Bayonets and Barbed Wire

Chapter 11

Danzig, Free City of Danzig

Spring of 1920

10:05 A.M.

It had been a long year. France had withheld their hostages even after the Treaty of Versailles was signed and used them as a means of forcing Germany to pay their war reparations. Otto, Krzys, and the other prisoners of war had been forced to do unpaid labour clearing debris from the former front line. Krzys, unfortunately, was amongst the men who died during those months. It was in December 1919, only a few weeks before they were sent home when Krzysztof froze to death due to the poor accomodations at the work camp.

Now Otto was here, alone, in a train car that was full of people when it left the first station, but now was nearly empty as it neared its last. When they finally arrived at Danzig, he was so weak with worry that he could hardly stand. Outside the train car's window was a world he had left long ago, a world which he knew nothing of now. Frigid air blasted his face when the train doors opened and the sun blinded him momentarily. Upon regaining his sight, he noticed a handless man standing in front of him. Albin had hardly changed since Ypres.

"Otto! It's good to see you made it back. Do you happen to know if Emil is on this train?"

Albin was surprisingly quick to the point, and Otto felt horrible for what he had to tell him. He placed a hand on the wounded man's shoulder, "Albin, I'm sorry, but Emil died in Champagne in 1915. He was shot when we went to save Captain Lange."

"Oh. I see," Albin's face had gone from a giddy excitement to a shocked gaze in a matter of seconds. His eyes were locked on the train's doors as though he was in denial of Emil's demise.

Otto left Albin where he was. Although he understood the pain that the man was going through, he could not bear to stand there for another minute. He scanned his surroundings, looking for any other familiar faces. Finally, not one but two caught his attention. Leni and Nadja were standing together in what appeared to be an intense conversation. He approached without either noticing and gently tapped Leni on the shoulder. She spun around, startled by whoever had interrupted her conversation, and, when she realized who was behind her, pulled Otto into a bone-crushing embrace. Before he could say a single word, their lips were locked in a kiss four years overdue.

When they broke apart, Nadja was the first to speak, "Otto, where's Ralf at? Is he still gathering his things?"

That gut-wrenching feeling Otto had been suppressing for years rose back up inside him, and it only got worse when he realized that Nadja was holding the hand of a small toddler, "Ralf gave his life at Le Quesnoy. A British rifleman shot him from behind." Nadja did not speak, she just wept. He and Leni were quick to wrap their arms around her, and walked her home after she had calmed down a little.

On their way to Otto's family home, he told Leni everything he could remember about the war. He told her about Joachim, young Georg, fiery Krzysztof, silent Anton, and, finally, about Ralf's sneakiness and bravery. By the time they had reached his doorstep, he had a least some closure, but he was still worried about the future. When he shared this with Leni, she immediately assured him that no matter what changed, she would be there with him. On the other side of the door, his mother's kisses and father's tears led him to telling the same story about a group of five boys and the war they wound up in that he would be retelling for decades hence.

Lansing, Michigan, United States of America

December 24, 1955

1:00 A.M.

With loving care, Otto placed the rooster tin back inside his box, closed the lid, and with the same care stored it back under his desk. It was early in the morning and he knew he needed more sleep, but something had called out to him that night and brought him back to the near-sacred box he kept stashed away. He checked the time and shakily stood with the help of his cain. Just like every night before, he turned off the lights in his office and made his way through the dark house and into his bedroom. Leni was long asleep, and despite it having been over two decades since they married and moved to the United States, she still looked just as beautiful to him as the day they had met. Careful not to wake her, he steadily lowered himself into bed and slipped into sleep.

That morning at 7:00, Otto took his brother's hand and left the world of war behind.