Blue as a Fedora

Chapter 2: The Man of Germany

Malvina woke up the next day to a very bright morning, her mother yapping like a chihuahua for her and Malia to wake up. Malvina sat up in her bed and rubbed her eyes sleepily. She slowly got out of her bed and opened the blinds, which caused Malia to groan in annoyance.

Malvina had breakfast with Ella, who was gradually starting to form speech better and better.

"Do you have... school today?" Ella asked, in her toddler little voice. Malvina turned to smile at Ella.

"How did you guess?" said Malvina.

"You tend to eat faster when... when you are going to school," Ella noted knowledgeably. "You are usually out here before Malia, and your bag is over there at the door," she pointed a little finger to the door, where, sure enough, Malia's and Malvina's bags were lying by the wall.

"Well," said Malvina, feeling a little speechless, "clearly you pay a lot of attention to our morning routine. I can't wait for when you join us at school."

Ella gazed at Malvina curiously, who finished the rest of her breakfast without question.

Malia and Malvina walked to school as usual. Going through the village, neither of them was feeling nearly as cheery as they usually felt and gave only half-hearted waves to everybody they passed. The discussion of yesterday was still in their minds.

"What's wrong, my little girls?" called Roxanne, the young lady who sold clothes by the town hall. Malia and Malvina looked up at her at the sound of her voice. "You don't look very well. Are you feeling ill?"

"Something like that," Malia responded vaguely, and Malvina didn't protest when Malia pulled on her arm to hurry up.

Passing the bronze lion statue and crossing the street to school, Malvina and Malia went through the entrance.

"I'll see you later," Malia said, walking to the building next to Malvina's class.

"Goodbye," Malvina said, going to the other building.

The bell rang once Malvina entered the classroom. Peter was sitting in his usual seat, and Malvina walked slowly towards her own, next to him.

Mr Petit asked them to do their Spelling as usual, now starting with the new activities. Malvina was bursting to tell Peter about the conversation she'd had with Papa the previous night.

"Hey Peter, I have to say something to you," Malvina muttered, looking down at her work so that Mr Petit wouldn't tell her off.

"What's wrong?" asked Peter, who was also looking down at his work.

"Well, nothing's wrong..." Malvina started uncertainly, fiddling with her thumbs. "I just – Papa told me yesterday that he served in the war."

Peter paused his writing for a moment, but still didn't look up. He lost a little of the colour in his face.

"You mean, the Great War?"

"Yeah."

Peter was now looking directly in Malvina's eyes, as if searching for a sign of a lie. Once he seemed convinced that Malvina was telling the truth, he said, "That's crazy... and he never told you, or...?"

His voice trailed away a little awkwardly.

"He didn't tell Malia or me until last night," confirmed Malvina. "What a bedtime story, right? I wonder what he'll give me for my birthday, or Christmas. The story of the time he almost got exploded, probably..."

Peter laughed, which received a glare from Mr Petit, who was sitting at the front supervising. Peter looked back at his work and started writing his next sentence.

"My parents don't have any interesting stories for Christmas," he smiled in a low voice. "Then again, we're Jewish, kind of defeats the point of the joke, doesn't it?"

"Jews have birthdays though," Malvina giggled. "But of course, they'd just give you money, wouldn't they?" They both had to stifle their laughter as more students began looking from their work to Malvina and Peter.

For the rest of the lesson, Malvina and Peter worked on their Spelling, every once in a while, helping each other on particularly difficult words or definitions. It was when it was nearly Recess when two teachers were walking in the corridor outside, talking in hushed voices, and Malvina managed to catch a snippet of what they were saying.

"– My father is all for it, saying it was time someone like him came into office –"

" – Seems a little too harsh to me, Arthur...seems like no good..."

Malvina didn't need much help in guessing who they were talking about. Her work had managed to distract her from her curiosity for a while, but it was all coming back in that instant. She scanned the room of students; surely – just surely – one of the children in here had some idea as to who he was...

The rest of the students didn't seem bothered in the slightest by the conversation outside, which had now moved out the building. This only grew the curiosity that was burning in Malvina like a wildfire.

The bell went for Recess, and Peter said he had to use the toilet. Malvina therefore left the classroom by herself, looking around at the students surrounding her. She looked by her side to see a boy that she knew was called Marcos. She wasn't necessarily friends with Marcos, but she was on speaking terms with him.

"Hey Marcos," Malvina greeted happily, walking closer to him.

"Oh, hey Malvina," he said with a yawn. Marcos always seemed to be tired. "How are you doing?"

"Fine," Malvina said a little anxiously, fiddling with her thumbs yet again; something she seemed to always do when she was nervous. "Um, I've just been a little curious about something for a while –"

" – I can't help you with the Spelling," Marcos interrupted, as if he knew exactly what Malvina was about to ask. "I suck at Spelling, especially that super long word that was near the bottom –"

"– It's not about that," Malvina said, her impatience beginning to seep into her voice. She took a quick, steadying breath to calm herself down.

"It's not about that," she tried again, more calmly. "I just wanted to ask, have you heard of – erm – well, I've been hearing about this man called... called Hitler?"

They were now out in the courtyard, the sun dazzling in Malvina's eyes. Marcos slowed his pace a little, looking at Malvina with mild interest.

"Yeah," he said, not sounding too worried, as they continued walking through the courtyard. "My parents mentioned him to me before. They just said he was really smart or something..."

"Really smart? Why?" Malvina asked, trying not to sound too demanding. She couldn't really help it though: she wanted to know who this Hitler was.

"Ah, I don't know," Marcos shrugged casually, now looking over to where Malvina assumed his friends were. "Listen Malvina, I've got to go. I'm meeting with my friends, bye."

"Bye," Malvina said, waving as he went over to his friends, her curiosity still not quite quenched. She went by the water fountain to wait for Peter, picking up little pebbles then throwing them in the fountain behind her. Every time she threw a pebble over her head, it would land in the fountain with a little plop.

Peter returned from the bathroom and, after catching sight of Malvina by the water fountain, ambled his way to her direction.

They played Rochecarré for the Recess, Malvina trying not to bring up the new information she had collected. She wanted to confide in someone, but she wasn't sure that Peter was the right person. Of course, he was Malvina's best friend, but for some reason everything she'd been learning seemed a little... personal. She wanted to confide in someone like Papa, or Mama.
Recess ended, and for the rest of the day, Malvina went around asking some of her classmates about this 'Hitler.'

"He shouts a lot, apparently," one of the older boys told her.

"When I asked one of the teachers, he said that he was German," a girl had said vaguely.

"Oh! He's the one with the moustache, I think..."

"I've heard him speak on the radio before... couldn't understand a word, sounded really German to me..."

It was with her head filled with spinning thoughts and information as Malvina left through the front gate. This time, she made it to the bronze lion first, except that she barely noticed where she was going, as her feet were stepping without her command, her mind preoccupied elsewhere.

Malia later arrived with her face in her book yet again, looking up in surprise as she saw that Malvina had beaten her to the bronze lion.

"Wow, you must've left early or something," Malia said, as Malvina got up from her sitting position, and started following Malia across the street to the village.

"Malia, how do you know where you're going with your eyes glued to that book of yours?" said Malvina with a little giggle.

"Eh, you get used to it," Malia replied absent-mindedly, once again waving at everyone she saw as they weaved their way through the village to the hills.

"Hello girls!" called the builder of the village, Foncé, who was standing at the top of a ladder by a two-storey shop. Malvina and Malia waved energetically when he said, "How was school?"

"Fantastic thanks!" Malia and Malvina beamed. "What are you doing up there?" Malia added curiously.

"Fixing a window up here," Foncé called back. "Apparently the store owner threw a book out the window!"

Malia and Malvina laughed as they waved goodbye and continued through the small village. Once they had found their way in the hills, Malvina was struck by a sudden idea. When they had reached the view of Albas, she looked away from it and up at Malia instead, feeling full of nerves.

"You tired of the view?" Malia said, though she studied Malvina with surprise. "You look a little jumpy, Malvina."

"Malia," Malvina said, feeling just as nervous as she felt with Marcos, "do you know who 'Hitler' is?"

Malia looked taken aback by the question, as though she thought it came out of no-where, which, Malvina thought, perhaps it did.

"Save if for tonight Malvina," Malia said finally. "Ask Papa, I'm sure he knows about it all..."

"Even if it's just a little!" Malvina pestered desperately, as she had quickly assumed that Malia knew who he was. "Please, I've been trying to find out all day!"

"Oh fine," Malia groaned, looking ahead to the road, rather than at Malvina. Malvina looked ahead too, the trees and French streets now not looking so beautiful with the dark thoughts circling her mind.

"Well, Hitler's first name is Adolf," Malia began, who then seemed to have difficulty thinking of anything else. She then said, "Um, he's German. Been trying to get into office for a while. Apparently, he's racist –"

"– What does that mean?" Malvina asked in interest.

"That means that you don't like someone, because they were born in a different place," Malia said carefully. "This is stuff you really don't need to worry about until later, Malvina, really."

Malvina didn't understand what Malia meant by that.

"Well, anything else?" said Malvina.

"Doesn't like gypsies," Malia said thoughtfully. "Oh, and Jews of course –"

"Jews?" Malvina burst in suddenly, feeling confused and surprised. "Why Jews?"

"I don't know, do I?" said Malia, gazing at Malvina in surprise and now, Malvina could see it, annoyance in her expression. "Maybe he doesn't like that they make heaps of money or something. Why don't you ask him?"

Malvina fell silent as they continued hiking their way through the hills. So many thoughts were swirling around her mind. Peter. Peter was a Jew. Hitler didn't like Jews. Is that why Peter's parents wanted to leave Albas? Malvina thought hard... wasn't Hitler German? Didn't he live in Germany? How could Hitler possibly harm anyone outside of Germany? Why would he even want to? It was clear that Peter's parents were concerned for their safety, that's why they wanted to move. Hitler was going to do something to them. Because... because they were Jews? Malvina attempted to find the logic in this thought process, but couldn't.

Malvina was beginning to feel scared. She was scared that somehow this was going to affect her family as well... but why would it? They weren't gypsies, and they weren't Jews either. They were a normal, happy French family. Malvina then thought about Peter. He was such a nice boy, so kind and thoughtful. Why would anyone want to put him in danger? Malvina was filled with questions and worries the whole walk back home.

They found their way to their usual path and took the detour as always. Stomping their way through the wild path, they finally reached the white, old-fashioned fence which stood in front of their home.

"Hey Mama, hey Papa," Malvina said when they entered the house; she attempted to hide any fear and confusion trying to find its way into her tone. Tonight, Malvina thought, just wait for tonight.

Papa and Mama greeted Malia and Malvina happily as usual, their smiles pure, and their thoughts probably undisturbed. Malvina dropped her bag by the door and hobbled to the kitchen.

"Hi," said Ella unexpectedly, who was sitting alone by the table. Malia screamed in surprise, not noticing that Ella was in the kitchen.

"Don't scare me like that Ella!" Malia shouted, while Ella began giggling childishly. "Since when do you hang out in the window room anyway...?"

Malia had been so used to calling the kitchen the 'window room' that she didn't even bother to correct herself anymore. The same could be said for Mama and Papa, Malvina and, of course, Ella, who (as far as Malvina could remember) had never called the room by its proper name before.

"You guys ready for lunch?" Mama asked kindly, going into the kitchen to get some food.

"Actually Mama, I'm not that hungry," Malvina said rather suddenly, standing up abruptly from her seat. "I'm just going to get some fresh air if you don't mind."

Malia gave Malvina a dark look mixed with some confusion, while Mama and Papa just looked purely perplexed.

"Sure sweetie, if you want," said Mama a little cautiously, moving towards the kitchen, but with her eyes on Malvina. "Is there anything you want to talk about?"

"No, no," Malvina denied quickly, already walking out of the kitchen and to the back door to the backyard, "but thanks Mama..."

Malvina opened the back door and took the steps down to the backyard. The wind was strong on her face as the trees danced peacefully with the air. Malvina could hear the little insects beyond the backyard in the trees, buzzing lazily and doing whatever insects did. White butterflies were hovering low over the grass of the backyard. In Malvina's opinion, this place was perfect for someone that wanted to forget the thoughts of the day and just be one with the world.

Malvina walked gradually down the stone steps and made her way to the middle of the circular backyard. Around the edge of the round backyard was a rather steep slope that led into the forest of plants and trees. Papa had always forbidden the girls from going past the backyard's boundaries.

"You'll get lost in there," Papa had once told Malvina, after hurriedly scooping her up in his arms as she wondered her way excitedly towards the trees. "There's no roads or people beyond those trees. You must stay here, you understand?"

"Yes Papa," Malvina had responded. This had never bothered her too much, as the backyard already had secret wonders just waiting to be explored. It was plenty to keep her occupied. Even to this day, in the present, Malvina had no temptation into wondering away into the trees.

However, there was a little place that Malvina used to always go when she was feeling scared, or angry at her parents. Sometimes she would go there to draw, or to read. It was a little place just beyond the backyard, where the land flattened out for only a metre or so. There was a crooked tree that stood there to the side, which Malvina would lean on whenever she was feeling a negative emotion.

Over the years, Malvina gradually stopped visiting this little place, though she wasn't certain why. Maybe she began to lose the need to ever go there, or maybe she just never had the time. Well, Malvina thought, right now was a good time to clear her head. She went over to her little space, a bush guarding it from view. She gently pushed the bush aside and sat by the tree, heaving a great, deep sigh. She spotted a line of ants scuttling across the ground in a neat line. Just beyond, she saw a blue lizard hurriedly scatter into the safety of the bushes and, looking up, she saw a spider weaving a web in a two-way gap in the tree she was leaning on. She rested her head on the tree and, although uncomfortable at first, she began to close her eyes and listen to the surrounding sounds.

"What is happening?" she whispered to no-one in particular. Up above, she heard a bird squawk in response. "Why I can't I find out?"

And those were the last words she'd uttered for quite some time.