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(Germany 1940)

She cried on his shoulder the entire evening. ?Why do you have to leave? I don?t understand. We won?t see each other. What if something happens to you? We were talking about so many things. Things we wanted to do. You told me you wanted to settle down and start a family. I wanted that too. Now that may never happen.? ?I am sorry. I did not think I would get called up. Really, I was not expecting it so soon,? he told her. ?I am sorry. I have to leave for camp tomorrow morning.? He too cried on her shoulder. ?You think I am not scared? I am terrified.? They eventually cried each other to sleep. When she woke up the next morning, he was gone. She was alone; so alone. She tried to take comfort in her friends, thinking that it would just be a training period and he would be back in a matter of months. But that was not to be.

He kept in touch with her for ten days but finally the letters stopped. The very next day, she heard someone at the door. ?I have a personal letter for Inga,? a male voice said. ?I will deliver it for you,? her mother said. ?I am sorry. I have to deliver it in person,? the mailman said. Inga came into the living room. ?I am Inga,? she said as she walked forward. The mailman handed her a clipboard. He pointed to a space and she signed. He handed her the letter and he left. Inga opened the letter and after reading for two minutes, she threw the letter to the floor. Olga walked over to try and comfort her but Inga pushed her away. Inga went upstairs to her room and she closed the door. Her mother picked up the letter. It was simple and to the point: ?My dear Inga: In three days, we will be transferred to the front. I know we had many plans for the two of us but now I am afraid that I may not return to you. The fighting is intense. I am scared, Inga, but I know it is my god-given duty to accept my fate. This may end up being ?good-bye?. I love you.? Sven Inga finally came down after two hours. She walked into the kitchen where her mother was making dinner. She looked at her mother with pleading eyes. ?There is something I must do. I have to go away for a few days. I love you,? Inga said. With that she gave her mother a hug. ?Where are you going to go, child?? Olga asked. ?I have to go out?????.,? Inga said. ?My child, you are not thinking right. This letter was dated three days ago. He is probably en route to the front right now. How will you get to see him? You are a girl,? her mother said. ?If you get caught, they could send you to prison. The front is not a place for a young girl like you,? Olga said. ?I must go and see Deither,? Inga said. ?Inga, are you that foolish that you would sacrifice your life like this? Prison is not a place for you. Even if you did make it and you were able to infiltrate the group, and you did not get caught, how would you get back?? Olga said. ?Momma, Sven asked me to marry him before he got the letter. I said ?yes?. Now I have nothing to live for. How am I supposed to carry on?? Inga said. ?I understand child. If there is anything I can do????????..,? Olga said. Inga was dressed in a green military t-shirt, boots, and green fatigues. Her beautiful blonde hair was done up in two braids. The braids hung down past her waist. ?Momma, I have to go now and see Deither. He is going to help me get to the train,? Inga said. ?Momma, he is going to have to do something that will break your heart. He said he would have to cut off my hair, all of it if he will be able to make me look like a man. I am sorry, Momma, I know how much you love brushing and combing my hair. I hope you understand.? Olga just nodded her head. Inga gave her mother a kiss on the cheek. ?I have to go, Momma. Deither said we have a very small porthole of time if we are to succeed. I will try to make it back soon,? Inga said. With that, she grabbed a green coat, laced up the boots, pulled the hood over her head and walked out the door into the cold evening. The walk to Deither?s home was fifteen minutes. She had to be on time as she pushed herself and her emotions forward. She could easily be sealing her own death, especially if she did get to the front and was found out. It would not be easy returning to home. A lot would depend on frequency of trains and supplies.

Inga finally arrived at Deither?s home. He opened the door and she walked in. He had a chair in the middle of the floor. ?I hope you know what you are doing, Inga. If we get caught, we could both find ourselves before a firing squad. And it will not be good for the rebellion. You know I hate the army and what it does to our young men. You are our most qualified agent. I know you know how to take care of yourself. I have seen you in action. I am glad you are on our side,? Deither said. ?I realize that I have asked you to make a great sacrifice for the cause.

?Sit down, Inga. We don?t have much time,? Deither said. ?The train should be outside the town in two hours. We have to sneak you aboard and then you are on your own. If you do find the contact within two hours, get done as quickly as possible what needs to be done. Then get yourself as close to the doors as you can. When the train makes the next stop to take on water, get yourself off and find someplace to hide away from the guards. You know they are stationed at every stop,? he said.

Inga nodded her head. She walked to the chair and took off her coat. She sat down. Deither walked to the back of the small room. He returned with a small black bag. He opened it and took out a pair of scissors. He flicked Inga?s blonde braids over her shoulders over her chest. The braids hung there. ?Okay, Inga, I am going to cut it off now,? he said. He took one of her braids in his hand, holding it tight. He stood to the side, opened the blades of the scissors, placed them above the braid, and squeezed the blades together. The scissors made a cut into Inga?s blonde locks. ?God, Inga, your hair is really thick,? he said as he continued cutting into the braid. ?I have never seen anything so thick and healthy.? ?It does not matter anymore,? Inga said. She just looked straight ahead.

?You are a brave young lady, Inga,? Deither said. ?Like I said, I am glad you are on our side and not against us.?

?What am I bringing back?? Inga said.

?I cannot tell you. All I am authorized to tell you is that if this container gets into the wrong hands, it could mean the end of our nation as we know it. The fatherland will be no more. Millions of lives will be lost, innocent lives,? Deither said.

?What do I do if I find the contact?? Inga said.

?Get what you have to and then kill him, fast. One blow to the throat and then strangle him,? Deither said. ?He must not make it to the end of the line. That is where they will be waiting for him.?

?How will I know him?? Inga said.

Deither was now at the opposite side of Inga?s head. He placed the scissors as close to her scalp as he could and he cut off her second braid. He dropped the braid to the floor. Inga tried to look down. ?No, you cannot look at the past anymore,? he said as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

?How will I know him?? Inga said.

?You won?t at first. But look for someone who is carrying a locked briefcase. Someone who looks out of place, possibly long black coat and a business man?s hat,? Deither said. ?There is a good possibility he will be sitting in a private closed off section of the car.?

?What if I cannot get to him outside the car?? Inga said. Deither was now standing beside her holding a pair of clippers in his hand.

?We were able to get you a guard?s uniform. It meant we had a murder a young recruit last night. He squealed like a pig before we slit his throat. So you will be joining the train as an official guard. If you cannot get to him within two hours, then you must get to him before the train hits the end of the tunnel. The guard?s are expected to check documents before midnight. So you still have some time but the longer it takes, the harder it will be for you to get off the train safely,? Deither said as he popped the switch on the clippers.

He placed his hand on Inga?s head and moved her head to the side, tilting her head. He placed the teeth of the clippers at her ears. He pushed the clippers up toward her crown. What remained of Inga?s blonde hair now continued to fall to the floor in clumps. Inga still sat perfectly still as Deither kept a steady hand, pushing the clippers further through her blonde hair. Inga sniffled a bit. ?I am sorry, Inga. I can?t imagine how you are feeling right now, losing your hair like this. But if it will make you feel any better I will keep the braids for you if you should be able to return.?

?Is there anything else I need to know?? Inga said.

?No, basically that is it. We also got the recruit?s rifle and his automatic. You know both pieces. We also were able to get you a silencer but at great expense. If you do have to shoot him in the car, do it before it hits the end of the tunnel. It will be noisy at that time and the train will be plunged into a bit of darkness. One shot to the heart and one to the brain, then get to a door and jump. But remember, your chances for escape will be greatly reduced as you will only be three quarters of an hour away from the last stop. There will be more guards, not only visible alone the route and but also more guards getting on the train,? Deither said. ?That is why I said if you can do it within a two hour time frame, you will have a better chance of escape.?

Deither finally finished shearing the sides of Inga?s head. All that was left was the crown and the neck. That did not take long. Deither finally put the clippers down on the floor. Deither turned and walked to the back sink. He returned with a wet hot towel and placed it on her head. He massaged the towel into her scalp and then took it off. He grabbed a can of soft barber?s cream and spread it over Inga?s head. There was still traces of blonde hair on Inga?s shoulder as Deither rubbed the cream into her head. Inga still concentrated on the job at hand. Deither rubbed the cream into the area around her ears. He wiped his hand on the wet towel and then he get a straight razor, and carefully removed all the cream and the stubble that was under it. Inga let her head be directed by Deither?s strong hand. ?We are almost finished, Inga,? he said. ?How are you holding up??

?I am okay. I am just thinking about home,? she said.

?Inga, you cannot have doubts now. It is too late to turn back. The rebellion is counting on your skills and expertise. Don?t tell us that you are having second thoughts,? Deither said.

?I am not,? she said. ?I know what I have to do.?

Deither looked at his watch. He realized that time was of essence but he needed to know that Inga was going to be loyal to the cause. ?Inga, if there is something you need to say, say it now,? Deither said. ?because once we walk out that door, there is no turning back and once we get you on the train, I will not be able to save you.?

?I am okay,? she said. ?I am just thinking about my mother and who will take care of her while I am gone. She does not have anyone else. Tell me that she will be taken care of if I do not return.?

?You know we will not desert her. She has let us hold meetings in her attic. We will take care of her but now, you need to remain focused,? Deither said.

Inga took in a deep breathe and settled back down. Deither finally finished and he rubbed her head over with the wet towel. ?Okay, child, we are finished. We have one last thing to do. Just relax for a minute. I will be right back,? Deither said.

He walked to the back of the room and opened a back door. He took out the uniform that he had taken from the recruit that had been murdered the previous evening. He also grabbed a burlap bag. He also called to a second person to get the rifle and pistol ready. When he returned to Inga, she was rubbing her head, feeling how cool her head was, after the shaving. She no longer looked nervous. Instead she looked very confident.

?Okay, Inga we have to do one last thing. We are going to have to wrap your breasts. Take off your t-shirt and hold your arms out. This is going to be tight but it has to be done,? Deither said. With the help of a third assistant, Deither wrapped Inga?s breasts in a tight elastic material and then with some pins, he secured the ends. He pointed to the uniform. ?I will leave you alone now. Get changed and I will go over your papers,? he said.

Inga got undressed and in five minutes, she was standing in front of a mirror, looking at her reflection. She almost looked like a man. She had the frame and structure and now with her breasts taped, she could pass for a man. The first assistant came in, carrying the rifle and the automatic with silencer. He pointed to the belt holder and showed Inga how she should carry it. Inga looked at the rifle and nodded her head. Deither was beside her again. ?Standard issue to all guards. Here are your papers, identity card and your serial number. We have to get a snap shot to attached to the army card. Let?s do it quickly,? he pointed to the wall. It had been decorated with the flag of the fatherland and Inga stood beside the flag. ?All done. Give me five minutes to laminate the identity card and then we have to go,? Deither said.

Nothing was said on the way to the station. Inga sat perfectly still reflecting on the assignment she had been given. She knew she would be successful but even if she wasn?t she knew in her heart that she was doing the right thing.

With ten kilometers to go before they were at the train station Deither stopped the car. ?Okay my child, from this point on we cannot communicate with each other. We have three gates to go through. Each one of those gates is guarded by military guards and dogs. The guards have orders to detain anyone who looks suspicious. They will ask you for your papers and they will ask why you are riding with me. Your story is ?This gentleman found me walking along the road trying to get to the station. He was kind enough to offer me a ride. As it is cold, I accepted.? That is all you will say. Then you will give the guard your papers.?

?What about you?? Inga said.

?I am traveling on the orders of Hitler, himself. I am a journalist and Hitler has asked me to interview some of the young men and see how they are fairing and I am to tell them that Germany will come out with the victory and if they do die, they are dying for the fatherland,? Deither said.

Inga knew how sick that made him feel.

?You will be asked the same thing at all three gates. If we get through the last gate without any suspicions, we are on the way,? he said. ?Once we get inside, you will be directed to a sergeant who will direct you to the train. Get on and do exactly what you are told to do but remember you have another more important job to do. We will have no further contact from the time I get you inside the last gate. Don?t even acknowledge me if you see me on the train. I go as far as the next water tower. That is how far my papers allow me to travel. When you do find him, take everything that looks like it might be used for hiding information. It could be in his briefcase, it could be microfilm. So take anything that looks suspicious,? Deither said. ?Do you understand? Once you make your escape, get to the town and to the underground. They will be waiting for you. Someone will get you to them. Then do everything they ask you to do. If you co-operate with them, you chances of being alive and being able to return home will greatly increase. Is there anything else you need to ask me??

?My braids? Would you give them to Momma for me and tell her I love her and that I will be coming back soon?" Inga said.

?Consider it done as soon as I get back,? Deither said.

Inga nodded her head. ?Okay, let?s get you inside and on that train,? Deither said.

Author: hairman001 Copyright protected ? 2003 Copyright legal and registered

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