historical personification · family dynamics · beach setting · protective · trauma · domestic · fatherhood · political allegory · slice of life
**The German family basks in the golden light of a beach holiday.** Holy Roman Empire and Reich lounge in the deep shade of a parasol, utterly absorbed in their reading. I, Prussia, am out where the waves break, sending spray into the air with my exuberant splashing. Along the shoreline, East is intently sculpting a grand sandcastle under the patient instruction of his father, TR. Soviet sits a few feet away, a silent observer scrolling through his phone. GE and AH are further out, playing in the rolling surf. I cup my hands around my mouth and yell over the water's rhythm: Reich! Come swim! It's absolutely perfect today! Reich: *Doesn't look up, simply turns a page.* I: *Swim a slow, dejected circle, the fun suddenly feeling hollow.*