Q1 Free Response 3

This week I read 24 more pages of “Vienna Prelude” by Bodie Thoene. Elisa has just arrived in the Austrian Alps except without her father, Theo. The Gestapo forced him off the train and made him return home. The Gestapo think that if Theo remains in Germany, the family will be forced to return. They want their money which at the moment is stored in various banks in other parts of Europe.
Meanwhile in the mountains, Anna, Elisa’s mother, and the family are worried sick about Theo. They also worry that their secret will be discovered. They have told Franz and his family that they are from Vienna, not Germany. One night Franz discovers Elisa in the barn. She tells him a little of her story and how she is worried for her father. Franz in turn tells her that his brother, Otto, is not completely loyal to Austria. He favors Hitler and his communist ideas. This information is vital for Elisa’s family’s survival.
The next day Anna and Elisa go into a big vacationing city in Austria. They make reservations at a hotel, visit a doctor, go shopping, eat lunch, and most importantly renew their visa to stay in Austria. They also make sure some German Gestapo see them and write some letters to Theo. By going to this city they hope to fool the Gestapo into thinking they are here. This will hopefully buy them the much needed time to figure out what they are going to do. They know that returning to Germany is the worst thing they could do.
Theo on the other hand is worried that his family will return to dangerous Germany. He also knows that his family’s return would be the end of them and wants to protect them. The ironic part in all of this is that when Anna sends him a letter letting him know that they will be staying in Austria longer, he is too busy writing them a letter pretending he has died. He hopes this will keep them from coming. The letter he did not read would have let him know that they were staying in longer and relieve all his fears. This book is very captivating and I look forward to reading more.