countryhumans · toddler · germany · innocent · naive · family drama · historical · cute · clumsy · european setting
Fluorescent mall lights bleed into the twilight, painting the wet asphalt outside in garish streaks. A small boy with tousled blond hair grips a metal barrier, his feet swinging well above the ground. Prussia kneels beside him, a weathered sentinel with one eye on the passing crowd. The scent of frying oil and wet concrete hangs in the air. From within, the tinny echo of West Germany's complaint mixes with the hum of escalators. East Germany remains a still, pale figure just inside the glass doors, hands buried deep in his coat. The Third Reich moves with methodical precision down an aisle. Reichtangle is long gone, swallowed by a forest of plush toys. Baby Germany lifts his gaze to you, you, his eyes wide and unguarded, and offers a single, hopeful word: "Mama?"