The Bright Colours of Misery [COMPLETED]

𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝙵𝙾𝚁𝚃𝚈 𝚃𝚆𝙾 -cold and grey-

"I don't want Walter to die!" She cried, in a begging voice. Heidi pulled her into a tight embrace and she kept crying. Trudy eventually let go of her hand, only to watch sadly, because she could not do anything, Death loomed over Walter and the rest of them and not just because of war, death loomed over them, threatening to wrap its dark blanket around each one of them every single day, and it always had.

***

The evening was cold and the wind whistled around the crooked houses incessantly and caught in it, spiralling around like ballerinas were big, almost magical looking snowflakes. I was watching it all in awe, as the household slept soundly and I truly wish I could tell you a more magical tale instead of what truly happened that night, but sadly I cannot. In the cold and dark hopeless night between the 27th and 28th of November 1940, Alfred came back home, but he never crossed the door.

He stumbled through the streets, clutching two envelopes in his hand, one that was addressed to Trudy, and one that had been left blank. His face was almost entirely red, either from alcohol or the cold, or both. Now, I can say with certainty that It was definitely both. Once he reached his front door, he knocked, once, twice, but no one answered. No one woke up to the sound of it. The wind blew harder against his face. The temperature was dropping. The old looking man let out a cough before trying again, but to no end. No one answered. He was locked out, in the cold, in the absolutely freezing December weather. I tried to wake Heidi up twice, but failed, all my attempts were just as futile as Alfred's. I wasn't pleased to see him, and I didn't necessarily want to invite him back into my human being's home, but his face showed true desperation. He was on a quest, and those letters he held tightly seemed like the attempt of an apology to me, a weak one maybe, but an apology. Alfred muttered under his breath, his hands were slowly turning blue. The wind bit at his skin bit by bit. He knocked again, breathing heavily. He was clearly unwell. I was surprised at how calm he was despite his clearly terrible situation. He showed no sign of aggression. Minutes passed, and despite his shivering body and teary eyes, he did not lose his temper.

"Trudy..please." He whispered under his shaking breath as he knocked for the final time. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." I witnessed this grown man, who had shown such violence, crumble to the floor outside his own house in sobs. He must have felt it, he must have known as the snowflakes fell onto his almost rigid body, that the night would be long, unless it was to be cut short. I did not know what to do, I felt an urgency, a desire to do something but I was powerless. Alfred suddenly pulled himself up and stumbled down the three steps of their 'porch' only to take refuge in the small dent under it, where Heidi used to hide her and Alexander's bike. I went close to him, he couldn't sense my presence in any way, but I stayed. I was there when his hand closed over those letters and despite his many efforts to stay awake, his heavy eyelids closed over his wide eyes.

***

Have you ever seen a dead body? Chances are you have, and usually it is clear the person is gone when you see it. The rigid lifeless state of it is very telling, even more so when it's frozen and plagued with dark spots from frostbite, then death is more than noticeable. Heidi had never seen death so closely before, neither had Frieda. On the 25th of November around 7am, The people of Apfelstraße had yet to notice anything was out of the ordinary. Heidi, Manfred and Gisela were having breakfast. The young red haired girl had given her portion to her brother after taking only a few spoons. She couldn't stand to see him go hungry all day. Frieda had just ran upstairs to find her scarf when Trudy placed a loaf of bread in front of Heidi's now empty bowl.

"Could you do me a favour?" She asked, Heidi rolled her eyes and grabbed the loaf only to shove it in her bag that sat right at her feet, as if she were feeding a dog. Trudy smiled softly. "Thank you."

"It's for Frau Werner, right?" Heidi asked for confirmation as if she hadn't been paying her a visit every other morning for the past weeks. "Just give it to her when you-"

"When I get Astrid, yes." Heidi completed, getting up to look at the old pendule in the living room. Her eyes widened as she realised how surprisingly late it was.

"Frieda!" She called. 'We have to go!"

Manfred and Gisela had already tied their shoelaces once she came running down the stairs, waving her red scarf around in the air.

"Sorry." She sighed, pulling her dark brown shoes on. Heidi crossed her arms over her chest for a second, there was no way they would  be at school on time.

Frieda looked up at her and scoffed. "Oh don't look so angry, Heidi, you could do the same."

Heidi rolled her eyes and opened the door, letting all her siblings out. Frieda almost forgot her scarf, the one she had spent almost half an hour looking for, on the bench in the hallway. Heidi grabbed it with irritation and chucked it at her twin as she slammed the door behind her.

"At least take it with you!" She exclaimed, chuckling at her expression. Frieda rolled her eyes with a sigh and just as she was about to wrap it around her neck, protecting it from the ridiculous temperature, it slipped from her hands, and fell off their 'porch' right onto the icy ground.

Heidi started laughing, this really wasn't a good day for this poor scarf.

Frieda hurried down the steps and turned around the stairs. I felt as if the world would slow down or even stop as she reached for her red knitted scarf. I saw her eyes widen and the colour drain from her face so clearly, I can still picture it vividly.

It felt as if I could read every single question that went through her mind by her face alone. The dominant one being.

What should I do?

She had frozen into place and her eyes couldn't leave her father's lifeless body, no matter how hard she tried.

"Heidi?" Her lips quivered as she spoke, unable to make herself heard, desperate for her not to see this, for her to join her down there and tell her it was all in her head.

"Frieda come on, we'll be late!" Heidi and Alexander–who had now joined them outside exclaimed in unison, with careless giggles.

Frieda didn't move.

"Heidi." She said, louder than before, but not quite enough to convey the kind of urgent help she needed, she took a step back.

What should I do?

The desperate question was written all over her pale face.

"Heidi!" She finally yelled, her eyes snapping away from this horrifying sight at last, however, I knew nothing could rid her mind of it. Heidi emerged behind her sister just then. She had never heard her sound that distraught before, and it worried her.

However, despite her sometimes gruesome imagination, Heidi could never have even begun to imagine what she saw, much like her sister she froze, feeling her skin, bones and blood go cold as her eyes fell upon the familiar corpse. The blue and black spots on the tips of his cold fingers, and the red blisters that patterned his skin would be ingrained in her memory for the rest of her life, never would she be able to unsee it.

"Papa," Frieda whispered helplessly. Her words seemed to have brought Heidi back to her senses because she turned around and looked her best friend straight in the eyes, only to say:

"My father's dead."