CASTLE MARGARETHEN - 10
Copyright 2004 by Carl Mason and Ed Collins
All rights reserved. Other than downloading one copy for strictly personal enjoyment, no part of this story may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, except for reviews, without the written permission of the authors. Comments on the story are appreciated and may be addressed to the authors at edcwriter@yahoo.com
However based on real events and places, "Castle Margarethen" is strictly fictional. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Most of the story takes place in Nazi Germany during the year 1943. Further, the major characters are members of the SS, most young, a few older. We explore their motivations and mixed feelings as human beings for whom the Fuehrer's message was truth. At the same time, however, your authors would make clear their condemnation of the Nazi ideology and atrocities committed by the Schutzstaffel (the SS). Indeed, we condemn ALL organizations, ideologies, and individuals who do harm to humanity and restrict the growth of the human spirit.
This story contains descriptions of sexual contact between adult males and male teenagers. As such, it is homoerotic fiction designed for the personal enjoyment of legal, hopefully mature, adults. If you are not of legal age to read such material, if those in power and/or those whom you trust treat it as illegal, or if it would create unresolvable moral dilemmas in your life, please leave. Finally, remember that maturity generally demands that anything other than safe sex is sheer insanity!
CHAPTER 10
(Revisiting Chapter 9)
After checking on Piet, Eugen looked up at his Colonel and asked if "these things" could really get up off such a small, rough field. "We are about to find out," he was told. As he held his arm tightly around the boy's neck, a couple of the men looked at him rather strangely. 'Hell,' he thought, I just lost my Command' and tugged the young man even closer. In fact, he defiantly bent down and kissed the Corporal right behind the ear! He was almost disappointed when no one even deigned to notice! Eugen giggled and leaned against him devotedly as the two big transports slowly lumbered down the field and finally rose into the blackness of the night.
(Continuing Our Story: Brinley-on-Thames, England - November 2004 )
"I wish it had been different, son, but there was no way that the last part of the diary could be as complete as the earlier sections," Will's father said, as he settled back into his chair. "Your grandfather was too busy with the demands placed upon him after he arrived in London. Nevertheless, when I was a boy, he told me some things that I'm going to share with you. Maybe, we can even finish the story tonight! Push back now, get your big feet situated, and I'll give it a try." Will Cross squirmed until he was relatively comfortable and waited expectantly.
"You will guess that the Government held some very mixed feelings towards the escapees. My father and his men were SS, and the stories of atrocities in Eastern Europe were already circulating in official circles. Further, your grandfather was very open with the interrogators, and they had the diary that you're holding in your hands. On the face of it, it did look like he had been 'training male whores' on Himmler's orders!" (Will squirmed uncomfortably, but his father ignored him and continued.) "Fortunately, the P.M. (Prime Minister) knew something that most of them didn't. That is, Colonel Kreuze had been an active member in the Wehrmacht resistance to Hitler. In fact, he always believed that it was on Churchill's direct orders that they had been extricated from occupied Europe. Needless to say, there was some strong hrrumping about the contents of the diary. Again, it had to have been Churchill who kept it from being widely circulated. The long and the short of it was that after being thoroughly questioned, everyone was allowed to stay in the country on 'humanitarian' grounds and the whole matter was hushed up. No doubt the War Office got a lot of information they desired. The escapees were not, however, allowed to have contact with each other or with other German citizens in the U.K. until the Nazi surrender, that is, from late August of 1943 until early May of 1945."
"Beyond that, you have several major groups of entries in the last part of the diary. Many of the most interesting points are scattered, but I think I can help you bring them together and even expand on a few of them. You read about the reconnaissance flight over the Castle in September of '43 that showed heavy damage from explosions as well as the results of a massive fire?" "Yes, dad, those poor guys who stayed behind..." Will's father hugged him tighter and continued. "When the young men and officers found out about it, I guess they felt a little better about their choice. Still, from all your father told me, there was some deep unhappiness, as witnessed by Peder's suicide. Germans and non-Germans alike had evidently realized during their time of isolation that they would now be considered traitors in their own countries - the Germans because they fled, the others because they fought with the Germans. There was evidently a bit of discussion about it at the party that they held in London in June of '45 to celebrate being together again. While the others had evidently drifted apart, that was the party attended by 18 of the 19 young men, plus the two sergeants?" Will nodded. "For nearly two years, they had been isolated in a nation at total war. You know from your history studies that life was pretty grim even for our own citizens. They were not only on minimal rations and under tight security, but they had to watch their country being battered to its knees and virtually destroyed. One can say that the Germans brought it on themselves by following madmen, but it still must have been difficult."
"I'm sure you've also noticed that the diary gives us quite a bit of information on what did in fact happen to the men of Second Squad. Karl Burmann and Jens, for instance, were the first to leave. They emigrated to the United States in the late 1940s, settling in a part of the country that both the North German and the Dane loved, a region in the far northeast called, 'New England.' Kreuze didn't hear from them often, but every contact suggested that they were deliriously happy. Nils, who always disliked both England and Scotland, was the next to go, returning to Norway in 1951. From what we know in the diary, his story is far sadder. Treated like a traitor, he was hounded out of the country and finally returned to the U.K., a bitter man. By way of contrast, Piet and Eugen never attempted to return to their former homes. Piet married a woman in the north of England who had a dairy farm. They raised calves and babies and were evidently as happy as clams! Eugen, as I'm sure you read, became a much loved sportscaster of English football. You still hear his voice occasionally when the BBC presents an historical sports documentary. Toomas who did return home to Estonia, but only 50 years later, became one of the most respected purveyors of gentlemen's clothing in London. Unfortunately, there's almost nothing on your grandfather's activities during these years. We know only that he had the family name officially changed from 'Kreuze' to 'Cross'."
"In 1973, 30 years after leaving Schloss Margarethen, the entire company held a reunion in London. Although Krupke was ill, Burmann and Jens came over from America. It was evidently a wonderful bash. Something else happened during that period which may not be quite as clear from the diary. Do you remember, Will, that at the end of our very first story session, you thanked me for treating you like a man?" Will smiled and nodded emphatically. "Very well, as we talk about the next topic, I'm not going to change. You're a young man now, and you need to know that life is not all 'beer and skittles.'" Will smiled again and threw his arm across his father's chest. Clearing his throat, his father continued. Whatever the reason, the Colonel married your grandmother, Ursula, not long after the second party. She was the daughter of Germans who had lived in England for years...well before the War. No one is completely sure why. He still passionately loved Eugen. I came along less than seven months later - which, of course, may provide the reason for the sudden marriage."
Noting that his father's face was tense, Will asked, "What's wrong, Dad?" "One always wonders when to say some things," he muttered uncomfortably to himself. Evidently deciding to forge ahead, he lifted the boy up and sat him down on his thighs in order that they might face each other before he resumed speaking. "Your grandfather made a serious moral error, Will. Maybe, it was because he was getting along in years and had begun losing some self-control. Maybe, it was because he wanted to continue a proud family line and knew that he and Eugen would never be able to adopt a child. I don't know. I do know that if one is gay, one risks disaster by marrying a woman. In this case, your grandmother was deeply unhappy, for she soon discovered that Eugen was the love of his life. Also, I suspect that it was not possible for him to...'perform' adequately or with any great joy. To come to the point, your grandmother did not die of an illness; she committed suicide. That is something that we simply don't discuss in the family, Will, and you now bear a responsibility not to hurt others further by doing so. Understood?"
"I understand, Dad, and I shan't," Will said, but why are you so unhappy...right now?" His father's face blanched before he continued. "Well, I know the family history, and I have always wondered... a bit...now and then...about myself." Noticing the terrible pallor of his father's face and the tears that had come to his eyes - and suddenly understanding a great deal - Will threw himself forward against his father. "Dad, don't worry! Mother loves you terribly, and she is so very happy. And I can't think of anyone who has been a better father to a guy than you. I love you so!" Resting his chin on his son's blond hair, Will's father collapsed into sobs that shook his body. Thank God Will didn't know how difficult it has been for him on so many occasions. For several minutes - until they regained control - father and son sat bound together, their love for each other flowing between them.
Wiping his eyes and clearing his throat, his father finally continued. "While we are on difficult... adult...topics, my son, I'm sure you noticed that your grandfather kept a record of the deaths of the boys in Second Squad. The saddest came in 1981 when Eugen was killed in an automobile accident. As long as your grandfather lived, that page of the diary was always blotched with new tears. In 1986 when he died, only his own name and the names of Karl Burmann, Jens, and Toomas were not listed. I've heard since that Karl and Jens died when their fishing boat sank in a violent storm off the Grand Banks. "And Toomas?" Will asked. "I don't think I mentioned that he sold his business and returned to Estonia when his country regained its independence in 1993. We spoke just before he left. He's very old now, but he still lives - the last survivor of Second Squad."
"DAD!" Will shrieked, "I've GOT to meet him!" "Well, I don't know, Will. Estonia is a very long ways from here. Besides, I have work and you have school." That debate continued for several days, but Will's demand never ceased. Finally, the Bank agreed to give him a short leave, and the family decided that it was time for a father-son trip. (Mother, happily left that discussion with a firm guarantee that she would get Father to herself...plus Paris...in the Spring!)
(Tallinn, Estonia - November 2004)
When their British Airways flight landed in Tallinn after changing planes in Helsinki, Will was sure that he saw Toomas waiting...sitting proudly, albeit in a wheelchair, at the gate. Strange, but he was correct. From the very first moment, it was as if Toomas were family! In fact, Will thought, it was almost as if he were finally meeting his grandfather! Looking alertly at the tow- headed youth's father, Toomas smiled and exclaimed how much Will looked like his old Colonel. "Yes," his father, smiled proudly, "I see more and more of him in the boy every day."
The visit was necessarily short, but it was Will's first trip outside of the U.K. - and he loved every minute of it! On two days they loaded the old man's wheelchair into the car and left Toomas' comfortable old house to see some new, wondrous sights in the beautiful old Hanseatic city on the Gulf of Finland. Will was especially taken by the City's late Gothic Town Hall that dominated the central square. "We celebrated its 600th anniversary just this summer," Toomas exclaimed with pride. "Wow!" the boy responded, his eyes lighting with interest - "and don't some of those other buildings on the square look German?" "Yes," his father answered, "but remember your lessons. This was one of the major cities of the medieval Hanseatic League that stretched all along the Baltic...and further." "Too bad, the Russians expelled the 'Baltic Germans'," Will grumbled, wanting to prove to both his father and Toomas that he had "remembered his lessons." "They gave us much, Will," Toomas explained quietly, "but it is our country, and it was time for everyone to give it back to us. Today, I regret their pain, but it was time." There was so much to see - the Old Town with its many medieval buildings, the great church of St. Olaf and the Russian Orthodox cathedral, Castle Hill and the beautiful Estonian parliament. Will was in a daze, but Toomas was growing tired and most of the remainder of the visit had to be spent closer to home.
During the late afternoons and evenings, before a fire in the great fireplace, the wonderful old soldier regaled both of his guests with stories of the SS and the war. There were even some carefully edited tales of the days when they were young and first knew each other at Schloss Margarethen. Will's father hadn't heard some of them and he was no less fascinated than was his boy. At one point, he turned to Toomas and asked if he weren't lonely...as the last survivor. "LONELY?" Toomas snorted, "not at all!" My friends come to visit me often - some every day. Eugen often comes with your father. I even saw Jens and Sergeant Burmann the other day. Jens giggled as he told me that they were locked onto each other's lips as their fishing boat sank!" "And what of Klaus?" Will asked - for he had almost memorized the diary. "Oh, yes. He's still 17, of course," Toomas reminisced dreamily, "the same tall, lanky blond - beautiful, ripe, on the very edge of bursting into a fine manhood. The others have all grown up, and their hides bear more scars as does mine. Piet married a good woman from the north of England. He comes to see me now. Nils tried to go home, but they wouldn't let him be. I still see the sadness in his eyes when he sits where you are sitting by the fire."
"How different here when we SS are respected as 'freedom fighters' against the Russians. I only wish I'd been here in 1944 when the SS, including so many Estonian boys, savaged the Russians at Narva! True, there are a few limits. We put up a monument to the Estonian units in the SS, but the Russians and the international community raised hell and pressured the Government to remove it. Nevertheless, those of us who are left still march proudly with the others - and the Government has insisted that ALL who fought for Estonia's liberty should be respected. The Government actually cooperated with local authorities in erecting the "Freedom Clock" monument that you saw in the center of the City. It's even easier for Russian-Estonians to gain citizenship. No, I've had a good life and good friends. It was easier after 1993 when I could come home to my beloved Estonia.
"Did you ever find your great love," Will's father asked. "No, I always loved another," Toomas whispered sadly. "Eugen?" Caught for a moment in his dreams, Toomas forgot that Will was present and answered, "Of course. We were always buddies - often fuck buddies at the Castle, during the first few weeks of the Colonel's marriage, and now and again for old time's sake - but he just wasn't 'in love' with me. Don't worry," he grinned cannily, "there are many lifetimes and I'll catch him yet!" Will's father gestured for the boy to go outside. The youngster grimaced, but left quietly.
"And how about my father," Will's father persisted. Do you see him? "Oh, yes, frequently," the old man replied as he visibly shook himself loose from his dreams..."almost always with Eugen. They still absolutely adore each other." Will's dad whispered, "And did he love me?" "YES!" Toomas answered with conviction. "He WORSHIPS you and is so very proud of what you've done with your life. Today, of course, he's out of his mind about his grandson! He did tell me the other day that he thinks Will could go hard at a beautiful 11 inches (27.94 cm) before he stops growing - either naturally or by stretching it himself!" "I shouldn't be at all surprised," his dad murmured, smiling despite himself.
"Is he...?" Toomas hesitated as he looked at the son of his old Colonel. "I don't know. It's a little early to tell...but I suspect that he's as gay as a goose. That's fine. The times are slowly changing, and he's a wonderful human being. His mother and I love him to pieces!"
"Gay as a goose?" Passing by the open window, Will innocently overheard the remark. He smiled before breaking into a soft giggle. It wasn't until about halfway through the evening, however, that Will returned to Toomas' house. He had been allowed to accept the invitation of a neighboring Russian-Estonian family to enjoy shashlik. More accurately, the invitation was the doing of their stunningly handsome 13 year-old son, Mikhail, whom Will had met just that afternoon. In truth, the shashlik was super, but the real excitement came with a little mutual exploration he had enjoyed with Mikhail. Those blue Russian eyes! Wow! Smashing! Fascinated by the significantly longer cock of the youngster who, after all, was five months older, he had gladly exchanged a thorough feel when back in Mikhail's room! In fact, climbing the fence and crossing Toomas' sandy yard, he was still so giddy that he almost ran smack into one of the great pine trees that are indigenous to the northern Baltic. Backing away, he murmured, "Humm-m-m..." 'Could be the mast of a Viking ship,' he thought as he gazed up the enormously tall, smooth trunk. 'Might be something else, too,' he giggled. Seeing the lighted window in the house, he almost skipped towards it like the young boy he was, chanting happily in a soft, singsong voice,
Hey, hey...
Gay as a goose
Hey, hey...
Gay as a goose
Hey, hey...
Gay as a goose
Hey, hey,
Hey!
THE END