The Crime

CHAPTER 1: The Celebration.

      I smiled as I watched the children dance to the music being belted out my the marching band marching away behind the long skirts and baggy shirts of the children twirling and jumping to the big bass drum. The parade had started early this morning and by 10 O' clock it gathered a large crowd of cheering spectators, mostly children. The adults had just started coming out of the cool shade of their houses. They had come out to see Him. The ruler of our fatherland, the savior of Germany. I had only seen him once. He had taken my breath away by the raw power the man had radiating off of him, giving the people around him the strength to do whatever they pleased, unless He said no. I had stood in awe as he passed by, looking into each and every person's eyes. When he had met mine, I felt the power filling me up and inspiring me to follow my dreams.

      That was what made me become a Nazi, all through the training and school, I was powered by whatever He had put into me. I graduated top of my class and left the institute with countless awards and trophies. All my piers were compared to me and I become some what of an albeit humble legend. All from that one second of eye contact that I had received from the Furher.

      I shifted my position and felt the sweat slide down the middle of my back. Damn this uniform.I thought. Though I didn't really mean it, I would never turn down a chance to dress up in my uniform. I loved the crisp, clean feeling it had on my skin. I liked the weight of the medals I had won serving the Nazi party hanging on my chest. The only thing I didn't like about my uniform was that it was hot, really hot. Especially in August heat that I had been standing in for the best part of an hour.

      I was suddenly jerked out of my reverie by the crowd's jubilence dying down and the excited whispers to one another beginning. That could only mean one thing: someone had seen him.  Suddenly there was utter silence. The crowd became still, holding their breath in anticipation. Waiting. Watching. The excitement building by the second. Then, around the corner, came what we were all waiting for. There he was, standing proud and tall in the car carrying him through the town like some sort of sacred statue. He was wearing his forest green uniform, his chest glittering silver and gold against the harsh afternoon sun. He was smiling at the crowd and waving his right arm while his cap was held under his left. He was looking around, looking for someone among the throng. Then his eyes met mine and he smiled even wider. He had found the subject of his search which, for whatever reason, had been me. He barked an order to stop the car, pointed at me, and shouted for me to come to him.

      I couldn't believe it. The Furher wanting to see me. Me! A teenager who had no parents and could barely afford a crappy apartment in the worst part of Berlin. I stumbled forward and smiled as the crowd parted and watched my every move. Some looking at me in awe while others glared at me jealously. I bumped into the car and blushed for my clumsiness as I looked up to him. There he was, in all his glory, smiling down upon me as though I was his son. I had dreamt about this happening since I was a young boy. I smiled back, lifted my hand to my forehead and jerked it away.

      "Hail Hitler!" I shouted for all the world to hear. Hitler grinned even wider still and reached his hand out, extending it to it's full length to reach me. I took the out-stretched hand and almost feinted at the rough, calloused texture of his skin. Blinking fast to keep myself from collapsing, I shook his hand.

      "Get in." He said to me, as though we were long lost friends. He turned and climbed into the car, with me on his heels, grinning wider and wider by the second. I couldn't believe that Hitler wanted to talk to me, let alone ride in the same car. I climbed in behind him and as soon as I shut the door, it zoomed off and out into the country, completely disregarding the rest of the parade. I looked out the window, wondering where we were going as we zipped past fields of golden wheat, looking like a girl's hair as it swayed in the wind. He cleared his throat and I looked to him. Hitler was gazing at me, a quizzical expression on his face. I didn't know how long he had been looking at me but I blushed anyway. He smiled at me and-because I didn't know what else to do- I smiled back. At my return of the gesture, he spoke.

      "So, you are probably wondering why you're here, right?" At the sound of his voice unaltered by crowds and noise, I almost melted into a puddle on my seat.

      "Yes sir." At this he shook his head and held his hand up as though I had said something wrong. My brow furrowed in confused, embarrassed horror but Hitler chuckled.

      "Please, don't call me sir. Call me Aldof." He was soft, sensitive, an alluring tone of security emanating from the rasps of his voice.

      "Okay... Aldof." He nodded curtly in approval and continued, all evidence of him having cracked so much as a smile gone from his face.

      "Well, you're here because I, myself, have chosen you to become my, so you say, 'right hand man'." I gaped at him, did he really just say that? Or did I just imagine it? I quickly shook the thoughts clouding my head and  smiled as graciously as I could given my state of shock.

      "Thank you so much sir. I-I mean Aldof." I said, glad I catching myself at the last second.

      "Does that means you accept?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

       "Yes! Yes! Yes!" I exclaimed, then quickly sobered up seeing as being that excited wasn't polite. I had to be on my best behavior for the Aldof Hitler. I still could not believe that I was about to work even closer to the most famous man in Germany.

      "Good. Now, that means you will be living in my guest house and that you will be managing all of my camps and officers. We are headed there now to begin your training." He concluded. I tried to hide my grimace as I calmed enough to realized what I would have to do. He chose me to run his errands and do his dirty work. I thought. I had always done those for my father and, once he died in the war, I thought I would be done running errands for people. I guess you're never really done until you're the one in charge. I finished the thought quickly and nodded in agreement. I would do anything for Hitler. I mean, I guess that was "right hand man" does. Hitler nodded and looked out the window at the countryside zipping by. I followed his example and thought of my new life. As I thought, I thought again of what my job would entail. What exactly will I be doing? I wondered.  I tried not to think too hard about it, for when I did, a nagging feeling that what I was doing was wrong arose. I pushed it back and thought of the beginning of the rest of my life.