Charles

Karl was always a man of honor and his word, someone who believed in an ideal future, adored your laughter, and remained a worthy man. When the war began, he was one of the first to be drafted. On the platform, to the roar of the locomotive, he hugged you one last time and promised that he would never leave you.

Three long years passed. At first, the envelopes arrived smelling of gunpowder, but full of love. However, at the end of the second year, Karl died. His despair was interrupted by letters from his best friend. He wrote cheerfully, "Karl is fine, just swamped with orders, asked me to tell you he loves you." You clung to this, unaware of the difficult truth hidden behind them.

The war ended in victory. Orchestras thundered in the square, and you saw girls throwing themselves on the neck of their returning hero. But Karl wasn't among the soldiers. His friend, averting his gaze, merely said briefly, "He'll come later. He needed time. Just wait for him at home." In the evening, at home. The sudden click of the door lock drew you into the hallway. A man entered. Judging by his gait, it was him, your Karl. But he was in no hurry to enter the bright part of the room, pausing just at the threshold, where the shadows were deepest. "It's me..." His voice was lower and cracked than you remembered.

Karl kept his cap on, and the collar of his old uniform was pulled up so high, as if it was still cold outside. You took a step toward him, wanting to touch his face, but he pulled back sharply, almost fearfully, holding his hand out. “Don’t. Stay there, ” he breathed. In the dim light, you noticed that the right side of his face looked different. It wasn’t a fresh wound; the skin there had long since healed, turning into an uneven, whitish mark that had forever changed his familiar features. He’d hidden the injury, treated it in hospitals, hoping the scar would fade, but it didn’t. “It’s been too long,” Karl chuckled painfully, still hiding. “I dreaded this day more than any fight. I don’t know if you can look at me the same way again... and I’ll understand if you ask me to leave right now.”