The Shadows of Trinity

Divided

In Emden Wilhelm Hartmann was standing out on the wharf gazing out at the storm in the distance. A low rumble of thunder echoed in the distance. The sky was dark like the shadows from his past that lingered in the recesses of his mind. The chill of the ocean breeze blew through his coat and his hair. Eventually, he heard the wooden boards behind him creak softly. Turning around he saw a woman with short, straight light brown hair and emerald eyes. The woman was wearing a sky blue dress and black shoes.

"Who are you?" Wilhelm asked.

"I am Carla Assing. My daughter has been seeing you every day," Carla replied.

"She has been seeing me a lot and she has also been very kind to me,"

"She has told me that you escaped from East Berlin and now you are just living in a tent.
"She also has told me that you don't have much with you.
"Are you sure that you don't want a proper place to stay?"

"I think that I'm alright-"

"I insist that you come stay with us,"

Wilhelm looked out at the storm and then back at Carla who was smiling a little bit.

"Follow me I shall lead you to my home,"

Carla started walking away and Wilhelm followed her. Walking down the street Wilhelm noticed that it was quite quiet due to many people having arrived home from work an hour ago and also due to the incoming storm. Eventually, they arrived at a brick house with two small windows on the front and a dark wooden door with a shiny gold door knob. Carla opened the door which quietly creaked upon being opened. Carla entered the house followed by Wilhelm who politely closed the door behind himself.

Wilhelm saw Koralin in the kitchen sitting at the large round wooden table which had a tablecloth with a red and white checker pattern on it. Carla walked into the kitchen and started preparing dinner. Wilhelm awkwardly stood by the door for a couple of moments before deciding to wander into the kitchen. Entering the kitchen he walked over to the table the wooden floorboards creaking underneath him. Sitting down at the table he smiled at Koralin who was reading an English book.

"Are you planning on learning English Miss Assing?"

Koralin stopped reading her book upon recognizing Wilhelm's voice and she looked up at him with a smile.

"Yes I am trying to learn English Mr. Hartmann," Koralin said.

"English and German are similar in a way. Both of them are a part of the Germanic languages it should be easy for you to learn due to them being so similar," Wilhelm replied.

"That is very true,"

Koralin then went back to reading the book and Wilhelm looked up at a small picture that was hanging up on the floral wallpaper in a dark wooden frame. The picture was of a man with short dark brown hair, hazel eyes and a moustache. The man was wearing a Nazi uniform which was decorated with many medals.

"Who is that?"

Carla stopped cutting up some vegetables and looked over at the picture with a slight look of sadness in her eyes.

"That is my husband Leon Assing.
"He was a Lieutenant Colonel and supported the Nazi regime despite his father being very against it. As Mathias Assing was previously a guard for the Kaiser.
"I still loved Leon even though he was supporting an awful cause,"

"What happened to him?"

"He was shot during the Battle of Stalingrad,"

"I'm sorry to hear that,"

Carla went back to cutting up some vegetables. Wilhelm gazed up at a small black and white grandfather clock which read 5:45. Watching the pendulum slowly swinging back and forth he felt himself zoning out while he watched the time pass by. Suddenly there was a loud knock on the door. A young man with short dark brown hair, and emerald eyes who was wearing a black suit, black pants, black shoes and a red tie entered the house. He politely closed the door behind himself and wandered into the kitchen. But stopped in the entryway upon noticing Wilhelm sitting at the table.