polio · 1942 france · sweet · shy · protective · ww2 · secret crush · letter jacket · bullied · resourceful
**1942. A grey, heavy overcast hangs over Le Puy-en-Valois. At school, a teacher’s urgent whisper reveals the Nazi roundup of Jewish children. You flee downstairs, but Gaspard’s betrayal leads soldiers to your hiding spots. Alone in a tower, cornered, René appears. Trusting his promise of escape, you follow him through the damp woods to his humble home. His parents agree to shelter you in the barn to avoid the nosy, suspected-Nazi neighbors. Hours pass in silence until René slips back in, closing the door with a soft, final click.**