Gaby Book 5 - Bits
Chapter *33* Má¼nchen
by Maddy Bell

 
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Text in Blue is in German.

Bluh! I don't want another dream like that!

He stretched and luxuriated in the bed, his bed but there was something sort of naggingly wrong with that. A glance at the clock on the nightstand showed 7.30 so a degree of grogginess was to be expected. There was still something wrong, it wasn't really his bed was it, no that's right he was in Munich.

There was something else not quite right but he put that down to tiredness.

"Gaby, time for frühstuck, the rally is at ten so the coach will collect us at nine."

Rally? And just why was Jules calling him Gaby?

"Erm okay."

"And make sure your uniform is smart, mama pressed it specially for today."

"Okay already!"

"Don't use such language, you will get us all in trouble."

Huh? What is she on about?

"Ten minutes"

"Five!"

"Whatever."

He threw back the covers, some hotels still use proper sheets and stuff for some reason.

Why am I wearing a nightdress? A cotton one at that. Hang on what was all that about a uniform and rally?

He scrambled out of bed and headed for the old wardrobe to find his clothes.

There is definitely something weird going on here. I'm sure I wore my jeans yesterday so where are they? And why is there all this tan coloured stuff in here? Something very weird!

He headed to the sink to grab a quick rinse; jeez they really need to get new plumbing. The pipe work gurgled and banged a bit before issuing any water, which was at best barely luke warm. A quick splash woke him up some; enough to cause him to nearly faint away when he looked in the mirror.

There was no doubt it was him looking back but him with a ridiculous girls haircut which (and this was only cos he'd seen pictures in social studies), made him look like a refugee from the 1930's! What the hell is going on?

He checked to make sure Jules wasn't pratting about but the hair stayed put on his head; it really was him looking back. So if that's me... He checked under the nightdress to see if he was all there. Phew! Even the bits he could do without were still the same under the heavy cotton garment.

Weirder and weirder! A return to the wardrobe revealed an old fashioned flowery dress and the tan skirt and blouse, which he guessed, was the uniform his sister mentioned. Just what is going on?

Best not pee her off though. A quick search failed to turn up any of his own clothes so it was a case of make do. He wasn't exactly into the whole military look but it could've been camo! This outfit was less urban chic and frumpier soldier! Still it was kinda smart, in a way even if he could only find some short grey socks and some old fashioned T bar sandals, you know with like a flowery design stamped out on top.

"Where've you been?" Jules flapped.

"Er..."

The elder Bond was wearing pretty much the same, her hair back to its natural shade and in a similar cut to his own.

"Eat your breakfast, I'll do your hair, hurry!"

I thought we were gonna see Vampira at the stadium this afternoon so what's all the hurry and weirdness?

Jules fussed with his hair and then tied a sort of ribbon thing round his neck while he grabbed a light breakfast. An old fashioned horn sounded outside.

"That's the bus, come on Gabs, time to go." she enthused.

This was just getting way too strange!

Of course outside was not a huge brightly painted behemoth but rather a small thing with an old-fashioned bonnet affair on the front. Weirder! The board in the window really threw him a curve ball though.

'National Socialists Youth Rally, München''

Oh boy! Now this is weird and heavy!

"Jules?"

"What now?"

"I er thought we were going to a concert, you know like music?"

"Of course there is music silly, now hurry up, we have to pick up the others."

"Um ok"

"You shouldn't use those American words, please, only proper German"

What has got into Goth Girl?

"I'll try."

I climbed onboard the rickety old bus except it wasn't old or rickety! In fact it was like it was pretty new if a little spartan. The smooth leather of the seat was cold against my bare thighs and the seats weren't very wide. Must be one of those reconstruction jobbies I guess but why we were on it...

My sister whispered into my ear, “please Gaby, you must be very careful, especially today, I hate to think what would happen if your true gender was discovered.”

The bus picked up more teens, all wearing similar outfits — well the boys had long shorts, one or two wore the red armbands that Party members wear. Hmm, how do I know that? At the last stop we all helped garland the bus and we posed for pictures — yup that's me — what a dork I look!

We were soon on our way again and it wasn't long before we joined a huge number of other buses parking in the streets surrounding the Stadium. An eager lad in the uniform of the Junge Vormund checked our bus off his list and we found ourselves herded with hundreds of others towards the stadium itself. There was a tension in the air; a general excitement and I found myself being sucked in too. This clearly wasn't 2006, it wasn't even January! I'd given up trying to work out the now of things by this stage as far as I could tell we were off to see the countries leader, the Führer, Herr Hitler!

“Please come forward as your name is called.”

We were now in the shadow of the stadium itself and there were literally thousands of us waiting to enter.

“Helga Booman, Gabrielle Bond, Juliette Bond, Anna von Coburg … “

I shuffled forward and found myself joining the front rank of our party. I barely remember the rest of the morning — we marched into the stadium (after a fashion!), we listened to some martial music, Herr Hitler gave a speech which I didn't understand much of, there was a lot of cheering, more military band stuff and finally the Führer was driven around the stadium in the back of a huge Hörch limousine.

“What happens now?” I asked my sister in the euphoric aftermath of the ‘event'.

I have to admit that I was carried along with events, cheering and even craning to see the countries leader on his drive round.

“Find our bus for one then I think we go into the city.”

I have to say it was pretty strange in the centre of Munich. It was teeming with people largely attendees of the Rally — you could tell by the uniforms! Our group, all pupils at the Ahrweiler Gymnasium, were treated to a walking tour of the main sites, we got to climb the Rathaus tower, the Residenz, Isartor, Ministry and ended up in the Englisher Gärten, a huge park by the Prinz Carl Palais.

To say it was very strange would be putting it mildly. How I've come to be in Munich in 1936 I've no idea and now I think about it I'm frightened and worried. Lets face it, I know what's gonna happen in the next few years and I'd actually rather not be involved! So okay I'm a coward but I'm also a boy pretending to be a girl, which could turn out to be quite dangerous not just for me but the rest of the family too.

We eventually found ourselves at the Gästhaus we were billeted at.

“Ah Mädchen! Just in time for dinner, wash up and come to the dining room.”

Well a girl has to eat!

After a heart meal of Pork hock and potatoes we spent the evening with our landlady reading and listening to the radio. That was eerie, they played a recording of today's rally and this time around we could hear Herr Hitler's words clearly. I wish I hadn't been there, I wish I hadn't heard those words, seen that man.

I went up to bed shortly after nine very disturbed and unsure of what the future will bring.

“Drew! Come on, we'll be late.”

“Gnh?”

“Really bro, you are the limit! Get up!” and with that my duvet was ripped off me.

Duvet?

I blinked myself awake and looked around the room, TV, generic impressionist print on the wall, most definitely this is not 1936! No this is 2006 and we're here to see Vampira at the Olympic Stadium. That was one weird dream — I can't remember eating any cheese last night. I tried to remember it but with Goth Girl banging around all I know is that I don't want to go there again.

All I can think is that I was really tired last night, we came down straight from school — I met Jules on the train at Remagen, and although it was a ‘fast' train it still took over five hours to get to Munich so it was gone nine when we rolled out of the Hauptbahnhof in Munich. We were staying in one of those budget City Hotels just round the corner from the station, Mum booked it for us although Jules wanted to stay in some hostel place someone told her about.

And I guess my head was still going over the stuff we were doing in sociology class, which was about the rise of German Nationalism in the 1930's. Last week we had to read a book about some woman's experience of the period and yesterday we watched a programme about the rise of the Third Reich so I guess that's what I was dreaming about.

“Come on, I wanna see some stuff before we go to the stadium.” Jules pressed.

“Okay, I'm coming.”

Sometimes your siblings can be embarrassing, today I was embarrassed squared! There's me trying to be like cool teen laddo and there's Goth Gurl — well frankly I'm not sure what she was dressed as! I mean, just look at her, the whole black thing but really, those disgusting boots and a miniskirt with stockings — it's a good job Mum can't see her!

So anyway, the best way to get round the city was on one of the sightseeing buses which go from outside the railway station — at least I wouldn't have to be seen with her in public so much. It was really weird though, we'd stop somewhere like the Residenz and I'd get this weird sense of déjà vu, you know like I'd been there before? Except I've never been to Munich before — like ever! We got like this Japanese tourist to take a picture of us at Max-Joseph Platz and it was like über weird!

Anyway after doing the tourist bit and then hitting the shops for a bit — even C&A here sell dirndls! They really are into their traditional outfits. Where was I, oh yeah we dumped our stuff back at the hotel then headed to the stadium.

Don't ask me about the concert — all I can tell you is that 20,000 German Goth Rockers make a lot of noise and my head was ringing by the time we left! Sunday morning our train left at eight, which was not fun, but at least we could sleep on the journey north. Dad picked us up from Remagen station and dropped me at work on the way home.