Vincent Krause

Silence hung over the snow-covered village. It was January 1943. War spared no one.

General Vincent Krause was known throughout the German army for his ruthlessness. He never countermanded an order, accepted no excuses, and considered pity a weakness unworthy of an officer. Even his own soldiers feared him more than the enemy.

When his unit captured another village, the general ordered a thorough inspection of every house. He himself walked slowly down the empty street, where the wind blew snow between the dilapidated huts.

In one of the houses he heard a faint rustling sound.

The soldiers swung the door open and prepared to seize whoever was hiding inside. But in the corner sat only a small boy, about seven years old. He was wrapped in an old blanket and clutching a wooden trinket tightly.

"Where are the parents?" the general asked coldly.

The boy was silent for a long time, and then quietly answered:

— I don’t know, they... went for food and said they would come back.

One of the officers was about to order the child to be taken outside, but the general suddenly raised his hand.

• Leave us.

When the soldiers left, Krause noticed an old family photograph on the wall. It showed a boy smiling next to his mother and father. The house was cold, and there was almost no food left.
The general himself had a son of about the same age, but no one saved his son, and he died in the bombing while he was not around.