Posted As Missing

Chapter Thirty-Two

After breakfast on Friday morning, Rachel pulled on her left boot for the first time since her injury. The lacing was widely spread as she did it up, but there was more than enough to tie at the top. "It's a bit tight," she said, "but it feels good to get it back on again. I'm going for a little walk."

She did a few back-and-forths in the level space between the tent and the cooking area, placing increasing weight on her foot as she did. "This thing is usable again, at least on level ground. I think a cane would be more useful than a crutch in the rougher areas."

"Coming right up," David said as he got up and dug out the saw. "Come, Maria, let's go find a cane for Mama."

"So, what's a cane look like in a tree?" she asked as they headed across the slope.

"Exactly as it does in a walker's hand." He smiled at her. "You simply have to ignore the rest of the tree. We need a rather straight branch a bit over an inch in diameter and a yard long growing at a wide angle, a right angle is ideal, off a branch or a stem about twice as thick. That's a good start."

"An inch again? How much is that? I forget."

"Let me see your hand." He took her fingers and looked at them. "Ideally we want something about the width across the ends of your two bigger fingers." He lifted them to his lips and softly kissed their tips, then continued along, kissing her other fingers.

"You have the most amazing descriptions of size." Maria smiled as she moved her fingers toward her lips and his lips followed until they merged in a deep kiss. She paused. "Here's a long stick, but it's much too thick," she said, pressing her mound into the expansion along his thigh. "I want to lick you. Do you mind if I do?" She dropped quickly to her knees and began working his trouser buttons.

He gently took her hands and pulled them away. "As much as I'd love that, we need to focus on making a cane for Mama. Later, we can go over beyond the hot pool and do something which also pleasures you." He guided her to her feet and held her in a hug. "Right now, we have other things to do."

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On Saturday morning, after a final soak in the hot pool, they headed across the slope and slightly up to stay in the trees at the top of the pasture and along the traverse above Häusern. Their movement was much slower than before, with Rachel placing each step carefully, supporting most of the weight on her left side with the cane. They had redistributed loads, and her pack was much lighter than before to lessen the risk of aggravating her injury.

At 1720 they arrived at the edge of a small field with a road running across it. "Let's pause here," David said. "Pause not only for a rest break, but also to observe and listen."

It had taken almost nine hours to do the traverse to this point, with Rachel cautiously using her mending foot. "We used to take six hours, seven at the most to make the climb to the hot pools all the way from home," she said as she took off her pack.

As they sat on a mossy log a short distance in from the narrow meadow, Rachel pointed out through the trees. "That ridge across the road. That's the one I was talking about. We're almost there."

David took out the map, and they looked at it. "This road comes down from Mauchen to Eggingen." He ran his finger along the map. "The border is at the bottom of the hill, just next to Eggingen."

"There's a great view down onto the border area from the ridge top." Rachel pointed. "Not more than twenty minutes from here. We should continue so I can rest this foot — it's really throbbing."

They shouldered their packs, moved closer to the edge of the trees and paused to look and listen. Seeing and hearing nothing, they continued out into the narrow meadow and had nearly reached the road when two armed soldiers appeared around the bend, heading down the hill toward them. One called out: "Guten Abend. Identifikation, bitte."

David spoke quietly as the soldiers closed the gap. "If separated, continue. Camp on ridge." He stood behind Maria and slid the pistol holster farther around to his bum to hide it.

Rachel set her pack on the grass to open the side pocket for her papers and Maria's. "Guten Abend, haben wir über die Berge kommen..." She explained they've come over the mountain to visit friends.

David pulled out his sick leave paper and handed it to Rachel as she stood. She unfolded the three documents and put David's on the bottom before she held them out.

The young soldier took them and leafed quickly through the first two pieces, but paused at the third. He eyed the thin red cord in David's open collar. "Hundemarke, bitte."

Shit... Forgot about that. No name on it anyway, not like my own. Only the regiment, company and my number.

David pulled the metal tag from under his shirt and held it out to the end of the cord.

The soldier leaned forward to compare the regimental numbers, then stood back. "Vielen Dank. Genieße deinen Abend." He returned the papers, signalled to his partner, and they continued down the road.

Rachel was trembling as she leaned over to return the papers to the pack's pocket. "Take your time, Mama. Give them a chance to move away toward the next bend," David whispered as he tried to slow his heart rate.

He helped Rachel shoulder her pack, and they started walking slowly along the road until the soldiers disappeared. He glanced over his shoulder to check back along the road, then said, "Quick as we can, across the field and into the woods."

Within a minute they were in the trees unseen. At least, they hoped unseen. They paused a few yards in at the base of a steep slope and silently looked at each other, shaking their heads and trying to calm. "Too close," David finally said. "Thank God for their carelessness. But mine's much worse. I'm endangering you."

Maria shook her head. "No, you're the one in danger, not us. We have proper German papers."

"But if I'm found out, you'll both be seen as aiding a deserter." He looked back and forth between Rachel and Maria several times as his mind raced. "Worse, you're aiding the enemy, maybe a spy. The punishment is death for that." He shook his head. "Stupid... I didn't even think about that before we started. We need to go separate ways. I'm unsafe for you, deadly unsafe." He let out a big, noisy breath and shook his head again. "So sorry to have involved you in this." He let out another loud breath. "So very sorry."

Maria looked at Rachel with tears streaming down her cheeks. "Mama..." She started sobbing. "I... I don't want to continue without him. I really don't."

"Hush, Sweetheart. Not so loud, we may be heard." She put her hand on the back of Maria's neck and stroked. "I don't want to either, but wants aren't always the wisest things to follow."

"We all need to think." David took off his hat and raked his fingers through his hair. "Relax and think. We need to respond, not react. Let's take off our packs, sit here and allow our minds to quiet for a bit as we examine our situation."

"The ridge top is only a short distance above us, up there." Rachel turned and pointed up the slope. "There are many hidden camp possibilities up there among the blocks. It's late, we're tired and my ankle's throbbing. Let's find a camp spot, set-up for the night and then think. It's folly to separate at this time of day."

They climbed the hundred metres or so of the hillside through the trees to the rocky spur at its crest. "This is it." Rachel pointed ahead. "Look at those blocks. There's a great lookout along there through the trees and down a bit. From the top of a block, there's a full view over the valley and the river, the Wutach, the border, Switzerland, home. That little brook back there is the closest water I know of."

David looked around. "Let's put our packs down here and rest for a while, be still for a while and listen. If that is a good lookout over the border for us, Fritz might also be using it. While we're listening, let's also examine our situation and the possibilities. What do we do from here?"