." "A few days after Thanksgiving," "Rudolph, his four-year-old son, had suddenly disappeared." "This had upset everyone, in the light of previous events." "The boy was finally found on the main road." "scantily dressed for a trip, walking eagerly towards the town." "When asked where he was going, he said he wanted to visit his father." "He fought tooth and nail against being taken home." "The doctor was told about this and, due to be released soon anyway, he decided to cut short his stay at the hospital." " Rudi?" " He was in the living room." " What do I owe?" " 3.50 marks." " Thank you." " Good day." "Rudi, where are you?" "Hello, Rudi." "Won't you say hello to your father?" "No?" "I heard you wanted to visit me at the hospital." "And now you lock yourself in?" "Fine." "Then I don't want to see you, either." "I'm going away now." "Stay in the toilet, if you want." "Take care, Rudi." "Your office is ready." "Mrs Wagner did it all." " Why do you tell me that?" " I don't know." "I thought you'd like to know." " Did she take good care of you?" " Yes." "How old are you now?" "Fourteen." "It's amazing." "You look so like your mother." "Your mother and I are very worried about you." "Think carefully." "Do you sleep badly?" "Are you overtired?" "No." "Do you have problems at school I don't know?" "No, Father." "You don't understand why we worry." "I'll explain it to you." "As you know, I'm also the pastor for Birkenbrunn." "One day, a mother came to see me, as her son, about the same age as you, had the same symptoms" "that you've been showing for some time." "The boy suddenly seemed extremely weary." "His eyes were ringed, he was depressed and joyless." "He avoided looking his parents in the eye, and soon was also caught lying." "This lasted about half a year." "Then everything went very fast." "He lost his appetite, couldn't sleep any more, his hands began to shake, his memory started to fail, his face became covered with pustules, then his whole body." "Finally, he died." "The body that I had to bless looked like an old man's body." "Do you understand now why I'm worried?" "What do you think caused these changes that led to that boy's miserable end?" "I don't know." "I think you know very well." "Won't you tell me?" "No?" "Then I'll give you the answer." "The boy had seen someone who was harming the finest nerves of his body in the area where God has erected sacred barriers." "The boy imitated this action." "He couldn't stop doing it." "In the end he destroyed all his nerves and died of it." "I just want to help you." "I love you with all my heart." "Be sincere, Martin." "Why did you blush, listening to the story of the poor boy?" "Blush?" "I don't know." "I felt sorry for him." "Is that all?" "I think there's another reason." "It's written on your face." "Be sincere, Martin." "Why are you crying?" "Shall I spare you that confession?" "Have you been doing what that wretched boy did?" "Yes." "My arm!" "I'm glad that you're back." "About time." "You could say that." "It was hard with the children, without you." "I know." "He doesn't like me." " Who?" " Rudi." "He's at a difficult age." "Not really." "They're always at a difficult age." "Yes." "You didn't miss me." "What's that supposed to mean?" "Nothing." "I just said it because it's true." "Nothing like a nice dose of self-loathing, is there?" "What?" "Nothing." "Forget it." "Winter came early that year." "By Reformation Day, on the first Sunday of November, a blanket of snow had covered the village." "Unusually, the Baron, whose family had not yet come back, didn't attend the service." "The villagers took that as a sign of his anger." "Indeed. no leads had been found to a possible culprit, although the Baron's appeal had led to a flood of mutual suspicions, even to some attempts at denunciation," "that had all turned out to be untenable." "Well, it's not pneumonia." "But you must be careful." "If his temperature rises, call me again." "Give him these drops every two hours." "And hang wet sheets over the oven." "That helps breathing." " Good night to you." " Goodbye, Doctor." "How long was the window open?" "Hard to say." "My wife nursed him around 1 am." "She came back around 2.30am. By then the room was icy cold." " And the baby didn't cry?" " No." "The children heard nothing." "He's doing fine." "We'll have to wait and see." "But it's not looking too bad." "A drink to warm you up?" "Or stay for supper." "No, thanks." "I'm up to my neck in work, I was away so long." "How's your arm doing?" "It's all right." "It'll be fine in two or three weeks." "Thank you." "That must be terrible, I imagine." "One must be helpless with only one arm." "Quod erat demonstrandum." " Well, good night, children." " Good night, doctor." "If your wife thinks the baby's fever has risen again, let me know." "Good." "What do you mean, "good"?" "I mean, that's fine." "When did you go and see Father?" "Down in his office?" "Why?" "Just asking." "In mid December." "I finally got a letter from Eva." "Her father had found her a job in town." "She was to start early in the new year." "Since the night she came to shelter in the school." "when until dawn." "we told each other the story of our short lives." "her pale face, her shy but frank personality, were constantly on my mind." "The school holidays lasted until 2 January, but already on the day after Christmas, in the cold but sunny weather," "I headed for Treglitz to visit Eva and her parents." "And Sigi?" "I don't know." "The Baroness isn't back yet." "And the Baron?" "We hardly see him." "He talks to nobody." "I don't know." "Some say they went to Italy." "To Italy?" "The steward says they'll tear down the sawmill because it's..." " Good morning." " Morning, young man." "Please be seated." "We're not very formal here." "Scram!" " Care for a drink?" " No, thanks." "You're very kind." " Really?" " No, thanks a lot." "So you're a schoolteacher?" "Can you afford to have a wife?" "My father is a tailor in Vasendorf." "I've learned the trade." "I earn money on the side." "Taking over his business would have been smarter." "And why are you so focused on Eva?" "She's still a child." "You could be her father." " I'm 31." " Well, you're not far off." "Father!" "Have you asked her if she's interested?" "She's a child, knows nothing about life." "Speak up." "Do you want him?" "Come on." "Say something." "He came all this way in the cold." "Leave her alone." "Of course, she wants him." "Can't you tell?" "How can I, if she clams up?" "Sit back down." "Women!" "Don't take them too seriously." "Listen, I'm not a big talker." "On one hand, it suits me if she leaves the house." "Lots of mouths to feed, as you can see." "On the other hand, it's moving too fast for me." "I don't know you." "I don't dislike you, but I need to know more about you." "The town hairdresser has agreed to take her on as an apprentice." "She'll get to meet people." "She can decide if she really wants this." "If in a year she's still in favour of it, we'll talk about it again." "You can make up your mind too." "All right?" " I actually thought I..." " Yes, I know." "But it's either that or nothing." " If you insist..." " Yes, I do." "Delighted." "So, my work's waiting." "Even on holidays." "Don't get up." "I'll send the child back in." "That way you can say goodbye." "A year goes by fast." "The world won't collapse." "You can come and visit her." "Did your father tell you...?" "Is that all right with you?" "And is it with you, sir?" "Don't call me "sir"." "Adi!" "Are you awake?" "Adi!" " What is it?" " Look!" " What's happening?" " Look!" "Go and see what's happening!" "My God, what do you want?" "Over there!" "Look out the window!" "Something's burning!" "On the estate!" "Untie me!" "Come on, untie me!" " I don't know if..." " Untie me, I said!" "What is it?" "Be quiet!" "Gustl, come and untie me!" "What's going on?" "Untie me, damn it!" "There's a fire!" "What fire?" "A fire!" "Yes, a fire!" "Now untie me, damn it!" "Father won't allow it." "It's an emergency!" "Somebody must warn them!" " Father!" " Stop shouting!" "I'll do it!" "Shall I call Mother?" " What is it?" " A fire!" "I know." "Your father's already gone." "What are you doing here?" "Go back to bed, all of you." "It's nothing." "There's a fire on the estate." "Don't be afraid." "Go to bed and sleep." "Go on!" "You'll catch a cold." "Why all the noise?" "You woke them all up!" "I thought it was dangerous." "I had to untie him." "Now everything's fine again." "Tomorrow, Father will tell you about the fire." "You all go back to bed." "I'll wait till you're in bed." "It's cold here." "Good night, then." " Sleep tight." " Night, Mother!" "Why don't you stop doing that?" "Why all the effort?" "Don't look so dumbfounded." "You don't lack talent." "I just can't do it with you any more." "To be truthful, you disgust me." "Can't you finish your work?" "I don't want to spend the night here." " What have I done?" " My God, you've done nothing!" "You're ugly, messy, flabby and have bad breath." "Will that do?" "The cover has to be sterilised." "Don't sit there looking like death warmed up." "The world won't collapse, not on you or on me." "I can't go on with this, that's all." "I've really tried..." "I've tried thinking of another woman while making love to you." "One who smells good, who's young, less decrepit than you, but I don't have the imagination." "In the end, it's you again and then I feel like puking, and am embarrassed at myself." "So what's the point?" "Are you through?" "I have been for ages." "You must be very unhappy to be so mean." "Please, not that routine." "I know I'm not much to look at." "My bad breath comes from my ulcer, you know that." "It never used to bother you." "I had it when your wife was alive." "Spare me these sordid details." "Let me reassure you:" "it's always disgusted me." "After Julie's death, I wanted anyone to ease my pain." "I could have screwed a cow!" "The whores are too far away from here and once every two months isn't enough for me, even though I'm getting on." "So skip acting the martyr and scram." "Why are you only saying this now?" "When should I have said it?" "At the hospital, I forgot how tiresome you were." "Pain makes one sentimental." "Get out!" "Don't you have any pride?" "There's no room for any with you." "That's true." "What if I do something silly?" "Go ahead." "It would surprise me." "But be careful, it may be painful." "I know, I'm ridiculous." " You wouldn't care anyway." " Well..." "Why do you despise me?" "For helping to raise the boy?" "For watching you finger your daughter and saying nothing?" "For helping you to deceive yourself?" "For listening to you claim how you loved Julie, when everyone knew you treated her as badly as me?" "For loving you when I know you can't stand being loved?" "That's it." "Now get up." "I have work to do." "You can't afford to get rid of me." "Who will do your dirty work?" "Who will help you with the children and your practice?" "You don't mean what you're saying." "You want to see how far you can go." ""Will she take it?" "Can I drag her even lower?"" "I'm tired, too." "I've got two retarded kids:" "Karli and you." "You're the most troublesome one." "My God, why don't you just die?" "The year ended with fine weather." "The snowy landscape sparkled so brightly that it hurt the eyes." "None of us suspected this would be our last new year in peacetime, and that this year would bring a radical change, of a magnitude we couldn't foresee." "Despite the strange events that had unsettled the village, we thought of ourselves as united in the belief that life in our community was God's will and worth living." "...Christ's body as bread and as wine." "May the period of preparation for your confirmation be one of happiness and enrichment." "You, Martin, will now be free not only of that ribbon, but of those nightly ties that have kept you from succumbing to the temptations of your young body." "I trust you, my beloved children, and wish you a profitable and happy new year." "Shortly after Easter, in the last week of April, the Baroness came back with the children." "She was accompanied by a new nanny." "My secret hope that Eva could come back here was dashed." "The new nanny was a middle-aged Italian woman who came from the area on the Mediterranean coast where the Baroness had spent the winter." "Sigi!" "Hi, Ferdinand!" "Wait!" "I'll come down!" "Stay here, Sigi!" "You can see him later." "All right, go, but don't be too long." "Marie-Louise?" "Where are you?" "Watch out, he's coming!" "Be quiet!" "For God's sake, be quiet!" "Quiet!" "What's going on here?" "Why are you still here?" "This is a divinity class." "Get going!" " How about a goodbye?" " Goodbye, sir!" "Goodbye, Pastor!" "I'm sorry, Pastor." "It won't happen again." "Goodbye, Pastor." "Goodbye." "Let us pray." "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name." "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." "Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil for Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory for ever and ever." "Amen." "Sit down." "This is a very sad day for me." "In a few weeks, we all want to celebrate your confirmation." "For months I've tried to bring God's word closer to you, and make responsible human beings out of you." "Who do I face today?" "Yelling monkeys, undisciplined, as childish as your seven-year-old classmates!" "But to me, what is even sadder is that my own daughter plays the leading role in this pitiful display." "Last year" "I tied a white ribbon in her hair." "White, as you all know, is the colour of innocence." "The ribbon was meant to help Klara to avoid sin, selfishness, envy, indecency, lies and sloth." "At the start of the year," "I naively believed that she was now mature enough, not to need that ribbon any more." "I believed she had become responsible enough, as the daughter of the spiritual leader of..." "Anni?" "Anni?" "Where are you?" "Rudi?" "What are you doing here?" "Why aren't you in bed?" "I can't get to sleep." "Is that why you're wandering around?" "I woke up and you weren't there." "Dad has pierced my earlobes." " Does it hurt?" " Yes, a bit." " Is that why you're crying?" " I'm not crying any more." "You have to suffer for beauty." "Isn't that what they say?" "Go back to bed." "Anni's just coming." "I haven't worn earrings in ages, so the holes closed up." "I'm getting Mother's for Whitsun." "The pretty ones, you know?" "A few days after Klara's fainting fit that frightened us all, and left her feverish and weakened." "I went to see the steward." "on the eve of Whitsun to borrow the carriage again." "Since my marriage proposal, Eva had written to me once a week." "I felt she was alone and lost in the city and was hinting for me to go see her as soon as I could." "I wanted to spend Saturday with her and be back on Sunday to prepare the confirmation ceremony with the pastor." "The steward had gone to the sawmill, but was due back any minute." " Good morning, sir." " Hello, Erna." "He's cute." " Do you like him?" " Yes, very much." "He was quite sick last winter, I was told." "Yes, very sick." "But the doctor cured him, thank God." "Maybe I'll come back this evening." "I'm sure Father will be back for coffee at four." " Then I'll sit down again." " Can I get you anything?" "A coffee?" "It should be ready." "No, thanks." "I'll just sit down and wait." "Sir!" "Can dreams come true?" " That depends." " On what?" "What does it depend on?" "If you dream of being first in your class, and study hard, your dream may come true." " I didn't mean that." " Then what?" "I mean, if you dream of something, really dream it in your sleep, can it come true?" "Why, what did you dream?" "Tell me." "You have something on your mind." "So tell me." "I dreamt that Karli..." " The odd little boy of the..." " I know." "That something terrible will happen to him." "Something terrible?" "Like what?" "I don't know." "Like what happened to Sigi." "But even worse." "But he's so sweet." "He harms no one." "Come, now." "It was only a dream." "Don't take it so seriously." "Dreams don't come true." "Let alone that kind." "But sometimes my dreams do come true." "What do you mean?" "Last winter, before Gustl got sick," "I dreamt my brother opened his window, so that he would die." "And his window was opened, he caught a chill, almost died." "What are you saying?" "That's nonsense!" "We arranged to meet at the railway station, as Eva wanted to avoid being seen with me." "She was living with distant cousins, who gave her parents regular reports on her behaviour." "She had become slimmer." "which made her even prettier." "I was ravished again by her mixture of shyness and almost childlike outspokenness." "So it's not really so awful?" "No." "But sweeping up hair all day..." "The twins were more fun." "But it's all right." "I can't really complain." " No?" " No." "Really." "Aside from the twins, do you miss nothing?" "Come on, you!" "What is the nanny like?" "Does she speak only Italian?" " That's what the steward says." " I see." "Where are you going?" "There's a nice little pond in the wood." "We can picnic there." "I brought some food." " I'd rather not." " Why?" "What is it?" "Nothing." "Please." "I had no improper intentions." "I just wanted you to enjoy the picnic." "Please." "How could I disgrace my future wife?" "All right then, I'll turn around." "Thank you." "Take this and drink it." "This is the blood of the New Testament, shed for you for the forgiveness of sins." "Here!" "He's here!" "Out of the way!" ""For I, the Lord, your God," ""am a jealous God," ""punishing the children for the sins of the parents," ""down to the third and fourth generations. "" "After the atrocities committed on the retarded boy, the Baron was finally convinced it was wiser to enlist the help of the county's police force." "So a few days later, two plain-clothes policemen arrived, who, after visiting several of the crime scenes." "inquired if anyone had noticed anything suspicious." "When I learnt of Karli's torture." "I didn't think of what Erna had told me." "When I remembered." "I hesitated to tell the authorities." "Such an absurd coincidence might jeopardise the reputation and inner peace of the steward's family." "But when I heard that Karli might loose his eyesight," "I made Erna come to the school and tell the policemen about her dream." "We're not as stupid as you think." "But I really dreamt it!" "Look here," "I'll give you one last chance." "Tell us who told you of a plan to torture the boy and we won't repeat it to anyone." "All right?" "She's had dreams before that came true." "Is that so?" "About what, may I ask?" "It was a family matter." "I see!" "A family matter." " Did you check if it was true?" " No." "Well, it may be true." "Maybe she's an authentic clairvoyant, and we're luckier than we think." "Stop crying!" "Your deceitful whining won't work with me." "I've got other ways to make you talk." "I don't believe in witches and sorcerers, and even less in the hallucinations of a brat like you." "So make up your mind to tell me the truth." "I won't drop it until you come clean." "Have you got that?" "Now let's go and see what your parents think of your version of the story." " Would you accompany us?" " Of course." "Hello, there." " What do we have here?" " Good afternoon." "Good afternoon, sir." "Why are you eavesdropping?" "We saw that the teacher had visitors." "We didn't want to intrude." "We were waiting to talk to him." " What do you want?" " To ask you about Karli." " Like what?" " We heard he wasn't well." "We wondered if we could help." "You'll be all right." "I know, it hurts." "Just be patient." "Everything will be fine again." "You'll be fine." "I have to go now, Karli." "Don't worry," "I'll be back tomorrow." "You'll be all right." "Don't be afraid." "The doctor will be back." "Come in." "Yes?" "What is it?" "To replace Peepsie because you're so sad." "Thank you." "You're welcome, Father." " Give me the whistle!" " Sorry?" "The whistle!" "What whistle?" " Give it to me!" " What whistle?" "Give it to me or I'll kill you." "I have no whistle." "Bastard!" "Wretch!" "For God's sake, what has got into you?" "What has he done?" "For the last time, give it to me!" "Give you what, Father?" "What is it?" "What are you talking about?" "You know what I mean!" "But if he says so!" "What's going on?" "Please wait!" "What did the boy do?" "Calm down." "Stay out of this!" "I have to go back to the Baron." "Georg!" "Please, don't!" "You'll kill him!" "With the birch trees in Retenow, it will be 6,000 cubic metres." "It will take them around three weeks." "And now we have an extra 80 Poles." "They have been put up in the annex." "We're all out of bedding." "It takes time." "There are lots of children with them." " In spite of it..." " I won't stay here." "What?" "I'm not staying here." "What's that supposed to mean?" "That I'm leaving with the children." "What do you mean?" "Armin!" "It's not so hard to understand." "How do you plan to do all this?" "I don't know yet." "But in any case, we're leaving this place." ""We"?" "Yes." " That will be all, thank you." " Good night, Baroness, Baron." "I only came back from Italy out of fairness to you." "I wanted to give us a chance." "You wanted to give me a chance?" "Wonderful!" "And now I've had my chance?" "Do you think this will help us solve our problems?" " What?" " Your sarcasm." "What problems do we need to solve?" "Stay here!" "You'll only leave when I say so." "Very well." "I was hoping to spare you this." "At Uncle Eduardo's I fell in love with a man." "He's from Lombardy, a banker, financial adviser to Uncle Eduardo." "He courted me assiduously, and was very fond of the children." "It was thanks to him that Sigi has blossomed." "Despite this, we came back." "Because I felt committed to you." "But I can't stand this place any longer." "It's not about me, although life with you is hardly thrilling for a woman of my age." "I'm leaving so that the children don't grow up in surroundings that are dominated by malice, envy, apathy and brutality." "Sigi's whistle was the last straw." "I'm sick and tired of the persecution, the threats and perverse acts of revenge." "Did you sleep with him?" "You don't understand anything." "Did you sleep with him?" "No, I didn't sleep with him." "You're lying, aren't you?" "Come in." "Good evening." "Good evening, Baroness." " Can I talk to you?" " Can't it wait?" "No, or I wouldn't have disturbed you so late." "What is it?" "They've assassinated Archduke Ferdinand in Sarajevo." "The news spread through the village like wildfire." "What would the consequences be?" "The first to mention "war" was shouted down." "But once the word had been uttered." "it remained stubbornly at the centre of all our thoughts." "I wanted to go to town quickly to discuss with Eva what we should do if war broke out." "Maybe her father would now agree to an earlier marriage." "I asked the Baroness for the bicycle that Eva had borrowed previously." "I planned to use it to visit her on Sunday." "On Friday, when I went to pick up the bicycle," "I witnessed a strange confrontation." "What is it, Mrs Wagner?" "Can I borrow your bicycle?" " It's not mine." " Can I borrow it anyway?" "I just borrowed it myself, to visit my fiancée." "Please!" "Where do you want to go?" " To town." " What for?" "The stubborn steward won't lend me a carriage." "Please lend it to me." "Why?" "What for?" "I have to go to the police." "I know who committed those crimes." "Who?" " Can I have the bicycle?" " Why won't you tell me?" "I will only talk to the police." "I'm sick of insults." " What about the doctor's horse?" " I don't know how to ride." "Please!" "You have to believe me!" "My son told me who did it to him." "He may lose his eyesight." "Please, lend it to me!" "Thanks!" "I was soon sorry that I had given in." "But the state of that usually level-headed woman had upset me." "What had she found out from her son that she didn't dare tell anyone?" "Back in the village, I decided to investigate." " Hello, sir." " Hello, Klara." "What are you doing here?" "We wanted to see how Karli was." " Can't you see it's closed up?" " Yes, we were worried." "We saw Mrs Wagner cycling off." "We wondered what had happened to Karli." "Go home." "You don't belong in here." "Go on home." "Goodbye, sir." "I wondered why the midwife had closed the shutters." "Nobody in the village locked their house." "Why had the midwife locked in her son?" "Karli, can you hear me?" "I thought of Erna's dream again." "What if Erna hadn't dreamt it." "but knew that Karli would be tortured." "who had told her?" "Who wouldn't she denounce?" "The children's interest in Karli seemed strange to me." "Usually, because of his disability, they had no contact with him, or else they treated him disdainfully." "When the midwife couldn't take care of him." "she entrusted him to me." "or the doctor." "But I hadn't seen him since his mishap." "Worried, I decided to ask the doctor." "OFFICE CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE" " Wasn't his daughter in school?" " Yes, she was." "And she said nothing?" "I have a request." " Could I talk to Klara and Martin?" " Won't you wait for my husband?" "He's at the church." "The service is almost over." "But if you insist, please come in." "Have a seat." "I'll fetch them for you." "Good evening, sir." " Won't you sit down?" " Yes, OK." "Gladly." "Can I offer you something?" "A coffee, like during the piano lessons?" "Yes, please." "That's very kind of you." "I'll be right back." "Did you know the doctor was leaving Eichwald?" " Aren't you surprised by my question?" " Our mother just told us." "Didn't Anna tell you?" "Not a word?" "It's odd not to say you're going away on a trip." " Anna doesn't say much." " But this was completely different." " You're hiding something from me." " What?" "I'm waiting for you to tell me." "When you were looking for Karli, what did you want from him?" " We were worried." "He's ill." " I'm asking Martin." "Yes, he isn't well." "And since his mother was leaving, we thought we'd pay him a visit." "Did you never wonder who had mistreated Karli?" "And Sigi?" "Who tied the wire to trip the doctor?" "Who set fire to the barn?" " No?" " Of course, we wondered." "Well?" "Father said it must be a sick person." "Sigi was with you at Thanksgiving." "And Karli was always with you." " I don't understand." " No?" "What did they do wrong?" " Who?" " Sigi and Karli." "What do you mean?" "They were obviously being punished." "What for?" "I don't know." "Erna foresaw that Karli would be punished." "How come?" "I don't know!" "Why are you asking us?" "You're a smart girl, Klara." "Stop acting dumb." "I don't understand." "You should talk about this with Father or Mother." "Shall I get them?" " Martin, will you go?" " Stay here, Martin." "I'll see them later." "I'm talking to you now." "Tell me the truth." " Where were you when Karli was found?" " Here." "I mean, after the confirmation?" "Coffee's coming." "Were the children able to help you?" "I'm afraid not." "They know nothing." "Did his daughter say nothing at school?" "No." "I'm sorry for disturbing you." "Stay." "My husband is coming, and the coffee is almost ready." "Thank you, but I'm worried about the midwife's son." " Didn't she say when she'd be back?" " I didn't ask her." "She caught me off guard." "She was panicked." "Wait, I can hear my husband." "Good evening." "The teacher was waiting for you." "Yes, I'd like a quick word with you." "Please." "Let's go to my study." "It's quieter there." "What's this about?" "I spoke to the midwife." "She said she knew who had tortured her son." "She'll only tell the police so she went to town." "Well?" "She left the boy behind on his own and locked the house." "Locked it?" "I went to ask the doctor if he was looking after the child, but..." "There's a sign up saying that the office is closed." "He and his kids have disappeared." " What does this mean?" " I don't know." "I thought you might know." "That's why I'm here." "I have no idea." "Please, have a seat." "Wasn't his daughter in school?" "Yes, but she mentioned nothing." "I asked Klara and Martin." "They know nothing either." "Why should they?" "I don't know." "I went to Mrs Wagner's place." "They and some others were there." " What for?" " They were looking for the boy." " Why?" " They wanted to help him." "So what?" "I don't know how to say this..." " I think they're hiding something." " What?" "I don't know." "When the doctor had his accident, last year, they appeared in his garden, supposedly, to help Anna." "Yes, and?" "Nothing." "I had forgotten it." "I just remembered today." "I don't understand." "When the Baron's son was found, he'd been with the children just before." "What are you getting at?" "The steward's daughter predicted that Karli would be beaten." "She says she dreamt it." "The police think she's lying." "How did she know?" "Who told her?" "So you're saying that your pupils, my children included, committed these crimes?" "Do you realise what you're saying?" "Do you really know..." "I assume I'm the first person to hear these monstrosities." "If you ever dare to bother others with this, if you ever accuse respectable families and their children, and denounce them publicly," "I'll make sure, and take my word for it, that you go to prison." "I've seen a lot during my work as a pastor, but never anything so repulsive!" "It's obvious that you have no children." "Otherwise, you wouldn't stoop to such aberrations." "You have a sick mind." "How could they let you loose among those poor creatures?" "I will speak to the authorities about this." "Now get out of my house!" "I don't want to see you here again." "The midwife didn't come back." "I waited until morning, two days later." "Then I went to the manor house to inform the Baron." "He told the steward to open the house and take care of the disabled boy." "I'll look upstairs." "I had never been in the midwife's house and felt uncomfortable barging into somebody else's place without permission." "It was strange, but while we were still searching and calling out Karli's name," "I already knew our search was in vain." "Anyone who knew how devoted the midwife was to her son would know she would never have abandoned her wounded Karli." "During the next few weeks, the village gossips worked overtime." "Some claimed the doctor was Karli's father." "He and the midwife had tried to abort the child so their relationship would not be found out and that was how the child was disabled." "Some even claimed that the death of the doctor's wife was suspect, and the two might very well be responsible for it." "Better still. that the doctor and midwife." "as potential murderers, had also perpetrated all the other crimes." "Wanting to spare his legitimate children and himself from any public disclosure of his guilt, the doctor had fled with them." "On 28 July, Austria declared war on Serbia." "On Saturday 1 August, Germany declared war on Russia, and on France the following Monday." "The solemn service the following Sunday was attended by the whole village." "There was a feeling of expectation and departure in the air." "Everything was about to change." "Eva's father." "in view of the approaching war, had taken his daughter back home, and. at her behest." "had come to Eichwald where his future son-in-law lived and worked to look over it." "The prospect of being able to call this beloved creature my wife also made this a day of celebration for me." "The pastor never mentioned our conversation again and apparently never went through with his threat to denounce me." "I was called up at the start of 1917." "After the war." "as my father had died meanwhile," "I sold his house in Vasendorf." "and with the money opened a tailor's shop in town." "I never saw any of the villagers again."