Konrad and Alexandra (PDF) - Rolf Gross

could eat her up."They all ran after the rooster who, flapping his wings, flew up a staircase to the attic. It was dark up there, old trunks,unused beds, and other furniture were cluttering the place. The rooster opened a door to a small room with a window.The moon was shining in. They became very quiet looking out the window at the white snow fields which glistened in thecold moon light."Do you like it up here all alone by yourself?" Asked Otto the rooster. "Oh," said the rooster bravely, "I am used to it andsometimes my brother sleeps with me." He pointed at one of the dogs. "You see, the two dogs are twins, and when theyhate each other, he prefers to sleep in my room.""Let's go down to where the elephant lives," said the mouse who was still holding Otto's hand. "I don't like the attic, thereare so many mice up here." The other children began making mouse noises to scare their sister, and the lion had to roarat them to stop them from frightening her."Now, when we go downstairs you have to be very quiet so we don't arouse the governess or our father," said theelephant.They tiptoed downstairs and along the corridor behind the dining room to the farthest end of the house. The elephantopened his room, next to a large wooden box-bed with thick feather bedding, there was a desk and a shelf full of booksfor the elephant's homework.The elephant opened another door down the hall. "Here are our horses." A single kerosene lamp illuminated several bighorses. Otto remembered their smell from the sleigh ride. One horse whinnied when it recognized the elephant whopatted its head, but Otto was scared, he guessed that his roar would not frighten these big animals. "Please," he beggedthe mouse, "can we go back, it's cold and smelly here."The children laughed.On the way back the mouse took him aside. "Let me show you our secret mirror room, but you have to be very quiet."She slipped into a dark room behind the dining room. There was a large mirror one could look through and see all theadults at the long table. The mouse put her finger to her mouth. "They cannot see us," she whispered.Otto's father's back was very close to him, he sat next to the man who had brought them here, and all the other guestsfrom the train. " The old woman over there next to my mother is my grandmother, and that is my aunt. They all live withus."The party looked very elegant. They were drinking coffee now, talking animatedly. The mouse's mother got up, openedthe piano, and played some beautiful music.The mouse dragged him out into the hall. The other children had vanished. "Are you a prince?" asked the mouse, "weare only simple nobles." Otto had never been asked such a question. "My mother is a princess, and she says father is asocialist. I don't know what I am." "Oh," exclaimed the mouse, "then you are a prince," and suddenly kissed him."Will you marry me? You are such a beautiful lion." Otto considered the mouse, she was really nice. He asked her, "Arewe then going to be father and mother?" "Yes," said the mouse, "and you can stay with us for ever and ever. We haveenough room."The lion was not so sure, he would miss his Nana and his mother and father who were going to St. Petersburg on thetrain. "I will marry you, "he told the mouse, "but tomorrow I have to go with my mother to St. Petersburg. I cannot stayhere." "Oh, that doesn't matter,"she reassured him, "I will wait for you."They ran upstairs where they found the other children."The lion will marry me, he is a real prince!" cried the mouse. "Let's play getting married."While the elephant put on a long black coat and found a book to be the minister, the snake coiled up to the lion andhissed. "The mouse is much too small for you. I am much older and smarter than she. You must marry me." "No, I can't,"said the lion, "I have promised to marry the mouse, besides she has already kissed me."All the children began dancing around them, even the elephant with the book and his black coat: "The mouse has kissedhim, the mouse has kissed him." They sang.In her disguise one could not see whether the mouse got a red face, but she stamped her foot and was close to tears.The lion had to roar again to bring the animals to order.Finally the donkey brought a white scarf for the bride and the animals all lined up behind the couple. With the elephant atthe lead they marched to the donkey's room. Their mother's piano music could be heard from downstairs, one of theguests was singing an aria to her accompaniment. Otto felt very solemn.When the music had finished the donkey read something from the book and then asked the couple whether they wantedto be husband and wife. The mouse whispered a barely audible "Yes," and the lion roared his agreement.All the animals applauded and kissed the bride and the groom. The mouse took the lion to his room where holding handsthey spent a long time watching the adults through the heating vent above the stove.Late at night the station master called that the train would leave very early in the morning. Friedrich von Bredow offeredto drive them back through the clear night. Alexandra, after a long search with the lady of the house, found Otto in his liondisguise next to the mouse asleep in that little room. The vent hole through which the upper floor was heated was open."They must have spied on the adults and fallen asleep," laughed Mrs. von Bredow. Alexandra carried Otto downstairs126