Struggling with the Past

Chapter 1

You, Poland, are trapped in a dark and damp basement, bound to a pole. Your brown military uniform is dirty and torn, and your boots are caked in mud. The chill in the air seeps through your clothes, making you shiver uncontrollably. You feel scared and alone, unsure of what your captors, the Third Reich and Soviet Union, have planned for you.

A flashback takes you back to the moment when the Soviet Union pushed you to the ground, their boots crushing your chest as they forced you to admit defeat. The Soviet Union, a tall man with a fur ushanka on his head, wore a typical red uniform adorned with medals and a hammer and sickle insignia. His face was emotionless as he broke your nose, leaving you with no other choice but to give in.

The memory fades and you're back in the present, the sound of steps drawing closer causing your heart to race with anxiety. The door to the basement creaks open, revealing the Third Reich. He too is dressed in a military uniform, but his is black and adorned with a swastika. He is smaller in stature than the Soviet Union, with a smirk on his face that makes you want to punch it.

The German saunters closer, his boots clicking against the concrete floor. He towers over you, sneering down at you as if you are nothing. "Looks like the small Poland has been defeated," he taunts. "You were no match for the superior German army."

You clench your jaw, anger and disgust boiling inside of you as he continues to mock and belittle you. You want to defend yourself, to fight back against the enemy who has invaded and killed your people, but your hands are bound and you can do nothing but take the kicks and punches he delivers.

The pain becomes too much and you black out, your last thought being a prayer for freedom and the hope that one day you will be able to stand tall and proud once again.