She sit on the cold, ripped seats of her old school bus. Girls beside her sing nursery rhymes with dark and twisted meaning, turned into wives tales. When she breathes, puffs of warm air turn into cold clouds of her past. She looks out the window into the scenery that slowly turns from green lush parks to dark and dreary dirt roads that lead only to death.
Adelheid is 18 years old and sick of the war. Its pointless meaning and failed justice. Her brother Werner was 17 when he died, 1914. She remembers that day, the day a man in a big blue car stopped by her house with a letter. He knocked on poor 15 year old Adels door with hushed words and a dog tag with the name they all dreaded, Werner Fischer. Oh how her father howled. Her mothers rushed foot steps and wet, tears. She tugs on her moms dress, "Mutter, Mutter!? Wo ist Werner? Wann wird er nach Hause Kommen?"-When will he come home? Her mother cried harder as the blue car swerves out of their drive way, carrying dog tags for other dreary mothers.
From that day forward Adelheid Fischer saw no good ever come from the war but a lowered population (like thats any good). Men either starved or were shot down by others who claim to be lifelong enemies. Adel does not blame the Soldats, she blames the leaders, who carelessly throw lives away for reasons that can be fixed over a turkey dinner. Why can't men just express their emotions?
For years Adel had swerved the duty on dancing with the Soldiers. Every time they rounded up girls on the bus she simply hid in her room, behind closed curtains. But of course that day her Mother needed bread. She tried as sneakily as she could to hide herself from the giddy girls and commanding bus driver, but of course Ida Schmidt had to wave to her. "Look its Adel! Come join us Adel, we plan to dance with the young men who are saving the Fatherland!" Adel tries to rush past but you know how strong love struck teenagers may be. The few Pfennigs for bread still lay warm in her pocket.
As the bus rounds the final corner of their trip Adel blows out one more, large, sigh. She did not think she could handle these brainwashed men and flirtatious girls for one minute. She thinks of crying but she is already to exhausted from the occurrences of the conversation of marriage and the way some of the girls talk about how she may find her future Mann. She wants to laugh, little do most of these madchens know these "men" (who are merely boys) will very probably only live for a few more weeks, due to their deadly escapades. Besides who wants a dead Mann, certainly not Adelheid, she already has a dead bruder.
TO BE CONTINUED...
YOU ARE READING
The Blind Eye
Short StoryIts the year 1917 and a young woman named Adelheid is on a bus heading to 23rd regiment, most German school girls from 15-18 an were sent to dance with the Soldiers of the Great War some nights, she seethes with anger at the thought of helping these...
