Nate Connor: Tollwut

By Roy Hinderer

The Nate Connor series tells the story of teenaged Nate's adventures in unique parts of the world.  In each book, Nate employs friends to help solve mysteries involving danger and intrigue.  Every location and every situation yields tough challenges for Nate whic

• Language: English
• Publisher: Book Vine Press
• Release date: Sep 27, 2021
• ISBN: 9781955885775

Roy Hinderer

The author has a bachelor's degree in social studies and a master's degree in education and enjoys teaching upper elementary and middle school students. The Nate Connors series is based on his personal experiences as a boy and young man living in different places in the world. In addition to writing, his hobbies include travel, hiking, soccer, and art. He and his wife have four daughters and one son.

Book preview

Contents

Introduction

Acknowledgements

The Barricade

Tollwut!

Das Schloss

Steer Clear of Bruno!

The Moat

Der Hohe Turm

Yup to the Rescue!

Hertzler’s Farm

Back to the Tower

The Hunting Seat

The Tractor Ordeal

Bruno’s Equipment House

Thorston auf dem Sportplatz

Yea, Though I Walk…

Time to Think

Back to the Tunnel

Close on the Trail

The Sources of Suspicion

The Stash

Adolf’s Story

We’ve Got Trouble

Back to the Barricade

Introduction

Tollwu t ! (German for rabies) is an exciting fiction, adventure story, which centers on the mystery of why there are rats in a small village in western Germany in the mid-1980s. The main character, Nate, is on a foreign exchange assignment to stay in the village castle with the landlord’s family for a few months, and he soon finds out the rat dilemma faced by the villagers of Gauersheim. Nate, and his two German friends, Thorston and Sandra, investigate the reasons behind the rodent infestation, which opens the door to a series of other great adventures and mysteries. Bruno is the caretaker of the village castle, and the mysterious villain in the story.

One of the more mature themes under consideration in the story is Nazism and the treatment of Jewish people and political enemies of Hitler during the Second World War. Adolf Hertzler is a spiritual guide for Nate as he strives to understand, among other things, the poor treatment of people during the Great War and in his time. Adolf offers advice and suggestions to Nate as he works through these and other struggles in his Christian walk. As Adolf helps to clarify some of the difficult subject matter, Nate increases in godly understanding and integrity, and he learns how to be a friend to others. He begins making wise, leadership choices.

It is interesting to note that the author lived as a Christian young man for two years in the German village described in the story, and many of the exciting episodes faced by the story’s main character were real encounters by the writer himself. The writer recently revisited Germany to interview German friends for historical authenticity of WWII, and he strives to incorporate unbiased perspectives with biblical support. Biblical references were made using the New International Version of the Bible (NIV). The story includes many of the elements of a novel that young people enjoy, namely; adventure, mystery, historical-fiction, suspense, cultural awareness, a dog, and so on.

Acknowledgements

Sincere thanks to my German friends, Hermann, Gerhardt, Frieda, Erhardt, Thorston, Adolf and Elizabeth, who, among others, real or imagined, inspired the fictionalized and historical accounts in this book.

CHAPTER I

The Barricade

I’m sweating it now! My makeshift spear is just out of reach, and the beasts remain, stalking about my unlit chamber. I can hear the furry critters creeping under my king-bed. My mind may be playing tricks on me, but I am certain the one thumping my headboard is the grand-daddy of them all, most likely a foot-and-a-half long waddler, three times larger, and more vicious than any rat we have back home in Washington state. Here I am, bare-footed me, staring helplessly over the side of my bed and a total nervous wreck. A sudden chill and uncontrollable shaking have overpowered me, half from fear, and half from the winter chill that has filled my poorly insulated castle quarters the past two winter nights.

Ironically, I dropped my spear just after the ordeal of assembling it from materials I found in the kitchen two rooms away from where I stand presently. The need for a weapon came after I was awakened earlier by terrifying squeals that came from somewhere in the room. Once my immediate paralysis wore off, I threw off my semi-impervious feather comforter and leapt across the room, unsuccessfully shutting the massive bedroom chamber door behind me as I flew. Recklessly, I ran through the king’s conference room and into the kitchen, rummaging around for some form of weapon to fight off the rodents.

After a quick look through the kitchen broom closet, I took hold of a metal coat hanger and a broken mop handle. Quickly, I unraveled the hanger and then wrapped it tightly around the end of the wooden handle, leaving about a four-inch prong. Relying on the far-sighted words of my soccer coach back home, The best defense, Nate, is a good offense, I mustered up all my courage, and in a hollering rage, flew through the apartment toward my rat-infested bedroom, spear waving wildly overhead.

Just as I was about to enter the room, a certain realization struck me. Animals fight harder when backed up in a corner! A flicker of doubt set in, and I called off the attack, still on the move while lowering my weapon. The homemade lance lodged in the doorway and wrenched out of my hand. My momentum caused me to somersault through the air and onto my bed with a crash. I gathered myself up, and here I stand perched, panting for air and feeling vulnerable.

I am perplexed for I am confronted by menacing circumstances inside, and outside, my fortified sanctuary. On one hand I rely on God’s fortitude and strength to fight the rabid beasts which lurk about my castle apartment in this ancient village of Gauersheim, in western Germany. On the other hand I face the equally appalling dilemma of a frightening man seeking to harm me because I know too much. For this reason, for my protection, I have effectively barricaded the entry ways to my apartment with chairs, tables, the refrigerator, and a large desk. Without God’s miraculous intervention, however, there is no way to solve my predicaments either way. I recall the events that led me to my present situation.

CHAPTER II

Tollwut!

Eyes squinted; I peered under the half-drawn shutter as the sunlight reflected off the plane’s wing and into the cabin.

We have roughly twenty minutes till our descent to Frankfurt am Rhein, declared one of the stewardesses in a most pleasant tone. Honestly, I wish I were as excited about arriving in Germany as she was.

You will love staying with the Reiss family, I recall mom saying before I boarded the plane in Seattle.

After a couple months of family discussions and prayer, I accepted the fact that God must have a plan in all of this, and that I need to learn to be more giving. I felt very fortunate and blessed to participate in a new program offered by local forest and agricultural businesses, where I could swap places with a foreign student for the sake of learning his traditions and way of life. I could have accepted an assignment in Japan, but I was most interested in Germany because my forefathers came from there. I wouldn’t have to go to school while living with the sponsoring German family, but I would have to write a lengthy paper about my experiences when I return home at the end of February. Adapting to a new setting, with my limited mastery of the German language, would be a challenging and rewarding experience for me for the next six months.

In the same way, I thought, Hartmut, my German foreign-exchange counterpart, will enjoy staying in my room, using my music CD’s, and hanging out with my friends. Hartmut would experience a similar culture shock in my country, at my home. But knowing how caring my family is, I am sure it will all work out well for him.

Once I arrived at Frankfurt International, I was greeted by Frau Reiss and one of her sons, Erhardt. Frau Reiss had the appearance of a hard-working lady, a little chubby, and perhaps in her fifties. Her face was hard, but pleasant. Her hair was reddish-blond, permed tightly, and she dressed casually in a sleeveless blouse and dark, polyester pants. She was the first to greet me.

Guten Tag, Nate! she said as she lunged toward me. I couldn’t duck fast enough to prevent the full squashy embrace. At least she didn’t plant a kiss on my cheek the way my Aunt Catherine always does. Yuck! I picked up my Mariner’s cap, the one she knocked off in the squeeze attack, and smiled.

Here is my youngest son, Erhardt, she stated proudly, as she gestured for us to shake hands. He looked pretty rough, and most likely in his early thirties. As I observed his dark, shoulder-length hair, my first impression was, Does he ever wash and comb his hair on the sides? He was nearly bald on the top and had a long, flattened nose, a nose he probably broke a few times while fist fighting in the taverns. He had about a two inch scar over his left cheek, which interrupted his smile a bit on that side.

How was your flight, Nate? said Erhardt, his earnest eyes fixed on a friendly stare down. His grasp almost crunched my knuckles, but I fought back till a slight grin came on his strong-looking, pitted face. I think he had his sleeves rolled up just to display his bulging muscles. His stance was slightly bent, as if he were trying to protect his back from some past injury.

I retreated knowing I was no match for this sinewy fellow. He must have done a lot of hard labor in his time. L-long and tiring, I said awkwardly. If there is truth in what my father told me about first impressions, I obviously didn’t do very well. Germans, from what I was told, are a hard-working people who rarely display signs of weakness.

Well, then, we must get you home to Gauersheim so that you can rest.

Something in the way he said home made me feel a bit uneasy. Reality about my stay here started to sink in.

Will I be staying with you or Frau Reiss? I asked, hoping I might be staying with the strapping farmer. I admired his strength.

Ah, you will be staying in your own apartment in the castle, inserted Frau Reiss, but you will join us at meal times in my kitchen. Everything will be fine. Suddenly my imagination took hold of me. I felt like a prince being escorted to his splendid estate. I wondered what it would be like there. A castle? My very own apartment? Consider the great possibilities for this twelve year old boy. Would there be secret passages, and a huge garden? Would I have my own butler? What would he be named? Charles? Yes, Charles, the butler!

It is only late in the afternoon, but Oma will have our meal ready. Mostly, we eat our big meal at mid-day said Erhardt.

We drove out of the city and into the German countryside. There were rustic farming villages nestled between lavish, deep-green rolling hills. The countryside was beautiful beyond my imagination. Every acre was developed; everything seemed clean and cared for.

As we gradually approached Gauersheim, however, the fences, the buildings, the landscape, everything, seemed a bit more aged and decaying. Most of the farming homes were made of crumbly, moss-covered limestone. The roads were made of slick, cobble stone. I got excited when I saw the village soccer field, That’s where I’ll be, for sure! I blurted out.

You play Fussball, Nate? asked Erhardt. Then you will like playing here. It is a team of both Albisheim and Gauersheim players. But they haven’t been winning games.

That would totally change if my friend, Champ, and I were on the team, I said proudly.

Who is Champ? asked Frau Reiss.

He’s my best friend back home. We’ve been playing soccer together on teams since we were in first grade. Now we’re on select, traveling teams, I explained.

What league do you play in? inquired the Frau.

It’s an under-14’s league. The leagues go all the way up to high school, and there are premier leagues and even adult leagues.

I think you already miss your friend, she said.

Yes, I suppose so, I said, but didn’t let on that it was killing me or anything. Champ’s real name is Court, but everybody calls him ‘Champ.’ He’s our star center forward, and he makes two or three goals a game, I bragged.

I think you play well, too, yes, Nate? Erhardt wanted to know. I’m a left forward and often play the ball to Champ for an assist here and there. I create options for him and occasionally make a goal myself. People confuse us sometimes because we look sort of alike with our sandy blond hair and blue eyes. We’re also about the same height, 5 foot, seven inches, and still growing. We’ve been working out on the weights some. Check out this muscle, and I rolled back my right sleeve and flexed my arm till it hurt. Ja, that is something, said Frau Reiss, as she tried to make a dent in my bicep.

Maybe some work on the farm will help put some more muscle on you, Junger, Erhardt said, You are a thin man.

I realized I had talked too much about myself.

Erhardt slowed the car down. Look, he said, Tollwut!

I noticed the small, yet brightly colored road sign Erhardt had just pointed out.

Sshhhh, Erhardt, said Frau Reiss quickly. What does Tollwut mean? I asked curiously.

There was a moment of silence, and then Frau Reiss said, Rabies. The government posts signs where there have been cases of the disease.

Does that mean we might get the disease? I asked. By the silence, I knew I had overstepped my bounds.

You will like it here in the castle, Nate, said Erhardt, as we turned into the Castle courtyard.

It seemed strange to drive a car into the large, open-air enclosure. The first thing I noticed was the immense Maple tree in the center of the courtyard.

The tree is declared by the state a ‘Naturdenkmal,’ or natural monument. Next to the tree is an ever flowing spring with pure water. It is safe to drink, Erhardt declared proudly. "You will discover many interesting