The Guilty Ones

2

~~~~Maria POV~~~~

        I walked into my fathers office close behind Herr Sonnenstich hands fumbling with the hem of my dress. " Maria what are you doing here." My father said barley looking up form his work. 
"I well... I didn't-" I struggled to find the right words but was quickly cut off by  Herr Sonnenstich. "  Your daughter repeatedly talked out of turn and openly insulted me."

My father looked to me with a blank expression, "Maria is this true?" I looked down at my boots hoping he would get the message and not make a scene here in front of Herr Sonnenstich. " I see I'll see you when we get home." I nodded walking out of the office and towards home. 

                                                             ~~~~Moritz POV~~~~

 I woke up with a start sitting up from my desk. I had yet another dream except this time it was all to clear who the sky blue stockings belonged to. I looked at the time and realized that I was supposed to meat Melchior at his house a while ago. 
I ran a brush through my hair and then ran to Melchior's house. I knocked on the door to see Frau Gabor "Hello Moritz are you here to see Melchior?"
"Yes I am" She stepped aside motioning me to follow her. I walked through the Gabor house to Melchior's room. 
"Melchior, Moritz's here to see you." She left and I walked in.
" Sorry I'm so late. I yanked on a jacket, ran a brush through my hair, and dashed like some phantom to get here." I sat down in front of him on his desk.
" You slept through the day?" He seemed puzzled closing his book.
"Yes I'm exhausted, Melchi. I was up till three in the morning-reading that essay you gave me, till I couldn't see straight." I sighed placing my notebook on the table.
"Here. Let me roll you a smoke." He reached over and handed me a cigarette.

" Look at me-I'm trembling. Last night I prayed like Christ in Gethsemane Please, God, give me Consumption and take these sticky dreams away from me." I shivered.
"With any luck, he'll ignore that prayer." He leaned back. 
" Melchi, I can't focus-on anything. Even now, it seems like ... Well, I see, and hear, and feel, quite clearly. And yet, everything seems so strange"
"But all those illustrations I gave you-didn't they help illuminate your dreams?"
" They only multiplied everything ten times! Instead of merely seeing Stockings, now I'm plagued by Labia Major and­-" I was about to elaborate when Frau Gabor came in with tea. 

" Well, here we are. Herr Stiefel, how are you?" She smiled sweetly setting down the tea. 
"Very well, thank you, Frau Gabor." I said quickly not wanting her to see how tired I truly was.
"Yes?" I nodded taking a sip of the tea.
"Just think, Mama. Moritz was up, reading all through the night." He. smirked learning back. I choked on the tea. She could not know about my nightmare's.
"Uh, conjugating Greek." I added with a smile.
"You must take care of yourself, Moritz. Surely, your health is more important than Ancient Greek." I nodded sipping the tea.

She turned from me looking at Melchior's book on the table, "Now, what have you been reading, Melchior?"   
"Goethe's Faust, actually." Her face turned a bit pale. 
" Really? At your age?"
"It's so beautiful, Mama."
"Indeed So haunting." I added Melchior shot me a not helping look.
" Still, I should have thought ...But surely, you boys are now of an age to decide for yourselves what is good for you and what is not. If you need anything else, children, call me." She left out the door.
" Well, your mother certainly is remarkable." I sighed thinking of my own mother.
" Until she catches her son reading Goethe." He scoffed.
"I think she meant the story of Gretchen and her illegitimate child." I pointed out.
"Yes. You see how obsessively everyone fixes on that story. It's as if the entire world were mesmerized by penis and vagina." He threw his hands up.
"Well, I am. All the more so, I'm afraid, since reading your essay. What you wrote about the ... female . .. I can't stop thinking about it. This part here-is it true?" I asked puling out the essay.
"Absolutely." 
 "But, how can you understand that, Melchi? What the woman must feel."
" Giving yourself over to someone else? Defending yourself until, finally, you surrenderand feel Heaven break over you?''

He started to explain it in more depth but I interrupted him.
" Still, you must admit ... with all the differing geni ... geni ..." 
"Genitalia?" He corrected.
"Genitalia. It truly is daunting-I mean, how ...everything might ..." I shivered at the thought.
"Measure up?" I went to respond when the door opened. 

"I'm sorry I'm late my father needed help with something." Maria came in looking distraught. Her eyes turned to me. "Moritz are you okay you look a bit red."
I went to respond when something caught my eye.  She was wearing sky blue stockings. 
"I-I-I have to go" I went trying to bolt past her but she grabbed my arm sending shockwaves through my body I shook her off before bolting out.