Maggy Steiner

 

Maggy Steiner had a wonderful childhood.  She went to school in Vienna, and spent her summers with her uncle and aunt and her two cousins in the mountains of Austria.

And, Maggy Steiner's summers were perfect.

Uncle Sepp, aunty Helen, and cousins Josef and Franz lived in Klein Edelschrott in the Austrian province of Styria.

And, Klein Edelschrott consisted of only a handful of houses and a very small chapel that was only used for special occasions.  One of which being a chapel of rest for when someone had died. And, that was it.  The shop came once a week in a van, and the nearest gasthaus was 4 kilometres away.

But, there was plenty to do for Maggy and her cousins.  There were mountains to climb, forests to hide in and play, and an icy cold river to swim in in the heat of the summer, and, most importantly, complete freedom to do whatever they wanted. And, because the three cousins were more or less the same age, they made perfect playmates.

But, then one day, Franz and Josef played a very mean prank on Maggy.  

Josef and Franz persuaded Maggy to ring the bell at chapel at exactly 11 o'clock.  Maggy had readily agreed.  Such a chance didn't come every day.

The three children ran to the chapel.  Josef unlocked the door and in went the children.  Getting the key to the chapel had been easy. It was aunty Helen's job to look after the chapel, and the very big key to this very little chapel lived hanging up on a hook in the kitchen.  

And, so, they were ready.  Franz and Josef showed Maggy what to do.  Where to stand and how to pull the rope.  Very slowly and counting to ten between every pull.  

And, then, on the dot of eleven, Maggy Steiner started ringing the bell.  Very, very slowly and counting to ten between every pull.

And, Maggy was happy.  What a great way to have fun.  And, the bell Maggy was ringing could be heard far and wide.  

But, then came the people.  They had stopped what they were doing and had hurried to the chapel. And, there they found Maggy happily ringing the bell.  But, the people weren't happy.  They looked anxious and sad. Who had died, they wanted to know.

And, then, in came aunty Helen. And, aunty Helen was furious!  why was Maggy ringing the bell?

It turned out that the bell Maggy was ringing was the death knell.  The bell  to let everyone know when someone had died.

Maggy was very embarrassed.  She was old enough to understand she'd been tricked in a very nasty way.

But, where were the twins?  They were hiding, of course.

But, when they got home there was trouble.  Very big trouble.  Franz and Josef were sent to bed without supper, and they weren't allowed to go out the next day.

But, time goes by very quickly.  And, soon the bell ringing prank had become something to laugh at.  But, this prank has never been forgotten.  The day that Maggy stood in the chapel, rang the bell, and called the people to come.

Maggie Steiner.  She had a wonderful childhood.

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