This childhood episode unfolds around the village church, the old cemetery, and Pastor’s rectory and its enchanted garden. Stutchen, Ditta and Gudrun were the names of the three pastoral daughters, with whom I always enjoyed playing. We were about the same age, just Stutchen, the eldest of the three, was already in the second grade of elementary school. Stutchen was a bit too big for her age. She wore her long fair hair parted and plaited, which she kept throwing her hand back over her shoulders. Ditta was the middle, a bit chubby in shape. Sometimes she was also called Schnutchen, because she was always busy making funny faces with her mouth on her face. Gudrun was the youngest and I liked her best. These three girls were always really nice to look at. They wore selected dresses, white socks and always beautiful shoes. The cemetery, a large lawn next to the church, was accessible to everyone. There were a few very old tombstones from bygone days. Ivy banks had conquered these ancient relics, so that hardly anything of the inscriptions or ornaments could be seen. The center of this square was adorned with a monument of pale sandstone, on which an angel kneeled with his head bowed. The foundation formed two stepped stone slabs, a welcome seating opportunity. a large lawn next to the church was accessible to everyone. There were a few very old tombstones from bygone days. Ivy banks had conquered these ancient relics, so that hardly anything of the inscriptions or ornaments could be seen. The center of this square was adorned with a monument of pale sandstone, on which an angel kneeled with his head bowed. The foundation formed two stepped stone slabs, a welcome seating opportunity. a large lawn next to the church was accessible to everyone. There were a few very old tombstones from bygone days. Ivy banks had conquered these ancient relics, so that hardly anything of the inscriptions or ornaments could be seen. The center of this square was adorned with a monument of pale sandstone, on which an angel kneeled with his head bowed. The foundation formed two stepped stone slabs, a welcome seating opportunity.
Here I sat very often, with the thought that finally the pastor girls came out of the house. Mostly they had a nice ball with them or even a skipping rope. The back of the angel monument served as a wall on which we always liked to make the “Tens sample”. A ball game to prove his art of fast body movement. While the ball was thrown against the wall, you had to turn around your own axis and then catch the ball again. These little tricks but had to be completed each time with an increase. Those who could not catch the ball were out of the round and had to wait. Who was eliminated from the round, it was quickly boring. Mr. Pastor also kept a pig on his estate. For feeding, poor quality potatoes were steamed in a washing kettle, which were then added to the animal in the feeding trough with other additives. When the smell of these steamed potatoes was in the air, it was me who wanted to play hide and seek in the vicarage. Yes, yes, everyone called in unison, and we ran to the yard. One was selected and had to recite a counting rhyme face-to-face while the others were hurriedly seeking a hiding place. I had always made my hiding place, it was the laundry room, from which came this seductive fragrance. The potatoes were still warm and the shell did not bother me. It was very different from having a slice of bread with beet juice at home. We had plenty of this spread in stone pots, but still I had to keep an eye on it, because otherwise the sticky stuff on the hands ran down to the sleeve. The game of hide-and-seek in the vicarage was not that important to me, it was rather the fragrant pork potatoes.
Occasionally we played sometimes on the veranda open to the garden. Here was a swing appropriate, with which one could make real flights of heights, it was like a paradise for me. Someone always tried the piano, which was there. It was undoubtedly not the right location for this instrument, because the weather had had a negative impact over time. Even then I could hear that the yellowed keys no longer triggered the right notes. I persuaded the girls to water some of the plants in the garden, all the green, with the accumulated water in the rain barrels. In this garden you could break off a piece of rhubarb and heartily bite into it, picking sour cherries and remaining strawberries. Here it was something completely different, … having to weed with their parents on their own piece of land. How I would like to have a word of praise when I crawled over the floor as a little boy to remove the unwanted greens between the beets. At some point, the pastor’s wife stood on the stone steps in front of the house and called over the yard that the girls should come into the house, it was coffee time. I heard it with joy when Mrs. Pastor added, … and the boy should come as well. Although I was happy at the moment, at the same time a slight discomfort came over me. What would be … if now Mr. Pastor himself would be present? At some point, the pastor’s wife stood on the stone steps in front of the house and called over the yard that the girls should come into the house, it was coffee time. I heard it with joy when Mrs. Pastor added, … and the boy should come as well. Although I was happy at the moment, at the same time a slight discomfort came over me. What would be … if now Mr. Pastor himself would be present? At some point, the pastor’s wife stood on the stone steps in front of the house and called over the yard that the girls should come into the house, it was coffee time. I heard it with joy when Mrs. Pastor added, … and the boy should come as well. Although I was happy at the moment, at the same time a slight discomfort came over me. What would be … if now Mr. Pastor himself would be present?
I knew him only from the reputation when he sermonized in his black gown on Sunday in the church. Should I step in front of the Herr Pastor in such an elevator with shattered knees, with tattered shoes, which were also provided with different-colored laces? I trotted after the girls. Upon entering the roomy hall, I immediately struck a completely different smell than I was used to from our stairwell. Here it did not smell like scouring cloths and soft soap. Just come in and sit down, Mrs. Pastor said in a very friendly tone … and she had such a beautiful smile on her face. I made a servant and said good afternoon. I could almost feel myself being watched by the girls, I saw them nudging their elbows. Gradually I lost my timidity, for Mr. Pastor did not appear. Yet, only when Mrs. Pastor asked me something, could I shape my answers with affirmative or negative head movements.
Each of the children had a cup of cocoa in front of them. There was probably something like that in the pastor’s house, I thought to myself. At some point it happened that I sat again on the steps of the monument from the churchyard, but the pastor’s children did not come to play. The smell of freshly steamed potatoes did not spread any more.
From my parents I heard that the pastor was away with his family forever. I did not understand that until many years later, when families left the Russian-occupied zone and went to the free West.
April 16, 2024