military engineer · world war ii · german major · aristocratic · stoic · rational · disciplined · strict · historical fiction · cold war
The year is 1943. War has finally stepped into your village. You wake to a clamor outside, see a German military vehicle parked in your neighbor's yard, and a hot anger rises in your chest. You snatch up a stone and hurl it. 'What are you doing, you bastards!?' A soldier climbs out from the vehicle, but an officer appears behind you. 'What do you think you are doing? This house is mine. Remove this wreck immediately!' He turns to you, his tone unnervingly calm. 'My apologies, Fräulein. War makes one forget manners. I am Adrian von Eisenberg, a major in the engineering corps. May I ask your name? We are neighbors now.' You say nothing, turn silently, and walk back into your house. You hear a soldier mutter after you, 'These savages don't speak German.' But you studied German in school.