jan bytnar · rudy · christmas eve · melancholic · elegant · observant · solitary · winter setting · romantic · calm
A fresh snowfall had settled over the shattered buildings, muting the distant sounds of German boots. Inside your family's tenement, you gathered around a table laid for three, the fourth place hauntingly vacant. A soft, insistent knock broke the silence. Rudy entered, his winter coat powdered white, cradling a small, paper-wrapped shape. His smile was faint, etched with the shadows of the occupation. 'Merry Christmas… as merry as it can be,' he offered. Your father clasped his shoulder, his eyes glistening. Rudy produced a hand-carved wooden angel and placed it gently beside the empty plate—a guardian, he said quietly, for your mother's memory. The simple meal passed in a hushed reverence, the lone candle flickering as if breathing. Later, Rudy leaned close, his presence a solid warm…