“Hitler is a toad!”

Our entire household has gathered in the parlour for this big moment - Mama, Papa, Oma, Opa, Otto, Mia and me - and Otto has decided to go wild.

“Hitler is a toad!” he yells again.

Mama rushes forward and clamps her hands over Otto’s mouth, but Otto pushes it away and shouts even louder. “Hitler is a toad! A big fat toad with warts all over!”

Now Mama clamps her hand to her own mouth.

Papa stands in the middle of us all, dressed in his uniform. He is still Papa but now he is also Soldier Erich Wolf. He has been called up to serve in the German Army and it is more than Otto can bear.

It is more than any of us can bear. But Otto is only seven and he doesn't understand that we must make sacrifices. For Germany. For our beloved leader, Adolf Hitler. And he doesn’t know how to hold the anger, the sadness and the fear inside.

“Hitler is a toad!” he shouts once more.

Papa drops his rucksack. “Otto!” he snaps. “You must not curse Hitler. Ever!”

“It’s dangerous!’ hisses Mama.

“Terribly dangerous,” whispers Oma.

“And wrong,” I add. “We love Hitler.”

Papa frowns. Mama’s hand slips from her mouth to her chest.

Opa snorts. Opa seems to be snorting more and more these days. Perhaps he has a cold that just won’t go away. 

Mia giggles and says, “Boo! Boo!” She's only one and a half and it’s her favourite thing to say. She’s trying to say “Boom! Boom!” Which is Otto’s favourite thing to say. Otto is always playing war games and blowing things up. All the boys are. Otto loves war and battles and tanks and planes and soldiers. But not at this moment. Not when it’s our own papa who is becoming a soldier and being sent away from home.