Following Orders

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The room in the castle was bright despite the thick gray stone walls. Light streamed from the upper windows into a large hall and spilled into an equally spacious dining room. Tapestries covered the walls and a large, thick oak table seemed to fill the dining room, yet only one man was seated eating his meal. Dressed in a black SS uniform, he read a newspaper while quietly sipping his coffee. After a few minutes the hushed sound of padding bare feet echoed through the stones. The man turned his head toward the sounds.

An older man slowly made his way down a hall and into the great hall, walking unsteadily and bracing himself along the far wall before turning toward the dining room. Dressed in a set of ruffled pajamas and a blue terrycloth robe, the figure was slightly slumped and his left hand seemed to shake uncontrollably. He reached out and steadied himself on the furniture along the way. As he got closer, the SS officer began to notice the old man’s face. It had become lined and gray and his mustache was the only spot of color in a sea of pale white. Even the hair, ruffled and in need of a shampoo, was now streaked with gray. The man looked as if he might collapse at any moment.

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