Basketful of Butterflies

By Willa van Gent

Wilhelmine Doehrn (b. 1 May 1893, Wesel, d. ..., Nierstein, Germany) married Hugo van Gent in Wesel (Prussia at the time) sometime after 1900. On 12 October 1918, Wilhelmine received a passport to travel to Belgium, to visit the grave of her husband, who had fallen as a soldier during World War I. She was in her sixth month of pregnancy, with her first and only daughter, Elisabeth Luise.Wilhelmine never remarried, living with her daughter until her death.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Oct 28, 2010
• ISBN: 9781481790956

Willa van Gent

Anna Danzinger (born Deissler) 6 November 1912 born in Taschwitz (at the time Sudetenland, Czechoslovakia) to Anton and Anna Deissler (born Riedl) 1914-1915 Anna Deissler, a porcelain painter, dies of pneumonia, leaving behind forester Anton with 2 infant girls. Anita and her sister Gisela are left in Viennese orphanage by widowed father. They are adopted separately. A distant aunt adopts smaller Gisela, “But they are sisters, they are together,” the orphanage says, “No, I can only take care of one girl.” Anita is left behind. Later, a widow with a little girl visits the orphanage, “Mother, take the one with the dark eyes, like that she will look more like my sister,” the little girl says. 1927-1943 Anita studies to become a Modistin. Some of her jobs are with hatmakers. 6 September 1936 Anita marries Franz Danzinger. Shortly before this she is reunited with her sister Gisela. 27 June 1939 Husband Franz joins the army as a male nurse, due to his bad eyesight. April 1945 Anita, 8-months pregnant, is evacuated from Vienna. The Allies bombard their apartment building, she, husband Franz and mother-in-law Maria are homeless. Anita lives and works on a farm in Schaerding (Upper Austria), where the aged farmer couple wishes to trade half a pig for Anita’s first daughter, “You are young, you will be able to bear more children.” 30 May 1945 Anita gives birth to daughter Elfriede Rosalia in Schaerding. First daughter Fridi almost dies a few weeks after birth due to neglect from farm family while mother Anita is hospitalised for breast infection. Fridi had drank some of the infected maternal milk. Both mother and daughter hospitalised. September 1945 Husband Franz discharged from army. 14 October 1946 Anita gives birth to daughter Maria Gisela in Andorf, Upper Austria. 27 December 1946 The family settles in a room and kitchen back in Vienna - Anita, husband Franz, daughters Fridi and Midi and widowed paternal Grandmother Maria Danzinger. 2006 Anita dies in Vienna, age 93.

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© 2010 Willa van Gent. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 10/21/2010

ISBN: 978-1-4490-7716-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4817-9095-6 (ebook)

Contents

LOVE HOPSCOTCH

ANJA’S PENGUIN

CHOCOLATE TRAIL

SAVING THE BEE

TEA BY THE SEA

BIRCH

FLIGHT

EARLY RISER

NO MORE GOOD CATCHES

FULL FRIDGE

DUST SETTLES

SAND IN MY HAND

THIN RING

BIRD SYSTEM

SOUND SIGNATURE

STORM

DANCE DANCE

HANDLE WITH CARE

FRACTION PASTRY

JEWEL SHIRT

LISBON HOTEL

TUCKED AWAY

DO NOT DISTURB

JULIETTE

SATURDAY FOR LOVERS

BITTEN NAILS

EVENING SALT WATER

TUESDAY TRIP

RENOVATION

POINT OF VIEW

SWITCHBOARD CALL

CAKE AND SMARTIES

ONE DROP OF SWEAT

SANTA CLAUS

CHICAGO

TIPPING

STORED AWAY

NO FLUTTER

HURTING

BROKEN

NEPHEW

BASKET MIND

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

LOVE HOPSCOTCH

First he loved her.

Then he hurt her.

Then she left him.

Then he missed her.

Then he sought her.

Then she reconsidered.

Then they reconciled.

They were happy.

For a while.

Then he hurt her again.

Then she left him.

For