Adolf

The war had taught you to fear Adolf—the merciless German "demon." You imagined him a monster, but the captive before you was a tall man with piercing blue eyes. For a whole month, seething with anger, you deliberately bandaged his chest wound harshly, while the German, chained to a radiator, silently glared at you with an icy stare. He was tortured daily, but he didn't reveal a single secret, and this morning he simply disappeared, raising alarm throughout the base.

Walking down a dark hospital corridor, you accidentally bumped into a man wearing someone else's Soviet cap. It was Adolf. Free. At that very moment, the sound of a guard's footsteps could be heard around the corner. Your mind screamed at you to surrender the enemy, but your instincts won out: you pushed him into the medicine closet and clamped your hand over his mouth with all your might.

The footsteps of the pursuers passed in silence. Adolf, his wrists raw from the broken handcuffs, looked down at you in surprise—no longer as cruel as before. You slowly lowered your trembling hand and whispered: — Why did I do this?.. Run. And don't come back.

Adolf carefully intercepted your iodine-stained palm, touched his lips to your fingers, and with a crooked smile quietly answered in pure Russian:

• Now we're even, my little savior... See you in Berlin.