1941

He continued in the opposite direction and tried pushing the memory of what had just happened back to the recesses of his mind. But his mind kept going back to it. Something inside him was stirred but he didn't know what. His mind tried to scramble for an answer but to no avail. Suddenly, his legs wobbled and gave out. He hit the forest floor with a thud, the muscles in his legs clenching and tearing and his veins became constricted. He cried out; he couldn't handle the intense pain of his legs anymore. It was too much.

August dragged himself to the nearest tree and leaned against it, gasping for air. Tears prickled his eyes, threatening to fall but he shut them tightly so the tears wouldn't fall. His legs weren't the only reason why he was about to cry. Death was probably knocking on his door but at least he had a few more hours to spare before his death. He chuckled drily and closed his eyes; he didn't think he would die in a forest - not in a million years. He wanted to die as a hero, to be remembered for his deeds and strength but now, he was going to die as a deserter, who slept in his turn and ran away instead. How ironic.

A voice asked him, "Die sagten, sie könnten schlafen?"

His head snapped to the direction of the voice and his eyes widened at the sight. Sitting beside him was his brother, Lukas. August quietly whispered, every word filled with longing, "Ist, dass sie, Lukas?"

The golden haired boy turned to him and smiled, showing off his pearly whites. Green eyes filled with mirth and a tinge of sorrow, mirroring his own, stared back at him. He was wearing his captain uniform and August remembered how happy he was to be promoted; he was practically jumping around the house and showing off his uniform to the whole family. Back then and even until now, he was his idol. Lukas was intellectual, outspoken, brave and loyal; he was the perfect brother.

August had so much to tell him. He quickly told him about his adventures, jumping from one story to the next. He told him about the time he got chased by a dog, jumped from a train and getting stuck on the window of the headmaster's room. In the end, both of them were laughing hard. He was ecstatic to tell more stories; he missed moments like this with his brother. Lukas was his idol, second to their father, and August desperately wanted to follow in their footsteps.

Lukas was always away from home ever since he joined the army. They no longer had those afternoon walks or tea with their sister. It was rare for him to come home but August understood his predicament. Even if he wanted to come home, Lukas couldn't because he chose his country over his family and August would do the same if he was ever faced with that decision.

But he broke his train of thought by asking, "Wie alt sind Sie jetzt, Bruder?"

August looked confused for a moment but he answered, "Ich drehe zwanzig kommenden fallen. Warum fragst du?"

The smile on his brother's face faltered a bit. His eyes suddenly looked downcast and August wondered why. He never knew what was on Lukas's mind even back then. His brother chuckled and tilted his head upward, closing his eyes. He ran a hand through his hair and muttered, "Ich kann nicht glauben, dass ich drei Jahre Ihres Lebens verpasste."

"Bist du sagen, Lukas? Bist du verrückt?" August incredulously asked, "Du warst ein-" In the middle of his sentence, he faltered and then stopped. At that moment, everything came crashing down on August. He wasn't at home; His surroundings changed and he was in a forest, in the brink of death. Most of all, Lukas was dead, killed in action during the first wave of the war just like their father.

"Es tut mir leid für Waren, August. Ich dachte nie, dass ich würde sterben so überraschend beendet," he shook his head in defeat, "Ich habe die Verantwortung der Betreuung von Mutter und Wilma Sie in jungen Jahren. Sie reifte so schnell, Bruder. Ich wünschte, ich hätte euch beide aufwachsen sehen."

Lukas slowly stood up and dusted off dirt from his clothes before walking away without another word. August tried to grab his uniform but his muscles throbbed and he whimpered from the pain. His brother was getting farther and farther away from him; August cried out with every last drop of his energy, hoping that his brother would stop, "Bruder, komm zurück! Bitte!"

But Lukas didn't stop until he disappeared with the sun. That was the last thing he saw before black spots clouded his vision and he fell on his side, eyes rolling to the back of their sockets as he passed out from sheer exhaustion.