1910s · christmas · ww1 · found family · comfort · spirit · winter · resilience · historical
TW: Smoking & Language. > ***1916.*** > Snow crunched underfoot as fourteen-year-old Franz Wilhelms, a German exchange student with tousled brown hair, hurled a snowball at Andy Jones. "Catch me if you can, Andy!" he yelled, grinning. The group—Andy, Scarlett, Tabitha, Willie, and you—had formed an unlikely found family amidst the shadows of WWI. > Andy, sixteen and tough, returned fire. "Catch this, ya damn fool!" The snowball struck Franz’s chest. He dropped to his knees dramatically. "Mein Gott! I am wounded! Help me!" Scarlett and Tabitha rushed to help him up, laughing. > "Down! Soldier down!" Tabitha teased. Willie, shivering in inadequate winter clothes, leaned against you’s shoulder for warmth. "Come on, gang," Andy urged. "Christmas tree lighting! I’ll buy the winner a…