Winfred

52

Official Report

British Intelligence

Code: 3986

Kathleen Winfred

When I finished the letter, I held it to my chest for a moment, closing my eyes and thanking God for the chance to hear from my friend. I was grateful that, although things sounded terrible at Auschwitz-Birkenau, she was at least ok.

I folded the letter and slid it back into its envelope, placing the envelope in my pillowcase to hide it. I felt the need to protect the precious words from my friend.

I thought of Von Steubon, sitting silently throughout the entire birthday celebration. When he hadn’t given me a gift, part of me had not cared. Why should he? I didn’t know what we were…We weren’t exactly good friends. Certainly, he had helped me, but we never went beyond much more than a polite conversation. The other part of me had felt hurt, or angry, that he had ignored me when Pirot and Albert had not. I had wondered why he was even at my birthday party, if he did not care.

I felt guilty, for he had just given me a gift that was better than what I could have imagined. I had feared I would never hear from Virginia again.

I climbed down from my bed and slipped my feet back into my shoes, leaving my room and going downstairs to Von Steubon’s office. His door was closed, as usual, but I knew he usually stayed somewhat late, and would probably stay later tonight due to the lack of time to complete his work while he was out fetching my letter and such.

I knocked hesitantly on the door.

“Come in,” I heard him say, his voice sounding a bit muffled through the door. I opened the door and half entered, leaving my hand on the doorknob.

Von Steubon looked up from the document he was holding, his brow slightly furrowed as he studied me, before setting the papers down. “Yes?” he said, momentarily.

I found myself clasping my hands behind my back. “Thank you…” I said. “I…” I paused. “I loved my gift.”

He simply nodded. “You’re welcome,” he said, quietly.

I was going to leave, but my eyes fell on the sizeable pile of papers sitting in his in-tray. Again, I felt guilty for knowing that he would now have to stay late to catch up on the work he had missed this morning and afternoon.

I hesitated, before clearing my throat. He looked up again, setting down his pen.

“Do you…want some help?” I gestured to the papers.

He frowned, and looked as though he were going to refuse my offer of help out of pride, but he eventually sighed and nodded, reaching for the pile and pulling out about half of it.

“These are routine reports filed by the guards. They only need my attention if the bottom section is filled in, denoting an out of the ordinary occurrence during the guard’s watch. It would be…A big help if…”

I nodded, and I took the papers from him, pulling up the extra chair to the spot across from him at his desk.

He handed me an extra pen. “Just mark in the upper right corner once you’ve checked the report.”

I nodded my affirmation and bent to studying the reports.

Both of us were silent. At first, it was a somewhat tense silence, but eventually, both of us relaxed somewhat, becoming used to the situation.

Once, I glanced up at Von Steubon. He had rested his chin on his hand, his elbow propped on the desk, and he was studying the report before him, his brows furrowed and eyes focused on the paper. I watched as his frown deepened, and he bit his bottom lip in concentration for a moment, before straightening and marking something with his pen on the paper.

When I looked at him again, he was back to resting his chin on his hand.

I eventually finished going through the reports, and handed to him the only two that required his attention.

He thanked me, and I asked if there was anything else I could do. He gave me a small pile of papers to file in the filing cabinets along the wall. I filed away the documents.

By the time I was finished, he was almost done as well.

I waited until he finished the document before him, signing it and setting it aside, before standing.

He stood as well.

“Thank you,” he said. “It…would have been a long night if I hadn’t had your help.”

“You’re welcome,” I said.

He waited until I had exited the office, before shutting out the light and closing and locking the door.

When we were both in the hallway, I turned to go one way, towards the wing of the old hotel where my quarters were, and he turned to go the other, towards the officer’s wing.

I had hardly gone two steps, when Von Steubon, still standing by the door, cleared his throat. I turned around. He held his uniform cap in both hands, as he shifted from one foot to the other.

“Happy birthday,” he said, simply. “Kathleen.”

I smiled somewhat, surprised at his use of my real name.

He looked at the floor. "I just thought you should hear it...with your real name...from at least one person, even with the circumstances being..."

"Thank you," I said, sincerely.

He nodded, before turning and disappearing down the hallway, putting his uniform cap on as he walked away.