A
Journey to Freedom
By
Kristen Debler
Introduction
In the year 1866, Prussia and
Austria declared war on each other. Many people fled Prussia and Austria
because they did not want to fight or have their sons fight in the war. This
war in history, is known as the Seven Weeks War. This story is inspired by the
journey of my great-grandmother, Christine Debler, on her way to America. She
journeyed here from Bessarabia, Russia, which was part of Prussia. I want to
dedicate this story to her. She was a magnificent woman who overcame humongous
obstacles. Even though the characters in this story are fictional the part
about Leisel getting sick on the ship is what actually happened to my
grandmother on her trip to America. The story takes place in Prussia during the
beginning of the war.
Part
One
“Leisel, come back
here,” Mutter scowled. But, I didn't listen. I just couldn't stand to be inside
anymore. It was like the summer breezes were calling me to go out and frolic
with them. I could hear the birds singing in the trees, smell the scents of the
flowers. I could even hear the bees buzzing and making beautiful music
together, and feel the sunshine bathing the red earth. It was a beautiful
summer afternoon and I was not going to spend it inside. As I walked out the
door, I felt the sun bathe me in its warmth. The tingling feeling of the heat
was playing intimate sensations on my skin and I just stood there letting its
platonic fingers touch my face. The sensations caused a sudden burst of energy
to penetrate the muscles in my legs and feet. Before I knew it, I was running down the walk, through our familiar trodden path, to the field with a brook
running nearby.
I
played in the field by the brook for hours, unconsciously losing all track of
time. Before I knew it, the moon was dancing on the hazy lit sky of the new evening,
cradling the sun and reflecting God’s miraculous works through a bright array
of colors, being painted by an invisible hand. With no flaws, as if the entire
canvas had a planned journey and the painter was just the hand doing the part.
On my way home, I looked into the millions of eyes of the moonlit sky and felt
a surge of happiness run through me. Life was good.
As
the feeling was still clinging to my soul, I noticed a being in the house with
my mother. As I looked into the window closely, I realized the shadowed
silhouette dancing in the fragmented pieces of the window was not my father. I
scurried into the house, pre-tempered and shocked. Who was this man? But, as I
entered the room, my mother and a very tall soldier turned towards me. The mas
was dressed in a soldier’s attire and my precarious attempts of anger left me
for fear. I stood looking at the man, baffled, but with a respectful stance.
“Leisel,
this is Sergeant Franz Heiter, he is here to talk about your brothers," Mutter
said with a worried expression on her face. Sergeant Heiter held his hand out
to me and I shook it. “It is very nice to meet you.” He turned towards my
mother, “We will be in touch Ma’am.” Mutter sat down as the soldier left,
clutching her hand over her mouth. I knew why she was upset. Fater and she had
recently been talking about the war. It seemed that both sons were of legal age to
fight. Franz was fifteen and Dieter was seventeen.
Fater
came home and saw Mutter in the chair. “Leisel, can you go to your room please?
I need to talk to your Fater.” I ran into the back room and ran head first
into Franz. I pushed him out of way. “Mutter and Fater are talking about you.”
Dieter
answered, “I know. We saw the Sergeant. What are they saying?” Franz wasn't going to stand around and wait
to be summoned and started to eavesdrop from the hallway. We both followed. It
seemed like Mutter and Fater talked for forever. They called us all into the
room and we could tell that this was going to be a very uncomfortable
conversation. The tension was extremely contagious.
“Leisel,
Franz, and Dieter, come here please. We need to talk to you,” Fater said. I
could tell that Mutter was upset. She was clutching onto the arms of her chair
and her arms were turning white. “Kinder,” Fater said. “You know that we love
you all very much. That is why what we are about to do concerns the well being
of this entire family and you are all going to have to be very brave, okay?”
“What
are you talking about? Does this have to do with why the Sergeant was here
today?” I asked curiously. My two brothers gave each other worried expressions,
and Fater looked at us wisely. We all became very quiet.
“How
do I begin to put this in a way that you children understand?” Fater asked
himself.
“Fater
just tell us. We are not children anymore. We have the right to know.” Dieter
said sternly.
“You
are right son. You are not little children anymore. As you know, Austria and
Prussia declared war against each other. The army is recruiting soldiers
starting around the age of fifteen, to train. That is why the sergeant was here
today. Your Mutter and I have been discussing this for a long time, and we have
come up with a solution to your brothers' fighting and possibly dying in this
war. We are going to move, because if we do not then the world that we know is
going to change anyway."
Leisel interrupted. “Where
are we moving to?” she asked excitedly.
“Leisel, always in the mood for an adventure. Well, we have contemplated this and there
is really not much that we can do in the rest of Europe, and home would be so
close for comfort. We are going to move to America. Where we can start our
lives over again.” All of the happy expressions left the children’s faces.
“America,”
Franz had finally broken the silence. “America is a country very far away. What
are we supposed to do there? We can’t even speak the language. How are we going
to understand them, let alone cope with the culture and the people? I don’t
want to start over. I do not want to leave my home, where I have grown up. This
town has loved plowed into it, my heart tattooed into it, and my ancestors
blood shed into it. How can we leave our country and our countrymen behind?
They will think that we are cowards.”
“Son,
protecting your family from the nightmares of war and the shadows of death is
not cowardice. You and your brother have not lived your lives yet, and your
Mutter and I could not ask you to die for a country that you barely know. We
want you to be able to have a family and enjoy the life that has been given
you.” Mutter got up and put her hand on Fater’s shoulder. “Children, your Fater
and I did not come to this decision lightly. We understand all of the feelings
you have about leaving. I am apprehensive myself. Your Fater grew up on this very
land. It has been in his family for generations. All of the blood, sweat and
ashes have been planted here on this farm. But we have a responsibility to you
children, to keep you safe and provide for you. Sometimes, these decisions call
for things that we do not like and we have to do them anyway. That is what is
going to happen in this case.”
“Well,
there is really nothing that we can do about it now. You are the parents and
have made the decision to move. We can either stay here or fight, while losing
the people that we are fighting for or we can move to America and try to start
a new life together.” Dieter said. Fater made one last attempt to help us see
the light. He explained to us that we did not have to leave our heritage behind
but that we can take it with us. As a family we can overcome these hardships, together. We all understood that it was for the best but we all still felt like
cowards running away in the shadows of the night.
Part
Two: On Our Way
We
have less than one week before we set sail for America. I know that it is supposed
to be the best thing for us to do, but I can’t stand the thought of leaving my
home. The days flew by like seconds and I dreaded the day that we left. Doesn't
it always work like that? When you want the days to pass by slowly, they fly by
like hawks on the search for food. The day finally came where we had to go.
There was no “Bon Voyage” party, saying goodbye to friends or anything. Just a
fleeing by night. Saying goodbye to Prussia and never turning back.
The
ship was covered with people. People who were leaving for the same reasons we
were and hating themselves for it. Mothers with children hanging off their
bosoms, and men with some object they could hold on to for a memory. It was all
so pathetic. Look at us, fleeing our home because of fear of war. We made our
way down to the decks below, which held the sleeping deck. The bunks were
small, and the floor looked just as hard. Some people were already sleeping on
the floor because the bunks were going fast. The food that was provided was
already hard, stale and dry. Some containing parts of mildew and bugs. It was
disgusting but it was nourishment. The only thing that we could do at the
moment was sleep. So we did.
The
next morning, I woke up sick to my stomach. I felt like vomiting and found myself
running to the deck and being sick over the edge. When I got back to the
sleeping deck, I felt worse. Mutter was up and she looked at me with concern. She tried to give me some water but I could not hold it down
and ended up running back up to the deck and vomiting again. When I came back
down, Mutter said that I looked as pale as a ghost. Fater told her that I
looked a little seasick but that I would be fine. But, by then, my stomach was
so tangled up and cramping all I wanted to do was sleep. There was sweat
falling off my brow. I laid back down and tried to go back to sleep.
A
little bit later, Mutter tried to get me to eat but I threw that up too. Mutter
started getting afraid because I couldn't hold anything down, especially water.
The sickness lasted for a week and my parents were afraid that I was going to
die on the ship. They tried all they knew but no matter what, nothing stayed in
my stomach. Finally, a woman on the ship noticed that I was having problems and
told my Mutter to give me some beer. This was a success in itself. It calmed
down my stomach and it was the only thing that kept me alive the rest of the
trip.
A
couple of days later, I woke up feeling more alive than I had in weeks. The day
was so gorgeous. I went onto deck and the ocean was so calm and collected. It
kind of reminded me of the day at the brook. For the first time, I could enjoy
the beauty of the ocean. I noticed the foam coming off each wave and how
each wave was a part of each other. I was able to see some dolphins and other
sea creatures, and just when I was about to yell for Dieter to come and look, there was a shout. Land had been spotted.
Part
Three: New York City - Ellis Island
Lady of Light
Lady, oh beautiful lady
Symbol of comfort and joy
People seek you
They kiss away your tears,
They cry at your very sight,
Your miraculous beauty.
They believe in your message
“Life, Liberty, Love”
They gawk at it like an uplifting message
From a preacher to a church congregation.
They come from all over to be knighted
By your majesty’s honor,
To be shielded by the radiance of your torch
You will protect them from the dangers of
their previous life.
You are the lady of light
You make us become “The Land of the free”
You shine by the dawn’s early light
“Home of the brave”” rings for your being
You are a symbol of freedom,
Our statue,
Our great symbol of liberty.
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