Top of the World (War romance story)

Prologue

Everyone in town knew the Adler family.

Clarence Adler, the patriarch, was a successful businessman as well as a highly respected doctor. People from as far up north as Des Moines would travel to the small, dusty town of Piedmont to pay his office a visit. Perhaps for a routine checkup, perhaps for something more serious.

The Adler family tree could be traced back to Laupheim, a city in the southern state of Baden-Württemberg in Germany. The Piedmont, Missouri Adler family, however, hopped around Europe during the mid 1800s before their first wave of immigration breached the American shore in May of 1848. This took place, mostly, because of the March Revolution in thus said year. Feeling fed up and exhausted by the German political nonsense, the Adler family, made up of Clarence's father and his grandparents, boarded a ship that would lead them to the eastern coast of the United States; a place so different and bizarre compared to their German home, they underestimated how long it'd take to adapt.

Clarence's grandfather, Arthur, was gifted. He came from a long line of business-savvy men, and it didn't take long for him to open a quaint little shop of his own that specialized in dried goods, household items, and fabric. In the summer of 1857, the store grew in size, and made enough money to give the Adler family a financially steady name in the business world. By the time Clarence Adler's father, Samuel, settled down with a blonde haired, blue-eyed German woman named Lynne, their name was among the most wealthy in Buffalo, New York.

In the summer of 1887, when Clarence Adler was six months shy of turning two, the family relocated to Piedmont, Missouri, and settled in a large, plantation style home on the rim of town, right beside the natural springs of the Ozarks. Clarence, running about with dark blonde hair and big, curious eyes, found refuge in the majestic falls, as did others in town. Their beauty attracted people from far and wide, and became one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country.

As Clarence grew up, his interests expanded, and heavily turned to the study of medicine. At first, he was settled on becoming a Psychologist, perhaps something along the lines of Sigmund Freud, but eventually found himself perplexed and awed by the wonderment of the human anatomy. He began college at the age of eighteen, and attended the University of Missouri in hopes of opening his own clinic as soon as he graduated. His aspirations were big, but he was determined enough to accomplish them.

When World War I broke out in July of 1914, the American outlook on the German population was tainted and bitter. Clarence's father, a store operator and clerk in town, began receiving harsh glares as he walked down the streets. Their business, perhaps best known for selling everything under the sun -- from thick yarn in large spools to ice blocks, was named "Adler's General Store", and proudly sported the family's coat of arms -- an eagle, for which their surname means in German.

The business was prone to vandals, and during a time of great German sentiment, it became a target of hatred from the entire town, and eventually, the entire state of Missouri. Samuel Adler was then thoroughly, by his family and colleagues, convinced in 1917 to take down the German coat of arms, and replace it with an American flag. The Adler family was greatly misunderstood. They never supported the Germans during the war. Their faithfulness was pledged to the red, white, and blue, though the entire town was stubborn, and hard to please.

Even Clarence Adler, a fairly recent college grad with a doctorate degree in medicine, found his brand new clinic being the subject of great bitterness and scandal. After only two months of operation, the entire clinic was burned down by a mob of angry people, and Clarence watched in great distress as his beloved business; his dream and passion of medicine, burned bright embers before his eyes. In 1916, he began rebuilding, only to realize that the Americans were considering the possibility of entering the war itself, and prayed they'd ease back and stay out of the conflict. To his dismay, and everyone else's, they didn't.

When Clarence was thirty, in spring of 1916, he met a woman named Helen Becker, and immediately found himself falling madly, and irrevocably in love. Helen was a beauty; big, blue eyes, soft brown hair, and a complexion clear as day. She was petite, and wore frilly dresses and lavish hats adorned in feathers and bows. The way she carried herself intrigued him so greatly, he knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. She was twenty-six, and agreed with all her heart.

They were married in a traditional Christian ceremony in winter of that year. Shortly after, Helen found out she was carrying a child, and in March of 1918, Adam Elias Adler was born -- their eldest child. The couple moved out of Samuel Adler's home, and moved into their own grand home, settled on McLean Boulevard, just a few blocks from the rapid springs and trickling falls.

The war came to a close, and Clarence and the Adler family resumed their normal lives. His clinic was rebuilt, standing tall on a strip of land in town, catercorner from the Adler's General Store. Clarence looked at his life, with his new bride, steady clinic, and new son, and called his life good.

Tragedy followed in the cold November of 1921, when Samuel Adler died of pneumonia. The business was then handled by Clarence's younger brother, Joseph, but co-operated by Clarence himself. The loss struck him hard and fast, like a bolt of lightning, but he recovered, slowly but surely. In January of the following year, a sturdy inheritance check came in the mail, making Clarence and Helen very wealthy, and at such a young age.

In December of 1921, another child was brought into the world by Clarence and Helen. Abigail Lynne, a precious, light haired, blue eyed daughter, whom brought new joy to her father's life. She was raised wearing itsy-bitsy white dresses, bonnets, and clasped shoes whilst being watched by a series of nannies and maids, which all catered to her every whim. As the years wore on, her relationships with her parents slowly deteriorated, causing crippling effects to take charge as she aged.

When Abigail was four, a younger brother, and Clarence and Helen's last child, was born. Abraham Josiah was their precious gift. He was gifted and bright, straight from the beginning, and captured everyone's hearts. He and Abigail's bond was the tightest of all, and the two leaned on each other as not only brother and sister, but lifelong companions.

When Adam graduated in June of 1936, a celebration was held in his honor at the family's home in Piedmont. The backyard was aglow, with strung lights hanging from tree to tree, and a live band performing lively dance songs. The party was attended by Adam's friends, all wealthy and highly educated, but also snobbish and rude. Abraham was a week shy of turning eleven, and followed his cousins, Maddox and Paxton around the backyard while attempting to capture rabbits. Abigail, not quite fifteen yet, was bored and unimpressed by her brother's parade of friends. When Abraham tugged at her dress and asked if he could swim in the pond in the family's backyard, she nonchalantly shooed him off, and said yes.

Sudden darkness overshadowed the party. Abraham, in an attempt to swim in the cloudy, murky pond, sank to the bottom while fighting for his life, sending Maddox and Paxton on a wild goose chase to find help. Adam, hearing all the commotion, ran full force into the pond after shedding out of his sports coat, and dove to the bottom to save his younger brother.

But it was far too late. Abraham Josiah, just ten years old, was pronounced dead.

The effects were long lasting. The tragedy shattered the family, especially taking a toll on Abigail. She felt tremendous guilt, and lived with the agony everyday. In her mind, Abraham's death was her fault. Her decision to let him swim, and hers to let him die.

As she blossomed into a teenager, growing more and more beautiful, the darkness still took over. Depression settled in and became a familiar norm. She refused to date any of her doting admirers, and stayed at home every evening, over thinking every detail of her life. The agony was enough to kill her, and it frightened Clarence and Helen in utterly terrifying ways.

They feared Abigail, so young and beautiful, would do the unthinkable.

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