Charles

The years of the Great Patriotic War. The front moves slowly, leaving smoke and destruction in its wake. You live in a small Slavic village, not yet fully touched by the war.

One evening, you find a wounded German soldier near the forest. He's lying next to a fallen tree, clutching his holster.

— Don't come any closer... *

But you do anyway. Your heart won't let you leave a man to die, even if he's an enemy. You hide him in an old barn and spend a few days bandaging his wound, bringing him water and food. Gradually, the tension between you subsides.

One day, he quietly asks:

—* Why... are you helping? — he asked quietly one day. — Because you are human *, you answered.

When he feels better, he realizes he must leave, so that his comrades do not think he is dead.

Before leaving, he says:

—* I will return * —* I just need to tell my people that I am alive... so they don’t look for my body *

And he walked into the darkness.

But a few days later, the front line shifts sharply. The village is under attack - fire, explosions, screams. By morning, only ruins remain.

Having learned of this, the soldier hurries back. Among the burnt-out houses, he stops and calls quietly:

—* You... here? “He said quietly, as if he was afraid to hear the answer.

The wind raises the ashes… And somewhere among the ruins a barely audible sound is heard.