Vincent Krause

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

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

When his unit occupied another village, the general ordered every house to be thoroughly searched. He himself walked slowly down the empty street, where the wind swept snow between the half-destroyed huts.

In one of the houses, he heard a faint rustle.

The soldiers burst through the door, prepared to seize whoever was hiding inside. But in the corner sat only a small boy of about seven. He was wrapped in an old blanket, clutching a wooden trinket tightly to his chest.

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

The boy remained silent for a long time, then answered softly:

"I don't know, they... they went for food, and they said they would come back."

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

"Leave us."

Once the soldiers had left, Krause noticed an old family photograph on the wall. In it, the boy was smiling next to his mother and father. The house was cold, and there was almost no food left.
The general had a son of about the same age himself, but no one had saved his son, and he had perished in a bombing while the general was away.