their faces.
“Are you feeling all right?” Leni asked the girl.
Angelika looked up at Leni and smiled. “I think so,” she said. She squeezed Leni’s hand. “I feel like I’m in a dream.”
“I know what you mean,” said Leni.
Otto prayed it wouldn’t turn into a nightmare. He dropped the engines to a low idle a few hundred yards from the main jetty and aimed for a large paddle steamer moored there. When he was fifty yards away he cut the engines completely, letting the boat drift in. It bounced gently on the steamer’s cork fenders. He couldn’t believe it. He’d finally managed a good landing. If only the manor’s instructor could have seen it!
He let the girls climb off, then jumped onto the jetty and released the rope. What they needed now was for the current to hide their trail by catching the boat and taking it out onto the water.
There were still a good few hours of darkness left and the village was deserted. They made their way to the small stone church Otto had spotted the day before. It was the only building that would definitely be unlocked and empty at this time of night.
Once inside, Otto led them to the vestry at the side of the altar and they crowded into the little room. He slid the bolt shut on the door, then struck a match and lit the wall lantern. Leni stripped off her novice’s habit and indicated for Angelika to follow suit.
“What are you doing?” Angelika asked as Otto rummaged through one of the packs before retrieving some smaller clothes.
“These are for you; they should fit fine,” he said.
Leni started to help Angelika dress. Like Leni, she would be wearing the summer uniform of the Bund Deutscher Mädel, the League of German Girls.
Otto stepped across to her with a tube of what looked like oil paint. “We also need to dye our hair a different color, Angelika.”
“Why?” Angelika frowned.
“It’ll help us get to Switzerland faster, that’s all. Stand still, please.” He squirted a dollop out of the tube and started to rub it into her hair. Leni finished buttoning her dress and took over from Otto. He squeezed some of the paste into his own hair.
“Is it like a disguise or something?” asked Angelika. “Like dressing up?”
“That’s right,” said Leni. “We’re going to pretend to be a family, traveling across Bavaria together.”
“A family?” Angelika stared at them. “You mean, like you’re my brother and sister?”
“Yes, your big brother and sister,” said Otto, adding, “so we all need to look the same. If that’s all right with you.”
Angelika frowned. “But what’s our name?”
“We’re the Fischers from Salzburg. We’ll tell you all about us as soon as we’re on the road.”
Leni finished rubbing the dye into Angelika’s hair and quickly started on her own.
“I’ve always wanted a brother and sister.”
“Well, now you’ve got them.”
They waited twenty long minutes for the hair dye to act, then rinsed their hair under the tap as best they could. The water was freezing, and Leni yelped with shock. She rubbed Angelika’s hair dry with her novice’s robe, then did the same to her own before using a comb on them both. Otto combed his hair with his fingers. The three of them were now blond. Standing together in their uniforms they looked like poster children for the Third Reich.
Leni’s voice was quiet but there was no mistaking the anger in it. “I hate these stupid clothes.”
“Me, too.” Otto touched her arm. “But let’s try not to think about it.” He handed Angelika a child’s pair of tortoiseshell spectacles. “There’s only clear glass in them.”
Angelika took them tentatively from him and slipped them on. She blinked owlishly through them. “I love them! The nuns in the library wear glasses. Do I look like a librarian?”
Leni smiled approvingly. The transformation was remarkable.
“No one will recognize you now, little sister,” she said.
Angelika frowned again. It was a lot for her
“Are you feeling all right?” Leni asked the girl.
Angelika looked up at Leni and smiled. “I think so,” she said. She squeezed Leni’s hand. “I feel like I’m in a dream.”
“I know what you mean,” said Leni.
Otto prayed it wouldn’t turn into a nightmare. He dropped the engines to a low idle a few hundred yards from the main jetty and aimed for a large paddle steamer moored there. When he was fifty yards away he cut the engines completely, letting the boat drift in. It bounced gently on the steamer’s cork fenders. He couldn’t believe it. He’d finally managed a good landing. If only the manor’s instructor could have seen it!
He let the girls climb off, then jumped onto the jetty and released the rope. What they needed now was for the current to hide their trail by catching the boat and taking it out onto the water.
There were still a good few hours of darkness left and the village was deserted. They made their way to the small stone church Otto had spotted the day before. It was the only building that would definitely be unlocked and empty at this time of night.
Once inside, Otto led them to the vestry at the side of the altar and they crowded into the little room. He slid the bolt shut on the door, then struck a match and lit the wall lantern. Leni stripped off her novice’s habit and indicated for Angelika to follow suit.
“What are you doing?” Angelika asked as Otto rummaged through one of the packs before retrieving some smaller clothes.
“These are for you; they should fit fine,” he said.
Leni started to help Angelika dress. Like Leni, she would be wearing the summer uniform of the Bund Deutscher Mädel, the League of German Girls.
Otto stepped across to her with a tube of what looked like oil paint. “We also need to dye our hair a different color, Angelika.”
“Why?” Angelika frowned.
“It’ll help us get to Switzerland faster, that’s all. Stand still, please.” He squirted a dollop out of the tube and started to rub it into her hair. Leni finished buttoning her dress and took over from Otto. He squeezed some of the paste into his own hair.
“Is it like a disguise or something?” asked Angelika. “Like dressing up?”
“That’s right,” said Leni. “We’re going to pretend to be a family, traveling across Bavaria together.”
“A family?” Angelika stared at them. “You mean, like you’re my brother and sister?”
“Yes, your big brother and sister,” said Otto, adding, “so we all need to look the same. If that’s all right with you.”
Angelika frowned. “But what’s our name?”
“We’re the Fischers from Salzburg. We’ll tell you all about us as soon as we’re on the road.”
Leni finished rubbing the dye into Angelika’s hair and quickly started on her own.
“I’ve always wanted a brother and sister.”
“Well, now you’ve got them.”
They waited twenty long minutes for the hair dye to act, then rinsed their hair under the tap as best they could. The water was freezing, and Leni yelped with shock. She rubbed Angelika’s hair dry with her novice’s robe, then did the same to her own before using a comb on them both. Otto combed his hair with his fingers. The three of them were now blond. Standing together in their uniforms they looked like poster children for the Third Reich.
Leni’s voice was quiet but there was no mistaking the anger in it. “I hate these stupid clothes.”
“Me, too.” Otto touched her arm. “But let’s try not to think about it.” He handed Angelika a child’s pair of tortoiseshell spectacles. “There’s only clear glass in them.”
Angelika took them tentatively from him and slipped them on. She blinked owlishly through them. “I love them! The nuns in the library wear glasses. Do I look like a librarian?”
Leni smiled approvingly. The transformation was remarkable.
“No one will recognize you now, little sister,” she said.
Angelika frowned again. It was a lot for her
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