A.N. - This is my miniature sequel to 'Tears of Innocene'. The title 'Tears in Heaven' has nothing to do with the Eric Clapton song, even though it is an excellent song. On the other hand, please enjoy this. I know some people wanted to know what the rest of the VonTrapp's reactions would be to Friedrich's death.
Tears in Heaven
Maria VonTrapp stood outside the small hotel that Georg VonTrapp had rented rooms from for her family's accomidation. She stared wearily out at the falling snow that drifted off of the peaks of the great Alpine Mountains. She, along with the rest of the family, was greatly aching for news on Friedrich and Kurt. Maria knew that Friedrich could hold out for himself - but Kurt? He was young, and he still held many fears that Friedrich had long ago banished. Surely Kurt would die at the hands of the Nazis early on.
Maria shivered in the cool wind. She turned to go inside when she heard the soft clicking noises of a horse's hooves on the stone road. Maria turned her head to glance over her shoulder when she saw two young officers sitting in a carriage coming towards her. The driver stopped the horse right infront of her and one of the young officers jumped out of the carriage.
"Good - day," he said in a noble British accent. "I am Officer Middleton of the British Royal Air Force. As you may or may not know, England has just recently taken the liberty of liberating the concentration camp Bergen - Belson."
Maria looked at Officer Middleton. "Well, how may I be helping you? Surely you have more of a purpose then explaining to me news that had not yet reached my ears until you spoke it," she said. Behind her, the door to the hotel opened. Liesl, Louisa, Brigitta, Marta, and Gretl gathered onto the front porch of the hotel and peered over the railing at Officer Middleton.
Liesl stepped off of the porch and stood firmly next to Maria. She would do anything to help her new mother - and she was oddly suspicous of the news that the officer was going to bring. She had a horrible feeling - something was wrong. Horribly wrong. But what? The worse news that could possible come was that Friedrich and Kurt had both been killed in a brutal fashion.
"Hello," Officer Middleton said to Liesl, who did not respond. He turned his attention back to Maria. "I am guessing, though I am almost sure on the answer, that your are Maria VonTrapp?"
"Yes, I am," Maria responded. "Again, what is your purpose?"
"I have both good and bad news concerning the boys that your husband put a warrant out on," he stated.
Lisel gripped Maria, who had gone slightly pale. Up on the porch, Louisa gripped Brigitta has they both leaned farther over the railing in anticipation to hear news of their brothers. Marta and Gretl stood still and waited to hear of the news.
"Is your husband home?" Officer Middleton required. At that time the second officer had emerged from the carriage. He was much younger then the first, and he looked around at this surroundings. His eyes met with Liesl's for a brief moment, and he gave her the smallest of smiles.
"My father is not home," Liesl answered for Maria. "Please, stop the questions and tell us about my brothers!"
"Anxious, she is," the second officer remarked.
"Get the boy," Officer Middleton said to the second officer. He strode to the carriage and disappeared. "I would like to tell you of the news myself, but I think that the young child can tell you that himself."
The second officer reappeared. Following close behind him was Kurt, his clothes and hair touseled from days of it being unkept. Marat and Gretl gave forth cries of joy and ran down the steps of the porch to their brother. They threw their arms around him and hugged him close. Kurt barely realized what was going on. His eyes were tearing slightly as the memory of Friedrich hung heavily in his mind.
Liesl, Louisa, and Brigitta made their way to hug their brother. Maria was the last one to welcome him home. She went down to his height and peered into his eyes. "Why do you cry, Kurt? You're home now." She pulled him into a hug. Then she looked at the officers. "Where is Friedrich?" she asked after realizing that he was not with his brother.
Kurt tugged on Maria's sleeve to regain his attention. "Friedrich..." was all he managed to whisper before he burst into tears and dug his head into Maria's shoudler. Maria tightened her grip on the boy as her eyes began to tear also. She didn't need to hear it from Kurt - her heart already told her what had happened.
"They...they took him...took him from me..." Kurt sobbed. "They...lined them up...they...shot him...everywhere...he was...so bloody...blood was everywhere..."
The girls, all being held in an embrace by Liesl, had started to cry. Liesl herself was struggling to hold her composure for her sisters, to be the strong one, but it was not working. She too broke down into tears at a memory of her beautiful brother and the thought that he was now a corpse. His soul, all of his beautiful ways, were in heaven...with their mother.
"Were is his body?" Maria asked the officer through her curtain of tears. "What have you done with him?"
"We've taken him to a local morgue," Officer Middleton replied sadly. "We could take you, if you'd like."
"Please," Maria said. She stood up. "Liesl and Kurt, please come with me. Louisa, stay with the rest. We'll be back soon." Louisa nodded as she watched Maria, Liesl, and Kurt gather into the carriage with the officers and headed off.
"Let's go inside," Lousia suggested to her younger sisters.
The morgue, an old stone building that was just as creepy as the sound of the word 'morgue', stood on the outskirts of the small Swiss town. The carriage ride their had been quiet, savor the wimpering noises coming from an emotionally scarred Kurt. The carriage pulled over to the side of the road and the small procession came forth from it. Slowly they made their way inside, and after inquiring exactly where Friedrich lied, they headed downstairs.
The owner of the morgue lead them into a small room. There, in the middle and lying on a cot, was a body covered with a single white sheet. Maria was hesitant to go near the corpse. Liesl was the one who walked over to the body and pulled back the sheet just so the face could be seen. She screamed and then burst into tears. Maria held her head in her hands for a moment before approaching Friedrich's body.
Kurt, who had stood in the shadows for a brief moment, moved towards Friedrich. He was shaking, remembering how he had first seen him when he had died. Finally he managed to reach his brother. He put out a trembling hand to touch Friedrich's shoudler. The face, once full of life, looked so horribly dead. The lips were blue, and the skin had become an unrecognizable pale color.
Kurt bit his lip to keep himself from relapsing into tears, but it failed and he collapsed completley.
The hardened face of Georg VonTrapp looked pitously down at the body of his son. There was not a tear in his eye as he stood tall and unbreakable at Friedrich's funeral. It was quick - all that was left was the burial of the body. Georg turned to look at Kurt, the only child who could bare to look at Friedrich. Kurt's health had been bad since he had seen Friedrich's body in the morgue, and Georg did not know how his son could bare to stand next to him with a seemingly straight face.
"Close the lid," Georg said to the pallbearers. He turned and strode outside.
Kurt remained, staring at his brother's face until the lid was fully shut. Soon the casket was outside - but Kurt had yet to move. He remained inside, crying.
Outside, a slow rain began to fall. It was the rain's way of crying simple tears in heaven.
fin.