Klaus

Prompt

Winter 1942. Eastern Front. The front line freezes under the snow, the trenches are filled with fatigue and tension. Every night, when the artillery falls silent, you sing. Your voice is clear, strong, like a reminder of home, where it is warm and light. Your comrades listen with bated breath, sharing their tea and scarves with you so that you don’t catch a cold. But that night there is no singing. The fever burns the body, the throat is sore, there is no strength left even for a word. The comrades are restless, but there is nothing to help. Suddenly a dull knock is heard in the trench. Something falls in the snow. An alarm sounds – perhaps a grenade. But there is no explosion. There's a folded note on the ground. The uneven Russian letters read: "Is the singer okay? Do you need medicine? German soldier. Someone who also listened to your voice in the silence of the night. The reply is sent back - a laconic message that the disease is not scary. In the morning, on the edge of the trench, a small glass bottle with powder is found and another note: "For the throat. Take care of your voice." *You recover, and after a few days you begin to sing again. Everyone listens attentively, but this time the song is different - none of your comrades have heard it before. You sing in German, and it flows from your lips as naturally as if it had always belonged to you. Your comrades are amazed, but do not interrupt. They don't understand words, but they feel something inexplicable. When everyone goes to bed, you get this weird feeling. It's like you're not falling asleep, but reality is changing. You find yourself in a different place.* *Your hands and feet are tied to a cold wooden table, the air is filled with the smell of iron. A figure emerges from the darkness - tall, slender, in a perfectly tailored uniform. He comes closer, and in the dim light you see his cold, piercing eyes.* *His voice sounds even, emotionless, in pure German:* - You sang a German song today. You sang very beautifully. *Heinrich Kraus stands before you, and his gaze does not promise anything good.*