07:36 (GMT)
Saturday, January 18, 1941
24 St James’ Place, London
Nancy took a deep breath of the cold air once out of her apartment building. Dressed in her sky blue and pink lycra skin-tight exercise suit, a light matching Gore-Tex windbreaker and a pair of white and pink Nike running shoes, she had decided to use her scheduled weekly visit to the German women in the Tower of London as an excuse for a good exercise session. The blue and pink windbreaker covered a belt supporting her holstered Glock 26 pistol, a small fanny pack containing money, keys and identity cards and, finally, her IPod with light earphones. A pink sweatband around her head completed her outfit. Using a small alley on the side of her building, she jogged to Green Park, then stopped by a park bench beside a tree to do her stretching and warming up exercises. She next did a few balance exercises, performing front and back summersaults and walking on her hands, to the astonishment of a few early strollers. After doing sixty sit-ups and fifty push-ups by the park bench, Nancy started playing a tune of fast-paced music on her IPod and, following a trail leading to St James’ Park, started running at a good pace. Alternating between quick run and a more sedate jogging pace, Nancy crossed the arched bridge over St James’ Park Lake and took Birdcage Walk once out of the park, turning left on Victoria Embankment to follow the bank of the Thames River. During the three miles of her run, she used every opportunity to practice her balance and upper body strength, walking on top of guardrails or pulling chin-ups from the steel bars of façade scaffoldings.
By the time Nancy arrived at the Tower of London, she had worked up a good sweat. She also had made the day of a group of off-duty sailors, nearly caused two accidents by distracting male drivers, scandalized a few old ladies and was even called a slut by a fat banker. She ignored everybody but the banker, who got a resounding slap in the face for his troubles. Presenting briefly her security pass at the two soldiers standing guard at the entrance of Middle Tower, jogging on the spot as they checked the pass, she then went through it and the Byward Tower, then the Bloody Tower, to finally enter the inner yard of the fortress. Nancy was happy to find Ingrid Weiss doing warm-up exercises in front of Gaoler’s House, dressed in a loose-fitting two-piece fleece outfit and a pair of short, laced boots. On her first visit a week ago, Unterfuhrerin Hauser had told Nancy that Ingrid was turning into a real fitness nut, exercising and jogging constantly around the confines of the fortress.
“Hi, Ingrid!”
The teenager snapped her head around and smiled at her sight.
“Hi, Nancy! It’s so nice to see you again. You were out jogging?”
“Yes! Would you like to jog outside with me this morning?”
Ingrid’s face lit up in anticipated joy.
“Could I do that?”
“Of course! I’ll act as your escort.”
She looked at Ingrid’s boots, which were made more for hiking than for running.
“Maybe at the same time I’ll get you a proper pair of running shoes.”
That really made the young German girl happy. Getting up from her stretching position, she looked with envy at Nancy’s exercise outfit.
“I wish I could get a suit like yours. Your running shoes also look really comfortable.”
“They are. Unfortunately for you, they were bought in the year 2011: you won’t find anything like them or my suit these days. Are you warmed up enough now for a jog?”
“I am! Should I tell Anna before we go outside?”
“Please do, Ingrid.”
While the teenager went inside, Nancy spotted a guard nearby and jogged towards him. He immediately presented arms to her with his rifle.
“Good morning, Colonel!”
“Good morning, Private! Can you advise Captain Nicholson that I am escorting outside of the Tower prisoner Ingrid Weiss for a jog? We should be back in two or three hours at the most.”
“Yes, Colonel!”
The young soldier then ran towards Waterloo Barracks. Ingrid emerged from Gaoler’s House shortly afterwards and, Nancy at her right side, jogged through Bloody Tower. Nancy stopped briefly at Middle Tower to advise the two guards of her intentions. The corporal in charge was unsure if he should let them go out, saying he had no instructions about that. Nancy finally raised the right side of her windbreaker, revealing her pistol.
“Look, Corporal, I am armed, I can run faster than the prisoner and I could beat her with one arm in my back. We are going out now. Captain Nicholson has been advised, so good day to you, Corporal.”
Ingrid looked like a bird escaping its cage as she jogged westward with Nancy along Lower Thames Street. She appeared in fairly good shape already, as she sustained Nancy’s pace with no problems while chatting with her.
“So,” asked Nancy, “how are you girls doing in the Tower?”
“We’re okay, apart from being bored. This exercising however really helps me to kill the time. General Browning told us yesterday that there would be an informal dance at his residence tomorrow night for us and the British soldiers. He also invited me to a guided tour of his residence this afternoon. That should be interesting: his house looks really nice from the outside and I always liked historical things.”
“Good for you! So, you’re having a dance tomorrow night. Maybe I should ask the general if I could bring some 2012-era music and films.”
“YOU WOULD?”
Ingrid nearly stopped jogging from the excitement.
“It would be a real pleasure for me, Ingrid. I will talk to General Browning once we return to the Tower. Let’s turn right onto the next street.”
Both women turned on St Mary-at-Hill Street, following it at a jog while talking.
“We got letters from Germany two days ago. Your Major Crawford is really sweet in providing us this mail service: it is helping our morale tremendously. He is also a really attractive man. I think that Bertha has a crush on him. I wouldn’t mind dating him myself.”
Nancy laughed hard at seeing the way Ingrid’s face lit up when she said that. She then patted lightly the teenager’s shoulder.
“You girls better remember that Mike is my private property. Did you get a letter yourself, Ingrid?”
“Er, yes, although I didn’t send any myself.”
“Then, who sent you a letter?”
“Bertha’s father did: he works at the personnel department of the Luftwaffe and has discovered that I’m fifteen years old.”
Nancy swore silently to herself: that could cause some problems.
“Did he say what he was going to do about it?”
“Yes: nothing!”
Ingrid smiled at the puzzlement on Nancy’s face.
“He understands the reasons why I decided to stay with the other girls and he respects my decision. He also said that he would keep it a secret if you do the same yourself. There is a note for you from him that I will give to you once back at the Tower.”
“That is really decent of him, but can he really keep it a secret from his superiors?”
Ingrid grinned at that.
“I believe so, Nancy: General-Major Reinholdt IS the head of the Luftwaffe personnel department. I’m telling you this because I know that you will not use this information against her daughter.”
“Ingrid, you are truly a devious, crafty young thing.” Said Nancy while looking with fondness at the teenager: in many ways, the German girl reminded her of herself at a younger age. Nancy then saw Ingrid slow down noticeably as she stared at something. Looking in the same direction, Nancy saw a small synagogue, clearly marked with a star of David. Ingrid’s expression as she eyed the Hebrew symbol was one of regret, not hatred. Puzzled, Nancy waited a few seconds before speaking in German to the teenager.
‘’Ingrid, what religion do you practice exactly?’’
The girl seemed taken by surprise by her question and hesitated, lying badly.
‘’Uh, Lutheran. Why, Colonel?’’
‘’Ingrid, you can call me simply ‘Nancy’ when in private, like right now. You can also tell me the truth: I promise you that it will stay strictly between us. So, again, what is your religion?’’
Ingrid hesitated still before finally answering in a near whisper while jogging at her side.
‘’My father was Lutheran, but my mother was Jewish, something my parents hid from everyone. According to my Luftwaffe personnel file, I am a non-practicing Lutheran. None of my comrades know that I am in reality a Jew.’’
Nancy took a moment to swallow that information. If true, then Ingrid was in an even more precarious situation than as a simple German prisoner of war. Her future after the war, even following an allied victory, would probably not be rosy. The duo turned on St Mary-at-Hill Street while continuing to talk and jog.
‘’We received some letters from Germany two days ago, Nancy. Major Crawford is really kind to offer us this mail service through the American embassy. It really helps our morale. He also is a hell of a nice-looking man. I envy you, Nancy.’’
‘’Well, I have to say that Mike makes the heads of many women turn in his path, including mine.’’
After another fifteen minutes of jogging, Nancy slowed down and looked at the front window of a sportswear boutique.
“This looks like a good place to get your running shoes. Let’s go see inside.”
If Nancy didn’t exactly expect a 2012-era display of sporting equipment and clothing, she found even less than what she was afraid to find. The best she could find in the store was low quality canvas running shoes with rubber soles.
“Damn rationing system! I should go to the United States for a shopping spree soon.”
She had Ingrid try a pair of the least awful-looking shoes so that she could find the proper size, then chose for the teenager a gray fleece sports outfit. Ingrid looked at her with confusion when Nancy asked her to try the outfit.
“Why are we buying those anyway?”
“So that you can change into clean clothes after taking a shower in my apartment.”
“Oh…”
Nancy waited for Ingrid to be dressed again, then paid for the items before leaving the store with the young German. This time, they walked to Nancy’s apartment, which was only two blocks away.
The teenager’s eyes sparkled when she entered the apartment behind Nancy and saw Mike Crawford sitting in the lounge, reading a newspaper. The American smiled to her, which made Ingrid even happier. Nancy looked at her with mock severity.
“Didn’t I tell you that he’s mine, Ingrid?”
“Can’t a girl dream from time to time?”
“Dream, yes! Now get in the shower, you young pervert.”
Ingrid giggled as she went in the bathroom. Nancy kissed Mike, who wrinkled his nose at the odor of her perspiration.
“I believe that you could use a shower too, Nancy.”
“Really? I didn’t notice… OWW!”
Rubbing her buttock where Mike had applied a gentle slap, Nancy joined Ingrid in the bathroom. She jumped under the shower as soon as the teenager was finished and stepped out to dry herself.
“Ingrid, do you mind if I ask you a few intimate questions?”
‘’Uh, alright!’’
“Are you still a virgin? Be honest now, I only want to give you some advice.”
Ingrid blushed slightly before answering.
“No! I had my first boy two years ago, in my school years. I also was dating Klaus Bayerling, the pilot who was captured at the same time as me.”
Ingrid then grinned devilishly.
“Klaus is much less clumsy than the boys I had at school. I recommend him to you.”
“Hmm… I’m sure that he would love that. You certainly are sexually precocious for your age, Ingrid. Do you realize in how much trouble this could put you here?”
“What do you mean?” Said Ingrid, looking alarmed.
“What I mean is that you are a prisoner of war surrounded by enemies, most of them men. The majority of your guards may be disciplined and respectful enough not to abuse you, but life has taught me that there will always be people ready to do about anything to satisfy their lust. Being a German may be an additional excuse in their mind to justify abusing you. If you were already showing yourself to be promiscuous, then they would have an easy time raping you, then blame it on you or even deny the whole thing. If you make advances to British soldiers here, you will soon be considered fair game by the whole garrison and left open to all kinds of abuses. As a German, your word will count for very little against their word. Even your female guards shouldn’t be trusted just because they are women.”
“There could be lesbians in the lot?” Asked Ingrid, suddenly looking horrified.
“I didn’t say that, Ingrid. I just said that you could never know. It would be a lot better for you to lay low and cool down, especially since your young age may make you even juicier to some. Like it or not, you are in a very dangerous and precarious situation.”
“What am I supposed to do then for the next few years? Turn into a nun?” Protested the teenager, close to tears. Nancy took the girl in her arms to comfort her.
“Look, you don’t need to go to such an extreme, although abstinence would be your safest course for now. This may sound ludicrous to you but your hand is your safest friend right now.”
“You are right: it is ludicrous.”
“You prefer risking rape by British soldiers, or even beatings from your own comrades if they find you fraternizing with the enemy?”
Ingrid paled and lowered her head.
“Could it really be this bad?”
“It could actually be much worst. Count yourself lucky that you are not a French or Dutch woman interned in the Ravensbruck concentration camp, Ingrid.”
“Ravensbruck? What is happening there?”
The girl’s ignorance seemed genuine, so Nancy explained herself calmly.
“The Ravensbruck concentration camp is reserved for female political prisoners and captured resistance women from various occupied countries. Tens of thousands of women will be beaten, tortured and starved to death in Ravensbruck alone during this war. On top of that, over six million Jews, men, women and children, will be exterminated by the Nazis, along with millions of Tzigans and Soviets.”
Ingrid looked at her with absolute horror.
“You… you are not serious. How could anybody do that?”
‘’Ingrid, the Nazis will not be alone in this war to commit such atrocities. Stalin already had nearly 4,500 Polish officers executed in 1939 in the Katyn Forest. As for the Japanese, you can’t count the number of massacres of civilians they committed in China. The worst is however still to come.’’
Seeing that Ingrid was about to be physically sick, Nancy hurried to come out of the shower and hugged her to console her.
‘’Ingrid, I could still with some luck prevent the worst of this war, but you will have to behave as if the worst will happen. I don’t want to see anything bad happen to you during your captivity.’’
‘’Why? Why care for me like this? I am just a German after all.’’ Said Ingrid in a shaking voice.
‘’Why? Because I believe that you deserve it, Ingrid. You are an orphan and, whether you like it or not, still a minor. I also became an orphan while still a minor and I know what you are going through.’’
The façade that Ingrid had built after the death of her family then crumbled and she started to cry, watched by a sad Nancy who was still hugging her. Attracted by the noise of Ingrid’s crying, Mike then knocked on the door of the bathroom.
‘’Nancy, is everything alright in there?’’
‘’Not really, Mike. Come in!’’
Alarmed, Mike opened swiftly the door but then froze on seeing Ingrid, still naked in Nancy’s arms. The latter then insisted.
‘’Come in, Mike. Ingrid needs us, seriously.’’
The big American entered but stayed two steps away from Ingrid and avoided looking directly at her, so that she would not think that he was abusing the situation. Nancy smiled to him to thank him for his sensitivity.
‘’Mike, I now know things about Ingrid that you should know as well. I will however ask you to not to repeat it to anyone else.’’
‘’You have my word on that, Nancy.’’
Nancy then told him Ingrid’s real age, the tragedy that had struck her family and the fact that she was a Jew. Mike, deeply moved, gave the teenager a sorrowful look.
‘’What can we do to help her, Nancy?’’
‘’I am not sure, Mike. The one thing I am sure about is that I do not wish to consider her an enemy anymore.’’
Ingrid, still in tears, looked hesitantly at Nancy with surprise.
‘’But, what am I then to you, Colonel?’’
Nancy smiled tenderly to her while caressing Ingrid’s hair with one hand.
‘’A girl in need of help. Do you feel strong enough to watch a movie about the reality of this war, Ingrid? I have to warn you that it will not be a nice film.’’
The teenager nodded her head after a short hesitation.
‘’If I must learn the truth one day, then I might as well learn it today, with you two.’’
‘’Thank you for your trust in us, Ingrid. I believe that you have the potential to become a truly formidable person.’’
12:18 (GMT)
Tower of London
Parking her Mitsubishi Outlander near the main entrance of the Tower, Nancy then escorted Ingrid back to her room in Gaoler’s House. The subdued teenager followed her in silence, still shaken by the film she had seen. Nancy left her after kissing her on the forehead. Ingrid was still sitting on her bed, her mind in turmoil, when her friend Ruth Brandhauer stuck her head inside and knocked on the open door.
“Can I come in, Ingrid?”
“Of course, Ruth.” Said Ingrid without conviction. Intrigued, the redhead sat besides her on the bed and passed an arm around her shoulders.
“What’s wrong, Ingrid? You look depressed.”
“I am depressed, Ruth. Please don’t repeat this to the others but I am now wondering if I am not on the wrong side in this war.”
“Why are you saying such a thing?” Replied Ruth, scandalized by this. “What did Colonel Laplante tell you to make you think like this?”
“She showed me a film made decades after this war, Ruth.”
Ingrid then described the film about Nazi concentration and extermination camps she had seen at Nancy’s apartment.
“And you believe that?”
“Yes, Ruth! Coming from a British, I would think this to be fabrications. From her…”
Ruth fell silent herself as Ingrid retreated in her thoughts. Ingrid was the first to speak again a minute later.
“You know, Ruth, my family in Berlin had as neighbors a quiet family of six, years ago. They were nice, kind people who were ready to help anyone in need. The father in that family owned a prosperous commerce, yet lived modestly. One night, the Gestapo came and arrested the whole family. We all heard their pleas for help but nobody did anything for them. I was thirteen at the time and wanted to tell those Gestapo men that our neighbors had done nothing wrong, but my father stopped me. He was terrified that I would be arrested too and told me then that we would all end up in a camp like our neighbors if we intervened. At that time I didn’t understand what kind of camp my father was alluding to and he wouldn’t tell me anything more. Now I know what kind of camp he was talking about.”
“Your neighbors… did they ever come back?”
“No! I learned soon enough why they had been arrested: they were Jewish and had harbored a Jew that had been on the run from the Gestapo. Their store and all their belongings were confiscated and given to a local Nazi party official, a man I loathed for being arrogant and corrupt. While that incident brought bitterness to me, I thought that this had to be an isolated case and that Germany was simply doing its best to keep the public order. Was I ever naïve then.”
Ruth had nothing to reply to that. In fact, something very similar had happened in her own neighborhood in Koln {13} eight years ago. In her case, it had been Nazi Brown Shirts and not the Gestapo who had beaten and arrested some Jewish neighbors. Ruth felt shame as she remembered how she had cheered the Brown Shirts on then, mostly because everybody else was doing the same. Getting on her feet, she patted gently Ingrid’s back before leaving the room and closing quietly the door behind her.
13:15 (GMT)
Sunday, January 19, 1941
King’s House, Tower of London
The ground floor hall in which Nancy was standing was now packed with excited British soldiers as well as with the seven German female prisoners, who were sitting in the front row of seats with Brigadier Browning and his senior officers. Mike Crawford was also present, along with Marine Corps Captain Ken Dows and six of the Marine guards from the American embassy, invited as neutral personnel for the benefit of the seven German women. Her TV/DVD unit was on top of a buffet behind her, in order for everybody to have a good view of the screen. Nancy, dressed in a very sexy black leather outfit made of knee-high boots, a very short skirt and a sleeveless jacket covering a silver silk blouse, raised her hand high and called for silence. The room quickly became quiet, with all eyes fixed on her.
“General, Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome! We are here to both forget the war for a few hours and to have some good time. In order to do this, we will have a mixed program of movies, dance and music, with a buffet thrown in so that we could keep enjoying ourselves right here all evening and night. On behalf of Brigadier General Browning, I will invite all of you to refrain from smoking inside, as we are many in a rather cramped space. Smokers are invited to use the ashtrays that have been installed outside near the entrance. Today’s program will start with a science documentary, followed by an historical drama. Supper will follow, then some dance and music. The evening will then conclude with a science-fiction movie and some more dance. To help loosen the atmosphere a bit, Brigadier Browning and I pitched in and brought in some beer and wine. You will each get three tickets good for a glass of beer or wine at six O’clock. I will now repeat my announcement in German for the benefit of our guest residents.”
That took only a minute, after which Nancy started the first viewing. Gasps came out of the spectators when a space shuttle appeared, sitting on its launch pad.
“This documentary is about the construction in Earth orbit of an international space station. It was produced in 2007. Everything you will see will exist by then. Enjoy!”
Sitting on the chair reserved for her besides Brigadier Browning and Mike Crawford, Nancy watched discreetly the spectators’ reactions as the documentary went on. She was amused to see the women present, both British and German, cheer in unison when the astronauts appeared and took place in the shuttle: two of the astronauts were women.
At the end of the one-hour documentary, Nancy announced a fifteen minutes smoke and restroom break before the showing of the next film. Ingrid Weiss, sparkles in her eyes, came to see her as the others dispersed.
“That was like magic, Nancy! The Earth was so beautiful from orbit.”
“It really was. The more reason to try preserving it. Maybe you will be able to go in space one day, like those Americans.’’
‘’Oh, I hope so, Nancy.
Everybody rushed back to their seats when Nancy announced the start of the second presentation at about three O’clock. She waited for everyone to be sitting before addressing the excited crowd.
“What you are going to watch is a film recorded on a digital video disk, or DVD. A DVD has a huge data capacity and commercial films recorded on DVD in my time typically contain numerous options like special scenes, director’s cuts, bloopers and side stories. They also routinely come with a capacity to be viewed with sub-titles in a variety of languages. With this particular DVD, I will play it with German sub-titles.”
Anna Hauser shook her head, overwhelmed by such advanced technology.
The showing of the movie ‘GLADIATOR’ brought forth powerful emotions in the audience, which had never experienced anything as sophisticated in terms of cinematic technology. All the women present, along with more than a few men, either cried or had big lumps inside their throats as the dead Maximus was shown meeting his wife and son in the afterlife. Brigadier Browning spoke to her as soon as the movie was finished.
“This was a fantastic movie, Colonel. Do you have many films of the same caliber as this one?”
“I do have quite a few, sir. I gather that your people would like regular viewings from now on.”
“Like? They would be crazy about it. If a simple film can excite an old man like me, think of what these young men and women feel like now.”
“Then I propose that we have a weekly film show every Sunday, sir.”
“Splendid! This will help the morale of my men tremendously.”
Browning then walked away to organize the buffet and the distribution of alcohol. Nancy went to the nearby ballroom, where the buffet and drinks were being served. Going first to a table on which her portable radio/CD player was laid with a pile of CDs, she started a CD of songs by Sarah Brightman and cranked up the volume before getting a glass of white wine from one of the stewards. Nancy then went back to the viewing room and put on a DVD on which she had recorded some of her favorite music videos. That immediately attracted a crowd curious about modern music. Leaving them to gawk at the often very skimpy or downright outrageous costumes worn by some of the female stars and dancers shown in the videos, Nancy returned behind the table on which her portable sound system was and sat down. She then arranged her CDs in neat piles according to the type of music. It didn’t take long before someone came to speak to her. It was Bertha Reinholdt, looking happy and excited.
“All this is so fascinating, Colonel. I wish I could have lived in your time period.”
“Be careful about what you wish for, Bertha: my time was no utopian paradise. We still had more than our fair share of wars, famines and injustices in 2012. By the way, you can call me Nancy when I’m in civilian clothes.”
“As you wish, Nancy. May I ask what kind of movie will be shown after the dance? You said that it was a science-fiction one but, for us, even films about 2012 are science-fiction movies.”
“True! The next movie is called ‘AVATAR’ and is a classic in my time. It is also visually stunning. You should love it.”
One of the invited American Marines then came to Ruth to ask her for a dance. The German teenager smiled to the big, fit American soldier and accepted readily, starting to dance a slow in the ballroom, to a song by Sarah Brightman. Ingrid Weiss quickly imitated Ruth, dragging Captain Ken Dows to the dance floor and gluing herself to him to the delight of the young and very handsome Marine officer. Nancy also got in the act and grabbed a delighted captain Nicholson to dance with him. Things heated up from there, with Nancy concluding the first dancing period with a provocative solo dance number that left the men present cheering wildly.
The showing of ‘AVATAR’ after the supper was even more appreciated than the previous movie, impressing the audience with its visual effects and stunningly beautiful imagery. A second period of dancing and music followed the movie. By then, few persons cared who was dancing with who. Nancy didn’t miss the fact that Ingrid seemed to have connected very well with Captain Ken Dows, while Dows was obviously mesmerized by her beauty. Nancy thought to herself that those two would make a truly beautiful couple. Mike then grabbed her for a dance, making her join the other couples on the dance floor.
08:46 (GMT)
Saturday, January 25, 1941
24 St James’ Place, London
‘’We are not running more this morning, Nancy?’’ Asked Ingrid, surprised, when she saw that they were now approaching Nancy’s apartment after only twenty minutes of running. She was now in good physical shape and could run for much longer, while Nancy was barely starting to sweat.
‘’No: we have something to discuss in private, Ingrid.’’
Surprised by that, Ingrid nonetheless followed Nancy inside her apartment block, smiling in passing at the small girl playing in the lobby. Once inside her apartment, Nancy locked the door behind Ingrid and invited her to sit in a sofa of the lounge. Ingrid smiled when Mike Crawford came out of the small kitchen to go sit down with her on the sofa. On her part, Nancy approached a chair and sat facing Ingrid. The German girl looked alternatively at the American and at the Canadian, intrigued.
‘’Uh, what is go