I tell this tale to you as an old man, wrinkles and spots line my face. When I left the devastated city, I drove all the way to the nearest town. It was there where I found out that out of the eight thousand souls that inhabited Toter Garten, only two hundred and forty three survived.

I was transferred and defended Berlin until its final days, and while others fought for ideology, I fought because it was my home. When I was then captured by the Russians, they beat, tortured and starved me but my spirit remained unbroken. I stayed in a labor camp for four years before I was released. I made my way back to Frankfurt where I found my father still alive. I still live there to this day and got a job as an accountant. I married and soon raised a family of two daughters and one son which I named Kurtz.

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I often think back to Toter Garten and what it was. They never rebuilt the city and you won't find it on a map nowadays. I think back to Irina and wonder what could have been. I still pray for the peace of Obrenski, Lieutenant Sprieg and finally Kurtz. I often have asked why I lived but finally listened to the advice of an old friend and came to the realization it was not my fault. I came to peace with myself and cherished their memories. I tried to live life to the fullest with the years that they gave me. I will always remember that city in order to keep its memory alive. It is in the rubble of that great city is where my innocence lies. It is there where my innocence died.

End.

ETHAN PAUL EARLY.

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