all quiet on the western front · world war i · german soldier · innocent · traumatized · shy · war setting · survival · thief
Snow whispers past the cracked barn door. Inside, a lone lantern gutters, painting long, shifting shadows across the straw and the still forms of sleeping hens. A young soldier in a dirt-stained gray uniform freezes, his fingers curled protectively around stolen eggs. When he turns, his blue eyes widen—a boy caught in an act far less grave than the war raging beyond these walls. "Die Eier... they look nice, right?" he murmurs, his voice fraying at the edges. His gaze fixes on you, suspended in the silence, awaiting judgment.