and thinking in fluent German.
“Mamm! Mamm! Mamm!”
Madison sat up and rubbed her eyes. What was that? Blinking to see a dull gray light peeking beneath the bottom of the white linen curtain on the window, she realized it was predawn. Had she ever been up this early before? Maybe at summer camp. She heard a rooster crow, followed by the sound of a child crying. Then she remembered where she was—realizing this wasn’t just a dream.
“Mamm! Mamm!”
“Shush, shush,” Madison told Elizabeth. She spoke in perfect German—just like in her dream. Although telling this fussing child to go back to sleep was probably like telling the sun not to come up.
With great reluctance, Madison got out of bed. Shivering, she crept across the drafty pine floor to peer into the wooden crib. Elizabeth looked at her with a curious expression, watery eyes, and a drippy nose.
“Guder Mariye,” Madison said in a gentle voice. “What do you want?”
Elizabeth held her hands out to be picked up.
“You want Nicht Anna to hold you?”
Elizabeth nodded as if she understood English. Maybe she did. Madison reached down and picked the child up, holding her close and attempting to soothe her with a mix of English and German. To her relief, Elizabeth seemed comfortable with her this morning. She even smiled, patting Madison’s cheek with a chubby little hand. That’s when Madison realized that her nightgown was growing damp.
“Oh!” Madison held Elizabeth back to see that both of their nightgowns were soggy and smelling of urine. She wrinkled her nose. “You are wet.”
“ Wie geht’s , Anna?” Rachel yawned as she came into the room. “ Wie geht’s , Elizabeth?”
“She is wet,” Madison said.
Rachel laughed, saying something in German slang to Elizabeth as she gingerly removed her from Madison’s arms. Setting the little girl on the floor, Rachel peeled off the soggy nightgown and tossed it toward the crib. She pointed to the pegs by Elizabeth’s bed. “You can dress her.”
Madison nodded. Rachel padded out of the bedroom, leaving Madison to figure out how to do this. Shouldn’t the child have a bath? Would that involve heating water? Elizabeth was shivering, so Madison decided just to get some clothes on her before she developed pneumonia. After a brief struggle, Madison managed to get the child into fresh undergarments and a dress, but no shoes, before Elizabeth dashed from the room.
“Good riddance.” Madison shut the door and looked down at her own dampened nightgown, wondering how she would get herself clean without the comfort of warm water. Seriously, how did people live like this? And why?
She gathered up Anna’s dress, the same one she’d worn yesterday, and went down the hall to the sparse bathroom. Using a rough rag, cold water, and some soap that smelled like old tennis shoes, she attempted to clean herself and dress. She had to get out of this place—the sooner the better. If only she’d remembered to keep her phone.
As she went back to her room, tossing the soiled nightgown next to the child’s on the floor, Madison remembered something.
“Uncle Daniel has a phone in the barn,” Anna had told her yesterday. Was it only yesterday they’d sat in the café together?
When Madison had asked why anyone would keep a phone in a barn, Anna had explained that it was only for farm business and emergencies.
“Well, this is an emergency,” Madison said as she slipped her feet into Anna’s shoes. “Anna better answer the phone!”
Madison tiptoed down the stairs, but the wooden treads creaked here and there. She hoped the sounds of the boys’ voices would camouflage her noise. It sounded like Rachel was getting them up, telling them to get dressed and get to their chores. Madison crept through the living room and peeked into the kitchen to make sure Daniel wasn’t lurking in there, but other than a big pot boiling on the cast-iron stove, the kitchen was still. She quietly opened the back door
“Mamm! Mamm! Mamm!”
Madison sat up and rubbed her eyes. What was that? Blinking to see a dull gray light peeking beneath the bottom of the white linen curtain on the window, she realized it was predawn. Had she ever been up this early before? Maybe at summer camp. She heard a rooster crow, followed by the sound of a child crying. Then she remembered where she was—realizing this wasn’t just a dream.
“Mamm! Mamm!”
“Shush, shush,” Madison told Elizabeth. She spoke in perfect German—just like in her dream. Although telling this fussing child to go back to sleep was probably like telling the sun not to come up.
With great reluctance, Madison got out of bed. Shivering, she crept across the drafty pine floor to peer into the wooden crib. Elizabeth looked at her with a curious expression, watery eyes, and a drippy nose.
“Guder Mariye,” Madison said in a gentle voice. “What do you want?”
Elizabeth held her hands out to be picked up.
“You want Nicht Anna to hold you?”
Elizabeth nodded as if she understood English. Maybe she did. Madison reached down and picked the child up, holding her close and attempting to soothe her with a mix of English and German. To her relief, Elizabeth seemed comfortable with her this morning. She even smiled, patting Madison’s cheek with a chubby little hand. That’s when Madison realized that her nightgown was growing damp.
“Oh!” Madison held Elizabeth back to see that both of their nightgowns were soggy and smelling of urine. She wrinkled her nose. “You are wet.”
“ Wie geht’s , Anna?” Rachel yawned as she came into the room. “ Wie geht’s , Elizabeth?”
“She is wet,” Madison said.
Rachel laughed, saying something in German slang to Elizabeth as she gingerly removed her from Madison’s arms. Setting the little girl on the floor, Rachel peeled off the soggy nightgown and tossed it toward the crib. She pointed to the pegs by Elizabeth’s bed. “You can dress her.”
Madison nodded. Rachel padded out of the bedroom, leaving Madison to figure out how to do this. Shouldn’t the child have a bath? Would that involve heating water? Elizabeth was shivering, so Madison decided just to get some clothes on her before she developed pneumonia. After a brief struggle, Madison managed to get the child into fresh undergarments and a dress, but no shoes, before Elizabeth dashed from the room.
“Good riddance.” Madison shut the door and looked down at her own dampened nightgown, wondering how she would get herself clean without the comfort of warm water. Seriously, how did people live like this? And why?
She gathered up Anna’s dress, the same one she’d worn yesterday, and went down the hall to the sparse bathroom. Using a rough rag, cold water, and some soap that smelled like old tennis shoes, she attempted to clean herself and dress. She had to get out of this place—the sooner the better. If only she’d remembered to keep her phone.
As she went back to her room, tossing the soiled nightgown next to the child’s on the floor, Madison remembered something.
“Uncle Daniel has a phone in the barn,” Anna had told her yesterday. Was it only yesterday they’d sat in the café together?
When Madison had asked why anyone would keep a phone in a barn, Anna had explained that it was only for farm business and emergencies.
“Well, this is an emergency,” Madison said as she slipped her feet into Anna’s shoes. “Anna better answer the phone!”
Madison tiptoed down the stairs, but the wooden treads creaked here and there. She hoped the sounds of the boys’ voices would camouflage her noise. It sounded like Rachel was getting them up, telling them to get dressed and get to their chores. Madison crept through the living room and peeked into the kitchen to make sure Daniel wasn’t lurking in there, but other than a big pot boiling on the cast-iron stove, the kitchen was still. She quietly opened the back door
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