Page 92 of The German Mother

The train slowly began to move, chased by Hannah, who ran along the platform waving a white handkerchief.

‘I love you, Mutti,’ Leila shouted.

‘I love you too…and I’ll miss you…Goodbye my darlings…good bye.’

The journey to Switzerland took them through the Bavarian Alps and on to Austria. At the border, German guards boarded the train and sullenly worked their way through the carriages, examining everyone’s passports. Leila was worried that they might find some spurious reason to prevent her leaving – or worse, arrest her. They took their time examining the family’s papers but, to her immense relief, finally stamped the family’s passports and moved on.

A couple of hours later, Leila was woken from a dreamless sleep as the train chugged slowly across no-man’s-land and into Switzerland. Once again, she braced herself as the border guards entered the carriage. But this was a very different experience. ‘Welcome to Switzerland, Frau Labowski,’ said the border guard, smiling broadly.

Leila, Julius and Charlotte embraced and began to laugh. The children, who had slept through the whole experience, suddenly woke up. ‘Where are we, Mutti?’ asked Sofia sleepily, peering out of the window.

‘We’re in Switzerland, darling,’ said Leila. ‘And we’re free.’

Julius and Charlotte had rented a small chalet high up in the hills overlooking Zurich. The taxi driver drove them as far as he could, but finally ground to a halt when the road petered out and became a farm track. ‘You’ll have to walk the rest of the way, I’m afraid.’

They all set off up the track carrying their suitcases, just as a small herd of cows ambled contentedly towards them, the bells round their necks clanging melodically, led by a young man carrying a staff.

‘Hello,’ said Julius. ‘I’m looking for Herr Keller, the farmer.’

‘I’m his son, Klaus,’ replied the boy. His accent was strong, and he spoke in the local Swiss-German dialect.

‘I’ve rented a chalet from your father – my name is Julius Zerfass.’

‘Yes, he told me to expect you. The chalet is at the end of the track. Just let me get the cows into the field, and I’ll show you inside.’

The chalet was painted black, with red shutters which glowed in the evening light. The young man led the family onto the covered porch and opened the front door. It led straight into a modest sitting room warmed with a woodstove; there was an old sheepskin-covered sofa and two battered armchairs. A further door led to a small kitchen with a stone sink, a dresser and another wood-fired oven.

‘There’s wood stacked on the porch, and you get water from the well out the back,’ said the boy. ‘The toilet’s in a hut down the stone path. My father will be down later. He’s taken some goats’ cheese to the market. If you’re all right, I’ll be off.’

Left alone in their new house, Leila and Charlotte looked at one another quizzically, and suddenly burst out laughing. ‘My God,’ said Charlotte. ‘I’m not quite sure this is what we were expecting…is it, Julius?’

‘No…perhaps not. But it will do for a while.’

While the adults looked around the house, the children ran outside and began to race around the fields, laughing and shrieking.

‘Well, they appear to like it,’ said Leila, smiling. ‘Shall we inspect the accommodation?’

There was one small bedroom downstairs, with a double bed and a chest of drawers. Upstairs was a large and airy attic. Although it contained only one single bed, there was enough room to add two mattresses for the children. Peering out of the attic window, Leila looked down over forests and fields to the Zurichsee – a long meandering lake named after the city. Surrounded by hills, with snow-capped mountains in the distance, it created a spectacular view.

‘You must have this room, Leila,’ said Charlotte magnanimously. ‘Julius and I will be quite happy downstairs.’

Late in the afternoon, they had a visitor – a middle-aged man driving a pony and cart containing two straw mattresses.

‘Welcome!’ he called out. ‘I’m Fritz Keller – my son told me there were two little ones, so I’ve brought these for them to sleep on.’

Keller was fair-haired, with a round face and ruddy complexion – clearly a man who spent his life outdoors. He hauled the mattresses up into the attic, and then clattered back downstairs to introduce himself properly.

‘I’ve brought you a welcome gift,’ he said, taking a wicker basket from the cart. ‘Come and sit on the porch, and I’ll show you.’

Inside the basket were bread, eggs, a dish of butter, a can of milk and a bottle of dark-red liquid.

‘It’s cherry brandy,’ said Keller, pouring out four glasses. As Leila, Charlotte and Julius clinked glasses with their new landlord, they felt instantly relaxed.

‘It’s good, eh? My wife makes it. We have a small orchard near the house. It’s a simple life up here, but a good one.’

Gazing down at the lake, with the surrounding hills glowing purple in the sunset, Leila had to agree.

Herr Keller’s tenants soon settled into a routine. Leila took to rising early. Pushing open the shutters of her attic window, she relished the cool, clean mountain air that rushed in. As the morning mist rose over the lake, it revealed the teal surface beneath. Leila was struck by how the hills gradually changed colour with the rising sun – from grey, to purple, through to green.