Elfie

      It was the summer of 1939 and I had just turned ten, the nationally required age for induction into the “Jungvolk”, a national youth-group like the Boy Scouts for ages ten to fourteen. From age fourteen to eighteen it became the “Hitler Youth” and preparation for the army. All ten year-olds lined up in the village center facing a large picture of the Fuehrer. After some short introduction speeches by the local party officials who instructed us to honor our mother and father, our “Great Fatherland” and most of all our “Fuehrer”, we sang the now National Anthem- “Deutschland, Deutschland Ueber Alles.” Following the ceremony we received our brand her uniforms we were going to wear proudly to our weekly meeting and other “Jungvolk” activities.

      It was mushroom season again in Han’’s hometown forest, but other events over-shadowed the usually tranquil settings of a few years ago. Hans was on his way home from school where his early childhood sand-drawings now became indications of artistic potential and made him the leader in his art class. As he and his friend wandered down the street past the spring-water trough, the earth began to move. Slat tiles came tumbling from the nearby roofs as they ran for home, ducking their heads and in fear for their lives. But within a few seconds, the earth stood still again and a mysterious calm took over. People came running out of their houses. One of them was Anna who lived next to the water trough. She said, “I told them the other day, I saw riders in the clouds a few nights ago and now the earthquake proves it. It’’s going to happen, first the riders, then the earthquake and soon it will be war followed by pestilence and the end of the world.”

      Anna was an old lady who conferred with the Gypsies every year who were always full of predictions about the future and knowledge about the signs from which one could predict future events such as storms, earthquakes and war. Katherine was always a willing listener but never really believed anything she said until two weeks after the earthquake when the German army rolled into Poland to start World War Two; the war to end all wars.