Maria

Maria knew what it was like to have a hard knock life. She lost her parents at a young age and was sent to live with an aunt and uncle. Her uncle wa every abusive and an alcoholic and punished her for the silliest things like if she missed a spot while cleansing the floor or forgot to wash a dish. Sometimes he'd lock her in the basement for days upon end with no food or water.

One thing that helped her escape was school. Yes she was lucky enough that her uncle allowed her to attend school in the village but had to come home straight away to do the chores. If she was home even a fraction of a minute late she'd get a beating from him. She loved learning, especially reading and writing. Maria felt she could escape her horrible life and put herself into a fairytale with a fairy godmother. She hoped one day she'd become a teacher and help children to love learning as much as she did and help them to be excited to come to school every day.

Another one of her escapes was singing. She loved to sing and sang every chance she'd get especially when her uncle was passed out drunk because he'd never allow her to sing when he was awake. During those times she'd go to her mountain where she'd twirl at the top singing her heart out. There was a special song her mother sang to her as a very small child when she was frightened or upset or sick. It was the only real memory she had of her mother, her sweet soft soothing voice that could put a scared sick little maris to sleep in minutes. It was an old, old sweet little song created in th Austrian hills.

"The hills are alive with the sound of music

With songs they have sung for a thousand years

The hills fill my heart with the sound of music

My heart wants to sing every song it hears

My heart wants to beat like the wings of a bird

That rise from the lake to the trees

My heart wants to sigh like a chime that flies

From a church on a breeze

To laugh like a brook when it trips

And falls over stones in its way

To sing through the night

Like a lark who is learning to pray

I go to the hills when my heart is lonely

I know I will hear

What I've heard before

My heart will be blessed with the sound of music

And I'll sing

Once more."

She sang tha song every time she went up to those hills. Even though she was not from a strong religious upbringing Maria would climb a tree and look over into the garden of a nearby convent and hear the nuns singing with their sweet voices while working in the garden. Oh how she longed to join them and be a part of their songs. Maria then started to attend church on Sunday mornings just to hear the beautiful music. But one day the pastor asked people to come up to the alter who would like to surrender their life to God, and that is just what Maria did. She gave her whole heart to the Lord her Savior and from then on she was a strong Catholic and as soon as she turned 24 she left her abusive uncle to attend community college to earn a teaching degree then entered Nonnburg Abbey.

She took being a baby nun very seriously but still snuck out to her hills to sing and climbed trees and showed up to mass late occasionally. She was called into the reverend mothers office one day to get the news that it was Gods will that she leave the convent for a time to become the governess to seven children of a retired naval officer by the name of Captain Von Trapp. Well Maria absolutely loved children and her teaching degree will come in handy now but taking care of that many children at once would be a lot of work! She hoped that the older children could handle themselves so she could care for the younger ones.

She was nervous and excited at the same time. Would she handle that many children on her own? Did she have the courage and confidence? But oh those poor children juts lost their mother she knew exactly how they felt after losing her parents as a child herself. Oh those poor poor little dears she knew if they needed comfort they could find comfort in her. And oh imagine working for a sea captain! A middle aged jolly man with white hair. A stern man who protects his children and has rules but is friendly kind loving with rosy cheeks. She couldn't help but sing on the way to the Trapp villa.

"The sunll come out tomorrow

Betcha bottom dollar that tomorrow

They'll be sun

When you're stuck with a day

That's gray and lonely

Just stick out your chin and grin and say

Oh

The sunll come out tomorrow

So ya gotta hang on till tomorrow

Come what may

Tomorrow tomorrow

I love ya tomorrow

You're always

A day

Away"

As soon as Maria arrived to the Trapp Villa and met the captain himself, she could not believe what she was seeing! He was not rosy cheeked, jolly of even smiling, nothing she ever imagined him being. Oh yes he was stern alright too stern not even allowing those poor children playtime!

"Um fraulien…."

"Maria"

"...Maria I dint know how much the reverend mother told you but you are the twelfth govern sad to come look after my children since their mother died. Hopefully you'll be an improvement to the last one. She on,y stayed two hours "

"Oh what's wrong with the children?"

"oh nothing wrong with the children, only the governesses. Anyway we have rules in this hous. My children are called by a whistle I dint allow shouting and they spend their summwe holidays studying not playing. Ans bedtime is very strict in this house is that clear?"

"Yes sir!"

At that the captain took out his whistle and started blowing on it to summon the children. Indeed they did march down the stairs in an even line wearing dull blue uniforms and none of them looked happy. Those poor little children has no mother, a father who barley speaks to them and treats them as if they were in the military and not his children. It looked very much like they could rwere ally use a governess even the oldest who claimed she was too old and didn't need one. She wanted to bond with those poor children ans let them know they can come to her for anything. Even though these children had a huge house, plenty of food, maids and butlers waiting on them hand and foot they were very much ooor and had a hard knock life just as she did as a child herself and she was determined to change that.

Just a few days later the captain was leaving for Vienna to visit with a friend named Baroness Elsa. Maria had this brilliant idea to make playclothes out of the drapes in her bedroom foe the children. She knew their father would give her quite an ear when he came home but she thought nothing of it. The children had the mos fun they've had in a long time and she loved taking them out. They skipped around Salzburg, bought some food for a picnic at the market and rode a Fran up to the mountains where they enjoyed an afternoon of playing, reading, ans enjoying a lazy summer day. Maria even came yo with the idea to teach the children to sing a song for the Baroness when she arrived. By the end of the day she had the children laughing and singing all together.

A few days later when the captain was due home Maria took the children on a lovely canoe ride on the lake in the back of their home. They had such a fun time together laughing and singing, then suddenly she noticed the captain arrived home with his lady friend and another man the children fondly call Unclw Max.

"Oh captain you're home!"

Maria stood up in the boat along with the children calling for papa when all of a sudden the boat fell over! They all fell into the nasty water and Maria noticed little Gretl was not at her side anymore but was relieved to see that Louisa was carrying the coughing child up to rhthe patio where their father whistled at them to get into a line immediately. He then introduced the Baroness to their children and told them to dry off and change back into their uniforms, unfortunately Maria wasn't so lucky. She was in for a huge ear full from him.

"Alright Maria just what were you thinking of taking my children out into Salzburg without my knowing or permission?'

"Oh captain their children! They deserve to play and have fun and get dirty! Oh captain the children look up to you so much and you need to see that the little ones want to be loved and Fredrick is a young man and he has no one to show him how and Liesl is becoming a woman before your very eyes! Oh captain please love them!"

"Not another word from you Fraulien!"

"I'm not done speaking captain!"

"Oh yes you are captain!"

The captain caught himself for a moment.

"..Fraulien. I'd like you to pack your bags and return to the Abbey."

The captain was done with his argument and was about to return to the house when he heard a faint sound. Maria knew what was coming and she smiled at herself. She told hi, that there was a surprise for him in the parlor and indeed he was surprised. In fact the children were singing the very song her mother sang to her as a baby. Even more or a surprise to her Liesl told Maria that their mother too sang it to her and her siblings when they were younger and it was a song their father strictly forbade for years.

"The hills are alive with th sound of music

Ahhhahhahh

With songs they have sung for a thousand years

For a thousand years

My heart wants to sing every song it hears

Every song it hears

My heart wants to beat like the wings of a bird that rise from the lake

To the trees

To the trees

My heart wants to sigh like a chime thaat flies

From a church on a breeze

On a breeze

Ahhhahhahhh

To laugh like a brook when it trips

And falls over stones on its way

On its way

Ahhahhahhhh"

When the captain joined in song with the children there was a deep silence for a moment and suddenly the captain embraced them all in a tight hug. Maria couldn't help but cry. Happy tears she helped a broken family be mended back together. She helped a distant father who barley knew his children because he was so deep in his own grief from his wofe's death. Oh it was such a beautiful moment fo not only the captain but for Maria as well. She was over the moon delighted when the captain asked her to stay!

Maria knew who she loved. A captain so seven children who she was governess to. It was a live deeper and stronger than she ever felt and she hoped he felt that way too. Maria didn't know this but in a far far away city called New York in a home similar to this one of Oliver Warbucks who's life was being changed at this very moment and a young woman named Grace Farrell was falling in love with her employee similar to Maria being in love with hers. Two very different people in very different places and times of the wold were all experimenting the exact same thing. And the one responsible for that conversion and love story was litto read headed orphan named Annie who changed the heart of Oliver Warbucks similar to Maria changing the heart of Captain Georg Von Trapp.

A/AThe end! I own no rights to "Tomorrow" or "The Sound of Music"