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Wie Marlene eine Mutter fand — Transcript

by Missionswerk Friedensstimme · 3,820 words · 571 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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0:00How Marlene found a mother. "No, things
0:05cannot go on like this with Marlene,"
0:07said Mrs. Lindner in a pitying voice,
0:09placing her coffee spoon clatteringly
0:11on the saucer. "Ah, you are right, dear
0:15sister," nodded Mr. Antes sadly. "And I
0:18thank you for sacrificing this
0:19afternoon, despite your work, to talk
0:21to me about it.""I see for myself that
0:25things have to change.""I hear
0:27complaints everywhere.""The homework
0:29leaves a lot to be desired, too.""Oh,
0:32yes!" Mrs. Lindner eagerly interrupted
0:34him. "And all the other things that
0:37leave something to be desired, you
0:38don't even notice from behind a desk.""
0:41Just yesterday, for example, I was
0:43walking through the market with the
0:45pastor's wife, and who comes running
0:47towards me with a torn apron,
0:49disheveled hair, and a dirty dress?""
0:52Marlene, I was speechless with shock at
0:55first.""Speechless?""And that says a
0:58lot.""Then I gave her a real talking to
1:02.""Well, the hair ribbon had been lost
1:05somewhere again, and the apron had
1:07snagged on a swing at the Bergshof.""
1:10She had been sitting on the wet ground
1:12in that dress.""I ask you, on the wet,
1:15cold ground.""This just cannot go on.""
1:19She'll get sick with her recklessness,
1:21and then there's her behavior.""She's a
1:24real street urchin, certainly not a
1:26well-brought-up girl." Out of breath,
1:29good Aunt Berta finished speaking and
1:32leaned back in her chair, quite
1:33exhausted. Marlene's father stared
1:37sadly into space. "You shouldn't judge
1:41so harshly," he replied finally,
1:43hesitating. "Marlene is a kind-hearted
1:45child, just a bit wild and
1:47unfortunately not well-raised.""She
1:50simply lacks a mother.""Naturally."
1:53confirmed the aunt. "That is the root
1:55of the problem.""But since she no
1:57longer has a mother and you lack the
1:59time for her upbringing, you must send
2:02her away from home.""Marlene, away."
2:06The aunt, however, remained unfazed. "
2:09Certainly it will be hard for you," she
2:11continued calmly. "But it is the best
2:14thing for Marlene.""That is why you
2:16must make the sacrifice and part with
2:18her.""It would be different for her if
2:21she had a mother.""Marlene in a
2:24boarding school," said Mr. Antes,
2:26shaking his head. "Oh no," Mrs. Lindner
2:29countered. "That's not what I mean.""I
2:32know of a lovely place for her.""She
2:35would surely feel comfortable there.""
2:38My friend has been living in the
2:40country with her only little son since
2:42her husband died.""She owns a pretty
2:45little house there.""I am certain that
2:48she would take Marlene in for some time
2:50.""If you want, I will write to her
2:53today." For a long time, it was quiet
2:57in the large, bright room. Long, very
3:00long. Mr. Antis looked at the floor
3:04with pressed-together lips. His sister
3:08leaned back in the green armchair, her
3:11calm gray eyes waiting. Neither of them
3:16had noticed that the door to the next
3:18room was ajar. They did not know that,
3:22right there behind the door, a little
3:25blond-curled girl sat at a low table
3:27before her school notebook, not writing
3:30, but listening with fear-widened eyes
3:32to the adults 'conversation. Carelessly
3:36, the pen had slipped from her small,
3:39ink-stained hand, leaving a wide
3:42blue-black streak across the white
3:44paper and her essay. But that was not
3:48so bad. The homework had left much to
3:50be desired anyway. Clearer and clearer,
3:54word for word, it reached Marlene. At
3:57first, she had paid little attention to
4:00it. Oh, this Aunt Berta, she always had
4:03something to complain about. Marlene
4:06was used to that. But the sentence, "
4:09It's just that the mother is missing."
4:12That was like a fine, painful sting.
4:15But she could not think about it for
4:17long, for the conversation in the other
4:19room continued. And now she was to go
4:22away, away from her father, away from
4:24her friends, away from the dear old
4:27house by the market. Oh, this aunt!
4:31Marlene pressed her hands together
4:33convulsively. Her cheeks were glowing.
4:36She did not know what she should think.
4:39An ugly, angry feeling welled up inside
4:41her. She is to be sent away to a small,
4:44boring village to a strange woman.
4:48Since it is Aunt Berta's friend, she
4:50will surely be like her. She will have
4:53such a harsh voice and eyes that always
4:55find something to scold. But she,
4:57Marlene, will certainly not listen to
5:00her. Most certainly not. And there is a
5:02little son there, too. Is she, Marlene,
5:05supposed to look after him? She will
5:09not do it. And even if the strange
5:12woman gets upset, she will not care one
5:14bit. Impetuously, Marlene jumped up and
5:17grabbed her notebook and satchel. She
5:20did not want to hear any more of what
5:21was being discussed in the other room.
5:23Away, just away. Everything went blurry
5:26before her eyes. She turned around,
5:29bumped into the chair, it clicked, and
5:31in an instant the inkwell lay in shards
5:33on the floor. A large dark flood poured
5:37over the bright red carpet. "There you
5:41see it again, dear brother," Aunt
5:43Berta's voice rang out from the door.
5:46Without looking back, Marlene ran out.
5:50The father looked sadly after his child
5:52and saw the terrible devastation. With
5:56a sigh, he wiped his brow. "Yes, Berta,
6:00" he said finally, "It is probably best
6:03if you write today." Marlene had fled
6:07into the kitchen. Thump, her schoolbag
6:10landed in the corner. "Not so stormy,
6:13my dear," Frieder cautioned the cook.
6:16At the same time, however, a wide smile
6:18spread across her round red face.
6:20You've come just at the right time,
6:22Malinchen. There is something very
6:24special in the kitchen. "I don't want
6:27to eat anything," Marlene grumbled
6:29sullenly. "It's not something to eat,
6:32either," Frieder replied cheerfully.
6:34Look over there in the little basket by
6:35the stove. Our kitty has become a mama.
6:38She has six little kittens. But go
6:41slowly, my dear. Don't get too close,
6:43or the kitty will get angry. Oh,
6:46laughed Marlene. The kitty won't do
6:48anything to me. She knows me, after all
6:50. Don't be fooled, warned Frieder. When
6:54cats have young, they don't let anyone
6:55near them. Carefully, Marlene crept on
7:00tiptoes toward the old brown wicker
7:02basket, from which straw and bits of
7:04wool were poking out. Oh, what a
7:07beautiful sight. There lay the lovely
7:11red and white spotted kitty stretched
7:13out in the center, and all around her a
7:16crawling and wiggling mess of funny,
7:18lively balls of wool. How they squeaked
7:21. Yes, really. These little kittens
7:23were squeaking. They stretched tiny
7:26pink paws helplessly into the air.
7:29Plump little heads snuffled about,
7:30searching for their mother's warmth.
7:33What a jumble, especially the jet-black
7:35one, as it kept rolling off its little
7:38brother's back. Oh, and the cute
7:41snow-white one; it was all hustle and
7:43bustle, tumbling over and under. And
7:46yet the kitty had a contented purr, a
7:49loving lick, and a cozy spot under her
7:51thick fur for each of her six little
7:54children. "I would so love to hold one
7:59just once," whispered Marlene, taking a
8:01step forward. Oh dear. The kitty sat up
8:05. Was she threatening? She arched her
8:09back into a hump, causing the balls of
8:11wool to tumble about. "Stay away," said
8:16Frieder, pulling the little girl back,
8:17"or you'll be in trouble." A cat mother
8:20would let herself be killed for her
8:22young. That’s how dear they are to
8:23her. "So dear, Marlene repeated
8:26thoughtfully. But then. What was that?
8:32The black one and the red one didn't
8:33want to get along. Mama cat raised her
8:36paw. Pat, pat! Well now! Marlene
8:40marveled. Frieder laughed brightly. Yes
8:44, you see, that's what the kitty does.
8:46The little ones will often get a swat
8:48around the ears. A proper mother just
8:51raises her children." A proper mother
8:53raises them. And there is no mother. "
8:57The words from the past hour awakened
9:00again in Marlene. For a moment, she
9:04stood silent. Then she let her blonde,
9:07curly head sink and covered her face
9:09with her hands. Oh, Frieda, if only I
9:12had a mother. Hey. It was a misty
9:57morning when Marlene sat next to her
10:00father on the train to travel to Mrs.
10:02Weller, Aunt Berta’s friend. Gray
10:06clouds hung low and heavy over the wide
10:08, flat countryside. Here and there,
10:11houses, smoking factory chimneys, and
10:14church steeples appeared, only to
10:16disappear again. Every now and then,
10:19the train stopped. People crowded in,
10:22others got off. There was a coming and
10:26going, and the wheels kept rumbling on.
10:29Away, away. Marlene sat strangely quiet
10:34in her corner. No one would have
10:37suspected that the neat little girl was
10:39a wild firecracker. Only her feet had
10:42not forgotten their old habit.
10:46Incessantly, her brown heels tapped
10:48against the bench support. Sometimes
10:51slow and leisurely, sometimes wild and
10:53impetuous, whenever Marlene thought of
10:56the strange woman she didn't want to
10:58obey, wouldn't care about, and whose
11:00scolding meant little to her. She
11:04didn't care at all. At a large station,
11:08Marlene had to get off. So many people
11:12were moving around her that she was
11:14quite confused and held her father's
11:16hand very tightly. Then they boarded
11:20another train, which traveled much
11:21slower and stopped often. The funny
11:24thing was, as long as the wheels
11:26rattled, a bell was always ringing.
11:29Ding, ding, ding-a-ling. They had been
11:33traveling for about an hour when her
11:36father stood up, took the suitcase from
11:38the rack, and handed Marlene her bag.
11:41We’re here! he announced. Just then
11:45there was a jolt, and Marlene fell back
11:47into her seat once more. Her father
11:49pulled the door open. Come, child.
11:53Outside the small station building
11:56stood a tall woman dressed in black.
12:00The sun had just torn through the
12:02thickest curtain of clouds and painted
12:04shiny rings in her blonde hair. Marlene
12:07forgot that this was Aunt Berta’s
12:09friend, who was supposed to discipline
12:11her. She reached out her hand in
12:14greeting." We have been looking forward
12:17so much to your arrival, "a warm voice
12:19greeted her. Stop! Suddenly, the spark
12:22of anger came to life in her again. The
12:24spark of anger that wanted to annoy the
12:26strange woman." I haven't, "the little
12:29girl replied in the most unfriendly
12:32voice." But Marlene, "her father
12:34cautioned, startled. Mrs. Weller,
12:38however, smiled as if it didn't annoy
12:40her at all, and her large blue eyes
12:42shone kindly when she said:" I can well
12:44believe that, Marlene. What child is
12:48happy to leave their dear home and
12:50their father? But I hope that you will
12:53like it with us. "Look, there’s Otto
12:56already with the little cart. We’ll
12:58put your suitcase on it and both of you
13:01can go on ahead. A sturdy, rosy-cheeked
13:04boy stepped up. Marlene marveled to see
13:07how nimbly he helped her father load
13:10the luggage onto the brown wooden cart.
13:12" Now come along, "he said cheerfully,
13:14taking Marlene by the hand without a
13:16second thought. With his right hand, he
13:19took a firm grip on the cart’s handle
13:21. The wheels creaked as they began to
13:24roll. The little girl walked silently
13:28beside him, but her lively companion
13:31didn't let the silence last long." Look
13:34there, "said Otto, pointing to the side
13:36. Down there by the creek, it’s
13:37shimmering all yellow. Those are
13:40primroses. Tomorrow, we’ll both go
13:42pick a big bouquet." Are we allowed to
13:44do that? "asked Marlene timidly. She
13:48was thinking of Aunt Berta, who always
13:50scolded her about dirty shoes." Why
13:52wouldn't we be? "laughed Otto." Or are
13:54you afraid of getting wet feet? "
13:56Marlene shook her head vigorously." If
14:00only you knew me, "she thought to
14:02herself. Otto went on chatting happily.
14:05" Over there on the left is our house.
14:07We have a large garden, too. It’s
14:10wonderful when our roses and all the
14:12other flowers start to bloom soon. But
14:14here we are already. "With wide eyes,
14:16Marlene stepped through the little
14:18green garden gate, listening to the
14:20birds chirping around the friendly
14:22cottage and watching the white curtains
14:25fluttering in the open center window.
14:28Marlene wanted very much to find a
14:30reason to be unhappy. But as much as
14:33she fought against it, a voice inside
14:35her spoke more and more clearly. It’s
14:38beautiful here. Beautiful. After
14:41drinking warm milk and eating delicious
14:44bundt cake with Otto, her father, and
14:46the strange woman, she was allowed to
14:48go back outside with her new playmate."
14:52My rabbits have babies, "Otto reported
14:54proudly, pulling Marlene behind the
14:56house. Oh, what a wonderful sight she
14:59was allowed to see! They were even
15:01cuter than the little kittens. Marlene
15:04knelt down enthusiastically in front of
15:06the hutch." Can I take one out? "she
15:08asked." The mother rabbit wouldn't like
15:12that, "laughed Otto." She would bite
15:14you quite badly with her sharp teeth.
15:17No mother just lets you take her
15:19children. She loves them far too much.
15:21"" So much love, "repeated Marlene
15:25thoughtfully. Yes, it was just the same
15:28with the kitty. All mothers love their
15:31children." Oh yes, "the boy assured her
15:34eagerly." Just wait until our hen has
15:36chicks, a mother hen is just as
15:38protective. "But imagine, last year,
15:41when the hen had her little ones around
15:44her, she even flew at big Hasso's head
15:47to protect her chicks.""So sweet," said
15:51Marlene once more, and her eyes grew
15:55wide and serious. "" I wonder if she's
15:58bored, "thought Otto, and jumped up."
16:01Look, Marlene, up there in the plum
16:03tree is a bird's nest. "" Wait a moment
16:05, I just want to get my ball. "" A
16:07bird's nest? "Marlene stepped closer."
16:12I wonder if there’s a mother bird
16:13with her little ones inside? "" How I
16:15would love to see that! "She looked up,
16:18examining it. Oh, it was just an
16:21ordinary tree. The mountain linden was
16:24much higher. And how often had she
16:26climbed up that? She looked around.
16:29Otto was still in the house. A brief
16:31last hesitation, and one, two, three.
16:35Marlene gripped the rough gray-green
16:37bark. A tug, another one. She was
16:40already on the lowest branch." Marlene,
16:43Marlene, come down at once! "" Leave
16:45the birds alone. "" If they notice you,
16:47they'll die of fright. "" Come on, down
16:50! "Cried Otto excitedly." Silly boy! "
16:53muttered Marlene, and turned back
16:55hesitantly. Then, a crack, a crash."
16:59Hold on tight! "screamed Otto. Marlene
17:02reached upward. A branch caught in her
17:05dress, and in a frantic rush, the bold
17:07climber slid downward. Thump! There she
17:10was, sitting on the lawn. Otto ran over
17:14." Did you hurt yourself? "he asked.
17:18Marlene shook her head." What do you
17:20look like? "cried Otto in horror.
17:23Marlene looked down at herself. How
17:26disheveled and dirty she was. And the
17:29dress, the nice light blue dress, was
17:32torn. And her anger flared up again."
17:37There, now the strange woman can really
17:39get annoyed. "But then Marlene
17:42reconsidered. Should she be happy that
17:46she looked so wild? Should she go into
17:49the house like that to really anger
17:50Mrs. Wella? She really cared so little
17:53about the opinion of the strange woman.
17:56Did she really care so little? Did she
18:00really not care if the strange woman
18:02thought she was a naughty, dirty girl?
18:06Marlene hesitated. Then she threw her
18:09messy head back with a jerk." Get me a
18:11thread and a needle. "" I want to sew
18:13up the tear, "she asked Otto. Otto
18:16hurried away. Marlene waited and waited
18:20. Finally, he was back. From far away,
18:24he was waving a thread in his hand."
18:27Here I have the needle and the thread.
18:28"" You know, your dress has a certain
18:31color. "" It's neither black nor white.
18:33"First, I looked for some blue thread.
18:36But I couldn't find any. Now I have
18:39some black thread. Will that work?" Oh,
18:42sure, "Marlene nodded, trying hard to
18:45thread the needle. Oh, was that
18:47difficult? Finally! Finally! No, now
18:50the thread had slipped out again. But
18:53now. What a feat it was to finish with
18:56a sewing needle." Marlene pricked her
18:59finger twice while doing it. That hurt.
19:03"Oh dear!" she cried, "where is it?"
19:07Then she said to Otto: "Hold it tight."
19:11His rough boyish hands pressed the
19:13fabric together firmly. And now, one,
19:15two, almost as quickly as climbing a
19:18tree, the tear was pulled together with
19:20six big stitches. "Oh, I forgot the
19:23scissors," Otto cried out. "Never mind,
19:26" Marlene consoled him, "let's just
19:28leave the thread hanging." She jumped
19:31up from the floor and stood in front of
19:32her loyal helper. "Is it okay like this
19:35?" she asked proudly. Sure, Otto
19:38declared, but he didn't seem so sure
19:40after all. Concerned, he tugged here
19:44and there on the light blue skirt to
19:45cover Marlene's handiwork with a few
19:47folds. "Am I neat now?" the little
19:51seamstress finally asked. "Your hair,"
19:54sighed the tailor's assistant. "What's
19:56wrong with it?" wondered the girl. "
20:00First, the ribbon you had in it.""I'll
20:03get it down from the tree with a bean
20:05pole and then you'll take your
20:06handkerchief—""But that's long gone,"
20:09Marlene interrupted. "What am I
20:10supposed to do with it?""Wipe your
20:13hands," Otto answered. "Take mine.""
20:15It's almost clean." Who would have
20:18thought that Marlene would ever try so
20:21hard to look neat? Marlene least of all
20:25. But now she scrubbed and rubbed
20:28herself with the almost-clean boy's
20:30handkerchief, and Mrs. Bella's little
20:33son, whom Marlene had imagined was an
20:35infant, hauled over a pole and went
20:37hunting for hair ribbons. Even so, you
20:41couldn't really say that Marlene made a
20:43clean impression half an hour later
20:45when she entered the house with Otto.
20:48No, despite all the effort, not really.
20:52Her father looked almost horrified at
20:54his daughter when she sat down next to
20:56him for dinner. "Will the strange woman
20:59notice anything?""Will she get angry
21:02and scold me?" Marlene asked herself.
21:06Marlene glanced over at her furtively,
21:08but the blue eyes continued to shine at
21:10Marlene just as kindly and friendly as
21:12before. "We must hurry a little," the
21:15warm voice urged, "so that we can take
21:17your dear father to the train station."
21:20"You aren't really that sad, Marlene.""
21:23He is coming back to visit soon, after
21:24all.""Oh no, no, actually I wouldn't be
21:28so sad if Father were coming back soon.
21:30" She jumped up eagerly to fetch her
21:33father's hat. "Wait!" her father called
21:36out after her. "Come here, you have a
21:38long black thread on your dress." Oh,
21:42Marlene wanted nothing more than to
21:43sink through the floorboards deep into
21:45the earth. Her feet felt paralyzed. "
21:49Come here," the father called once more
21:51. Otto looked at her with pity and
21:54anxiety. The father reached for the
21:57long, hanging thread and pulled. "Well,
22:00the thread wouldn't come loose." He
22:03pulled the entire long tear together,
22:05puckering it. For a moment, it was
22:07completely quiet in the room. "There,"
22:11said the father sternly, "first tear
22:13your good dress and then try to hide it
22:16and deceive." Marlene felt tears
22:19welling up. She swallowed. Then a kind,
22:23warm voice rang out. "You shouldn't
22:26think that, Mr. Antes.""Marlene was
22:28sorry that she tore the dress, and she
22:31tried to mend it herself for the first
22:33time.""It just didn't turn out very
22:36well yet.""But starting tomorrow, she
22:38will learn how from me.""Then her
22:40little skirts will be cared for better
22:42and better, and in the end, there won't
22:44be any more tears, right, Marlene?"
22:48Marlene nodded silently, and two large,
22:50hot tears rolled down her cheeks. But
22:54at the same time, it felt as if this
22:56bitter water was washing away
22:57everything angry and ugly from her
22:59heart that she had thought about the
23:01strange woman. A fine, delicate plant
23:05sprouted in its place, which was named
23:08not hate, but love. When he said
23:12goodbye to his daughter, Mr. Antes
23:14looked almost happy. A great burden had
23:17been lifted from him since he knew
23:19little motherless Marlene was in good
23:22care. For a long time, the children
23:44waved at the train that was taking
23:46Marlene's father to the city. Then
23:48Marlene walked back along the path with
23:50Otto. Suddenly Otto called out: "Oh
23:53look, little sheep!" Sure enough, a
23:56large herd was slowly coming toward
23:59them, bleating loudly. The best part
24:03was the little lambs with their clumsy
24:05legs and funny leaps. "How each one in
24:08the herd follows its mother," remarked
24:10Otto. Attentively, the children watched
24:14as the shepherd followed his herd with
24:16two newborn lambs in his arms. But they
24:20were not the only observers. The
24:23neighbor's dog, the little Spitz,
24:24followed the herd with his watchful
24:26gaze. Suddenly, she cried out in horror
24:29and grabbed Mrs. Wella's hand. One of
24:32the quiet, gentle sheep had caused the
24:35fright. It had pushed the bold Spitz,
24:38who wanted to snap at one of the little
24:40ones, down the slope so that he tumbled
24:42down howling. Otto laughed out loud.
24:45Serves you right, Spitz. Marlene,
24:47however, snuggled fearfully against
24:49Mrs. Wella. the strange woman. That is
24:53no mean animal, the shepherd reassured
24:55her with a smile. That is the lamb's
24:57mother. A mother would give her life
24:59for her child. Mother, whispered
25:02Marlene softly to herself. Slowly they
25:05walked home. Mrs. Wella stood at the
25:08garden gate for a moment longer with
25:11the children and watched the herd. "Do
25:15you know what I was just thinking about
25:16?" she asked. About mother and child,
25:20replied Marlene. About the Lord Jesus,
25:23the good shepherd, said Otto. Mrs.
25:26Wella nodded and wrapped her arm around
25:28the little girl at her side. See,
25:31Marlene, a mother loves her child,
25:33protects it, and cares for it as well
25:36as she can. You saw that with the
25:39animals. But the strong shepherd Jesus
25:42Christ can watch over the weak lamb
25:43even better. This shepherd, who even
25:47gave His life for us, also took you
25:49into His arms when your mother died.
25:53Can you not be confident then? Marlene
25:57slept soundly and well that first night
25:59in the little white house. Once, it
26:03felt to her as if someone stepped
26:05softly into the room. And as if a tall
26:08figure leaned over her bed and a soft
26:10mouth kissed her on the forehead. Then
26:14Marlene smiled and whispered: "Mother!"
26:18When the first white flakes fell,
26:21Marlene returned home to her father,
26:24but she did not come alone. With her
26:27came Mother and Otto. The little house
26:31had to wait for them until they would
26:33visit it again during the holidays and
26:35the good people who had moved in would
26:37prepare the guest beds for them. When
26:42Marlene returned to the city school
26:43after the Christmas break and her
26:45friends wanted to know, "What did you
26:47get for Christmas?" she smiled happily
26:50and answered: "A mother and a brother."
26:53Jesus says: "I am the good shepherd.""
26:58The good shepherd lays down his life
27:00for the sheep." John 10, verse 11.

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