Black Snow

Chapter 3: Remembrance

"Where are we going?"
"You'll see when we get there. I want to show you something."
Vladlena and Heinz spoke while she led. Heinz cupped his hands to his mouth and huffed out hot breaths of air to warm his frozen fingers—but he was to no avail. Vladlena on the other hand showed no sign of her being cold; merely because she was used to living in her country's weather.
"How are you not cold?" Heinz asked with a shaky voice.
"I'm used to it. You'll be warm once we get there."
It didn't take long for the two to finally take a stop towards a gargantuan building. Heinz stared up at it, admiring the engravement and stone that hung over on the top of the building. The two entered, and took a look around. Being how nationalistic the Soviet Union was, there were countless amounts of old propaganda back from the Bolshevik Revolution and the second world war. Vladlena took a stop to one large print and read the Russian lettering, reading quietly. It wasn't long before Heinz would open his mouth.
"What is this?"
"A museum." Vladlena gestured to the print with a sarcastic grin. "One for Stalingrad."
Heinz stared at her, then heaved a soft sigh as he turned away to look back up. "I did no business in your country."
"But the Nazis did." She said, glaring at him from the corners of her eyes. Heinz rolled his eyes, took a few steps forward, and seated himself down against the wall after wiping the dust off with his hand.
"Just because of my history..that's all it is with you." He peered his head up. "Why don't you tell me about yourself then?..Hm? Your experience in the war." Very lightly he patted the space beside him so she could sit. She simply rolled her eyes as a response and seated down next to him, agitated over his wonders of her personal life. Vladlena didn't like to speak about the war. It just put a bad taste in her mouth, it hurt the pit in her stomach.
"I enrolled into the Red Army when I was.." She thought. "...eighteen. Yes..I was eighteen. But, I was trained much earlier. Twelve, I think? It was young, I remember that. After a few months I was awarded a few times for my efforts." Vladlena shut her eyes to imagine it again. "I met amazing people through the military..my best friends..they were my family. Though I didn't know English at the time, they still accepted me like their own."
"Who were they?"
"They called themselves the Night Prowlers..they were a resistance group. One that would travel all around the country. Germany, the Soviet Union, France, Britain. Even America. We went everywhere, killing Nazis, protecting civilians. It's what we did. After that—we have a toast. We even made a kill count and told each other stories from back home."
Heinz was smiling as she spoke, seeing how she was growing happy from remembering.
"That sounds wonderful."
"It was."
"Do you still talk to them?"
"I haven't spoken to them in years. Ever since 1943, I lost contact with them." Vladlena sighed, shaking her head as she turned her head down to her lap. "Things just.." She shuddered. "..got in the way."
Heinz stared at her in silence, then nodded and turned away to look back up towards the prints that surrounded them. He himself didn't like to be reminded of the war, but this was the Cold War. And he was in dangerous territory—he knew that he was going to eventually get reminded with all the monuments and posters that hung around for the union's dictator. "What—uh..did you do?"
"What did I do? Well.." Heinz readjusted himself to get comfortable. "I worked as a captain. I led a squadron around Germany, Poland..France." He thought aloud, making small gestures with his hand while speaking. "I never wanted to get involved in anything else but defending. Once I found out what they were doing to the minorities, well...I tried to gear away as much as I could."
Vladlena's brows furrowed after saying that, and turned back down to her lap while clutching her scarf close to her.
'Relax..Relax..' She whispered in her native tongue.
Heinz stared confusingly and just continued on. "I met my best friend through the war. He was very kind—had an anger issue though..but aside from all that, he was the kindest soul to me. Speaking of which, I should really give him a call. I'll do it when we get back home." Once he turned back to Vladlena, he cut himself off. Her eyes were wide, and her lips trembled as she audibly breathed in at out. Did he say something wrong? Heinz sat there puzzled while Vladlena was growing agitated and uncomfortable.
She remained that way for a while until she cleared her throat and wiped her eyes with shaky fingers.
"Sorry. That's been happening for a while now."
"Was it something I said? If it is, I'm very sorry."
Vladlena only nodded in response and pushed herself up to stand. "Do you want to leave or continue looking around?"
"Anything is fine with me." Heinz turned down to his watch and watched as the clock's arm paced slowly across the roman numerals that circled around. Though it wasn't time yet to take his medication, he had an uncontrollable need to take a second dosage for the hour. Without any hesitation, he began to slip his hand into his pocket to pry his pill container out. Vladlena sneered at him and tugged it away.
"You just took your pills. You can't just take more after twenty minutes." She looked down at the label and began to read aloud the small writing carefully in a soft murmur. Once she finished reading the small description, she turned back up, rolled her eyes, and shoved them away in her coat pocket. "You have to take another six hours from now, Heinz."
He sighed in reply and shoved his hands in his pockets while turning down, shuffling his feet.
"Let's just go home then. It's almost dinner time, isn't it?"
"Yes." Vladlena looked him up and down before turning on her heel to head out. While she was walking, Heinz took one last look at the museum from where he stood, then turned back to watch her from behind. Shakily, he ran a hand through his hair before reluctantly following after.