Snippet #1877023

Albert left Herr Gottberg to Ella and focused on trying to figure out where on Earth Gunter had gone. He was about to head out and look for him when, as Gunter was sometimes wont to do, he appeared at Albert's elbow. He seemed agitated, and then whispered a frightened question to him.

Albert responded quietly, trying to calm down the frightened boy. "He may be some kind of Nazi official. But don't worry. The war will be over soon, and he will leave. Don't avoid him and skulk in the shadows. That only makes you more conspicuous. Just be your normal self, and be sure not to tell him anything incriminating. You're my cousin. You have lived with me ever since your parents died in a strategic bombing run by the Brits. You were a Hitler Youth for a time, but then you moved here, because your parents were dead. Do you understand?"
Albert put his hand on Gunter's shoulder as he told him this. He resolved to do everything in his power to keep the boy safe. Gunter had been through more trauma than many adult soldiers, and he was only a child. Albert decided that, if he had to, he would be willing to fight again. He had wanted to leave violence and soldiery behind him, having had more than enough to last a lifetime. But to keep Gunter safe, he would do almost anything.
"Are you going to be alright, Gunter?" he asked. He wanted to make sure that at least most of what he was saying was getting into Gunter's head.