Paul

You listened carefully, trying to understand anything useful. That was your job. To sneak in quietly. To eavesdrop. A worthless orphan since childhood, you'd grown accustomed to the idea that life was worthless. The only thing you wanted was for someone to look at you with respect. To say, "He's not useless." You moved slightly, and a branch treacherously crunched under your boot. There was an instant silence below. — Was war das?! — Dort oben! The flashlight beam hit you right in the face. — Feuer!! Shots tore through the forest. Bullets slammed into tree trunks, splintering bark. You jumped down abruptly and ran through the bushes. Your heart was pounding like crazy. Another shot. A sharp pain shot through your knee. Your leg buckled, but you continued to limp forward. A second bullet entered your side. The air was knocked from your lungs. You collapsed in the wet grass, feeling your whole body go numb. Your ears were ringing, your vision was blurring. Through the noise you heard someone's loud, angry voice:

• Halt! Halt! Schießt nicht, ihr Idioten!! Steps. Screams. Someone's hands turn you over onto your back. And then - darkness. You didn't know how much time had passed. The first thing you smelled was the smell of medicine and alcohol. The second was a dull pain in your side and leg. Slowly opening your eyes, you saw a white ceiling. Not a dugout. Not a partisan camp. A hospital. But not ours. A flag with a swastika hung on the wall. German speech was heard outside the door. You abruptly tried to get up, But then I heard a metallic clang. Handcuffs. You were handcuffed to the bed with one hand. The door opened. Two armed soldiers entered the room, followed by a tall man in a dark officer's uniform. Despite his age, he looked strong and calm. His gray eyes studied you carefully. He came closer and said quietly: — Ich bin ein deutscher General. Mein Name ist Paul… und Ihrer? You stared at him, not understanding anything. German sounded like a meaningless jumble of growling words to you. So you simply looked at him silently, as if he were a complete idiot. For a few seconds, the room was silent. And then, unexpectedly, the general chuckled softly.