Theme 15: Silence
“Where were you?!” Max screamed in their daughters face. It was 3 AM. Rosa had snuck in through her Hans’ bedroom window. He was met by nothing but silence.
“Where?!” He screamed spit flying from his mouth. It disgusted her, what Max had become. How much the war had changed him, how much Hitler had. She saw tears brewing in Rosa’s eyes. She stood up from her chair.
“Max,” She said in German. Her daughter understood and spoke it fluently, unlike her sons. They only knew one word: saumensch. “Go. I will handle the girl.” Rosa looked fearful as Max stormed up the stairs, probably waking up 13 year old Hans and the 4 year old twins.
Max never noticed the blood that had been seeping down Rosa’s leg the whole time he had been yelling at her.
Liesel squatted down in front of Rosa. She brushed her daughter’s feather-like hair back. “What’s the matter, little one?” She said in German. She hadn’t called Rosa that since she was little.
Rosa looks at her a moment before bursting into tears. She tells her mother her story. This time it is Liesel who is silent.
Oh, Liesel thinks as she rubs Rosa’s back. My sweet little saumensch. What did they do to you?