When Anna got home from school, dirty dishes were still piled up in the sink. She rinsed them before preparing dinner.
Afterwards she stood in front of the mirror, pulling her hair out of a ponytail, letting the long strands fall around her shoulders. A child no longer stared back at her. She had grown into a woman’s body, a stranger taking over both her heart and mind. It was getting late. Anna had been waiting for Papa to return. While fog descended on the city their dinner had turned cold, the smell of sauerkraut and sausage hanging in the kitchen. In one corner of Papa’s room stood a leather suitcase. She had noticed it lying open when she arrived home, some of Papa’s clothes shoved inside. Papers were scattered across his desk, the drawers pulled out, as though he had been searching for something. He must have come home early and left again. But why was he packing?
Suddenly she heard the familiar sound of a Mercedes pull up out front, and rushed to the bedroom window. Looking down, she saw Professor Jäger step out of the car, but it wasn’t Papa who had run around from the driver’s seat to open the door for him. Instead, there was a young man with blond hair, dressed in a different uniform, wearing an armband emblazoned with a swastika. Anna hurried to tidy Papa’s desk as she heard Professor Jäger make his way up the wooden staircase and waited for a knock on the front door.
‘Good evening, my dear.’ He took off his hat as she opened the door, sweeping his hand through his greasy hair as he smoothed it away from his eyes. He stood in the stairwell staring at her.
‘Papa isn’t home yet,’ Anna said.
‘Oh, but I’m here to see you, my dearest.’ He laughed as he waited to be invited in. ‘How is my little collector?’
Anna shifted from one foot to the other. ‘I’m well, thank you, Herr Professor.’
‘And I hear you are finishing your studies soon?’
‘Yes, sir.’ She stepped aside as he edged his way past her.
‘Good, good.’ He headed straight towards the sofa. ‘That is excellent.’
Without taking off his coat he sat down and patted the cushion beside him, inviting her to join him. On the wall beside them hung a family photograph of Anna as a toddler, seated on her mother’s lap, Papa resting his fingertips on the back of the chair as he stared proudly into the camera lens.
‘It’s been a while since you came to visit us in Landsberg, hasn’t it?’
‘Yes, Herr Professor.’
‘Such a pity. I do miss having young people around to keep me company. Why don’t you come and stay for a few days?’
‘Thank you kindly, but I like to spend most of my free time here with Papa.’
‘Indeed. But that’s why I popped in. You see, your father had to go away, meine Schönheit. Important business.’
My beauty? He had never used such a syrupy tone with her before.
‘In fact, he has asked me to take care of you while he is gone. I wanted to let you know in person that Hans will pick you up at noon tomorrow and drive you straight to Landsberg, where you will be staying with me for a while. You are to pack some clothes and a few personal effects.’ He sneezed loudly into his handkerchief, peering at her over his spectacles, his eyes bloodshot and watery.
Why had Papa not mentioned any of this to her? She tried to sound calm, hesitating before asking: ‘How long will he be away?’
‘Well, that depends, my dear,’ he said quietly. ‘You have grown into a very beautiful and intelligent young woman, and no doubt you must be feeling so excited by all the changes taking place in our wonderful Fatherland of late. You are in your final year of school now, am I correct?’ He didn’t wait for an answer. ‘I’m sure you are learning fascinating things in your studies of race science and geopolitics.’ His voice became shrill, as though he were delivering a carefully rehearsed speech to a large audience. ‘There is so much that our youth can contribute to the cause. And I have come here today because I have something very special to ask of you, which will give you the opportunity to show us your true dedication.’
She felt her heart pounding against her chest.
The professor continued. ‘I would hate to feel humiliated by any betrayal of the trust I have placed in you. We have known each other since you were a little girl, and I can assure you no harm will come to you.’
She bit her lip, trying to stifle her tears.
‘Don’t get so worked up, my dear. I would hate you to get one of your dreadful migraines, or nerve storms as your silly father called them. Your dear Papa will be safe too – that is, if you agree to volunteer your service to the party.’ He reached out and held her chin firmly in his hand. ‘Those eyes of yours really are quite fascinating, aren’t they?’
She stayed perfectly still, trying not to gag from the acrid smell of his breath. ‘What is it that you would you like me to do, professor?’
‘Ah, well. We must all contribute in our own way, and I am asking you to play your part in building the Fatherland, bringing Germany back to its former glory.’ He let go of her. His face looked carved from stone. ‘You will remember our dear friend Dr Magnussen, of course?’
How could she forget this woman, who had visited her nightmares ever since they met for the first time?
He leaned forward. ‘Well, I would like you to help her with some very important research. Those peculiar eyes of yours could contribute so much to our understanding of racial genetics. If we can find the key to eye colour we can build a Volk of true, blue-eyed Aryan beauty.’
The clock went on ticking, but Anna felt time stand still as the reality of what the professor was asking her to do sank in. She remembered the tiny rabbits huddled together in their hutch at Landsberg all those years ago, their eyes reddened and scarred. And she could still feel her visceral horror upon learning what Dr Magnussen did to the poor creatures’ eyeballs in her experiments, injecting adrenaline into them to try to turn them blue.
‘I’m sure you would do anything for your dear, misguided papa. I would hate to see him come to harm because his daughter has decided to become a little wayward herself. We wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to him now, would we?’
His threat plunged like a needle into her heart. She glanced out the window at the steel evening descending on the town. Suddenly rising from the sofa, the professor made his way towards the front door.
‘Well, I’d better be on my way. It’s getting late.’ He stood there waiting for her to see him out. ‘Good night, dearest Anna. I very much look forward to seeing you in Landsberg tomorrow afternoon.’
‘Good night, Professor Jäger.’ Closing the door behind him, she pressed her hands against the lock, feeling like she had fallen into a gaping chasm.
She ran to Papa’s desk. Rummaging through a small pile of papers sitting on top, she found an envelope with her name scribbled on it. Her hands shook as she pulled out a wad of money, the notes fluttering to the floor. She unfolded a piece of paper that listed all her personal details. In the top corner Papa had scrawled a short message:
You are in great danger, Anna. They are coming. Don’t trust Jäger! Find Shmontz in Pinocchio and give him this. Save yourself. I am sorry.
She glanced at the family photo. All of them were smiling as they looked forward, not knowing how the rest of their lives would unfold. As she stared at Papa’s eyes, she remembered his trembling voice one evening as he sat beside her on the sofa.
‘Your mother was the kindest soul I ever knew. She always tried to help everyone as much as she could, no matter how poor they were or which God they worshipped. She also loved you very much, and I only wish she could be here to see what a wonderful woman you have become. I know she would have been so proud of you. But Anna, not everyone is like your mother; there are good people and bad people in this world. Germany is changing, my darling and it is becoming harder and harder to know who you can trust nowadays. This country is no longer the place your mutti loved so much.’
She ran to the bookshelf in her room and pulled out the book she had treasured as a child, with its fine gold lettering and the drawing of a skinny little puppet with a long, wooden nose and funny hat. It had been years since she had read it. Opening the cover, she found an address in Papa’s handwriting tucked inside. Tearing out the page, she placed it hastily in the pocket of her dress. She had to find the man they called Shmontz.