The CBB
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The flames that burn on, part II, completed p 17/05/09, p9
http://www.the-cbb.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=5957
Author:  Alison H [ 18 Apr 2009, 08:13 ]
Post subject:  The flames that burn on, part II, completed p 17/05/09, p9
The Tiernsee was absolutely gorgeous, Ricki proclaimed repeatedly, even at this time of year. She’d seen some lovely sights in both England and Switzerland, but this was definitely something else: she could certainly understand why everyone raved about it so much. And, from the various tales that Con had recounted of the adventures of the early Chalet School girls – “Stop me if I’m boring you!” – it sounded as if life at the school had been far more fun generally in its Tyrol days than in her own time there. It wasn’t that she hadn’t enjoyed her time as a Chalet School girl, especially all the rambles and expeditions they’d gone on, but Briesau and its neighbouring villages had a charm that the Gornetz Platz, which always seemed so confined somehow, just hadn’t.

She marvelled at both the glorious scenery and the general ambience of the area over and over again; and Con, seeing and feeling it all anew through her friend’s eyes, marvelled at it too. She’d never have the feeling for the Tiernsee that her parents and her Auntie Madge and Uncle Jem and those of her elder cousins who’d once lived there did; but it was a very special part of the world, there was no denying it.

They walked round the lakeside from the train station at Seespitz as far as Briesau, and once they’d had a long look round the area where the Chalet School had begun its life they walked on beyond Briesau as well, and they even went up to the Sonnalpe to have a look at Die Rosen, now the home of the present head of the Sanatorium, the San itself, and Das Pferd where Gottfried and Gisela Mensch lived. They wondered whether or not they ought to call in, not wanting to impose but at the same time feeling that the Mensches would be offended if they found out that they’d been in the area and hadn’t called in, but as it turned out there was nobody at home so that solved the problem!

Con also pointed out to Ricki the building which had been used as the “Chalet School Annexe”, where girls in poor health had been taught, and, finally, the larger building which had originally been a hotel and had then been bought by the Russells and used by the school when it had left its original home and moved briefly to the Sonnalpe in 1938, in the end spending only a few months there before being forced to leave Austria for good.

How much had the pupils who’d been there during those last months known about what was going on, she wondered. Some of the older girls, in particular, must have had a pretty good idea. Had they thought about it much? Had they been frightened? How had the German and Austrian girls felt when they’d been forced to leave, and how had the girls from other countries felt about having their friends taken away from them? She knew all about the Chalet School Peace League, but she didn’t think that she’d ever thought about it so deeply until now.

Luckily there were buses running between the lake and the Sonnalpe these days, so they didn’t have to face the long climb up and down the mountainside that the girls of yesteryear had done. Once they’d boarded a bus they were back by the shores of the Tiernsee in no time at all, and were just rueing the fact that the steamers didn’t run at this time of year – it would have been fun to have been able to get out on to the lake itself - when Con belatedly remembered that they’d agreed to call in at the Kron Prinz Karl to retrieve a book which Anneliese had managed to leave there whilst visiting her grandparents and cousins the previous weekend.

“Only if you get chance, and only if you’re sure you don’t mind,” Karen had said apologetically. She and Rudi and the twins almost always went over to Briesau themselves at some point on either a Saturday or a Sunday, she’d explained, but a big wedding reception was being held at the hotel on this particular Saturday evening so there was just no way that they’d be able to afford any time away from Mayrhofen this weekend. Of course, if it was going to be any trouble then Anneliese would just have to wait until next week to get her book back, however eager she might be to finish reading it, but if they were going there anyway and they wouldn’t mind …

Con and Ricki had assured her that of course they wouldn’t mind, so she’d telephoned her niece – “well, my niece by marriage, Rudi’s brother’s daughter” – who along with her husband now ran the Kron Prinz Karl, and had arranged for the book to be put behind the reception desk ready for them so that it’d only take them a minute to collect it.
Author:  abbeybufo [ 18 Apr 2009, 09:34 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 18/04/09
Alison H wrote:
...so that it’d only take them a minute to collect it.


Now have I an unnaturally suspicious mind, or will this mean something happens to delay them??? [Maybe I've been reading too much RCS :lol: ]

Thanks Alison
Author:  JB [ 18 Apr 2009, 10:05 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 18/04/09
Abbeybufo wrote:

Quote:
Now have I an unnaturally suspicious mind, or will this mean something happens to delay them???


If you have, that'll be two of us.

Thanks, Alison. That was a lovely description of the Tiernsee through the eyes of a newcomer.
Author:  Lesley [ 18 Apr 2009, 11:13 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 18/04/09
abbeybufo wrote:
Now have I an unnaturally suspicious mind, or will this mean something happens to delay them??? [Maybe I've been reading too much RCS :lol: ]


:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:


Thanks Alison
Author:  JS [ 18 Apr 2009, 13:54 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 18/04/09
Yes, feels suspiciously like a cliff... Olympic athletes staying at the hotel, perhaps....? :wink:
Author:  Alison H [ 19 Apr 2009, 08:11 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 18/04/09
Well, that had been the theory, anyway! Rudi and Karen’s niece, Gretchen Weber, née Braun, who along with her husband now ran the Kron Prinz Karl, was in the reception area herself when they arrived. She knew Con, having met her on a couple of occasions when the Maynards had been staying at their holiday home at nearby Buchau and had called in at the hotel, and greeted her and her friend enthusiastically, asking after Biddy Courvoisier and various other people with whom she’d been friendly during her own short time at the Chalet School.

“I wasn’t there all that long, unfortunately,” she explained to Ricki. “I’ve got very happy memories of the time I did have there, though. It was really my grandfather who wanted me to go there, and my mother wasn’t sure about it all – I was only ten, and really she wanted me to go a day school in Innsbruck and lived at home – but I’ve always been glad that in the end my parents decided that my grandfather was right. It was a lovely school, and I made some good friends there.” A shadow crossed her face. “I never saw most of them again, after I had to leave.”

Ricki, aware that almost all the Chalet School’s Austrian and German pupils had been forced to leave, and in most cases to attend Nazi-run schools instead, was uncertain how to respond, not wanting to risk saying the wrong thing as she’d inadvertently done at the Schloss Wertheim. However, she felt that she ought to say something, so she just murmured “What a shame”. Then, as thoughts of how distressed she’d been when she’d had to leave St Margaret’s House and Sue and all her other friends behind, under circumstances which had been far easier than those under which so many girls had had to leave the Chalet School, she reached out and lightly touched the older woman’s arm. “I’m so sorry,” she said sincerely. “It must have been very hard for you.”

Gretchen nodded. “It was a difficult time. We all thought so much of the Chalet School, and we were all such good friends there. It was a sad time for all of us. And, I think, in some ways worse of all for Frau Doktor Russell – Lady Russell, I should say. To build up a school from nothing and then see so many of its pupils taken away. And for her husband too, being forced to sell the Sanatorium after his wonderful work there. I thought of them and all my friends at the school often, over the years that followed.”

She shook her head. “Still, that was a long time ago. It doesn’t do to dwell on the past. Those days are over. Now, may I offer you a cup of coffee, and something to eat, maybe? In fact, if you aren’t in a hurry to get anywhere, perhaps you could come through to our living area and see my grandparents for a little while? They’d love to see you, I know. They don’t get out much these days, and they love having visitors.”

Con and Ricki exchanged glances. Spending ages sitting at the Kron Prinz Karl making polite conversation with the elder Brauns hadn’t exactly been part of their plans for the day; but it wouldn’t look very polite if they refused and they didn’t want to offend anybody. Eventually, Con, raising her eyebrows at Ricki in a way which she hoped would convey that this was the best compromise she could think of, put a smile on her face, turned back to face Gretchen, and nodded.

“That would be very nice,” she said politely. “I’m afraid we won’t be able to stay long, though. We’ve been asked round to my cousin David’s house.” It wasn’t really a lie, she told herself: they had been asked round to David’s house, even though there hadn’t been any definite arrangement! “But we could certainly pop in and say hello, if you’re sure that they’d like us to.”

They were actually quite glad that they’d decided to stay for a bit when they saw how glad Herr and Frau Braun senior were to see them: they were absolutely delighted to see Con, and made almost as much fuss of Ricki on the grounds that she was Con’s friend. Frau Braun said at least five times that Con was “the spitting image of your dear mother and your dear aunt” (“How on earth I’m supposed to look like both of them when they look nothing like each other is anyone’s guess,” Con remarked later), much to her embarrassment and Ricki’s amusement; and the elderly couple insisted on hearing all about all the latest news of Joey and Jack, and said how pleased they’d been to see Madge and Jem who’d called in to see them whilst visiting David and Gretchen the previous autumn.

They also asked after Robin. “I remember the first time I saw her: she looked like a little angel,” Frau Braun said, smiling reminiscently. “And so sweet-natured as well. It’s a very great thing, to have a calling to enter the religious life, but I’m sure that she’s worthy of it. And she’s in Canada now, if I recall correctly? Do you get over there to see her often?”

“Er, not really,” Con said awkwardly. “It’s such a long way, and it’s expensive to get there … ” She stopped. Why was she making excuses? How often had she said that she was going to save up and get over to Montréal to see Auntie Robin, and to see Marie-Adelaide too? Look at people like Sarah Goldmann, who had no family left. Look at what Gretchen Weber had just been saying, about being torn away from her friends – who knew what lay around the corner? It had been too long since she’d seen Robin – far, far too long. Well, it wasn’t going to be much longer, she vowed. She was going to make sure of that. “I’m going to go over there to see her soon, though,” she said firmly. “I am. I definitely am.”
Author:  Lesley [ 19 Apr 2009, 08:35 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 19/04/09
Good for you, Con, don't put things off, you never know what's round the corner.

Gretchen's (Braun - as was) response is very typical, isn't it? Don't dwell on the past, don't think about it. :cry:


Thanks Alison
Author:  abbeybufo [ 19 Apr 2009, 09:13 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 19/04/09
Thanks Alison - good to see the elder Brauns again :D
Author:  JS [ 19 Apr 2009, 09:42 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 19/04/09
That's quite an inspiration - I'm resolving to see old friends more often as I write.
Author:  Fiona Mc [ 19 Apr 2009, 10:01 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 19/04/09
Thanks Alison, glad Con znd Ricki enjoyed their visit with the Brauns
Author:  shazwales [ 19 Apr 2009, 16:39 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 19/04/09
Thanks Alison, love the comment about Con looking like Joey and Madge :D :D
Author:  brie [ 19 Apr 2009, 19:28 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 19/04/09
Thanks Alison, I really like con and Ricki in this, and lovely to 'see' the Tiernsee again!
Author:  Miss Di [ 20 Apr 2009, 04:06 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 19/04/09
Thanks Alison, a relaxing (well mostly) interlude.
Author:  Alison H [ 20 Apr 2009, 07:54 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 19/04/09
Herr and Frau Braun both insisted that Con must remember them to Robin when she next wrote to her, or indeed when she saw her, and then they fell to reminiscing generally about the days when the Chalet School had been such an integral part of life in Briesau. At Herr Braun’s request, Gretchen brought in an old photograph album which included some pictures of the lakeside during the 1920s and 1930s, including a picture of the original Chalet School building just before Herr Braun had first let it to the young Madge Bettany, and Con and Ricki pored over them in delight.

There were various other photographs in the album too. Some were of Gretchen’s parents’ wedding, and of Gretchen as a little girl, and there were also some older ones – pictures of Rudi and his elder brother as children and, right at the front of the album, some pictures of Herr and Frau Braun senior on their wedding day, both in traditional Tyrolean dress. Con and Ricki were both fascinated by them, especially Ricki who’d never been to Austria before, and they were both thrilled too to see some postcards of Vienna at the turn of the century, bought by the Brauns during their honeymoon trip there.

“We even caught sight of the Emperor whilst we were there,” Frau Braun told them. “Oh, I can’t tell you how excited we were, actually to see him in the flesh! He suffered such terrible tragedies in his life, his wife being killed and then their son taking his own life, and then of course later he lost his eldest nephew so terribly, but he stayed strong through it all. Oh, I couldn’t believe that I’d actually seen him!”

“I think she was more excited about seeing the Emperor than she was about getting married!” Herr Braun joked. “And what a city Wien was when we were young! The cultural capital of Europe, whatever people in Paris or St Petersburg might have thought! Not as nice as Innsbruck, though, of course.” He winked. “We Tyroleans much prefer our own part of the world to any other, you know. But Wien was a very special place back then. Of course, it is still, but … anyway, would either of you care for some more coffee?”

They hadn’t intended to stay long, but they were enjoying listening to the elderly couple’s reminiscences so much that they both accepted another cup, and well over an hour had passed when they finally left the Kron Prinz Karl, Con with Anneliese’s book in her handbag.

“I really enjoyed that!” Ricki said as they walked down the path which led away from the hotel. “It was great seeing all the old photos – and fancy them actually having seen Franz Josef!” She frowned. “None of them wanted to talk about what happened just before the school closed and in the years following that, though, did they?”

Con shook her head. “No. They were fine talking about what happened before the Anschluss, and what’s happened more recently, but … well, there’s that section in the middle that most people in Austria just don’t seem to want to mention. I suppose you do get periods of history that people don’t like to lay too much emphasis on – there are all sorts of examples, if you think about it – but this is something different.” She shook her head again. “Everything that we were talking about with Sarah … it’s horrible: it’s so horrible. I don’t wonder that people find it hard to talk about. But when things aren’t talked about, when they aren’t faced up to …”


She fell silent, and for a few moments neither of them said anything, both thinking deeply as they walked along, until they reached the banks of the lake and Ricki suddenly grabbed Con’s arm.

“I thought you were going to go straight into the lake then: you were miles away!” she said. She giggled. “We’d have had to wait for a doctor for the San to come and rescue you, in true Chalet School tradition!”

“Or else you could have dived in to save me, like Prunella Davidson did when Margot fell into Lake Lucerne during our first term in Switzerland,” Con said, starting to laugh as well. “Oh dear! Sorry about that! Anyway, what shall we do now? Are you ready to head back yet, or d’you want to look round a bit more?”

Ricki glanced at her watch. It was still only quite early in the afternoon: it would still be quite a while before it started to grow dark. “It seems a shame to go back just yet,” she commented. “You know, I really don’t mind if you want to call in and see your cousins whilst we’re here. They seemed very nice. “And …” She blushed. “Well, this is going to sound awful, but I’d quite like to see inside a real Tyrolean house. I’ve only seen hotels so far.”

Con laughed. “I’d love to call in at David and Gretchen’s, if you don’t mind – David did said that they’d be in and to pop round if we got chance - but … well, sorry to disappoint you, but these days most houses in any Western country seem to look pretty similar to those in any other Western country, on the inside at any rate. Sad, but true all the same!”

Ricki looked slightly shamefaced at that, and Con immediately put her hand on her friend’s arm apologetically. “Hey, don’t look like that. I know what you meant – sorry, I shouldn’t have laughed! And the house is actually very Tyrolean-looking from the outside, and I suppose that the kitchen’s quite typically Tyrolean as well. Well, it is from what I remember: I’ve only been there the once, the last time I stayed at Die Blumen. And if you’re sure you don’t mind, I would quite like to pop in whilst we’re here: I don’t see them very often, and I don’t know when I’ll next get the chance to. Only if you’re sure that you’re all right about it, though. I know that being stuck with other people’s relations isn’t usually very exciting!”

Ricki assured her again that she didn’t mind; and so they made their way from the shores of the lake to David and Gretchen’s home on the outskirts of Briesau village. Con rang on the doorbell, and David, Daniel at his heels, answered it a few moments later. He was obviously genuinely very pleased to see them both, but they could hear several voices coming from inside the house. Clearly, the Russells had visitors already.
Author:  keren [ 20 Apr 2009, 08:09 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 20/04/09
and who are they?
Author:  JB [ 20 Apr 2009, 08:35 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 20/04/09
More voices! Luxury - just read two updates at once.
Author:  Fiona Mc [ 20 Apr 2009, 11:14 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 20/04/09
Glad Ricki and Con had a great visit in the end. Lovely to hear about all the turn of the centuary stuff. Can well imagine Frau Braun being excited about seeing the Emperor. I remember feeling that way when I saw the Queen in a parade
Author:  Joey [ 20 Apr 2009, 11:30 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 20/04/09
Thanks, Alison! This is still good.

Are we going to get to see Con's visit to Robin? Pretty please?
Author:  abbeybufo [ 20 Apr 2009, 14:19 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 20/04/09
Thanks Alison
*also intrigued to know who the other visitors are*
Author:  Miss Di [ 21 Apr 2009, 04:09 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 20/04/09
Sadly I probably won't get to read anymore until the weekend. But I am enjoying this Alison and want to know who the other visitors are!
Author:  Alison H [ 21 Apr 2009, 07:51 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 20/04/09
The Goldmanns don't feature in this particular post but I just wanted to mention that, as Elder said a few days ago, although Britain and most European countries mark Holocaust Memorial Day in January, on the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the international Holocaust Memorial Day is held in April, marking the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, and this year it's April 21st, which is today.

“Have we called at a bad time?” Con asked in a low voice. “Just say if we have: we don’t want to get in your way.”

David looked surprised. “Of course it’s not a bad time, and why on earth would you think you’d be getting in our way? We’ve actually been keeping an eye out for you: we were hoping you’d get chance to call in whilst you were in Briesau.”

“It’s just that we can hear that you’ve got guests here already,” Con said hastily. “Honestly, just say if it’s not a good time: we can go and walk round the lake for a bit and come back later if that’d suit you better?”

“Oh no – really, it’s fine,” David assured her. “Gretchen’s grandparents are here, looking at those photos I was telling you about the other day, but they certainly won’t mind you being here so long you don’t mind them being here! In fact, they’ll probably be very pleased to see you. They’re always pleased to see any of my relations or anyone connected with us.” He started to laugh. “Goodness knows why, but they are!”

“Oi –less of the “Goodness knows why,” please!” Con started to laugh as well. “I just hope that they don’t start telling me how much I look like Mamma and Auntie Madge! We’ve just been over to the Kron Prinz Karl – Karen and Rudi can’t get over to Briesau this weekend because they’ve got a big do on, and Anneliese left something behind last week so we said we’d get it for her – and Frau Braun kept insisting that I was the image of both of them!”

“Oh, every time I go in there she tells me that I’m the image of my mum, and that Daniel looks exactly like I did when I was nearly two: Gretchen gets fed up to the back teeth of it,” David said with a grin. “They’re a nice old couple, though, aren’t they?”

“We had a very interesting chat with them, actually,” Ricki said. “They were telling us all about what Briesau was like when the Chalet School first opened, and they even told us about when they went to Vienna on their honeymoon and they saw the Emperor Franz Josef. And they made me feel really welcome, which was very kind of them considering that they’d never even met me before … look, are you sure that I’m not going to be in the way. I mean, Con’s your cousin, but I’m …”

“You’re Con’s friend, and that more or less makes you one of the family as well.” He smiled. “I’m afraid! Now, come on, you two – are you coming in? I’ve got a horrible feeling that Daniel’s going to try to escape if the door’s open much longer … er, no you don’t, young man! Come here!” He hastily grabbed his son, who just as he’d predicted had decided to try to make a dash through the open door, and lifted him firmly up into his arms. Con and Ricki, smiling at each other, both walked inside.

Once they were all in the living room, David set Daniel back down, and the little boy picked up one of his toys and went to show it to his great-grandfather, whilst Gretchen, after welcoming Con and Ricki warmly, explained to her grandparents whom they were. They’d met Con before, but only briefly, and of course they didn’t know Ricki. “They’re staying at Auntie Karen and Rudi’s hotel,” she explained. “Although they’re going back to London on … Monday, isn’t it?”

Con nodded. “Monday,” she confirmed. “It’ll be hard going back to work: we’ve had such a lovely time in Mayrhofen, and I was at the Gornetz Platz for a few days before that so I’ve had quite a long break.”

Greetings and polite enquiries about health were exchanged, and then Herr Pfeifen, referring back to Con’s comment about having spent a few days at the Gornetz Platz, asked how his niece was. “We haven’t seen her for a while, although I know she’s hoping to come over at Easter.”

It took Ricki a minute to realise that he was talking about Anna. The relationships between Con’s family and the Pfeifens were all so complicated! And went back the best part of forty years, she realised, thinking about it: Herr and Frau Pfeifen had first met Mrs Maynard and her brother and her sister when Mrs Maynard had been a child of just seven or so – not all that long after the First World War. How much had happened in Austria since then, she thought, thinking back over everything that she’d learnt during his holiday about the country’s history.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Gretchen’s voice, asking her a question.
Author:  Emma A [ 21 Apr 2009, 08:36 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 21/04/09, p2
That was a lovely domestic interlude, Alison. I think this drabble is a very appropriate one for Holocaust Memorial Day. Thank-you.
Author:  keren [ 21 Apr 2009, 10:18 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 21/04/09, p2
Yes,
here in Israel we mark holocause remeberance day today.

Yesterday, we met someone whose parents were among those on Shnidler's list.
Author:  Fiona Mc [ 21 Apr 2009, 11:34 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 21/04/09, p2
keren wrote:
Yesterday, we met someone whose parents were among those on Shnidler's list.


That would have been amazing.

We don't seem to have a Holocaust Day at all, but we do have Anzac Day on the 25th commemorating WW1 and Gallipoli
Author:  Elder in Ontario [ 21 Apr 2009, 14:14 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 21/04/09, p2
Thank you for reminding people about Holocaust Remembrance Day, Alison - we will be having a commemorative service here this evening, during which the stories of some of the survivors who live here will be told by teenagers or young adults who have talked with them. This is the 4th year we have had a component like this in our service, and the stories never fail to be deeply moving.

I just don't have time to post on this every day, but that doesn't mean to say I don't look out for it every morning - you are telling the story so sensitively, and I'm sure it's not an easy one to write.Thank you.
Author:  Sarah_G-G [ 21 Apr 2009, 15:53 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 21/04/09, p2
Thank you for writing this, I've just caught up on about a week's worth! Loved the references to Con managing to simultaneously look like Joey and Madge :D Reminded me of a family friend who insisted I looked really like my dad because our eyes were just the same. His are grey/ green. Mine are brown.

I'll be sorry to see Con and Ricki's holiday end.
Author:  Alison H [ 22 Apr 2009, 07:47 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 21/04/09, p2
“Did things go all right in Spartz, if you don’t mind my asking?” Gretchen was asking quietly. “It must have been so difficult for you and Con, telling her about what happened – the riot near the Gasthaus, and … and what came after it.”

“Has there been a riot in Spartz?” Frau Pfeifen exclaimed. “I haven’t heard about any of this! When did this happen? And why did nobody tell me? Was it anything serious? And what on earth was it about? I was in the shop only this morning and Frau Eder was there, and both her daughters live in Spartz so she must have known all about and she never said a word! Ooh, wait till the next time I see her!”

Gretchen groaned. She’d thought that she’d spoken sufficiently quietly for her grandparents to be unable to hear her; but, although her grandfather’s hearing wasn’t quite as good as it had once been, there was – unfortunately in this case! – absolutely nothing wrong with her grandmother’s; and evidently she hadn’t spoken quite quietly enough. “There hasn’t been a riot in Spartz, Grandma,” she said awkwardly. “Well, I mean that there hasn’t been one just now. I was talking about … what happened in 1938. Herr and Frau Goldmann – the elderly couple who were killed – had a granddaughter in Innsbruck, and she was able to escape to England before the War. It’s a long story, but she got in touch with someone whom Ricki knew, and Ricki and Con met up with her in Spartz the other day.

She bit her lip. “I’m really sorry, Grandma: I didn’t mean to upset you. I didn’t think you’d hear me.”

“Didn’t think I’d be able to hear you, you mean! I’ll thank you to remember that my hearing’s as good as it’s ever been, Gretchen Monier – or Gretchen Russell, even,” the old lady remarked tartly. “And why should I be upset? Quite the opposite - it’s wonderful to know that that poor couple’s granddaughter … survived.”

“I just meant that … well, you never talk very much about the Anschluss, and the War, and everything that happened then,” Gretchen said, going over and giving her grandmother a hug. “I just that thought it might upset you to hear us talking about it, that’s all. I … well, personally I think that we should talk about it more, rather than treating it like something that no-one’s allowed to mention, but I understand that it was a very difficult time for you. Well, it was a difficult time for everyone.”

She thought back to her wartime childhood. The air raids – the terror and havoc that they’d wrought. The constant, constant fear of a telegram boy coming to give someone they knew the terrible news that a loved one had been killed in action. The days that she’d arrived at school – a school in which she, an Austrian child living in Britain, had faced so many taunts – to find a classmate missing because they’d heard that their father or elder brother had been killed or injured. In the early days, the fear that either or both of her parents would be interned, as her godmother Karen and Gottfried Mensch’s sister Frieda von Ahlen had been. Coping with rationing. And, above all, the ongoing pain of not knowing what was happening to her family back in Tyrol. And, however bad it had been for her, how much worse must it have been for those living under the rule of the Nazis?

She squeezed her grandmother’s hand. “Shall we talk about something else, Grandma? Uncle Eigen … well, recently he told me about … some things that had happened, and it was upsetting for him … and, well, the last thing I want to do is upset you and Grandpa. Let’s talk about something else, shall we?”

Frau Pfeifen seemed not to have heard her last sentence. “My poor Eigen,” she was saying. “All those years in a Soviet prisoner of war camp. It was 1948 before he came home.”

“1948!” Con exclaimed. Now that she thought about it, she remembered her mother saying, after she’d visited the Tiernsee during the year of the Chalet School’s twenty-first anniversary, that Eigen Pfeifen had had “a bad time of it”, but she’d never realised that he’d been a prisoner for so long after the War had ended. “Why not until then?” She blushed. “Sorry: I didn’t mean to be nosy.”

“It was years before all the Austrian prisoners of war held by the Soviets were released,” Gretchen explained. “Some of them actually didn’t get home until 1955, when the State Treaty was signed and the Allied troops left – ten years after the end of the War.”

“At least he was safe there, in a way,” Herr Pfeifen said with a sigh. “So many people were killed, either in the fighting or in the air raids: we weren’t hit here, of course, but Innsbruck had a very bad time of it during the bombings. And … well, when you think about all the people who were murdered during the war years, by the Nazis …” He shuddered. “We were so afraid.”
Author:  Emma A [ 22 Apr 2009, 08:29 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 22/04/09, p2
So Gretchen's grandparents aren't averse to talking about what happened, it seems (her grandmother is lovely!). Horrible to realise that people were still kept prisoner so long after the war ended - what was the justification for that, I wonder?

Thanks once more for this, Alison.
Author:  di [ 22 Apr 2009, 08:46 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 22/04/09, p2
I seem to have missed the beginning of part 2 and have just caught up again. How awful to be kept imprisoned for so long after the end of the war - the Russians weren't quite the liberators they were supposed to be.
Thanks Alison.
Author:  Cat C [ 22 Apr 2009, 16:51 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 22/04/09, p2
Emma A wrote:
Horrible to realise that people were still kept prisoner so long after the war ended - what was the justification for that, I wonder?


I imagine some people think the same about Guantanamo Bay...

I know I don't comment much, but I am enjoying(?) the daily updates, thank you Alison.
Author:  crystaltips [ 22 Apr 2009, 17:50 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 22/04/09, p2
Such a lot to catch up on - thanks Alison.
Author:  Lesley [ 22 Apr 2009, 21:08 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 22/04/09, p2
Pleased that Gretchen's Grandmother is happy to talk. Interesting to hear about Eigen being a POW - did he fight in the Wehrmacht?


Thanks Alison
Author:  Alison H [ 23 Apr 2009, 07:55 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 22/04/09, p2
EBD is very vague about what happened to Eigen during the War, but Joey talks about him being very thin and having had a very bad time, and she seems to be referring to something that happened specifically to him rather than to the effects of the War on the people in Briesau in general ...

Gretchen exchanged an awkward glance with David. The last thing that she wanted was for her grandparents to become distressed by bad memories from the past; but, on the other hand, it was so rare to hear them talk about the War years that she was reluctant to try to stop them now that they’d started, not only for her own sake but for theirs too. The treating of the events of those days as a subject which those who’d lived through them should never mention was unhealthy, both for the individuals concerned and for Austrian society as a whole. It had to be.

“Everyone was afraid, once the arrests started,” Herr Pfeifen went on soberly. “People round her kept trying to tell themselves that the authorities wouldn’t take much interest in a little village like Briesau, but there was no way of knowing whether or not that’s turn out to be true. And there was no way of knowing whom to trust either. And we … well, especially in the early days, we couldn’t help feeling that we might be under under particular suspicion.”

“I’m so sorry,” David said sadly. Con looked at him, puzzled as to what he meant; but then she realised. Of course, the School and the San had been being watched by the Nazis, and it would have been known that Rosa, Anna and Marie and Andreas and their children had all left the area: even if people hadn’t known for sure that they’d followed the Russells out of the country, they must have suspected it. No wonder that the remaining members of the Pfeifen family had felt that the Nazis might have paid them particular attention.

And it must have been the same for Karen’s parents: she knew that they’d both been some years older than the Pfeifens but that even so they hadn’t been very old when they’d died, within a short space of each other, not long after the War. She’d never met them, but she felt ready to weep for them now. The combination of the grief of losing their son, killed in the War, and the stress of not knowing what was happening to their daughter and fearing that they were under suspicion from the Nazis because of her absence… she couldn’t even begin to imagine what it must have been like for them.

“Gretchen told me … about what happened to Eigen,” she heard her cousin say next. “I hope you don’t mind. And, again, I’m so very sorry.”

“Don’t be!” the old man said quickly. “It wasn’t the fault of anyone connected with your family. It was the Nazis who were to blame: they and no-one else. The Nazi authorities and those who for any reason chose to support them – and to do their work.” He now looked at Con and Ricki, who were looking from him to David with confused expressions on their faces; and explained briefly about his son’s encounter with Hans Bocher.

Con gasped in horror as she took in what he was saying. She’d wondered many times why Anna, Karen, Rosa and Marie and Andreas and their young family would have trekked halfway across Europe in such dangerous circumstances – surely their attachment to the Bettany-Russell family and the Chalet School couldn’t have been that strong – but now it all made sense. How horrific for all of them – and especially so for those who’d been left behind.

“It’s no wonder that it’s a time that people don’t like to talk about,” she said, hoping that she wasn’t being tactless but feeling that she ought to say something. “I’m so sorry: it must have been … I can’t imagine how horrific it must have been for you. I know that it was bad enough for people in Britain, living through the War, but here …”

Herr Pfeifen nodded sadly. “Yes, living through a war is always horrific – I know, I fought in the Great War – but what happened here during the Second World War was different … I never thought to live through such evil: I could never have imagined that such evil was possible until it happened. And we have to live with two legacies: the legacy of having lived through that terrible time, which is bad enough; and, too, the feeling that we should have done something about it – and the knowledge that we didn’t. People here tell themselves that Austria was a victim of Nazi Germany, just as France was or Poland was or Denmark was or any of the other occupied countries were; but we all know full well that the Germans were, for the most part, welcomed into Austria.”

He shook his head in anguish. “It was the Germans whom most people were welcoming, not the Nazis. We, people of our age … insofar as we grew up thinking of ourselves as anything other than Tyroleans or inhabitants of whichever other area we grew up, we grew up thinking of ourselves as the German population of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, no further removed from the German population of other states than people in Bavaria were from people in Saxony. We were still learning to think of ourselves as “Austrians”, as inhabitants of an independent country called Austria. And since the collapse of the Empire there’d been one failed regime after another, one economic disaster after the other … never any real attempt to have South Tyrol returned to us from Italy … riots in Wien … political parties banned …”

He shook his head again. “People thought that maybe they’d be better off as part of a powerful German state. And yet people knew what had been happening in Germany. How could they not?” He paused. “And then it started to happen here too.
Author:  Emma A [ 23 Apr 2009, 08:50 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 23/04/09, p2
This continues to be enthralling and moving (and very informative). Thank-you, Alison.
Author:  JS [ 23 Apr 2009, 09:13 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 23/04/09, p2
Thanks Alison, really enjoying this.
Author:  abbeybufo [ 23 Apr 2009, 09:15 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 23/04/09, p2
Thanks Alison
Author:  JB [ 23 Apr 2009, 09:17 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 23/04/09, p2
Thanks, Alison. I love hearing the old people's recollections and Con putting together the pieces from what they don't say.
Author:  di [ 23 Apr 2009, 16:55 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 23/04/09, p2
I'm learning so much about Austria and her part in the war; Alison you have such a gift for intertwining fiction with the facts of the time. Thanks so much for this and the regular updates.
Author:  Luisa [ 23 Apr 2009, 17:45 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 23/04/09, p2
Just caught up with this.... will be a regular from now on. Not my period (spot the historian) but am loving it!
Many thanks
Author:  Fiona Mc [ 24 Apr 2009, 01:10 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 23/04/09, p2
Thanks Alison, this is so amazing. I love all the historical references. I feel like I'm getting to know Austrian History, which is great
Author:  Alison H [ 24 Apr 2009, 07:47 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 23/04/09, p2
Hope this bit's OK. I will finish this eventually ...!

“We didn’t know, though. We didn’t know about the worst horrors.” He paused at that point, looking at Daniel, but the little boy had gone over to sit on the floor in a corner of the room engrossed in building a tower with a set of coloured building blocks and clearly wasn’t paying any heed at all to the adults’ conversation; and so he continued speaking.

“We didn’t know about what was happening in some of the camps - how could we have known that; how could we even have imagined it? When the deportations started, in 1941, the official story was that they were resettling people, somewhere to the east. And there were very few Jewish people in this part of Austria, almost none by that time: there weren’t any mass deportations from Tyrol.”

He stopped for a moment. Then he began to speak again, more quietly this time. “We heard reports, though. We heard reports about the deportations from Wien and from elsewhere.”

“And here at the Tiernsee we might not have seen the mass deportations of Jewish people, but we certainly knew that the Tzigane people had gone,” Frau Pfeifen said, her face shadowed with distress. “At first we didn’t think much about it: the people in the Tzigane groups who used to come here and play didn’t actually live here, and with a war on … things were different anyway. But then we started to hear things. We heard that they’d been taken away.

“We found out, later, that most of them had been sent to a place in Poland – a city called Lódz. There were a lot of Jewish people there, and the Nazis had forced them into a ghetto, and they sent the Tzigane there too. Those who survived the ghetto went … to Auschwitz.” She wiped her eyes. “You used to love hearing the Tzigane bands play when you were little, Gretchen: maybe you don’t remember, but you did. And you too, David. And now no-one speaks about them. Maybe people prefer not to have to think about what happened. Maybe they just can’t bear to. Maybe in some cases they can’t bear to because they know full well that people they know were partly to blame.” She wiped her eyes for a second time; and Herr Pfeifen, squeezing her hand, now, very quietly in order to ensure that his great-grandson wouldn't hear him, began to speak again.

“I know that the same happened in many places … in so many places, but here there was so little resistance here. And … yes, I’ll say it because it’s true, I will say it - many Austrians were involved in what went on. Hans Bocher was just one of many – and what he did was bad enough but there were others who did far worse, some of them in Austria itself and some of them in other countries. That is our shame. Even the head of the Gestapo at Auschwitz was Austrian – did you know that?” He shook his head. “And, of course, Hitler himself was born in Linz.

“And now we don’t talk about it. Where are the monuments to the people who were killed? Why have so many who were guilty of so much never been prosecuted? There were some trials, true, but there’ve been very few since the British and the Americans and the Soviets and the French left. And we just don’t talk about it.

“The whole subject’s Tabuisieren - been made taboo. We’re all supposed to accept, to believe, that our country bears no guilt, that it was entirely a victim of Nazi Germany. And we can’t talk about what happened during that time because we know very well that if we do then we’ll have to face up to the fact that it really wasn’t that simple at all.”


(Edited after Emma kindly pointed out I'd missed a bit with the cut and paste!)
Author:  JS [ 24 Apr 2009, 08:08 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 24/04/09, p3
Quote:
And now we don’t talk about it. Where are the monuments to the people who were killed?


Excuse my ignorance, Alison, but are there still no monuments etc? So sad about the Tzigane - I always enjoyed those bits in the books.
Author:  Karry [ 24 Apr 2009, 08:31 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 24/04/09, p3
We tend to think that the Holocaust was about the Jewish population, but forget ( or do not actually know) that there were so many other groups that were also targetted by the Nazis - the gypsies, gay people,mentally or physically disabled people, etc! Thank yu, Alison, for bringing the wider atrocities to our attention!
Author:  Alison H [ 24 Apr 2009, 09:08 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 24/04/09, p3
JS wrote:

Excuse my ignorance, Alison, but are there still no monuments etc? So sad about the Tzigane - I always enjoyed those bits in the books.



There was no proper Holocaust memorial in Vienna until 1988, and the one put up then was considered offensive in the way it portrayed victims. The current one was unveiled in 2000. There certainly wasn't one in the '60s.
Author:  hac61 [ 24 Apr 2009, 16:20 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 24/04/09, p3
I'm sort of enjoying this in a funny way, but at least I see now why the School couldn't go back to Austria.

Are we going to update-less while you're away, Alison?


hac
Author:  Alison H [ 25 Apr 2009, 07:54 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 24/04/09, p3
I'm hoping to finish this some time in May, but won't get it done before I'm away over May Day weekend. It's kind of got longer than it was meant to be ...

In one of the books, someone (I forget whom it was) said that the school couldn't go back to Tyrol because Tyrol was occupied by the Soviets. That isn't actually right, because Tyrol was part of the French sector of Austria, but by the time the dust had started to settle after the Second World War Europe was split into East and West and Austria was literally caught in the middle; so the Allied occupation went on for much longer than had originally been envisioned; and by the time Austrian independence was eventually fully restored in 1955 the CS had moved to Switzerland.

Sorry for the long waffle :oops: !

He stopped for a moment, trying to collect his thoughts. “It wasn’t like that at first. Well, it couldn’t be: the evidence of what had happened was there, staring us in the face. The Americans took control of Innsbruck on May 3rd 1945, just before the war in Europe was declared over; and two days later they liberated the concentration camp at Mauthausen, near Linz. What they found there, not even two hundred miles from here … oh, dear Lord, I’ll never forget the sight of those photographs. And some of those who survived the camps were brought to Displaced Persons’ Camps here in Tyrol: there was one in Innsbruck itself, one just outside Innsbruck at Kematen, and one in Kufstein.

“At that point, we didn’t really know what was going to happen to Austria, now that the Nazis had been defeated. We assumed that some sort of government would be restored in Wien and that as soon as possible things would go back to … well, I don’t know to what, really. Certainly not how they’d been in Schuschnigg’s time. How things were supposed to be when the Austrian republic was first set up, I suppose. But it didn’t happen. Instead, we were put under the control of the Allies. Austria was treated in the same way as Germany was. The country was divided into British, American, Soviet and French sectors, and Tyrol was part of the French sector.”

“Tyrol under the control of the French, of all people – we couldn’t believe it at first,” Frau Pfeifen said, managing a wry smile. “They came with all this talk about freedom – the French talking about freedom, in the homeland of Andreas Hofer! Do you know that someone draped the statue of Hofer in Innsbruck in black on the day that the French commander-in-chief arrived? Anyway, they decided – and to some extent it worked – to try to get round the problem of the historic anti-French feeling in the area by comparing Hofer’s stance against Napoleon to the French Resistance’s stance against the Nazis.”

“Whereas here … there’d been no real stance against the Nazis at all, and they knew that all too well.” Herr Pfeifen said sombrely. “They felt very strongly that they had to try to stamp out all traces of Nazism here, and they really did try. Films about what the Nazis had done were shown, to make sure that everyone knew the horror of it all. And anyone who had a public sector job who’d been involved with the Nazis was sacked. Teachers, the police, civil servants … in the civil service in the French-ruled sector of Austria around twenty-five per cent of staff were sacked as a result. And thousands of people were locked up.” He frowned. “Most of them were out again before very long, though.”

“Why did they let them go?” Ricki asked. She flushed. “Sorry. I just meant … surely they should have faced some sort of charges?”

Frau Pfeifen smiled sadly. “Too many people, I suppose. Too many people, in Austria. Were they to try all of them? Every single person who’d had connections with the Nazis? There were so many … so many.

“Some were prosecuted, thought. Courts - People’s Courts, they called them – were set up in all four sectors of Austria in 1945 and 1946 to try people for war crimes – the one for the French zone was in Innsbruck – and over 100,000 people were charged; but fewer than 14,000 were ever sentenced. And in 1957 the responsibility for prosecuting Nazi war criminals was transferred to the ordinary courts, and the laws relating specifically to Nazi war crimes were repealed, and really very little’s been done at all since then.

“So, yes – many, many people went unpunished. You are quite right, Ricki – they should all have faced some sort of charges. But, in the end, a lot of them didn’t. And most of those people are still alive.

“Some of them may have seen the error of their ways. Some of them may not. We don’t know. It’s not spoken of.”
Author:  JS [ 25 Apr 2009, 08:05 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 25/04/09, p3
A good story and a history lesson. Thanks Alison.
Author:  abbeybufo [ 25 Apr 2009, 09:07 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 25/04/09, p3
Thanks Alison - if only all history lessons were as interesting :D
Author:  Lesley [ 25 Apr 2009, 09:36 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 25/04/09, p3
And some are still alive, even now - isn't there a man fighting extradition in the USA at the moment - accused of being a guard at one of the concentration camps?


Thanks Alison - very deep.
Author:  di [ 25 Apr 2009, 09:45 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 25/04/09, p3
How dreadful; to be living amongst those who had supported the nazis must have been such an ordeal especially for those who had lost family because of the atrocities. How does one carry on as if nothing had happened? Living and working along side people who had betrayed them doesn't bear thinking about. I wonder how many took matters in to their own hands and dealt with their betrayers as the French did with collaborators. :evil:
Thanks, Alison.
Author:  crystaltips [ 25 Apr 2009, 10:46 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 25/04/09, p3
Thank you Alison, I am learning so much from this. I know bits & pieces about various countries during the war but had never thought much about Austria. Are you getting inspiration from any particular source? I'd be very interested in any books on this.
Author:  Emma A [ 25 Apr 2009, 13:32 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 25/04/09, p3
Echoing everyone else. I wonder how David finds it (Gretchen, too, since she was not in Austria during the war) - coming from a completely different background?

Anyway, thank-you, Alison.
Author:  Elder in Ontario [ 25 Apr 2009, 13:33 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 25/04/09, p3
Lesley said:

Quote:
And some are still alive, even now - isn't there a man fighting extradition in the USA at the moment - accused of being a guard at one of the concentration camps?


Yes, John Demanjuk. He has been fighting extradition from North America, on and off, for years. And others actually lived out their lives outside Europe, often under assumed names, with no-one knowing their earlier history.

Thank you, Alison, for telling us about this - although I knew that the administration of Germany was divided among the British, Americans and Russians (I think they were the three countries concerned) I never knew Austria was sub-divided in a similar way.
Author:  Alison H [ 26 Apr 2009, 08:13 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 25/04/09, p3
Under other circumstances, Gretchen would have been offering her guests something to eat and drink by this time; but as it was she was just sitting spellbound, her eyes fixed on her grandparents, as too were the three other young adults present, as Frau Pfeifen continued to speak.

“And the Allies decided too that Austria had to be turned away from Germany. Was that because they were trying to convince themselves, or to convince us, that Germany had been the cause of the wrongs done in Austria, because they thought that that would make the question of what to do about Austria easier to deal with? Or was it that they acknowledged that terrible wrongs had been done by Austrians but thought that it was only because of the influence of Germany? Or did they just want to try to ensure, as they’d done in the 1930s and failed, that no-one would every try to unite Austria with the other German states again. And that Austria would never even think of itself as a German state, even in a cultural rather than a political sense, again? I don’t know. To be quite honest, I’m not even entirely sure that they knew.

“The French even tried to encourage us to look towards France: they even set up an Institut Francais in Innsbruck and held youth camps for young Austrian people. But, most of all, we were encouraged to look backwards. Back to the heyday of "Austrian" culture. Back to the days of the Habsburgs.”

She smiled. “It’s how the tourist organisations that try to encourage people to come and visit Austria like to promote the country, isn’t it? Beautiful scenery, of course, but that’s eternal … that goes on, whatever human beings might do to each other. But other things too - coffee houses and cake; music and waltzing; glorious architecture. That’s how Austria likes to be seen, these days. And that’s how we were supposed to learn to see ourselves, during those years which followed the Nazis’ defeat. To look backwards, to an earlier era; and, in doing so, to look forward to a new one.”

“And not to look at ourselves,” Gretchen murmured. “To blame Germany or, better still, not to think about what happened at all. Of course, ultimately, it’s not about “Germans” or “Austrians” at all: it’s about … ideologies, if you can call Nazism an ideology. But the fact is that some Austrians were Nazis and some Nazis were Austrians. Austria’s never truly going to be able to move on unless we admit it and accept it - you can’t ignore the past for ever; you can’t cover things up for ever. But people can’t admit it and accept it. Or won’t. And it’s there – it might be lying beneath the surface, but nevertheless it’s there.

“I understand better now, though. Thank you, Grandma. Thank you, Grandpa. And thank you Uncle Eigen too, even at the moment he isn’t here to hear me say it! I do understand much better, now, why people don’t want to talk about it. Reading the facts is one thing, but hearing you talk about it all’s quite another. And that’s what we have to do – talk about it. I just hope that one day everyone’ll realise that. And then, when they do, we’ll all be able to learn from it, and that then we’ll really be able to move on.”
Author:  Fiona Mc [ 26 Apr 2009, 08:51 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 26/04/09, p3
Thank you Alison, this is an amazing story
Author:  Emma A [ 26 Apr 2009, 09:36 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 26/04/09, p3
I do like the way that this started out as one woman's quest to find out what happened to her grandparents, and now has become a wider scrutiny of the part played by Austria during the war. It's a fantastic history lesson (and far more interesting than any I attended at school!).

Thanks, Alison.
Author:  Lesley [ 26 Apr 2009, 09:43 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 26/04/09, p3
I don't know whether Austria has managed to move on even now. :cry:


Thanks Alison - enthralling
Author:  di [ 26 Apr 2009, 10:59 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 26/04/09, p3
Thanks, Alison. Superb as usual.
Author:  Elder in Ontario [ 26 Apr 2009, 14:06 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 26/04/09, p3
Thank you Alison, both for the history lesson, which is so informative (and so effectively given to us through your story) and for Gretchen's last two sentences - would that they could come true not just in Austria, but throughout the world.
Author:  PaulineS [ 26 Apr 2009, 16:33 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 26/04/09, p3
Quote:
.............that’s what we have to do – talk about it. I just hope that one day everyone’ll realise that. And then, when they do, we’ll all be able to learn from it, and that then we’ll really be able to move on.”


The problem is/was that who do you talk to when you do not know an individuals attitude during the war. Within a family where you could have an expectation of knowing what they did and how the reacted during the war it is easier in some ways. But if you do not know how your neighbour acted for example did they agree with the Nazi view of Jews or that handicapped people took scarse resoures from them and that with out them they might not be as hungery, so tod the authorities about them, how do you ask and talk about it?

We might wonder at the ongoing silence but it is understandable. I find it hard to talk to a German friend born well after the war about it. I know she find Rememberance Sunday and November 11 difficult at times, as she lives in England now and worships in English churches.

Thank you Alison for the detail you are giving within a facinating drabble.
Author:  Alison H [ 27 Apr 2009, 07:50 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 26/04/09, p3
No-one really knew what to say after that; and there followed a silence of several minutes, each of the adults deep in their own thoughts. It was broken only when Daniel, who’d tired of building towers and was beginning to feel rather left out, walked over to his mother and requested “Drink, please”.

Glad of an excuse to be alone for a little while whilst she collected her thoughts, Gretchen immediately asked whether anyone else would like a drink, and maybe something to eat as well. Everyone said that they would, and so she excused herself and walked quickly to the kitchen, where she leant against the wall for support and thought again about everything that her grandparents just said, everything that her uncle had told her about his experience at the hands of Hans Bocher and its consequences, and the deaths of the Goldmanns and Vater Johann. Reading facts in a newspaper or a book was one thing – hearing it from your own family was, as she’d just said, quite another.

She felt a strange sense of peace, though, as if a barrier that had long needed breaching had finally been brought down, and when David came in five minutes later, ostensibly to offer to help carry the cups and plates in but really to check that she was all right, she was calm and composed and busy making coffee. He smiled at her and she smiled back, and they returned to the living room and served Kaffee und Kuchen to their visitors together.

By then, the conversation had resumed, and was taking a more normal line. Attention was largely focused on Daniel, whom his proud great-grandparents were convinced was exceptionally advanced for his age; and Herr and Frau Pfeifen were speaking a little as well about that long-ago summer when the young Madge, Dick and Joey Bettany had come to stay at their guesthouse and first fallen in love with the Tiernsee.

When the time came for Con and Ricki to leave, the Pfeifens said that they’d better head back too, because the young woman who worked for them had been on her own all afternoon. David and Gretchen both said that they could do with a walk in the fresh air and so, with Daniel in his buggy, the whole party left the house together. They all walked to Wald Villa, Herr and Frau Pfeifen’s home, and then the Russells walked on with Con and Ricki round the lake to the station at Seespitz, and waved them off as they boarded the Mayrhofen train.

Neither Ricki nor Con said much on the journey, but later, back at the hotel, Ricki said quietly that she had a far greater understanding of events in Austria during the Nazi era and attitudes to it now than she’d had a week earlier, and Con said the same.

On the following day, Sunday, they went out ski-ing in the morning, and then walked round the centre of Mayrhofen one last time before returning to their room to pack. In the evening, they ate their fill of one of Karen’s delicious meals and then spent a couple of hours relaxing in the hotel whilst a pianist played a range of Austrian music, before heading up to bed. So much had happened since they’d come to Austria that they felt as if they’d been there for months rather than weeks; but, at the same time, it was hard to believe that their holiday was over and that tomorrow they’d be going back to England and the routine of their ordinary lives.
Author:  abbeybufo [ 27 Apr 2009, 09:33 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 27/04/09, p4
Thank you Alison - glad that Gretchen and David have felt a 'sense of peace' and almost closure after this, as well as Ricki and Con's greater understanding of the situation.

I feel that I, too, have
Quote:
a far greater understanding of events in Austria during the Nazi era and attitudes to it now

than I had when you started this drabble, and I'm grateful to have been given it.
Author:  Lesley [ 27 Apr 2009, 18:46 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 27/04/09, p4
Thanks Alison, that was lovely - glad Gretchen, in particular, was able to get something so positive from it.
Author:  di [ 27 Apr 2009, 19:04 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 27/04/09, p4
Thanks, Alison. I reckon all of those present experienced some sort of closure.
Author:  Fiona Mc [ 27 Apr 2009, 23:43 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 27/04/09, p4
Thanks Alison, I feel like I know a lot more about Austria and what happened in the War too. Thanks, I've really enjoyed learning more
Author:  Alison H [ 28 Apr 2009, 07:54 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 27/04/09, p4
Ricki locked her suitcase, heaved it on the floor, and pulled a face. Con pulled one back; and they both laughed. Oh dear - the end of a lovely holiday was never something to be welcomed! They’d got a long journey ahead of them, and then when they finally got back to London they’d not only have to be up early for work the following morning but would have all the unpacking and washing and ironing to face too. Not to mention the dreaded moment of stepping on the scales to see how much weight they’d put on with all the delicious Austrian food they’d been eating!

“Oh well,” Ricki said resignedly. “All good things must come to an end, I suppose! D’you want to nip down to reception and ask if the porter’ll come up to give us a hand getting this lot down the stairs; and in the meantime I’ll have one last look round to make sure we haven’t left anything anywhere?”

Con nodded. “Will do! Tell you what – rather than me coming back up again, I’ll take my coat and the two small bags with me, and then, once the rest of the luggage is out of the room, would you mind handing the keys in at reception and checking out?” (They’d paid their bills earlier on.) “I just want to go and say goodbye and thank you to Karen before we go. I won’t be long: she’s probably busy, but I can’t go without seeing her - I’ve known her all my life, after all, and we really have had a lovely time here. I’ll see you in reception in a few minutes, if that’s all right?”

Ricki said that that was absolutely fine; and so Con walked down to the reception area, arranged for the porter to go up to their room to help bring the rest of their luggage down the stairs, and asked the receptionist if she knew where Karen might be. “Unless she’s right in the middle of something and won’t want to be disturbed I’d just like to go and say goodbye and thank you before heading off: we’ve known each other for years,” she explained. “And thank you to you and everyone else, too – my friend and I’ve had a great time.”

“You’re very welcome.” The girl smiled shyly. “It’s lovely for us when guests say that they’ve enjoyed their stay here.” She smiled again, and Con, adding that she was sure that it was something most guests must say, smiled back. “And she’s working in her own sitting room – I’ll show you the way - but she doesn’t usually mind people going in: just knock on the door first.”

Con duly did so, and, having popped her head round the door in response to a call of “Come in”, found Karen poring over the following week’s staff rota. “Sorry for disturbing you,” she said apologetically. “Ricki and I’re leaving shortly: I just wanted to say goodbye before we go, and to say thank you to you and Rudi and everyone else. It’s been lovely. It’s a wonderful hotel: it really is.”

“Thank you,” Karen said sincerely. “Thank you: it means a lot to us when people say that they’ve enjoyed staying here. I’m so glad that you’ve had a good time. Anyway, come on in. I’m quite ready to be interrupted: I’ve been looking at these for so long that I’m starting to get a headache - it’s such a busy time of year! Can I offer you a coffee or anything?”

Con shook her head. “No, thanks. I’d love one, but we’d better get going or we’ll end up missing our connecting train to Paris and then we’ll be in a mess. I just wanted to thank you. It really has been great.”
Author:  abbeybufo [ 28 Apr 2009, 09:07 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 28/04/09, p4
Alison H wrote:
I just wanted to thank you. It really has been great.


Echoes these words :D
Author:  JS [ 28 Apr 2009, 09:51 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 28/04/09, p4
ditto :)
Author:  shazwales [ 28 Apr 2009, 10:04 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 28/04/09, p4
Thank you Alison i've really enjoyed reading this. :D :D
Author:  Luisa [ 28 Apr 2009, 11:28 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 28/04/09, p4
Me too!
Author:  JustJen [ 28 Apr 2009, 15:20 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 28/04/09, p4
Allison thank you so much for posting this story
Author:  Maeve [ 28 Apr 2009, 15:34 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 28/04/09, p4
Been away from this for weeks, but had a lovely, long catch-up today -- thanks, Alison.
Author:  di [ 28 Apr 2009, 17:10 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 28/04/09, p4
Great, Alison. Thanks.
Author:  Lesley [ 28 Apr 2009, 19:19 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 28/04/09, p4
That's good - and I expect Karen especially appreciates hearing the praise from Con.


Thanks Alison
Author:  Meg14 [ 28 Apr 2009, 23:39 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 28/04/09, p4
I have just found this and I have been really moved by it. Thank you for writing and sharing it Alison.
Author:  Miss Di [ 29 Apr 2009, 04:38 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 28/04/09, p4
Have just caught up with a weeks worth of posts and several moments gave me the shivers. I too feel like I have a much greater understanding of Austria post WWII.
Author:  Alison H [ 29 Apr 2009, 07:55 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 28/04/09, p4
Thanks for the comments. Long post today because I wanted to get up to a sensible stopping point before going away for a few days. There's a little bit more to come, but not much - it seems to've been going on for ever!

A photograph of Anna caught her attention, and she looked across at it. It was actually an old one, taken at the twins’ christening: Anna was holding Anneliese, and a man whom she guessed from his strong resemblance to Herr Braun senior to be Rudi’s elder brother was holding Alexander. There were a lot of photographs in the room, she noticed, glancing round at them. There was an obviously recent family photo of Karen and Rudi and the twins, standing round a beautifully-decorated Christmas tree; and there were also numerous other photos of the children, either separately or together, at different ages, including one of them as bridesmaid and page boy at Gretchen and David’s wedding. There were several pictures of Karen and Rudi’s own wedding too, on one of which she spotted Marie, Andreas and Anna standing together as part of a group of close family and friends gathered round the bride and groom.

There were also two older pictures, side by side - one of a tired-looking couple who were perhaps in their seventies and one of a smiling young man, presumably Karen’s late parents and brother. Without thinking, she stepped over to look at them; and then, realising what she’d done, blushed furiously and, deeply embarrassed, looked at Karen. “I am so sorry,” she apologised at once. “I just saw Anna on of the photos and that made me look at the others. I’m really sorry. I just wasn’t thinking: I honestly didn’t mean to be nosy.”

“It’s all right.” Karen smiled at her reassuringly. “Really, it is. There’s no point having photographs up if no-one looks at them, after all. That one on the left’s of my mum and dad, as you’ve probably guessed. It was taken just a few months before my dad died. My mum died not long after him. And the one on the right’s of Friedrich, my brother. He died in the War, as you know.” A shadow crossed her face. “Poor Friedrich. Having his life snuffed out like that, and in a war that he didn’t even want to fight. I don’t think my parents ever got over it.”

“I’m so sorry.” Con reached out and tentatively touched Karen’s arm. “It must have been very hard for you, losing your brother and then losing your parents so close together.”

“It was. Very hard.” Karen smiled sadly. “Especially as I wasn’t even here. Karl had been gone for three years before I even knew about it. And both my parents died quite suddenly … and it wasn’t even as if I’d seen much of them those last years. Obviously I couldn’t come to Austria during the War, and even afterwards it wasn’t easy – I didn’t have much money, and at first there were still restrictions on civilian travel anyway.”

She looked across at the family photo which Con had been admiring a few minutes earlier. “I’m a very lucky woman, though, you know, Con. I ask myself sometimes what I did to deserve so much happiness. To be married to Rudi, and to have Alexander and Anneliese. And, believe me, I thank God for all three of them every day of my life. And Rudi’s brother and sister-in-law, and his niece and her husband and children … they all treat me very much as one of the family. And I even get on well with his parents these days, and I … didn’t always. And I’ve got an aunt and uncle too, and cousins too.

“And of course all the Pfeifens have been like family to me ever since Marie and I were little girls. I think of them as family as much as I do my blood relatives. Even more so, sometimes - I don’t know what I’d have done without Marie and Anna, many times.”

She smiled pensively. “I miss not being able to see them both as often as I used to. I’d never have dreamt that we’d all end up living in different countries. But that’s the way life turns out sometimes, and Anna gets to come over to Tyrol quite often these days – well, you’ll know that, of course- and Marie and Andreas were over here with your aunt and uncle last year and I know that they’re hoping to come over again before too long. And it’s lovely having Gretchen close by.

“Rudi and I didn’t want to be too close to the Tiernsee, and we decided that Mayrhofen we quite close enough,” – she raised her eyebrows, and Con, who often wondered if Len and Reg didn’t sometimes wish that they hadn’t bought a house quite so near to Freudesheim, guessed that she meant that they hadn’t wanted to be too close to the elder Brauns – “but at the same time I love the fact that we’re not too far away either and that we do get to see plenty of everyone there. Rudi didn’t see his family for years, whilst he was in America, but he sees a lot of them now; and they all have a lovely relationship with the children, which is wonderful.

“I just wish so much that I’d gone back more often when my own parents were alive. And that I’d seen my brother one last time before he died.”

“It wasn’t your fault that you weren’t able to,” Con said quickly. “It was … well, it was the circumstances. A lot of families were separated because of the War. My Uncle Dick and Auntie Mollie were over in India and couldn’t get back: they didn’t see Peggy and Rix and Bride and John for over eight years. Maurice and Maeve were seven or eight before they even met their elder brothers and sisters. And even in peacetime it’s not always easy for people to see each other when they live in different countries. I haven’t seen Sybil and Josette and their families since David and Gretchen’s wedding.”

“Gretchen and David were so pleased that they were all able to come over from Australia for the wedding, though,” Karen said with a smile. “And your aunt and uncle have been over several times to visit them, I believe? The world is a smaller place these days, as people say. It’s so much easier these days, especially with all these aeroplanes! Are you and Ricki going back to London by place? Oh no, of course you’re not: you said that you were getting the train.”

“We thought that it’d be more practical with all the stuff we’ve got,” Con told her, slightly embarrassed as she thought of the amount of luggage that she and Ricki had brought with them. “Well, we’ve got all our ski gear, and I’m afraid that I’m not very good at travelling light anyway - and Ricki’ s even worse! So we’re on the train … speaking of which, if you’ll excuse me I’d better go, or we’ll never make it to Spartz on time and that really wouldn’t be a good start to the journey! Thanks again, though. We’ve really enjoyed staying here.”

“Thank you,” Karen said. And I’d ask you if you’d both got your passport and train tickets to hand, but if I did then you’d probably accuse me of sounding like Matron Lloyd – and that was just when she was speaking to the mistresses!” They both laughed. “Anyway, you’re both experienced travellers, of course! Anyway, come on: I wouldn’t want to be responsible for you missing your train!”

She followed Con, back into the reception area, bade both her and Ricki one last goodbye; and then the two young women picked up their luggage and walked slowly to the Mayrhofen Bahnhof. They were on their way home.
Author:  JS [ 29 Apr 2009, 09:02 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 29/04/09, p4
Quote:
“Anyway, you’re both experienced travellers, of course!

:lol: :lol:

Also, the bit about aeroplanes making the world smaller has quite a resonance today with swine flu etc.

Thanks as usual Alison - have good break.
Author:  PaulineS [ 29 Apr 2009, 11:25 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 29/04/09, p4
Quote:
“Thank you,” Karen said. And I’d ask you if you’d both got your passport and train tickets to hand, but if I did then you’d probably accuse me of sounding like Matron Lloyd – and that was just when she was speaking to the mistresses!” They both laughed.


Love the reference to Matey!

Thanks Alison, have a good break.
Author:  abbeybufo [ 29 Apr 2009, 13:22 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 29/04/09, p4
Thanks Alison. Have a good break :D
Author:  Emma A [ 29 Apr 2009, 13:53 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 29/04/09, p4
Lovely posts there for the end of their holiday in Mayrhofen.

Thanks, Alison.
Author:  di [ 29 Apr 2009, 18:40 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 29/04/09, p4
Lovely finish to the end of their holiday. Thanks, Alison.
Author:  Miss Di [ 30 Apr 2009, 04:52 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 29/04/09, p4
Enjoy your break Alison.
Author:  Joey [ 02 May 2009, 11:30 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 29/04/09, p4
I've just caught up with several posts after being away, Alison, and I wanted to say thank you. I've learned so much, and in such an interesting way.
Author:  Alison H [ 05 May 2009, 06:45 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 29/04/09, p4
In the end, Con and Ricki had plenty of time, and were waiting on the platform well before their onward train to Paris arrived. Once they were safely on board and in their seats, Ricki said apologetically that she hoped Con wouldn’t think that she was being anti-social but that there was a book that she was supposed to be reading for work and that she’d barely looked at it whilst they’d been in Austria, there’d been so much going on with one thing and another. Con assured her that it was no problem at all and, reaching into the bag which lay at her feet, took out a pen and a pad of paper. “I think I’ll try to get some letters written,” she said. “I’m not going to have much time once I get home; and there are loads of people I need to write to.”

She wasn’t sure where to start. All her family at the Gornetz Platz would certainly want to hear about the events of the past couple of weeks; so would Margot; and so would Auntie Madge and Uncle Jem. She’d also promised to drop Daisy a line telling her about her meeting with Sarah Goldmann and about the Winter Olympics; and Odette would want to hear about her holiday too. And of course she wanted to write and tell Marie-Adelaide all about it – she’d been writing to Marie-Adelaide about everything important that had happened in her life ever she’d come back from Canada. Most importantly of all, she had to write to Auntie Rob.

There was no way she was going to get the whole lot done before getting home, and when she was next going to find time for writing letters she had no idea, she thought with a groan. Maybe she could get away with just tacking Len and Reg’s names on to her letter to Freudesheim rather than writing to them separately … no, they might be really insulted if she did that. Oh dear … it wasn’t that she didn’t want to write separately to her sister and brother-in-law but she had so many other letters to write too, and once she got home she’d have all her unpacking to do and all her clothes to sort out, and, even though it’d be very late by the time she got in, she’d have to make a start on it tonight because she had to go into work in the morning. And she wanted to send notes to a couple of her old university friends as well, and really she should write separately to all brothers because it wasn’t as if they were going to be home from school and university until Easter, and in fact she should probably write individual letters to Cecil and Felicity and Phil and Claire too because she’d always loved getting her own letters when she’d been at school.

She groaned again. There were always so many letters to write, especially when you were part of a big family; and there was never nearly enough time to write them all in! She did sometimes ring people rather than writing, which was quicker; but there was a limit to the number of international telephone calls that anyone could afford to make, and she didn’t even have a telephone in her rented London flat so it meant going out and using a call box which wasn’t very practical in the winter when she didn’t get home from work until after dark. And of course there was the problem of finding a convenient time when people were likely to be in, which was particularly difficult with those who lived in different time zones.

Oh well, thinking like that certainly was going to get anything done, she chided herself, picking up her pen and removing its lid. Then, suddenly, she felt rather ashamed of herself. Here she was, thinking about where she was going to find the time to write to all her friends and relatives – and people like Sarah Goldmann had no relatives to write to. Then there was Karen, who’d been unable to get in touch with her family for all those years, not even knowing that her brother had been killed, and who’d then been able to see so little of her parents in the remaining years before their deaths. She should be ashamed of herself for thinking even for a few moments of writing all these letters as being a chore. It wasn’t a chore: it was a very great privilege.

Right. Now, which one should she write first? After pondering the matter for a few moments, she decided to start with the one that really couldn’t wait. The one to Robin.
Author:  JS [ 05 May 2009, 08:41 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 05/05/09, p5
I think Robin will be proud of Con and pleased that she asked her to do a challenging task - which she managed with a lot of grace.
Nice to see this back, Alison. I know it was only a long weekend but I felt bereft :(
Author:  abbeybufo [ 05 May 2009, 08:55 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 05/05/09, p5
Con's dilemma is one that a lot of busy people have, and she was brought up short by the reality of Sarah Goldman's situation. Agree that Robin's is the most important letter to write first - and in some respects her position is not unlike Sarah's ...

Thanks Alison - good to see this back, even if it was only a weekend break, it felt longer :D
Author:  JB [ 05 May 2009, 09:18 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 05/05/09, p5
I've also missed this, Alison. I really don't want it to end.
Author:  Fiona Mc [ 05 May 2009, 09:37 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 05/05/09, p5
Can completely relate to Con's problem as I have the same dilemma (I know that's not spelt right!). But she is right Robin does deserve the first letter. Thanks Alison
Author:  Lesley [ 05 May 2009, 18:43 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 05/05/09, p5
Very interesting letter that will be - can also relate to how Con feels and how, suddenly, she's hit with the fact that she could have no relatives at all. :cry:


Thanks Alison
Author:  Emilyc [ 05 May 2009, 23:45 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 05/05/09, p5
I just wanted to thank you for this amazing story Alison. I have just spent over an hour catching up. I feel I've learnt so much. The way you have interweaved history and imagination with EBD's characters is beyond incredible. You've made the whole thing so realistic and plausible and you must have done a phenomonal amount of research.

THANK YOU.
Author:  di [ 06 May 2009, 06:24 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 05/05/09, p5
What a lot of letters to write! Of course, Robin must come first. Can't wait to see how Con tells the tale.
Thanks, Alison.
Author:  Alison H [ 06 May 2009, 06:47 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 05/05/09, p5
Should she just plunge straight in? Should she write her account of the day that she and Ricki had spent with Sarah Goldmann right at the start of the letter, without any preamble other than simply “Dear Auntie Rob”? News of that meeting would certainly be what Robin would be waiting for from her … but, on the other hand, perhaps it might be better to begin with writing about something less emotionally fraught. Maybe their day at the Winter Olympics, or how Daniel was progressing, or what Karen’s hotel was like?

No: that wouldn’t be right and she knew it. She had to start by telling Robin about that day in Spartz. And she had to tell her about it as clearly and as completely as she possibly could: she owed her aunt that, and she owed it to Sarah Goldmann too.

But how did you explain a day like that one? Con chewed on her pen for a while, struggling to find the words even to start with. Usually she found it easy to put things down on paper, certainly far easier than she found it to explain herself face to face or over the telephone; but there were events which it was very difficult to describing properly to someone who hadn’t actually been present at them and this was one of the most difficult that she’d ever known.

Eventually, however, she managed to make a start; and, although the first couple of sentences were a little stilted, before long the words did begin to flow, and when she re-read her account of events at the end she felt that she’d done as good a job as she could of explaining what that day in Spartz been like to somebody who hadn’t been there. She sighed. Obviously this was something unique, but how many times over the years had she found herself like this - sitting down with a pen and paper to try to explain to Robin exactly what some important event or other had been like, because Robin hadn’t been there?

The school’s coming of age celebrations. Geoff and Phil’s christening. Peggy’s wedding. Bride’s wedding. Primula’s wedding. Grizel’s wedding. Her graduation ceremony. Len’s wedding. David’s wedding. The list just went on and on. So many occasions … so many times when she’d wished so much that Auntie Rob could have been there, but Auntie Rob hadn’t been. Had her aunt been wishing also that she could have been there, she wondered? Or had she just accepted, when she’d made her decision to enter the convent in Montréal, that being separated from her family and friends was part of the path that she’d chosen to take in life.

But it had never been intended to be a permanent separation. It hadn’t: of course it hadn’t! Taking the veil meant many things but it certainly didn’t mean that the person in question could never see their loved ones again. Were any of the family or any of Margot’s friends thinking along the lines that they might never see Margot again, after she entered her order? No, of course they weren’t. And they hadn’t thought along those lines about Auntie Rob either, when she’d made her decision. They’d all – the Maynards, the Russells, Auntie Hilda, Auntie Nell, Auntie Rosalie – been absolutely full of plans for going over to Canada. She could remember herself and Len and Margot busily telling people that they’d been going back there as soon as possible, and that it was just a case of saving up enough money to enable them to do so.
Author:  di [ 06 May 2009, 06:58 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 06/05/09, p5
Am I first to comment?! How many celebrations did Robin miss? So many- and how Con seems to miss her. Perhaps she'll divert and find herself in Canada to deliver the news herself. That would be something! Not that I want to write your story, Alison; :oops: you're doing a tremendous job here and I, like others don't want it to end. :(
Author:  Fiona Mc [ 06 May 2009, 09:00 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 06/05/09, p5
Thanks Alison. Hope Con can get over soon and can relate to having good intentions to visit people on the other side of the world and then struggle to be able to do just that
Author:  PaulineS [ 06 May 2009, 11:16 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 06/05/09, p5
Hilda at least saw Robin again, but we never heard that Madge and Jem stopped over in Montreal n their travels and the could have done on their way to or from Australia.
Thanks Alison
Author:  abbeygirl [ 06 May 2009, 13:30 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 06/05/09, p5
I have now caught up with this - and can only echo everyone else by saying how much I've enjoyed it - and how much I've learnt at the same time. Thanks Alison!
Author:  Chris [ 06 May 2009, 17:23 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 06/05/09, p5
still loving this Allison. Don't let it end just yet will you!
Author:  Miss Di [ 07 May 2009, 02:45 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 06/05/09, p5
Thanks Alison. All those letters. Thank goodness email was invented!!!
Author:  Lesley [ 07 May 2009, 05:46 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 06/05/09, p5
Why didn't they see Robin? If it was too expensive to travel across to Cananda - and that seems a spurious reason - why not when she was practically next door?


Thanks Alison
Author:  Alison H [ 07 May 2009, 07:00 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 06/05/09, p5
Thanks for the comments :D . I'd love to know why no-one went to visit Robin - maybe EBD just didn't want to use up book space on someone who'd effectively been written out of the story, but it still seems odd. Madge and Jem could certainly have afforded the cost of the journey. And Arles is a good 800 miles or so from the Oberland, but Joey could have taken a few days and gone to see her there, especially as she was supposedly so devoted to her. Poor Robin!

Just, she thought wryly. “Just” a case of saving up enough a money, to take a family a family the size of theirs on a trip across the Atlantic and back! And their family had kept on growing; and the boys had got older and their school fees had had to be paid for; and once they’d moved to Switzerland they’d had visits to other relatives to make during their holiday time too - it hadn’t been like living in Armishire when the Russells had lived close by and the Bettanys only a few hours’ drive away. And her parents had always been busy with their work, and so had Uncle Jem and Auntie Madge. All of them always rushing about, always with so much to do, always saying that they’d do this or that or the other “when …” or “once …”. But “when …” and “once …” never came, did they?

And the years had just passed. None of them had ever dreamt that so long would pass without them seeing Robin again, but somehow that was what had happened. The years just went rushing by, gone before you even knew it. And you kept promising yourself over and over again that you’d make time to do things, to see people, but then one way and another you never did. None of them, apart from Ailie who’d just happened to be in the right place at the right time, had even managed to meet up with Auntie Rob during the months that she’d been in Europe, in Arles.

It happened. People went for years without seeing relatives and friends. She’d never even met any of her Mackenzie cousins, and yet they were exactly the same relation to her as were the Russells and the Bettanys to whom she felt so close. There were plenty of other people she could name who were in similar situations: Ted Grantley had never met her own nieces and nephews.

Yes, it happened … but it shouldn’t do, she thought sadly. Not these days, certainly – not when travel was so much easier than it had ever been before. Yes, it was expensive; yes, it meant finding the time; but that didn’t make it impossible. Not as it had been during the War, for example. She thought back over everything that Karen had said to her earlier in the day. About the time that she’d missed out on with her parents and brother, and about how much she wished that things could have been different. About the importance of family and friends, and how lucky those who were blessed with them – and, she thought sadly, there were so many people like Sarah Goldmann, people who’d had everyone they loved taken away from them for ever - were to have them.

How many times over the years had she told herself that, as soon as she was earning a decent wage, she’d start saving up to go over to Montréal, to see Auntie Robin and Marie-Adelaide again? Well, now was that time. She was going to start planning that visit now. Not “when” and not “once”. Now. She’d got some money put by already, and she was jolly well going to add to it. She’d be entitled to take more time off later in the year, or next year, and she was jolly well going to take it.

She sat up straight in her seat. She wasn’t just going to think about making that trip. She wasn’t just going to talk about making that trip. She was going to make that trip.
Author:  abbeybufo [ 07 May 2009, 08:27 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 07/05/09, p6
Alison H wrote:
She wasn’t just going to think about making that trip. She wasn’t just going to talk about making that trip. She was going to make that trip.


Well said Con!

And well said Alison - sometimes [perhaps often] you have to work hard to make a relationship successful by keeping in touch with people ...

Thanks Alison :D
Author:  JB [ 07 May 2009, 09:11 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 07/05/09, p6
Good for Con. I do like how you've portrayed her here, Alison.
Author:  JS [ 07 May 2009, 09:23 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 07/05/09, p6
And will there be another drabble describing that visit, she says hopefully. Thanks Alison
Author:  Elbee [ 07 May 2009, 13:36 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 07/05/09, p6
Good for Con!

Thanks, Alison.
Author:  di [ 07 May 2009, 17:16 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 07/05/09, p6
Good on yer, Con! Hope you get there soon.
...and thanks, Alison for putting that little nugget in her mind.. and for the drabble, of course.
Author:  Lesley [ 08 May 2009, 06:00 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 07/05/09, p6
Well done Con - and hopefully we'll be able to read about that too Alison?

Thanks
Author:  Alison H [ 08 May 2009, 06:52 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 07/05/09, p6
Autumn 1964

“Con? It is you, isn’t it? Yes, it is - it’s you! You’re here at last, you’re really here!”

“It’s me all right!” Con, exhausted after a long flight to Toronto and the onward journey to Montreal, put her suitcase down on the ground; and for a moment she just stood there, looking at her old friend, not quite able to believe that she was really back in Canada and not quite sure what to do first. Marie-Adelaide wasn’t quite sure either; but then, without either of them quite being sure how it had happened or which of them had started it, they were both laughing and hugging each other as if they were ten years old again, and as if all the long years they’d been apart had been just a matter of moments.

“I can’t believe I’m here!” Con gasped incredulously. For some reason that started them both laughing again, giggling like a pair of schoolgirls, so much so that several passers-by stared at them with a mixture of curiosity and bemusement. When they’d stopped laughing this second time, though, her face grew serious. “It’s like a dream come true. I’ve wanted to see you and Auntie Rob again so much … and now I’m finally here. Even when we landed in Toronto I couldn’t quite believe it, that I was going to see you both again – and now here I am. And here you are!” She shook her head. “It’s been so long. All these years.”

“All these years indeed,” Marie-Adelaide said quietly. “And yet in a lot of ways I don’t really feel that we’ve missed that much at all. You probably know more about my life than most of the people I see every day, Con. You don’t have to see people to feel close to them … but all the same I can’t even begin to tell you how wonderful it is to see you again!

“But come on: we don’t want to be standing around here all day. Let’s get you back to my house, and then you can … well, have a rest, get changed, have something to eat, whatever you want. I’m not in work all day today: if you’re not tired we can go out later on, and I can show you Montreal. You’ll find that it’s changed quite a bit since we were kids.” She grinned. “Good little convent girls! I still see a few of the girls from our class back then, you know. They all remember you, and Len and Margot: maybe we could arrange a get-together if you’d like?”

Con nodded. “That’d be lovely.” She smiled. “I know that I wasn’t there for long, but I remember it very well. I’ve got some fond memories of my time there.”

Marie-Adelaide nodded. “We had some good times, didn’t we? And my young cousin’s there now, you know.” She paused. “She thinks a lot of Soeur Marie-Cécile,” she added quietly. “She says that they all do. In fact, she was quite impressed when I told her that Soeur Marie-Cécile’s niece was coming to stay with me. She even asked which niece you were, and when I said that your name was Con she knew exactly whom I meant. She said that Soeur Marie-Cécile talks about her family a lot.”

“She would do,” Con said a little tearfully. “She would do. And yet none of us have ever been back here to see her. Until now.”

She shook her head. “Marie-Adelaide, it’s so wonderful to see you again: I’ve been looking forward to seeing you so much. And I can’t thank you enough for offering to let me stay with you: I wouldn’t have been able to come over here until next year at the earliest if I’d had to save up to pay for a hotel. And thank you so, so much for taking the day off work and coming to meet me. And I’d love it if we could go and have a look round town together once I’ve had a rest and unpacked myself and cleaned myself up. In fact, let me treat you to a meal out this evening, anywhere you suggest – your favourite restaurant! But … oh Marie-Adelaide, would you think I was being dreadfully rude if I said that the first thing I wanted to do once we got to yours was to get in touch with La Sagesse and try to find out when I’ll be able to go to see Auntie Rob?”

Marie-Adelaide shook her head and smiled. “Not in the slightest,” she said simply. “In fact, it’s exactly what I expected you to say.”
Author:  keren [ 08 May 2009, 08:08 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 08/05/09, p6
I have enjoyed this drabble very much.

I like the way you take presumptions from the book and show what the consequences are, e.g. how logical (or reasonable) was it that they never got to see Robin again!
Author:  Fiona Mc [ 08 May 2009, 08:25 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 08/05/09, p6
I think EBD forgot about Robin being in Arles, anyway, am glad Con finally made the visit at long last.
Author:  JS [ 08 May 2009, 08:47 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 08/05/09, p6
How lovely, good for Con. Thanks Alison.
Author:  abbeybufo [ 08 May 2009, 08:56 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 08/05/09, p6
What a lovely scene - so glad at least somebody got to see Robin at last!

Thanks Alison :D
Author:  Joey [ 08 May 2009, 11:50 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 08/05/09, p6
Hurrah for Con!

And thank you so much for continuing this, Alison. I can't wait to "see" Robin.
Author:  PaulineS [ 08 May 2009, 14:12 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 08/05/09, p6
Quote:
..............first thing I wanted to do once we got to yours was to get in touch with La Sagesse and try to find out when I’ll be able to go to see Auntie Rob?”

Marie-Adelaide shook her head and smiled. “Not in the slightest,” she said simply. “In fact, it’s exactly what I expected you to say.”


How lovely for Con and how understanding of Marie-Adelaide.
Author:  crystaltips [ 08 May 2009, 14:44 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 08/05/09, p6
So glad you're continuing with this Alison. Looking forward to the meeting between Con & Robin.
Author:  jmc [ 09 May 2009, 07:35 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 08/05/09, p6
I read most of this in one read and have to say to really enjoyed it. It was very moving and taught me a lot about Austrian history and politics. I was always suprised tht no one went to see Robin, particularly when she was so close to them in Arles. Even with her family I am sure that Joey could have made the effort. Thank you for letting a least one member of the family go and see her.
Author:  Alison H [ 09 May 2009, 08:20 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 08/05/09, p6
Thanks for the comments :D . Hoping to finish this next week.

It wasn’t the first time that visitors from her old life had come to see Soeur Marie-Cécile at La Sagesse. Zephyr Burthill – as was – had been twice, the first time not long after Robin had entered the convent and the second a little under five years ago. And Bette di Bersetti came whenever she was in Montréal: it wasn’t often, but it was usually every two to three years. But this was the first time, the first time in all the years that she’d been there, that a member of her own family had been to visit her, and now that the day had arrived she felt strangely nervous about it. Would it be the same as it had been all those years ago, when the Maynards’ home had been her home? Surely it couldn’t be, when the child she’d known was now a grown woman, a similar age to the age she’d been when she’d first entered La Sagesse.

And yet she knew Con. She knew her from her letters: she’d watched her grow up through her letters and she knew the person that she was now. It wasn’t going to be a stranger who’d be shown into the room any time now. It would just be Con. Her niece.

And she’d know her even if they weren’t meeting here and now, at a prearranged time and at a prearranged place. She’d know her even if she just walked past her in the street. She’d kept all the photographs which she’d been sent over the years. She knew exactly what each and every one of Joey, Madge and Dick’s children and grandchildren looked like. She knew exactly what to expect. A slim, dark-haired, attractive young woman in her mid-twenties, with a slight resemblance to Madge as she’d been at that age. Yes, she knew what to expect.

But somehow it wasn’t like that. Somehow, her mind decided to play tricks on her, and so, when the door opened, she looked up expecting to see an eleven-year-old schoolgirl in short socks walk into the room. And so, when she saw the woman that Con had become, rather than the child that she’d been, she was stunned into silence for a moment.

Then the young woman began to walk across the room. And she did so with a sense of purpose and a sense of assurance that the quiet, introspective child of all those years earlier had never possessed. And yet it was familiar to Robin even so, because she’d seen it develop year on year, in the past year more rapidly than ever before. She’d seen Con grow and change in the pages of her letters. She’d been right: his young woman wasn’t a stranger to her at all. And then, as if to confirm that, Con gave her a smile – the identical smile to the one that she’d had as a little girl.

Robin stood up, slowly, and began to walk across the room towards her niece. And, as she did so, she opened her mouth to speak. But, instead, she burst into tears.

And Con did the same.
Author:  Lesley [ 09 May 2009, 08:33 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 09/05/09, p6
Oh, that's lovely - have happy tears.

Shame on the rest of Rob's so-called family that not one of them has ever made the trip.


Thanks Alison
Author:  di [ 09 May 2009, 09:46 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 09/05/09, p6
Lovely, I had tears in my eyes reading this. I'm so pleased Con has finally got to visit Robin - and shame on the older Maynards for not making the effort. Well, really, shame on EBD for not sending them to Arles or Canada.
Thanks, Alison, so pleased you've carried this on a step further.
Author:  JS [ 09 May 2009, 12:29 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 09/05/09, p6
Ditto on the tears - thanks Alison.
Author:  Elbee [ 09 May 2009, 13:14 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 09/05/09, p6
Me too!

Thanks, Alison.
Author:  Chris S [ 09 May 2009, 15:05 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 09/05/09, p6
Thank you Alison. Rob was always my favourite character and I'm so glad that we are finally to see more of her.
Author:  Clare [ 09 May 2009, 18:17 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 09/05/09, p6
Alsion, this drabble has just been amazing. I'm sitting here with tears in my eyes because both Con and Robin are crying! Thank you so much for writing this. I haven't been posting much, as I've only been able to read the drabble in my breaks in work, but I've learnt so much from this thread. Many, many thanks for such a moving piece of work.
Author:  Alison H [ 10 May 2009, 08:32 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 09/05/09, p6
“Oh, Con!” It was all that Robin could manage to get out at first: it was another few moments before she was able to say anything else. “Oh, Con … oh, my dear … oh, I can’t believe you’re really here! Oh, let me look at you … come here and let me have a proper look … oh, you’re even prettier than you look in your photos … look at you, all grown up … oh, listen to me rambling on like a silly old woman …oh, Con!”

“Not like a silly old woman - like an auntie.” Con managed a watery smile through her tears. “An auntie whom I haven’t seen for so long … I can’t believe that it’s been so long: oh Auntie Rob, I’m sorry! ”

“What on earth are you sorry for?” Robin was laughing and crying at the same time now; and so was Con. “What can you possibly have to be sorry for, my darling girl? You’re here! You’re here: you’re here!”

“I’m here! Oh Auntie Rob, I’m here. I’m here at last. And it’ll never be this long again. I promise that. It’ll never, ever be so long again.” And, with that, she flung herself into her aunt’s arms, and they both cried a little more, and then they both laughed a little more, and all the years that had passed since they’d seen each other last ceased to matter quite so much any more.



“Everyone kept saying that they wished they could come with me,” Con said, when she and Robin had both managed to compose themselves. “I’ve got so many messages for you, and so many letters for you. And presents as well. And everyone sends their love – lots and lots of it.

“I’ve got some photos as well. Rather a lot of photos, actually! These are the latest ones, in this envelope here. And I’ve got some older ones too. As soon as I said I was coming to see you, Mamma and Auntie Madge both started going through all the photos. And telling all the old stories as well. I thought we’d all heard every story there was to hear about the Dark Ages, as Mamma calls them; but they both came up with a few that even Len and I couldn’t remember ever having heard before! And things from when we were kids as well, in Guernsey and then in Armishire.”

She rummaged in her bag. “I put the envelope with them in right at the bottom of my bag, so that I couldn’t accidentally pull it out and drop it when I was getting my purse out or anything! Quite a few of them go right back to Tyrol days: there’s one of you and Mamma and Auntie Juliet taken during the holidays one year, and one of a whole crowd of you outside the old school building; and there’s also one that Mamma said was from Bernhilda and Kurt von Eschenau’s wedding, when you and she were two of the bridesmaids. There are some later ones too: there’s quite a nice one of all of us, at Daisy and Laurie’s wedding, and there are even a few that were actually taken in Montreal when we were here.”

She stopped and laughed. “Sorry! I can’t seem to stop talking! I’m just so excited – oh, Auntie Rob, I’m finally here, with you! I can’t quite believe it: I feel like someone’s about to pinch me and tell me that I’m having a dream – a wonderful, wonderful dream!”
Author:  Lesley [ 10 May 2009, 08:45 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 10/05/09, p7
Hope Joey, Madge etc all feel incredibly guilty too! Both Con and Robin's reactions seems perfectly normal to me. :lol:


Thanks Alison.
Author:  abbeybufo [ 10 May 2009, 10:22 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 10/05/09, p7
Thanks Alison - a lovely scene :D

*laughing & crying with Con and Robin*
Author:  Ariel [ 10 May 2009, 10:41 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 10/05/09, p7
awwww, wonderful! *happy tears*

thanks Alison, this is a fabulous drabble, I have been reading faithfully every day. :)
Author:  shazwales [ 10 May 2009, 15:31 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 10/05/09, p7
Thanks Alison this is lovely.
Author:  JB [ 10 May 2009, 18:00 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 10/05/09, p7
Have cried my way through those last two updates. That was lovely, Alison.
Author:  Emma A [ 10 May 2009, 20:13 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 10/05/09, p7
Oh, I'm so glad to read that Con has done what she promised herself that she would do. Her meeting and Robin's sounds so natural and realistic. I'm looking forward to reading more.

Thank-you.
Author:  Alison H [ 11 May 2009, 11:33 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 10/05/09, p7
“If you are, then I’m having it too,” Robin laughed. She took the envelope that Con had finally triumphantly produced from the bottom of her large handbag, and opened it eagerly. “Let’s have a look! Oh, yes, that’s Bernie and Kurt’s wedding all right – that’s me, and that’s Joey, and Frieda, and Marie, and Maria – look at us all, in those white frocks! And the flowers were gorgeous: you can’t really tell from a black and white photo, but they were! And look at this one – that’s me and Lorenz and Enid! Whilst I was Head Girl, I think! How on earth did Madge or Joey come to have it? Oh, and this one’s really going back – that’s Madge and Jem’s wedding! I was so excited that day: I’d never been to a wedding before, and I thought it was all so terribly romantic, my dear Tante Marguerite and my dear Oncle Jem! And … oh, that’s one of my graduation photos!”

Con leaned over to have a look. “Now that one definitely looks familiar,” she laughed. “It’s a smaller-sized version of the one on the mantelpiece at Freudesheim. When he was a little kid, when we first moved to Switzerland, Mike used to point at it and say “Auntie Wob” and Len – I think she wanted to be a teacher even then! - used to stand there with this earnest look on her face and say “No, Mike, no, it’s not Auntie Wob, it’s Auntie Rob, and then when Geoff started to talk he said “Auntie Wob” as well, and Len did the same with him … oh Auntie Rob, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to make you cry! Auntie Rob, are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” Robin gasped through her tears “I want to cry: I’m crying because I’m happy. I’m crying because you’ve made me feel like I still belong, even though I made a decision that meant my going away from you all. When my mother died, and my father went off to Leningrad … when I was six years old and I woke up in a strange place surrounded by people I’d never met before, Madge and Joey were there for me. And they were there for me when he died, too. They were always there for me.”

“And you were there for them too,” Con said quietly. “I don’t know what Mamma would have done without you when we thought that Papa had … gone. And you’ve been there for me, all these years. We’ve always known that you’d be here for us - even though we’ve left it so long, even though none of us have ever been over here to see you until now.”

She walked over to her aunt’s chair and hugged her tightly. “Auntie Rob, of course you belong. You’re one of the family: you always have been and you always will be. Of course you belong! You’ll always belong.”
Author:  abbeybufo [ 11 May 2009, 11:44 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 11/05/09, p7
Alison H wrote:
“Auntie Rob, of course you belong. You’re one of the family: you always have been and you always will be. Of course you belong! You’ll always belong.”


Of course she does!!

Thanks, Alison :D
Author:  Fiona Mc [ 11 May 2009, 11:57 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 11/05/09, p7
Thanks Alison. Glad the two have finally met again. It's lovely to see Robin again
Author:  Joey [ 11 May 2009, 16:56 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 11/05/09, p7
I'm crying too.

Thank you, Alison. This drabble has been amazing and I really don't want it to end.
Author:  PaulineS [ 11 May 2009, 18:01 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 11/05/09, p7
Thank you Alison. Glad Con's memories make Rob know that she is still part of the family and Con can reaffirm it.
Author:  Celia [ 11 May 2009, 19:25 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 11/05/09, p7
I've really enjoyed all of this Alison though I've not posted very often.
You've blended the true history with the CS so well, and brought
Robin ' back into the fold' so movingly in the last posts. Thank you
so much.
Author:  Lesley [ 11 May 2009, 22:27 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 11/05/09, p7
Awwww, that's lovely 'Auntie Wob' :wink:


Thanks Alison
Author:  di [ 12 May 2009, 06:16 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 11/05/09, p7
Yes, I've tears in my eyes as well! What a lovely reunion this is going to be; I'll have to bring the tissue box to my computer! :lol:
Thanks, Alison.
Author:  Alison H [ 12 May 2009, 08:08 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 11/05/09, p7
“I’ve got so much stuff for you!” Con said, when they’d both wiped their tears away yet again, and calmed down. “Mamma and Anna were all for sending you some of Anna’s lemon biscuits, because they remembered how much you liked them! I had to convince them that they probably wouldn’t travel very well!

“Anna’s sent a letter for you, though. And here’s one from Len; and I believe that Reg has written a note at the bottom of it too. He said he hopes you don’t still think of him as the annoying little brat he was when you met him in Yorkshire all those years ago, and that although he’s only met you that once he feels as if he knows you because Len talks about you all the time. And Steve and Charles and Mike have all written letters for you; and I hope you feel honoured because the rest of us feel lucky if we get more than a scrawled note from them once a term! Charles isn’t quite so bad, but Steve and Mike are terrible!

“I’ve got a parcel for you from Mamma and Papa. And one from Auntie Madge and Uncle Jem too. They’ve just got back from a couple of weeks in Austria and Switzerland: somewhere in there are copies of some of the photos they took. And Daniel’s made you a present: I can’t actually tell what it’s supposed to be and no-one else can either, but Gretchen said that he was very excited about it, and Auntie Madge brought it home with her to pass on to me! There’s a present from Ailie in there as well.

“And I’ve got best wishes for you from hordes of people at the Gornetz Platz. Auntie Grizel, Auntie Rosalie, Auntie Hilda, Auntie Nell, Auntie Biddy, Auntie Hilary, Auntie Stacie, Matey, the Dennys, Frau Mieders … I’ve written a list somewhere: I’ll get it out in a minute! I’m to tell you that Peggy and Bride both say that they’re sorry that they’re so bad at keeping in touch but that they’ll write to you soon.”

She paused. “Oh dear, I’m starting to run out of breath! It’s just that everyone was so excited that I was coming over to see you! I’d better get that list out: I’m bound to’ve forgotten someone! Oh – I know what I’ve forgotten! There’s a present for you from Cecil as well. She’s about the only one of us who’s really good at sewing and she’s done you an embroidered sampler: she says she hopes you like it. It says “For my godmother” at the top.” She opened one of the several bags she’d brought with her, and took out a small package. “Here it is. For you. All of this is for you. Sister, aunt, godmother and friend.”

“I can’t believe all this,” Robin said shakily. “I can’t believe it. Oh dear: I think I’m going to cry again …”

She took out a handkerchief and blew her nose loudly. “I still make sure that I never go anywhere without a clean hanky,” she said, with a watery smile which Con returned. “Once a Chalet School girl, always a Chalet School girl. But it’s been so long since I’ve seen any of the family; and I wasn’t sure that Cecil – she’s my own goddaughter, she’s named after me, and I’ve never even met her – and the rest of your youngest brothers and sisters, let alone David and Gretchen’s little boy and the rest of the new generation, would even know who I was.”
Author:  JB [ 12 May 2009, 09:29 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 12/05/09, p7
It's lovely to see how much all the family remember Robin and still see her as a part of it, even those who have never met her. Thanks, Alison.
Author:  keren [ 12 May 2009, 09:36 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 12/05/09, p7
if she is a nun can she keep any of this?
Author:  Fiona Mc [ 12 May 2009, 12:08 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 12/05/09, p7
This is lovely. I remember being this excited when I met all my Dad's side of the family for the first time when I went overseas. Very glad Con is getting the chance to visit
Author:  Chris [ 12 May 2009, 13:05 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 12/05/09, p7
I really have to stop reading this at work (lunch time of course!) - I can't speak to anyone, too many tears!
It's really lovely - thank you.
Author:  shazwales [ 12 May 2009, 17:47 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 12/05/09, p7
Thanks Alison this is lovely to read :cry: :D
Author:  PaulineS [ 12 May 2009, 22:01 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 12/05/09, p7
How reassuring to Robin to know that the young ones know her enough to send to send presents and letters. She is certainly being reassured that she is not forgotton. Good idea of Con's to write down the names of everyone who sent best wishes, 1) she would not forget someone and 2) Robin can keep it as well.
Author:  di [ 13 May 2009, 06:21 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 12/05/09, p7
Thanks, Alison. Good job Con wrote down all the names. I'd have forgotten half of them!
Author:  Alison H [ 13 May 2009, 07:50 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 12/05/09, p7
I'm not very well up on convent life, but hopefully she'd be allowed to keep photos and little personal presents. Hoping to finish this at the weekend!

She smiled sadly. “Like with my mother’s family in Poland. I know so little about them. Just the names of a few cousins whom I can just about remember my mother telling me about when I was a little girl; and I don’t even know whether or not they’re still alive. And for years I wasn’t aware that I had any relatives at all on my father’s side.”

She smiled again, but without the sadness this time. “And then I found about Adrienne. She’s wonderful, you know. She writes to me a lot – not as often as you do, but a lot even so. I feel as if I know her well, even though I’ve only actually met her those few times in France. And she seems like such a lovely girl.”

“She is a lovely girl.” Con nodded in agreement. “And I think of her as a sister. Erica too. And Ruey. And I think of Roger and Roddy as brothers. Just as Mamma thinks of you as her sister. You are her sister, Auntie Rob. And you’re my aunt – and my friend. And of course everyone knows who you are. You’re one of the family.”

She touched Robin’s hand gently. “And a jolly good teacher too, from what Marie-Adelaide tells me she’s heard. And a good nun: I’m sure of that.”

“I’ve tried to be,” Robin said emotionally. “I don’t know that I am, but I’ve tried to be. It was what I had to do … what I felt called to do … and yet, even so, for a long time, I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to. Partly because I wasn’t sure that I was good enough, in any sense of the word. Partly because I wasn’t sure that I’d be strong enough physically, and I didn’t want to end up being a burden. But also partly because I felt that I’d be letting everyone down … walking out on you all, after everything that Madge and Jem and Joey and Jack had done for me. And there’ve been times - oh, don’t get me wrong: I’ve never regretted my decision, and I hope that I’ve been able to do some little good here, in my way – but, oh, there’ve been times I’ve asked myself why I didn’t choose a convent in Britain or in France, where I could have been closer to you all. And I’ve been angry with myself for feeling like that.”

“You’re quite entitled to feel like that,” Con said guiltily. “We should all have made more effort to come and see you, especially whilst you were in Arles … oh.” She stopped. “What … you mean that you’ve been angry with yourself for still wanting to be part of the family after you’d chosen to enter a convent? Oh, Auntie Rob – you shouldn’t think like that! You might be Soeur Marie-Cécile, but you’re still Robin as well. We all change, and our lives change, but we all stay who we are as well.

“And we should all have made more effort to come and see you. And we will, in the future. I think that Mamma and Papa, and Auntie Madge and Uncle Jem, realise now that you’ve all been apart for far too long, and that they’ll be making arrangements to come over before very much longer. And I’ll be back too, as soon as I can afford it. We’ll never leave it so long again, Auntie Rob. I promise we won’t.”
Author:  Emma A [ 13 May 2009, 09:14 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 13/05/09, p8
This is such a touching and heartfelt reunion. Thank-you, Alison.
Author:  Cath V-P [ 13 May 2009, 09:50 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 13/05/09, p8
I've just caught up with Con's reunion with Robin and it is lovely - that mix of tears and happiness, nostalgia and some regrets. Robin needed to hear that she was still part of the family, and that she still 'belonged' even if life had taken her down a path that separated her from them in some ways. And now that Con has shown the rest of the family that this visit is possible, some more of them may follow her.

Thank you Alison.
Author:  Fiona Mc [ 13 May 2009, 10:50 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 13/05/09, p8
Thanks Alison
Author:  jmc [ 13 May 2009, 11:52 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 13/05/09, p8
I hope the rest of the family do go and visit Robin. How lovely for Robin to know though that no one has actually fogotton her, even if they haven't visited. Even the young ones know who she is.
Lovely Thanks Alison
Author:  Elder in Ontario [ 13 May 2009, 14:21 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 13/05/09, p8
'Blessed be the ties that bind...' -

All right, I know those words come from a wedding hymn, but it seems very appropriate here. Yes, I know that Robin, as Soeur Marie-Cecile, is 'wedded' to the church, but the words really came to me as I realised, with this reunion with Con, just how strong the ties to her 'earthly' family have remained on both sides. Well done, Con, not simply for the visit, but for all her assurances that Robin is never forgotten by those at home.

I do hope that Joey and Madge, at least, will now make a point of visiting her before too much longer, now that Con has shown them the way. And I wonder what Robin will do once she hears Con's account of her meeting with Sara Goldmann.

Thank you Alison - I know I don't often comment, but I'm really enjoying this.
Author:  di [ 13 May 2009, 17:16 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 13/05/09, p8
Great! Thanks Alison.
Author:  Luisa [ 13 May 2009, 22:42 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 13/05/09, p8
Thank you - inadequate but true.
Author:  Alison H [ 14 May 2009, 07:51 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 13/05/09, p8
Should be finishing this on Saturday or, at the latest, Sunday!

Con squeezed her aunt’s hand. “You’re very much part of our family, and don’t ever think that you aren’t! You might be part of the family of your order here, but you’ll always also have your other family in …”

She started to laugh. “In where? I don’t know where to say! Mamma and Papa seem settled in Switzerland, at least for the time being, and so do Len and Reg; but I’m in London, Margot could end up anywhere, I don’t think Steve’s got any intention of going back to Switzerland after he finishes his degree, and I’m not sure that any of the others are going to end up over there permanently either. Auntie Madge and Uncle Jem are in Llan-y-Penllan; Kevin and Kester are off at Winchester and who knows where either of them’ll be once they've left school; Daisy and co are in Armishire; Primula and co are in Devon; Uncle Dick and Auntie Mollie are in another part of Devon; the rest of the Bettanys are scattered all over the show; and I don’t think Ailie’s even thought about where she’d like to live long term! And then, of course, David and Gretchen and Daniel’re in Austria, and Sybil and Josette and their lot are over in Australia.

“And you’re in Canada.” She smiled wryly. “Our family! We’re all over the place! And we always were, weren’t we? Right from when I was a little kid, I accepted that our family didn’t all live close together like some people’s families did, and that we couldn’t see each other all the time like some people’s families could, and that every time there was any sort of celebration there was going to be somebody important missing because it just wasn’t practical for them to make the journey. Uncle Dick and Auntie Mollie were in India. And my other Auntie Mollie and my Uncle Ken were – still are, of course! – in New Zealand. And then we moved to Switzerland … and you moved to Canada … and so on. And not just family, either: Mamma’s friends are all over the place, and now mine and Len’s and Margot’s are too.

“But it doesn’t mean that we’re not all part of a whole. And it certainly doesn’t mean that we don’t think about each other, or that we don’t care about each other. And I just feel so very glad that I’ve got you all. And you’ve got us all too, Auntie Rob. You’ve got us, and we’ve got you. And we’re all so lucky – all of us, we’re so, so lucky. Meeting Sarah Goldmann, thinking about people like her who lost everyone and had to try to start again on their own, really brought that home to me. That was one of the things that I tried to explain in the letter I wrote to you whilst I was on the train coming back from Austria. I hope it all made sense: some of it wasn’t very easy to write.”

Robin nodded. “It all made perfect sense. No-one expresses things the way you do, Con: thank you so much for that letter, for sharing it all with me. And thank you, both you and Ricki too, for going to Spartz to meet Miss Goldmann and for explaining everything to her. It can’t have been easy for you; but I knew that you’d do it, and I knew that you’d do it well.”

She wiped her eyes again. “Thank you so much for everything, Con. For coming here, and for everything that you’ve just said. It means so much to me … so very much. You summed it all up very well, really – I’m Soeur Marie-Cécile, yes, but I’m still Robin too. And if you all still think of me as one of the family then I’m a very, very lucky woman indeed.”

She smiled poignantly. “And Miss Goldmann, Sarah … well, in some ways it’s going to be strange, but I’m really looking forward to meeting her.”
Author:  Fiona Mc [ 14 May 2009, 08:46 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 14/05/09, p8
Thanks Alison, that was wonderful as always. Am looking forward to Robin and Sarah meeting
Author:  Emma A [ 14 May 2009, 10:56 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 14/05/09, p8
That was lovely, Alison. I do like that Con has reassured Robin that she is still part of the family, even though she's far away, and how she's pointed out that everyone is scattered across the globe, so it's not just Robin who's at some distance.

I'm looking forward, too, to the meeting with Sarah Goldmann.
Author:  abbeybufo [ 14 May 2009, 11:16 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 14/05/09, p8
Another looking forward to 'seeing' Robin & Sarah meeting.

Like the point that all the faimly is scattered, & Robin is not the only one at a distance from everybody else.

Thanks Alison :D
Author:  di [ 14 May 2009, 17:17 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 14/05/09, p8
Also looking forward to Robin and Sarah meeting. So good for Robin to realise that her 'family' are all thinking of her and that she will always be 'family'
Thanks, Alison.
Author:  Cath V-P [ 15 May 2009, 01:37 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 14/05/09, p8
I loved Con's insistence that despite the way in which the family is scattered, they do still belong together and matter to one another.
Thank you Alison.
Author:  Kathy_S [ 15 May 2009, 01:56 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 14/05/09, p8
Thank you, Alison. I love the way Con's recent experiences pushed her into this long-awaited visit. Even better if we also get to see Sarah and Robin meet!
Author:  Alison H [ 15 May 2009, 07:49 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 14/05/09, p8
Thanks for the comments :D . Just 2 more posts to go after this one!

Sarah made the journey to Montréal from New York City a few days later, by train. A friend had suggested that she travel by rail rather than by air, and she was glad that she’d taken his advice: not only had it been a considerably cheaper option, but it had also been a fascinating trip on its own terms. She and her fellow passengers had passed from the Hudson Valley through the Adirondacks, travelled along by the shores of Lake Champlain, passed the town where Washington Irving had lived, been able to see West Point in the distance and then passed close to Saratoga, before crossing the border between the United States and Canada and carrying on through yet more spectacular scenery to the beautiful historic city of Montréal itself.

She’d thoroughly enjoyed it, and yet less than a year ago, the very thought of making a long trip by train would have unsettled her badly. She’d dreaded the journey from Paris to Innsbruck and back so much that on both occasions she’d almost been tempted to take a sleeping tablet as soon as she’d boarded. For her, long train journeys had never been just a means of getting from one place to another for her. Those long hours in a railway carriage, the sound of the train on the tracks, the sight of the countryside speeding by … all of them, everything about it all, had always served to remind her of that last goodbye as she left her family for ever, and her fear as she’d headed off into the unknown without them.

They still did, and they always would. And there were so many other things – a sight, a sound, a smell, just a brief moment of something which would catch at her heart – which would suddenly remind her so sharply of her early years in Austria and of all the people she’d lost that it would be as if she were back there with them … only she wasn’t, and she never would be.

But she was better able to cope with it now, since she’d been back to Austria, and since she’d learnt more about the events of that day in Spartz. She was even able to talk about it more – not to everyone, because it wasn’t for everyone to know her private business, but to those to whom she was close and whom she trusted. Some of them had known something of her background already, and most of the others had guessed; but a few of them had had no idea about her early life and the losses she’d suffered, and to them in particular she’d explained as fully as she’d been able to, because it was important that everyone should know what the Nazis had done and that no-one should ever forget.
Author:  PaulineS [ 15 May 2009, 09:08 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 15/05/09, p9
Good we are to have a three way meeting of Robin. Con and Robin.

Thank you
Author:  Emma A [ 15 May 2009, 09:13 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 15/05/09, p9
It's no wonder that Sarah couldn't face a train journey with equanimity after her early experiences. I am looking forward to the rest (and am amazed by how regularly you've been able to post!).

Thanks, Alison.
Author:  JS [ 15 May 2009, 09:45 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 15/05/09, p9
Thanks Alison; sounds like a lovely way to finish what has been a fabulous story.
Author:  Cat C [ 15 May 2009, 11:05 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 15/05/09, p9
I've done that train journey - from NY to Montreal! Looking forward to the final two episodes...
Author:  abbeybufo [ 15 May 2009, 13:20 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 15/05/09, p9
I haven't done the train journey, but I was driven to Burlington Vt [on Lake Champlain] from Toronto via Quebec, and have done the flight in a [fairly] small plane [19 passenger capacity] from NY up to Albany, and done a Greyhound bus trip from Hanover to Boston, so lots of familiar places :D

Thanks Alison - looking forward to the Robin/Con/Sarah meeting :) but will be sorry to see the end of this :cry:
Author:  Elder in Ontario [ 15 May 2009, 14:01 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 15/05/09, p9
I can quite see why train journeys would always have been hard for Sarah, with the memories they evoked of that particular journey. I'm really glad that her journey to Spartz and all that she learned during that visit has already helped her so much, and am very much looking forward to her meeting with Robin - I think the fact Con will also be there will be very helpful.

Thanks Alison - I'm another who is looking forward to being 'present' at that meeting, but will be sorry to see your story end.
Author:  di [ 15 May 2009, 17:02 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 15/05/09, p9
Thanks, Alison. I'm glad Sarah is beginning to enjoy her train journey and I'm sure she's looking forward to seeing Robin and Con to fit the final piece to the picture.
Author:  stuffs [ 15 May 2009, 18:45 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 15/05/09, p9
.........I don't want this to end............. :(
Author:  Alison H [ 16 May 2009, 07:30 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated 15/05/09, p9
It had been Con, who’d known that Sarah wanted to meet Robin and that Robin wanted to meet Sarah but that neither of them felt quite confident about raising the subject directly, who’d suggested to both of them that Sarah should come to Montréal. It had also been Con who’d suggested that Sarah could come this particular week when she’d be there herself, if that was what she’d prefer: she quite understood that Sarah might wish to see Robin alone, she’d said, but it had also occurred to her that it might be easier for her to visit the convent with and be introduced to Robin by someone she knew. And they did know each other, didn’t they? They might only have met on that one day, but it had been the sort of one day which left all of those involved feeling that there’d be a connection between them for ever more.

Initially Sarah had demurred over the timing, but only out of concern that it would be wrong of her to infringe upon the limited time which Robin and Con would be able to spend together; but both of them had, figuratively speaking, waved those uncertainties away at once. And Con had even arranged to meet her at the station when she arrived. What a kind person she was, Sarah had thought when she’d received that particular letter; but then she’d known that already, and known it of Ricki Fry too, after their meeting in Spartz.

Kindness from strangers – because that was what Con and Ricki had been to her before that day – was something which she never failed to appreciate; and, although her experiences might well have left her always feeling suspicious of other people’s motives, in actual fact they hadn’t. She’d learned all those years ago in the Hook of Holland that, however much of evil might exist in the world, there would always be goodness and kindness there somewhere as well. That was what her parents had wanted her to understand on that long ago evening not long before they’d waved her goodbye, when they’d sat her down and her father had told her the story of how a young schoolgirl had braved a crowd of vicious Nazi thugs to come to her grandfather’s aid, believing that knowing that might give her hope. And it had done.



Con was at the station early and, glancing at her watch, took a seat. There was no point going to stand on the platform just yet. She took out a magazine, but she didn’t read it. Her mind was too occupied: she was too busy thinking back over the last time that she and Sarah had met, on that wintry day in Spartz. How much had happened as a result of that meeting and the events leading up to it, she thought to herself. There were all sorts of clichés about how a pebble thrown into a pond would create a wave of ripples which would spread and spread, but they were clichés because they were generally true. In this case, they were certainly true.

Both she and Ricki had learned, and, she hoped, come to understand, so much - about the events of the Nazi era, about their own relatives and the effects that those events had had on them, about the attitudes of people in both Britain and Austria towards the atrocities committed by the Nazis and towards those who’d been involved in carrying them out, and about both history and humanity in general.
She knew also, from a letter that she’d received from Gretchen shortly after returning to London, how important it had been to her to hear the Brauns, the Mensches, the von und zu Wertheims and, most importantly, her grandparents and uncle, open up to her and talk about their experiences in relation to the period of Nazi rule in Austria, and the way in which government and society had reacted to it afterwards and were still struggling to deal with it now.

And she herself had also been made, more forcefully than ever before, to realise just how lucky she was to have her family and friends; and that was what had brought her here, to Montréal, where she’d finally been reunited with her beloved Auntie Robin and her dear friend Marie-Adelaide. And where she was now waiting for Sarah Goldmann to arrive, for the visit which would bring Sarah’s quest to find the woman who’d gone to her grandfather’s aid on that day in Spartz in 1938, which was what had started all this, to its conclusion at last.
Author:  Lesley [ 16 May 2009, 08:14 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated p 16/05/09, p9
Missed this yesterday for some reason :oops:. Love the way that Con has taken the lead here. Can quite understand how Sarah will always be wary of train journeys - but glad she now has some happy memories.


Thaks Alison
Author:  di [ 16 May 2009, 08:48 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated p 16/05/09, p9
Thanks, Alison. Each post brings us nearer to the end of this wonderful story and, I, like those before me, don't want it to end. However, closure for Sarah means closure for us also and that's how it must be! :)
Author:  Fiona Mc [ 16 May 2009, 11:18 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated p 16/05/09, p9
Thanks Alison. I'll be sad to this end but am looking forward to see the story come full circle and have Robin and Sarah finally meet
Author:  Alison H [ 17 May 2009, 07:56 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, updated p 16/05/09, p9
Finally made it to the end: thanks again for the comments! Here's the final part.

Con and Sarah greeted each other warmly. The warmth was quite genuine, on both sides: their first meeting might have been highly unconventional, but it had had such an effect on both of them that it was impossible now to feel that they were anything less than friends. Sarah, insisting that despite the long journey she’d just made she wasn’t at all tired, invited Con to join her for a drink at her hotel, an invitation which was taken up immediately; and they met up too the following day, speaking a little about themselves, a little about the past, a little about Canada and rather a lot about Robin.

It was, after all, Robin whom Sarah had come to Montréal to see. And Con, who in her mid-twenties had not only the perspicacity that she’d always had but also the tact that she’d so often been told in her schooldays that she needed to acquire, knew that her role on the day of that meeting should be limited to escorting Sarah to the convent and making the appropriate introductions; and so she found that she’d be unable to stay at La Sagesse for long that morning as she had arrangements with Marie-Adelaide which couldn’t be changed without causing a considerable amount of inconvenience.

And so Robin Humphries and Sarah Goldmann were left alone, to talk about that day in Spartz twenty-six years earlier which had given both of them nightmares ever since – one of them haunted by the memory of an impossible day on which three innocent people had been brutally murdered and one of them haunted by the thought of it. Robin said over and over again how sorry she was for Sarah’s great loss, Sarah said over and over again how grateful she was for Robin’s selfless and courageous actions; and in the end they both, two people who’d never met before and yet who shared such a strong tie, clung together and cried.

Eventually, when they were both able to speak again, they spoke about other things. Each asked a few questions about the other: somehow it didn’t seem strange or impolite that they should do so. They spoke about Austria, about how they’d both once been so happy there and how they’d both had to leave. They spoke about their memories of Sarah’s paternal grandparents in Spartz; and they spoke too about the rest of Sarah’s family, transported east from Austria to Poland to meet their deaths in the most evil and systematic form of mass murder ever known in the course of human history; and Robin wept for them and for the blood-soaked soil of the country which had been her own mother’s home and which she’d never seen and, as things stood, probably never would see.

Nearly twenty years had passed since the Nazis had been defeated, but Sarah and Robin and everyone else who’d been involved in the events leading up to their meeting knew that it would take many years more for the wounds which Europe, indeed which the whole of humanity, had suffered from the almost unimaginable horrors of the fourth and fifth decades of the twentieth century to begin to heal. And that not speaking of them would make that process more difficult, not less so.

The past was always there and always would be. The flames burned on. But life went on too. It always had done. It had to.
Author:  JB [ 17 May 2009, 08:08 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, completed p 17/05/09, p9
Thank you, Alison. I have so enjoyed this and learned so much about Austria that I didn't know before. A beautiful potrayal of Robin and a thoughtful one of Con.

My mornings won't be the same without one of your drabbles.

Edited to remove rogue apostrophe.
Author:  Jessie [ 17 May 2009, 08:10 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, completed p 17/05/09, p9
A beautiful story, and very well written - thank you!
Author:  keren [ 17 May 2009, 08:14 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, completed p 17/05/09, p9
A story I looked forward to every day.

The significance to Sarah of what Robin had done, while Robin had felt guilty for not doing enough.
Both have got more closure now.

Again taking a small scene from EBD and finding what it could have really meant!
From what we see of the peace league,I do believe that EBD did mean to show the contrast, and that not all people are evil.

Thanks again
Author:  pippikit [ 17 May 2009, 08:33 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, completed p 17/05/09, p9
As a long-time lurker on the CBB, I have finally been motivated to de-lurk in order to say how much I have enjoyed this very moving story.

Thank you Alison H.
Author:  Lesley [ 17 May 2009, 09:10 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, completed p 17/05/09, p9
Wonderful, thank you Alison for spotlighting the events. We need, as a species, to remember these things - otherwise we are doomed to repeat them.

And thank you so much for the wonderful development of Con as a character.





Edited because I cannot spell! :roll:
Author:  di [ 17 May 2009, 09:26 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, completed p 17/05/09, p9
That was a wonderful story, Alison, and I know I'm not the only one who will miss the early morning episode. Your dedication to the research this story must have needed, is outstanding and yet there it was, every morning.
Thanks, so much. :)
Author:  abbeybufo [ 17 May 2009, 09:29 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, completed p 17/05/09, p9
A lovely ending Alison, thank you so much for this story.

I didn't want it to end, and I'm looking forward to your next visit to this universe.
Author:  ibarhis [ 17 May 2009, 09:39 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, completed p 17/05/09, p9
Alison, thank you so much for this.
Author:  Karoline [ 17 May 2009, 09:43 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, completed p 17/05/09, p9
Thank you Alison
Author:  Yvette [ 17 May 2009, 10:36 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, completed p 17/05/09, p9
Thank you for your thought provoking story.
Author:  JoW [ 17 May 2009, 10:43 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, completed p 17/05/09, p9
I have loved this story and will really miss it. Thank you.
Author:  Fiona Mc [ 17 May 2009, 10:52 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, completed p 17/05/09, p9
Alison, thank you so much for writing this. Especially liked the last few lines. Very moving
Author:  Elbee [ 17 May 2009, 12:34 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, completed p 17/05/09, p9
You're writing is always so moving and thoughtful. Thank you Alison, this has been a lovely story to read.
Author:  janetbrown23 [ 17 May 2009, 12:40 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, completed p 17/05/09, p9
Thank you for brightening my days with your story. You have taught me a lot about Austria. My father was with the occupying forces in Carinthia until 1947 and I have often wondered what the country was like then and in the years after the war.
Author:  Elder in Ontario [ 17 May 2009, 14:39 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, completed p 17/05/09, p9
Thank you, Alison, for that very satisfying ending, and indeed, for the entire story. You've allowed both Sarah and Robin to achieve closure on what happened in Spartz that day and Con to have the satisfaction of knowing the two have finally met. Your story has taught all of us so much about the events of that era, and, as Lesley notes, has reminded us once again that we to learn from the lessons of history, or be doomed to repeat them.

I'm another one who will miss the daily instalment, even if I didn't comment on all of them.
Author:  Jenefer [ 17 May 2009, 14:49 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, completed p 17/05/09, p9
Thank you for this very moving story. I shall miss the daily installment.
Author:  PaulineS [ 17 May 2009, 14:52 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, completed p 17/05/09, p9
Thank you Alison, lovely to know that in one universe at least Con made it back to Montreal and Sarah and Robin could meet.

Thank you for adding to my knowledge of Austria in post World War Europe.
Author:  Chris [ 17 May 2009, 18:51 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, completed p 17/05/09, p9
Thank you Alison - that was a very moving and interesting story. I will miss looking for your posts every lunch time.
Author:  BethC [ 17 May 2009, 21:16 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, completed p 17/05/09, p9
Thank you, Alison - that was wonderful.
Author:  crystaltips [ 17 May 2009, 23:56 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, completed p 17/05/09, p9
*Echoes everyone else - truly wonderful* Thank you so much, Alison.
Author:  Cath V-P [ 18 May 2009, 00:57 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, completed p 17/05/09, p9
An extraordinarily significant encounter for both of them, that provided both some resolution and also the possibility of progress. And a testimony - indeed the whole story is - to the sheer importance of memory and communication in defining who and what we are.

Thank you Alison.
Author:  Nightwing [ 18 May 2009, 01:14 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, completed p 17/05/09, p9
Thanks Alison - you've touched on some very difficult subjects in a wonderfully moving way. I'll miss your daily updates - and is it too much to hope that we see a little more of Robin and Sarah in the future?
Author:  JS [ 18 May 2009, 08:35 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, completed p 17/05/09, p9
Thanks Alison, that was great. I shall miss my breakfast reads and join others in hoping to see more of David, Gretchen etc (and Con and Robin et al!) in the near future. It is a lovely universe you've created there (sorry to Miss Annersley for sentence construction!)
Author:  JellySheep [ 18 May 2009, 10:16 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, completed p 17/05/09, p9
This has been a great story - it's a pity to come to the end, though the end was right. It was such a good mixture of lots of things - history, story, empathy, and I was glad to see Robin re-appear too.
Author:  Emma A [ 18 May 2009, 17:05 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, completed p 17/05/09, p9
That was a very satisfying ending to a very moving and thought-provoking drabble. People other than Con, Robin and Sarah are beginning to come to terms with Austria's role in the war, and their own parts in it - however small these were. I have really enjoyed seeing the reactions of so many characters, and the discussions of Austrian history - I'd say that, in parts, it was the best form of history lesson!

Thanks again, Alison.
Author:  Luisa [ 18 May 2009, 23:46 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, completed p 17/05/09, p9
They've said it all for me. I too will miss this - hope to see more of Sarah in the future.
Author:  dackel [ 19 May 2009, 12:01 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, completed p 17/05/09, p9
I haven't posted on this drabble before (at least I don't think I have) but I wanted to say thank you for it, as I enjoyed it very much.

I grew up in Germany, so can completely relate to some of the issues raised. I learned a lot more about Austria's role in war from this drabble, though - you must have done a lot of research to be able to put in so much information!

And I liked your portrayal of Con and the Robin - they seemed like real and believable people. I'm so glad Con finally managed to visit the Robin - hopefully more of the family will visit soon!

Thanks, Alison!
Author:  Chris S [ 19 May 2009, 15:01 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, completed p 17/05/09, p9
Many thanks for this wonderful story Alison, and for all the research you must have done for it. Next month I am going to Poland to visit the concentration camps and your story has really brought home to me how people made the sacrifice of sending their children away knowing that it was the only way to save their lives.
Author:  brie [ 20 May 2009, 17:49 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, completed p 17/05/09, p9
Thanks Alison. This story really moved me, and I enjoyed it all the way through. it was nice to see more of Robin and Con too. Thank you
Author:  Kathy_S [ 21 May 2009, 22:40 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, completed p 17/05/09, p9
Very moving ending. Thanks once more....
Author:  Meg14 [ 22 May 2009, 23:23 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, completed p 17/05/09, p9
di wrote:
That was a wonderful story, Alison, and I know I'm not the only one who will miss the early morning episode. Your dedication to the research this story must have needed, is outstanding and yet there it was, every morning.
Thanks, so much. :)


I just wanted to say how much I agree with you di- the research and accuracy of this has been very impressive! I will miss it very much. Thanks Alison
Author:  Sarah_K [ 25 May 2009, 23:37 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, completed p 17/05/09, p9
Thank you so much Alison. I've absolutely loved reading this drabble and it had such a lovely, fitting ending with Robin and Sarah finally meeting.
Author:  Joey [ 03 Jun 2009, 11:47 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, completed p 17/05/09, p9
Alison, I've been putting off reading the last instalments of this story because I didn't want it to end, but I've finally given in. Thank you so much - it's a wonderful story. I've learned so much, and I'm glad you've given closure to both Sarah and Robin. And I love grown-up Con - good for her for learning tact, and for keeping up (and re-establishing) old friendships.
Author:  Abi [ 20 Jun 2009, 15:48 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, completed p 17/05/09, p9
I've just read all of part II, and found it so moving. It's wonderful to see how each of the characters has grown and learned through what has happened to them and to others. Thanks for such a special story.
Author:  bethany [ 03 Jul 2009, 22:41 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, completed p 17/05/09, p9
I've finally been able to read the rest of this (I know, I am so behind the times!). Thank you so much Alison, it was really interesting to read. It was great to have some of the details from Exile filled in, and to learn about Sarah. I'm really pleased that Con was able to go and visit Robin, something that Joey and Madge really should have done more often.

Thanks!
Author:  lexyjune [ 15 Jul 2009, 21:47 ]
Post subject:  Re: The flames that burn on, part II, completed p 17/05/09, p9
I have just finished reading this from the begining,and it is so beliveable. Sorry that it has ended.Thank you very much Alison.
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