The Child

> "What is a... 'Nazi-kid'?"
>
> ― Klaus/Karin

**The Child** is the protagonist in Sarepta Studio's My Child Lebensborn and My Child New Beginnings whose gender and appearance is decided by the player. The Child is either a boy, **Klaus Fjellvik**, or a girl, **Karin Fjellvik**. The player plays as the adoptive parent of the Child.

*(Because the Child can be either gender, this article uses gender-neutral pronouns).*

## Overview

### Appearance

The Child's appearance and gender can be decided by the player. Both character's have the same distinct blonde hair, Klaus wears an orange long-sleeved shirt and pants held up by suspenders with short hair, whereas Karin wears a purple cardigan and brown skirt with a pigtail hairstyle. The player can change and mend the Child's clothes in-game, as well as change the Child's hairstyle after purchasing the Comb from the store.

### Personality

The Child's personality is mostly characterized by the choices made by the player. Initially, the Child will begin optimistic and hopeful, but over the course of the game, the Child will experience bullying and abuse by their classmates and the townsfolk. Dialogue and story choices made by the player will help shape how the Child deals with these struggles.

## History

### Pre-Game Events

The Child was born on 18 August 1944 in Hammerstad, Occupied Norway, to the German *Obergefreiter* Heinz Fleischer and his Norwegian partner Siri Fjellvik as part of the Lebensborn program. Fjellvik left the Child in the care of a Lebensborn home, where the Child was given the number 4812 and was cared for by German nurses for the rest of the war in a Lebensborn home called Godthaab in Norway. Once the war ended, the Norwegian government emptied the Lebensborn homes and sent the Child to live with their paternal grandparents Hannelore and Wilhelm Fleischer in Freital, Germany. The Child stayed with their grandparents for two years, however in 1947 the International Red Cross put pressure on the Norwegian government to retrieve the Norwegian Lebensborn children. Hannelore and Wilhelm were ordered to send the Child to a children's home called Sonnenwiese in Leipzig, for transport back to Norway.

The Norwegian Red Cross found Fjellvik and returned the Child back to her care. She then put an adoption ad in the paper, giving the Child away again. The player agreed to adopt the Child, promising Fjellvik that they would take the child to their village and keep the Child away from Fjellvik's new home.

### My Child Lebensborn

The game begins shortly before the Child's seventh birthday. The child spends their days playing with their best friend, a local neighborhood girl named Liv. Liv cannot attend the Child's birthday as she is visiting her aunt in Jotunheimen, however she sends the Child a birthday note and a ball. For their birthday, the Child receives a set of colored pencils, which they use to express their inner thoughts and feelings throughout the course of the story.

Upon turning seven years old, the Child begins attending the local school. They arrive with high hopes, but on the first day the kids turn on the Child, bullying them because of their parentage. Although the Child's knowledge of their biological parents is limited, it is common knowledge in the town that their father is a German soldier. Because of this, the Child asks the Parent to find out about their real parents. The Child's memories of their family are hazy - they draw a picture of someone named *Ommi,* but do not recall who *Ommi* was. The Child also remembers and uses some German words, which Liv finds entertaining but draws the ire of the neighborhood council. The council sends a cease and desist to the Child's house, and the player has the choice of warning the Child against using the language.

The bullying at the school continues and becomes more severe, and the Child grows to hate going to school and feels even more lonely and isolated. The other students attempt to rip apart the student's backpack or destroy their books. Neighbors refer to the child as a "traitor" or a "whore", and the other children call them a "Nazi-kid". Afraid the bullies will target her as well, Liv begins to avoid talking to the Child. A new teacher starts at the school called Mr. Berg. At first, the Child is unsure about the new teacher and wonders if he will be strict. He turns out to be nice and works to protect the Child from bullying. Unlike the other teachers and townsfolk, Mr. Berg does not resent the the Child for their German origins and only wishes that them to do well in school and be treated just like any other Child. the Child under his teaching begins to prosper at school and passes a test leading to Mr. Berg saying that the Child is one of the smartest kids in his class. For the first time, the Child begins to truly enjoy attending school.

For Christmas, the Child and the Parent start a Christmas piggy bank. The Parent later discovers the Child stealing from the piggy bank in order to buy candy for their schoolmates and make friends. Upon learning that this means there may be no money for Christmas presents this year, the Child is remorseful for their actions and tearfully apologizes. The Child may receive a stuffed fox toy for Christmas that year, and the Parent and Child make decorations and walk around the Christmas tree together. After exchanging letters with the Child's mother's side of the family, the grandparents arrange a trip to go meet the Child's aunt Anne and grandparents. They decide to go by train, which greatly excites the Child. The Child draws a picture of a train and keeps asking questions about the train ride. While on the train, the Child looks out the window, dazzled by the passing view. Two passengers on the train talk aloud, disparaging the Child and other Lebensborn children. Once they've arrived, the Child meets their grandparents and aunt. The grandparents, resentful of the Child's German heritage, begin to belittle and berate the Child. Anne tries to remain civil and asks her parents to be nice. After a heated exchange, the Child and the Parent leave, but not before Anne gives them some helpful documents and wishes them a safe trip back. The Child remains quiet for the rest of the day, creating a drawing filled with black scribbles and ripped holes in the paper.

For May 17th (Constitution Day in Norway), the school sets up its own place to watch the yearly parade. The Child really looks forward to celebrating the day and asks the Parent's permission to attend. The neighborhood council warns the Child and their caretaker to stay away from the parade or else. Mr. Berg tells the Child that he will look out for them and support them attending the parade. After a few days, Mr. Berg informs the the Child that he is leaving and that his last day will be the parade. The news deeply upsets them. The Parent has to decide whether or not to allow the Child to attend the parade.

On Constitution Day, the Child attends the parade but is bullied by the other children, they no longer wants to stay until Mr. Berg approaches and tells them that he saw what happened and intends to punish the kids. Mr. Berg finally talks with the Parent and offers to accompany the Child at the parade so they can fully enjoy it. The Child participates, holding hands with Mr. Berg, waving their flag, and genuinely loving the day. Mr. Berg leaves afterwards, just as he said he would,

Mr. Berg is replaced by a new teacher at school, Mr. Solheim. The new teacher is strict and merciless, and even punishes the Child for doing well on a test, saying they must have cheated, as their German origins mean they are of low intelligence. The Child is fearful of Mr. Solheim, and draws a monstrous picture of him with sharp, jagged teeth. The town is abuzz with the news that the King of Norway will be paying a visit, and the Child asks to attend the event.

The bullying at school intensifies to terrifying new levels. One day, the Child does not come home from school, and the Parent later finds them tied to a tree in the woods, shivering and calling for help. Later, the Child comes home soaked in urine, revealing that the teacher and some of the other students pushed them to the ground and urinated on them. The Child becomes distraught and reluctant to attend school for a couple of days. The Parent writes to the Child's father, desperate for help.

Mr. Solheim sends an angry letter to the Child's house, complaining that their absence from school will besmirch the school's reputation and ordering them to spend a week in detention with him. During this week, the Child comes home late, becoming more withdrawn with each passing day. The Child begins to recoil from touch, resists taking a bath, and refuses to eat. Any attempts to ask the Child what is wrong are immediately rebuffed - the Child says nothing is wrong and that they cannot tell. The Child is initially reluctant to get out of bed that weekend, but can eventually be coaxed into eating and bathing. The Child draws a picture of Mr. Solheim - upon discovering the drawing, the Parent forbids the Child from returning to school. *(The game does not disclose what happened between Mr. Solheim and the Child, but the developers refer to it as The Unspeakable and leave it up to interpretation)*.

A letter from the Child's father arrives, disclosing that the Child's grandparents are now deceased, but left some money for the Child. Fleischer agrees to wire the money on the promise that the Child will not attempt to contact him. The Parent and the Child use the money to move out of the village. Their train is scheduled to depart on the day that the King arrives in the village, and the Child asks to watch the King's visit from the safety of the forest. The Child's ending dialogue is dependent on the choices the player made throughout the game. After watching the King's speech, the Child takes the Parent's hand, and the two board the train and leave the village forever. An ambiguous epilogue states that the Child and Parent moved to another town, but it is unclear whether their situation would improve.

### *My Child New Beginnings*

The Child's story will continue in *My Child New Beginnings,* an "emotional successor" to the first game slated to take place several decades in the future. The historical context of the Lebensborn backstory will be removed to allow for creative freedom with the setting. However the lead writer for the game has confirmed the child is considered to be the same character from the first game with the same traumatic past. The game is still in development and will be about building a home, life and friendships in a new place while working through past trauma and learning how to live a good life despite the challenges that come with that kind of early life trauma.

## Notes

* The Child's birthday is August 18th, 1944.
* The Child's Lebensborn number is "4812".
* The Child calls their Grandma "*Ommi*" which is actually German for "Granny".
* The Child doesn't have an official height, but according to MyChildGame, Klaus's *'non-official'* height is 120cm or 3'9 and Karin's height is 123cm or 4'0.
* If the Child is neglected by the player, for example, by not feeding them, the Child will run away, resulting in a game over. The player can reload their save and fix the situation.
* Over the course of the game you can buy or craft several toys, including a Fox Plushie, a Doll, a Toy Truck and a Toy Boat. You can also buy the Child a Backpack, a Scarf and a Parade flag.
* The story of the Child's background and parents are based on real Norwegian Lebensborn children. These children's stories are recapped in the end credits of the game, as well as in the documentary Wars Don't End, which was produced by the same company that created *My Child Lebensborn*.