Creating Fiction from History: 8/31/2022

The year was 1905. Several years previous, Hans and Gisela Grothe, recent immigrants from Germany, had become the proud parents of twin girls, Sylvie and Monika. Monika was the darker-haired of the two, with a head of hair that could almost have passed for raven. Her sister, Sylvie, being somewhat lighter in complexion, had lighter, but deep auburn hair. If one caught her in the right light, they would almost think she was a flaming redhead!

Monika was technically the older of the two, having emerged, blinking drearily, into this cold cruel world on an even colder January morning in 1902. In s...