A Debt of War

PART ONE

Chapter 1

Cody, Wyoming, November 2009

Unto the Almighty, we commend the soul of our dear departed sister and commit her body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ at Whose coming in glorious majesty to judge the world.

Father Giuseppie Crocetti, reciting from the pages of a Bible once belonging to Pope Pius VIII, led the service in a last farewell. A harsh blast of Cody wind pushed snow against his face, forcing a stutter. He nodded to the family.

Paul Bacca stepped forward with spade in hand and pitched a ceremonial load of earth atop the mahogany casket.

His youngest, Abby, released a bouquet of tiger lilies and purple mums, a most cheerful contrast to the gray backdrop of winter’s vicious clutch.

May the angels lead you into paradise, Father Crocetti continued, and the martyrs receive you at your coming and bring you into the holy city Jerusalem. May the choirs of angels receive you, and may you, with Lazarus once poor, enjoy everlasting peace.

The crowd responded, Amen.

Paul settled his chin on the spade handle. Tears traced around his salt and pepper Vandyke. Gone the woman who wiped his nose, patched his cuts, and supported his dreams. A woman exemplifying character, courage, and compassion, taken for eternity; a best friend and confidant, swept from the living sooner than imagined.

Abby took the death the hardest, suffering her first close passing in fourteen years of life. Her grandfather died mere months following her birth.

An apologetic groundskeeper relieved Paul of the spade.

Monica, Paul’s wife of thirty years, eased into him and placed a gloved hand upon his shoulder. Her perfume tickled his nostrils with a delicate aroma of orange and jasmine. She pressed her lips to his cheek. The warmth of her breath proved a welcomed sensation. You sure you’re up for the reception?

Paul redirected his attention to a mature, silver-barked, leafless cottonwood anchored behind his parents’ gravesite. It pleased him their plot would enjoy years of protection from future summer suns.

A streak of crimson dashed across his sightline. A cardinal landed upon a single, stout branch. His mother loved all things cardinal, most notably the St. Louis baseball team. The bird ruffled its feathers, turned full frontal to show off its brilliant black, silky mask, then fluttered away.

Monica whispered her husband’s name to regain his attention.

I’m sorry. Yes. May do us good to hear memories others have of her.

Two months prior, the family learned of the brain tumor. Whether too tired, stubborn, or ready to join the one love of her life, his mother declined treatment when physicians offered minimal chances she’d celebrate her next birthday. In her mind, not worth the agony and burden of fighting on.

Paul suspected her desire to move on. She had lived a grand life, raised a fine family, and loved but one man.

Despite the sting, he suspected his parents whole again. Their reunion forced a delimited smile, as their love proved one of a kind. He spent thirty years building a prestigious publishing company and had worked with more authors than what seemed totaled the population of Cody, where his parents’ farm nestled on some five hundred acres east of Yosemite National Park. He read more manuscripts than could fill the downtown Barnes & Noble of his beloved Denver yet had not recited a sequence of prose to date able to characterize the love his parents shared. Their strong faith in each other, honest living, and dedication to family had shaped the life he and his siblings enjoyed.

Paul peered over his shoulder. His brother Kim, sisters Rachel, Heather, and their families huddled close, doling out final hugs. His son, Paul Jr., an accomplished editor home from New York, eased from behind to wrap his arms around his younger sister.

Paul turned for a final glimpse of the grave before escorting his family to the first of five limousines idling nearby.

Abby gazed through the tinted glass at the headstones along the front fence line as the convoy headed toward downtown. Paul marveled at the many ways she resembled her mother—soft complexion, green eyes, the way she laughed and cried.

As the limo cleared a hedgerow where her grandparents’ plots appeared, Abby jutted forward. She grabbed her father’s wrist.

A soldier, she said, pointing. Daddy, look.

Paul turned as the limo accelerated. A grouping of evergreens cut off his view. I don’t see anyone.

A man... I mean a soldier. I saw a soldier standing over Grandma’s grave.

Monica peered around her husband’s frame. A soldier?

Yes. Tall, white hair, in uniform.

You’re mistaken, Paul said.

No, Daddy, I saw him by her grave, holding a white box.

Paul grabbed his daughter’s hand. Sweetheart, I didn’t see anyone in uniform. You have Grandma’s gravesite mixed up.

Didn’t Grandpa fight in the war?

Yes, but I didn’t see anyone in uniform.

Abby pushed hard against her seatback, agitated. I know what I saw.

Many people visit graves, Monica said.

Well, don’t blame me if Grandma spends the rest of eternity with a box buried on top of her.

Chapter 2

The driver delivered Paul and his family to beneath a valet canopy. As his brother and sisters exited their limos, a hearty breeze pushed snow sideways. Abby joined a favorite cousin. Paul leaned against his seatback and crossed his arms.

What? Monica asked.

Paul shook his head. Abby doesn’t exaggerate.

Maybe a friend of your father who wanted a private moment.

Perhaps, but, what if Abby’s right, and he intended to bury something with her?

That’s ridiculous. Who’d do such a thing without asking?

I suppose. Common courtesy would suggest you’d ask first.

What do you want to do?

Go back and see if there’s a box on top of her coffin.

Does it really matter at this point? Anyway, I’m sure she’s mistaken. You said yourself, you saw no one in uniform. Monica drew her hand against his cheek. Shall we go in?

***

Paul received an instant, pleasing surge upon entering the hall, knowing his mother’s wish had played to perfection. She insisted on a celebration, not a sob-fest. From the looks of it, he thought they’d crashed a wedding reception. Smiles and laughter warmed his heart.

An acoustic trio entertained with gentle renditions of the standards his parents so loved, reminding him of the two engaged in a deep embrace, dancing to the sounds of Sinatra, Martin, and Cole.

Paul waded through the crowd, spotting familiar faces but recalling few names. Many dressed in their Sunday best, others in jeans or overalls. No matter, guests mentioned his mother with tender remembrance and affection.

Hello, Paul, it’s good to see you, a red-haired woman said, taking hold of his forearm. You don’t remember me, but your mother and I knitted together. I’m sorry for your loss. When they made her, they broke the mold. I loved her dearly.

Thank you. That’s kind of you to say.

He turned and stumbled into another expectant guest.

Hello, Paul. I used to deliver milk to the ranch.

Joe Hoffert, of course. It’s great to see you again. You’re looking well.

I’ve slowed a bit but could make a delivery in a pinch if needed. I appreciated William’s faithful friendship. And your mother, well, I never knew a woman with more gumption. I’m sure you’re proud of her. Don’t know anyone who lived a purer life.

We’re proud of them both, and they appreciated your friendship. Dad spoke of you often.

Thank you. I can’t help wonder what plans you have for the ranch?

We haven’t had time to discuss it.

Would hate to see it sold off. It’s a staple in these parts.

Yes, sir. We’ll work through this and figure out what’s best.

I’m sure you’ll make the right decision in God’s good time. Good luck to you, son.

Paul hastened his escape. He released a deep exhale upon plopping down in a cushioned chair next to Monica.

She slid a glass of iced tea in front of him. Did you think this many people would show? A lemon wedge worked loose and landed in his lap.

No, he responded, wiping his pants. I don’t think we have near enough food.

Kim took care of it. He found a barbecue caterer close by.

Paul managed a quick sip of tea before a tap on his shoulder interrupted. He accepted a wireless microphone and fell in behind the funeral director.

Good afternoon. I’m Paul Bacca, the eldest of the Bacca children. Thank you for joining us. We did not expect so many and apologize we’ve run out of food. My brother ordered more. Hope you all enjoy Happy Meals. A wave of laughter erupted.

We appreciate your prayers, friendship, and support. Mom and Dad loved this community and all of you. Paul paused to a respectful round of applause.

Until the food arrives, please pass the mic around and share a story or two. I’m sure you can guess Mom and Dad didn’t tell us kids everything. A second chorus of laughter ensued. Paul passed the mic to the first hand raised.

I remember when Abigail and William... a woman began.

Paul resettled in his chair. He stretched his legs and extended an arm around his wife’s shoulders.

Near the conclusion to an amusing tale of his mother chasing an escaped Appaloosa on foot down Stampede Avenue, Monica alerted him to Abby. She worked toward them, weaving around tables at a frantic pace.

When agitated, her steps shortened and arms locked at her side. She rushed in behind her father, dropped to a knee, and whispered into his ear.

Chapter 3

Paul scanned the front entrance. Abby swore the soldier she noticed at the gravesite had settled against the doorway leading into the reception hall, looking over the crowd like a hawk searching for prey.

He’s looking for somebody, she insisted.

Paul moved around the table to achieve a better angle. Abby followed on his heels. He spotted the soldier.

Daddy, look, the white box, she said.

Okay, you stay here. I’ll take care of this. He turned her by the shoulders.

Why can’t I go with you?

No, you stay here with your mother.

I saw him first.

Do as your father says, Monica ordered.

Abby stomped toward her mother and plopped down on an empty chair. She folded her arms in angry protest.

Paul edged along the wall. Near halfway, the man turned, and their eyes met. The soldier’s posture eased, and demeanor turned eager. A broad, toothy grin erupted. Paul slowed his approach, working through his memory. He knew this face.

The man’s skin appeared as leather. Thin cheeks and dark eyes sunk deep into their sockets suggested he’d entered his eighth or ninth decade of life. He wore a brown Eisenhower dress jacket and olive-green collared shirt with tie tucked between the third and fourth buttons. Two silver oak leaves affixed to shoulder straps identified his rank as a lieutenant colonel. He boasted a Distinguished Service Cross, Purple Heart, Silver Star, and Bronze Star, all dangling from the flap of the left breast pocket, below a patchwork of service achievement medals.

Paul’s gaze shifted several times to the box. The soldier’s right arm hung limp. I’ve seen this man before.

Paul, the soldier said, drawing out the name as if the two had known each other for years. His smile widened. I’d have recognized you anywhere.

I’m sorry. Have we met?

Not formally. The name’s Allan Jekel. I’m a friend of your parents. I’d shake your hand, but my right arm doesn’t work anymore.

Paul waved in dismissal, then laughed. "It’s an honor to meet you, sir. I knew I recognized your face. You’ve had several titles land on the New York Times best-sellers list."

Back in the day, he said. Please, call me Allan.

Paul smiled. I’d be hard pressed addressing such a decorated veteran by first name only.

That, too, was a lifetime ago. I’ve not worn this uniform in years. I’m sorry for your loss.

I didn’t see you among our guests.

No, you didn’t. I pulled in as you folks exited.

My daughter noticed you. Why did you wait until we left?

I’m a stranger to all of you and wanted a moment alone with your mother. I didn’t want to make a spectacle of myself.

We’d have welcomed you.

I appreciate that.

I’m stunned my parents never mentioned the acquaintance. You’d think, since I’m in the publishing business, they’d at least have—

Allan interrupted, pointing to two cushioned benches placed opposite an open-pit fireplace. Excuse me, son, do you mind if we sit? I’m able to stand at attention only so long these days.

No, not at all.

Paul assisted the old warrior to the bench before settling opposite. Other than the useless limb, the man appeared healthy as a horse.

Allan let the box to slip onto the bench. I’ve known your parents for fifty years. Finest people who ever lived.

You served with my father?

You could say that.

Dad shared so little of his war experience. When we asked about it, he didn’t want to talk about it. Over time, we let it go.

William felt the war a heavy burden he needed to keep buried. Allan removed his cap. The war proved different for your father. Different from any soldier I served with. When he came home, he left it all behind. He had to. He didn’t want it clinging to his psyche for eternity. He wanted to live life without the memory of it all. I respected his desire to let it be.

It puzzled us why he never received an invitation to a reunion, a letter from the war department, or entertained a buddy at the house, Paul said. Sometimes, I wonder if he took part in the war at all.

You should count your blessings that he spared you his horrors. He suffered many.

I find it odd you seem to know me so well.

I spoke with your parents at least once a month. What fine children they raised. You’re family to me, albeit from a distance. I’m most proud of you, Paul. You’ve carved a good life for yourself. You’ve done a remarkable job leading this family and built an amazing career. Your parents glowed with pride over your accomplishments because you earned them on your own.

Paul’s eyes turned wet.

I can appreciate your emotion, Allan said. It’s a great feeling knowing how proud a man has made his family.

Paul honed on the box.

I guess you’re wondering what I have here?

You must consider it important. My daughter thought you intended to bury it with her grandmother.

No, would never do something so impolite.

That’s what my wife said.

Your mother wanted you to have this. I present it as her final request.

Her final request?

Allen nodded.

Paul leaned forward to accept.

Go ahead, Allan said. It won’t open itself.

Paul’s body straightened. He’d opened countless boxes and envelopes containing similar contents, though more accustomed to printer-generated text on bright white stock, not typewritten copy on dingy yellow parchment. He read the manuscript title aloud.

A Debt of War, a Novel, by Jacqueline K. Astell. Paul flipped through a couple pages. Wait a minute, the poet?

One in the same.

I don’t understand. This belonged to my mother?

Given to her by Astell herself.

They were friends?

More than somewhat.

Another untold secret, Paul mumbled.

For the same reason she never mentioned me. Your mother did not want to cross into your realm for fear of influencing your decisions. She wanted you to succeed on your own merit, in your own way. And you did.

Paul thumbed through half the stack. Since when did Astell write novels?

She didn’t. This was her lone attempt, and she never published it.

Why not?

I’m not sure.

Paul crossed his legs. Are you familiar with her story?

No, other than she lived in anonymity.

Right. She disappeared after producing a renowned series of seasonal poems. Paul scanned the manuscript with fascination. Why now?

Your mother mailed the manuscript several months ago and asked if I’d give my opinion. We discussed it two weeks ago, and.... Allan looked to the floor. When we spoke, she mentioned little time remained. Said she’d wake at night and hear your father calling. Said it brought peace. I asked if I could visit, but she declined. She did not want anyone to see her in her condition. Before we said goodbye, I promised to hand-deliver this to you upon her death.

Why after she passed?

A final gift. Thought you might want to publish it.

I can’t publish this.

Don’t worry, she owns the rights, and passed them to you. You’ll find the documents in the safe behind the Rockwell in your father’s den.

They must’ve trusted you without reserve. No one outside my siblings knows about that safe.

For whatever reason, they trusted me, and I them.

Can you offer a synopsis?

I think it best you form your own opinion.

Can you at least share your thoughts?

Allan slid to the edge of the bench, absorbing the warmth of the flame. It’s the most remarkable story I’ve ever read. I dabbled in fiction a few times, but this outdistances by miles anything I produced.

You think it’s publishable?

I’d say so, but your mother wanted you to decide its fate. Said Astell worked on it for therapy, much like why Churchill laid bricks. It cleared her mind, eased her stress. Your mother described it as her favorite work of fiction. She meant this as a final, eternal connection between the two of you.

I don’t know what to say. To have an original, unpublished copy of Astell’s lone novel, well... wow.

Paul glanced toward a large window. A white Bentley pulled up and parked under the valet canopy. The driver exited and assumed an attentive stance near the back-passenger door.

My ride, Allan said.

Paul flashed a teasing grin.

It’s the one asset I’ve purchased with royalty money. I love old cars but can’t drive. I have the best of both worlds.

Paul assisted Allan to his feet. Allan passed a business card.

I’m in town a few days on business. Call when you finish reading. We’ll talk.

You’re not from these parts?

No, born and raised in Alton, Illinois. I settled in Quantico, Virginia, following the war.

You’ve traveled a fair distance.

I’d travel any distance for your parents. Call me when you finish. I look forward to your reaction.

I doubt I’ll have time to read this week. We have to tie up several loose ends.

You’ll find the time. I see it in your eyes. You desire to know what your mother found so intriguing, and you’ll begin and won’t put the damn thing down until you finish.

Allan extended his hand. Paul accepted.

I fulfilled your mother’s last request. She wanted you to read this, so I’m asking you to read it as soon as possible.

Can’t argue with a last request.

I’m glad we met, son. You’re what I expected and just as your mother described. Don’t forget to call.

I promise. I find it strange we never knew you but appreciate making your acquaintance.

Likewise, son.

Allan grabbed for Paul’s arm. Paul delivered him to his driver. Allan slipped into the back seat, leaned forward, and saluted. Paul reciprocated. He stood at near attention until car and passenger disappeared.

He returned to the ballroom with box in hand. Abby greeted him with a barrage of questions. Paul’s mind swirled as to how his mother had kept such secrets all these years.

My goodness, Monica said. You look like you’ve seen a ghost.

I think I did. He placed the box in front of her. You’re not going to believe this.

Chapter 4

From the head of his parents’ dining room table, Paul sipped a glass of wine as his siblings and their families finished a roast ham and turkey breast provided by the congregation.

Though drained of emotion, they enjoyed the opportunity to swap stories of the ranch and their mischievous childhood exploits. Six years had passed since they’d gathered for a meal in the same place.

With dinner complete, and the mood mellowed, the pace of Paul’s reverie slowed to a crawl. He studied his siblings’ faces as if new acquaintances, contemplating how each would cope with the finality of it all.

Despite twenty Baccas jammed around a rectangle suited for sixteen, the table never felt more desolate. Two empty place settings magnified the sensation. Paul did not object to his sisters’ desire to honor their parents’ memory, but the empty place settings drew all eyes as would a highway accident. The vision of his mother and father holding hands, as they often did during dinner, burst to the forefront of his consciousness. He wished to tell them he loved them.

A gentle nudge brought him upright. He accepted a pan of blackberry pie and passed it on to his brother’s youngest son. Paul’s appetite had dwindled—an oft-side effect when a topic weighed upon his mind. Colonel Jekel swirled about, but not near the degree of the manuscript.

Why do you suppose they kept the colonel a secret? his brother Kim asked.

Don’t know. I’m more mystified by her not mentioning her friendship with Astell.

I’ve never heard of Jacqueline Astell, Kim said.

You’d have to know how to read, honey, his wife teased, prompting snickers from her sisters-in-law.

It’s strange she didn’t mention her to me, Rachel said. Mother knew of my love for poetry and even gifted me two of Astell’s poems — ‘Summer Song’ and ‘Your Eyes.’

Paul took another sip of wine. For whatever reason, she wanted to keep it to herself, until now. You know Mom, she walked to the beat of her own drum.

Monica rose to collect plates. She turned to Paul and coaxed a slight smile with a warm smile of her own. Don’t stay up too late.

What are you talking about?

Oh, please, go on with yourself. I’ll bring some coffee later.

Paul let go a laugh, knowing well she understood the significance of the manuscript. If he enjoyed it, he’d not stop until finished. He’d lost count of the number of times she’d wander downstairs in the wee hours to find him hard at work, pouring over a potential bestseller. He overheard her mention to friends his passion for reading keyed their marriage, as she always knew where to find him, either his office downtown or office at home.

He drew a final sip of wine, then excused himself. I’ll use the den.

He collected the manuscript and proceeded down a narrow hallway under a stone archway supporting a second-level balcony. A set of French doors guarded his father’s private space—hallowed ground in Paul’s eyes. He’d spent hours in the room discussing life, love, and career. A place that transformed him from child to man.

He brought the doors together, turned, and inspected the room in full. It remained as his father left it the day he passed. The scent of cherry pipe tobacco and leather stirred the earliest memories of his youth.

He depressed two buttons on a control panel, propelling a Lionel train in motion affixed below the crown molding. His father loved trains—both real and model—and often treated his boys to a few hours at the station Sunday afternoons to watch the iron horses pull away. To this day, the thrill of a distant whistle brought Paul and his brother to pause.

Paul eased behind the high-back leather chair at his father’s desk, tracing his fingers across its top. A letter written to a local business lay unfinished atop a dark-green blotter. His father’s favorite pen lay at an angle alongside where it slipped from his fingers with the discharge of his final breath.

William lived by simple means, defined by sparse yet well-crafted furnishings. A single desk centered before a bank of windows stretching the length of the room, framing a view of majestic Hart Mountain. He’d placed two leather chairs opposite the desk, and two more facing the fireplace. A wood bench constructed of timbers salvaged from an abandoned gold mine and an end table supporting a collection of smoking pipes accounted for all else.

On the wall to his left hung the Norman Rockwell classic, Freedom of Speech—his father’s favorite—and to the right, a canvas of a young girl feeding a fistful of grasses to a grouping of cattle in a pasture dotted with wildflowers.

I miss you so much, Dad, he whispered.

He dropped the manuscript on the recliner and pulled the chain of a brass gooseneck lamp. His mother had stuffed both kindling and wood boxes full; he suspected she’d lit an occasional fire. Few moments brought more pleasure than the crackle of a burning log, the comfort of a good flame, and the scent of oak or hickory wafting through a room.

Paul loaded the fireplace and set the lot aflame. He added a couple oak logs for good measure, and in seconds, a wave of warm air raised the hairs on his arms. He retreated to the recliner and brought the manuscript to his chest.

Since first entering the room, he avoided eye contact with the massive portrait above the mantel. The children had gifted the oil on a Christmas Day: an image of his parents seated in a swing under a gazebo, built on an island in the center of their pond. They all agreed the work was a perfect depiction of the love they shared and a lasting image each child held dear.

Paul allowed his emotions to pour forth. All he had become proved a direct product of their guidance and love. The release provided a momentary cleansing. He wiped his eyes with a shirtsleeve, thumbed through the stack of yellowed paper, and separated the document near its midpoint. He settled into the soft leather and read aloud again the cover page of this historic document.

~~~

A Debt of War

A Novel

By Jacqueline K. Astell

~~~

He kicked off his shoes, repositioned his bifocals, and turned to page one.

PART TWO

Chapter 5

~~~

A Debt of War

A Novel

By Jacqueline K. Astell

~~~

New York, NY, July 1926

A palatable breeze from the southeast delivered the smell of sea salt and relief from sweltering humidity and a blistering summer sun. The chaotic magnificence of the New York City skyline appeared off the ship’s port side, but the lad insisted on a spot on the starboard handrail.

His mother, Liesel, held tight to his shirt collar, tempering his anxiety and wonder, as the magnificent monument approached. He’d seen pictures of the woman made of copper, but never expected his first encounter to include a bid farewell.

Jakob von Rüdel covered his ears as the mighty ship gave a blast of its horn. In five days’ time, he’d make port in the country of his father’s birth.

The ship drifted slow and steady alongside the noble lady. Jakob marveled at her size and peppered his mother with questions, for which she had no answers. The moment cemented in his memory as he prepared for the majesty of open sea.

His father, Franz, spoke well of Germany, despite ravages of the Great War, and his accusations of evil brought upon her by those who sold her out in the conflict’s final days.

We must return, Franz often crowed, and help rebuild her economy and industry.

Franz accepted an instructorship of divinity in Berlin. They’d occupy a farm owned by his adoptive dead father, where a flourishing cattle business provided steady sustenance.

Jakob left few regrets and associations behind. His family’s meager existence meant transporting little of material worth. He’d made few friends, as his father forbade most social contact. His mother, too, offered no protest, taking only a few sticks of furniture and the babe growing in her womb.

Soon upon arrival in Germany, the family noticed drastic changes in Franz’ political and religious views, but more so in his temperament. The slightest hesitation to an order provided an excuse for Franz to take out his hatred of Jews and communists. Jakob bore the scars on his back and backside of many a leather belt as a result. His mother’s cheek had become a favorite target for the back of his father’s hand.

Franz once supported the democratic form of government but gravitated more toward a fanatical nationalistic theory intended to draw the working class from communistic views and toward a system strategy opposed to big business, the upper-middle class, and capitalism—a political product based on racism.

Jakob braved protracted sessions of his father’s vainglorious rants against the Versailles Treaty, the need for broadened borders, the squashing of communism, and expulsion of Jews and other races hell-bent on destroying the country’s commerce and infrastructure. His ideals of a developed master race confused Jakob, as his religious studies painted a different expectation of each man.

Jakob first learned of Adolf Hitler during the Great Depression. With millions out of work and several of the country’s major banks collapsed, Franz resigned from his instructorship for a position in Hitler’s National Socialist Workers Party.

The family suffered little during the unrest, despite their father’s absence. On occasions of his return, he proved unrecognizable, a rabid animal whose vile hatred for those not of pure German blood both confused and fascinated Jakob. Franz no longer resembled the man of Jakob’s American youth, trading former principles for an emerging political doctrine determined to control all aspects of everyday life.

The beatings continued. Franz forced Jakob to recite Nazi doctrine and statements of allegiance so anti to his view of life. For his fourteenth birthday, Franz treated Jakob to a trip to Berlin to indoctrinate him in the ways of party politics. Jakob witnessed the handy work of the SS—many thousands strong—whom his father supported and revered. Jakob stood by as thugs harassed and pummeled Slavic, Romani, and Jewish store owners. The day of his return to the farm, the mob pulled a Jewish husband and wife from their place of business and hanged them, side by side, on a sidewalk lamp post.

Jakob returned transfigured from child to man. The brutal vision of the innocent dragged from their property, fitted with nooses, and hanged, etched permanently in his mind.

The look of pride and power on his father’s face solidified Jakob’s moral compass. He would never subscribe to such desires to maim and murder, as the word of God resonated more than the hypocrisy of humanity.

In the typical spirit of rebellion, Jakob countered Franz’s behavior with acts of kindness toward those considered enemies of the state. He became a protector of the bullied, accepting the wrath and ridicule of boys feeding off the political firestorm of the times, further instigating violent encounters with his father. It pleased Jakob, despite the pain, that his actions drove Franz to such ill temper.

The invasion of Poland and Finland in 1939 set forth Jakob’s destiny, as Hitler’s desires for expansion and dominance drew the world into a conflict a mere twenty years post the war to end all wars.

When Jakob turned nineteen, his father returned from Berlin to place him on a train shipping boys his age off to war.

In the days leading to his departure, neither spoke nor acknowledged the other. Their lone interaction came in the form of a surprise assault, in which father caught son unawares.

Chapter 6

Duren, German, April 1939

Sascha’s frenzied attack upon the gate proved futile in her desire to escape the stall holding her hostage. Frantic snorts gave way to an indignant whinny, though failing to create disturbance enough to summon others to the scene.

Her master lay crumpled, cheek flush against knotted hardwood stained with a century’s worth of excrement. Specks of debris held captive in a dust cloud flashed in brilliant sparkles as the mass floated by a wedge of sunlight seeping through a knothole in the barn’s planked outer shell.

Sascha remained resolute in her personal war against the barrier. The seventeen-hands-high Holsteiner rammed two thousand pounds of bone and flesh against the stall door, despite the attacker having fled. A self-inflicted gash on her massive chest dripped blood, mixing in a pool rushing from the nostrils of her master’s damaged nose.

With the force of a steam shovel, Sascha dropped her massive hooves atop the gate, producing a thunderous cacophony and sending timber shards and hardware ricocheting in all directions.

With foam frothing at her muzzle, she nudged her master’s shoulder with the same tender touch he afforded her on their rides through the glens flanking the River Roer.

Sascha attempted again to revive his senses with a snort of breath upon his neck.

***

Jakob rolled onto his back, expelling a pain-filled groan. His lower lip felt the size of a mature peach; the bridge of his nose burned with the intensity of a blacksmith’s poker. He placed a hand on Sascha’s jowl to ease her concern.

In the crisp and throaty manner with which a good German spoke his native tongue, Jakob eased his best friend’s fears. "Lieber Sascha, alles in ordnung, he said. All is well," he repeated in perfect English.

Blood drained into his throat, forcing a choke. He patted the end of Sascha’s nose. Not the first time, dear one.

Through a swirl in his head, he recognized this attack as the most vicious he’d received. He’d never seen his father in such a rage, though his initial refusal to join the Hitlerjugend rated a close second.

Jakob wiped at his nose. He arched his back to release a twinge between his shoulder blades before attempting a half-hearted sit-up. Sascha bent low and brushed her mane against the back of his hand. Jakob grabbed a clump of the silky strands and held on as she pulled him into a sitting position.

The taste of blood stirred a nauseous wave, but not enough to expel what remained undigested from mid-meal. Jakob harvested a clump of saliva, squinted while swirling the mess in his mouth, and spit. A tooth separated and ticked across the planked floor.

With knees tucked against his chest, he cupped his hands to his nose. The bone felt intact. He released a deep breath as Sascha nuzzled his neck. Another gentle push motivated Jakob to his feet. He grabbed hold of her for balance.

She stood steady as an oak as he brought a palm to his forehead, discovering another gash above his right eyebrow. He turned, wrapped his arms around his friend, and settled against her jowl. She responded, dipping at the throatlatch to rest her head on his shoulder.

I am okay, he whispered. A fist or unknown blunt object deprived him, for the moment, of her usual sweet, piney scent.

Sascha and Jakob shared attributes one would expect of childhood best friends—trusting, understanding, loyal.

***

The unbreakable alliance had formed on a late winter afternoon when Jakob was twelve as he trekked along a narrow lane in the bitter cold under a purple sky. He often fell victim to daydreams when engaging horses or other such beasts of burden, as they drew a deep passion and fascination from within him.