Hate
Frankie Andrews
It wasn’t a good sign, but I think we all thought that Klaus’s obsession with Nazism was just a phase.
I remember them clearly on that cold night in ’36 in Warsaw. Hans, the soccer player, was the smartest of the group. We all knew he was going somewhere in his life, likely to college in Berlin. Then there was Jürgen, the clown. He only tried to make us laugh, and most of the time he succeeded. His smile could brighten any rainy day. And Günter, of course, was the idiot. We always teased him for his ignorance, but really we couldnt bear life without him. He was one of the most sensitive creatures I ever met, as even the sight of a starving animal in the streets could bring him to tears. There was Klaus, the leader of the group. Klaus decided where we went; we always followed him. He had recently joined the National Socialists and was badgering us to join up and become officers like him. I myself was the quiet one, always observing and watching. I attempted to keep some sort of order so that when Jürgen wanted us to do something stupid (like attempt to kidnap our former teacher and force her to starve to death). I was there to reel in the madness.
That was when we were in school, way back in the 20s, when friends were friends and little would separate us.