Berlin blood

Summer 1932 August sat on the balcony of his estate on the outskirts of Berlin. He looked into the distance and thought about the future. Recently, his life path was simple and clear, but now the situation in the country has become unstable. Everyone around is talking about a new party that is about to come to power and introduce a new regime and order. The choice in her favor is considered the only correct one, but Augustus does not want to choose anything at all, considering it a pointless task. Moreover, the ideology of the new party goes against the foundations of the aristocracy, that is, with everything that Augustus considered and considers true. “Now we’re definitely finished,” my father said this morning, looking at the newspaper, without turning to anyone. Anything was worth the wait. He heard about what happened in Russia and understood that someday the communist mentality would reach Germany. The ideology of the new party, of course, differs from Russian communism, but not in the most important thing: the desire to remake the whole world as they need. The future, which everyone around Augustus feared after the Russian Revolution, is coming. And he is only twenty-three, he is young and full of strength. He, like his father, wanted to continue the family business, but will this be possible in the new world? A great day for shooting. August looked into the sky, which was clear to the point of transparency. He got up from his chair and, heading down the stairs, ordered the servant to bring a gun — he wanted to shoot at targets. Actions familiar to him since childhood — his father taught him to shoot as soon as August turned seven — should calm him down. Load the gun, take a deep breath, and, as you exhale, lower the muzzle, find a target in the sight. Pull the trigger, holding your breath for a moment so that your heartbeat does not throw off your aim. Hear a clear and fairly loud sound of a shot. Put your hands down with a heavy and dangerous piece of iron. He had never shot at living creatures; he didn’t understand why people did it for fun. Going out into the yard and looking around again so as not to wake up his mother, who was also in the garden, he set his target and fired. A small black dot appeared on the target, but far from the center. There was a ringing sound, apparently the bullet pierced the target and hit something glass. Quiet steps were heard — it was my mother who woke up. — August, why should there be broken glass everywhere after you shoot? — Sorry, mother, I honestly will clean everything up. — Just like my father. He also shoots himself while hunting and takes it all home. His mother did not approve of guns in any form, active or otherwise. In her opinion, any weapon is violence in its purest form and cannot serve good purposes. August agrees with her on this. Perhaps that is why he does not tolerate the smell of blood and the sight of murdered bodies. He put the gun aside, sat down in a chair and, calling the maid who was nearby, ordered him to bring him coffee. The young man took out a cigarette and lit it — this habit was imposed on him by his friend Jens, with whom he was still at school. He remembered their childhood pranks well, they spent a lot of time together, and after graduating, they somehow stopped communicating, although, in truth, he missed their joint trips and simple communication. Throwing his head back and exposing his face to the sun’s rays, August thought about personal things. But judging by the steps behind him, they decided to break his silence. — Well, how long are you going to lie here like this and miss all the fun? — August turned around and saw that his old friend Jens had come to him, as he wished. He stood up, smiled and, shaking his hand, said: — No more than you sitting in your bank. — A ha ha, very funny. You know that I always wanted to make a career in the military, and I got a job at a bank just to get rid of my father, who was already tired of me with his comments. — Yes I remember. How is your dream coming true? — So far so good. I applied to join the SS. — SS? “August asked again, clearly not remembering anything like that. — Well, the SS, which comes from the NSDAP, the party that is about to win. Hitler will become the Fuhrer of Germany. —Have you decided to join there yet? — Why not? She will win the election soon, and besides, you know how much I want to make a career in the military. Don’t you think about anything like that? — Oh God, of course not. I have something to do, and I’m certainly not going to join the army or get involved in politics. “They say that he is going to take away all your property from the bourgeoisie.” — No, this definitely won’t happen, he’s not a communist. I heard that this happened in Russia after the revolution and still exists. However, we are Europe, and we definitely won’t have such nonsense. - Well, let’s see, let’s see. I came to invite you to go to one of these parties, admission is free. Besides, I want to see for myself what and how it works there. Come with me. You haven’t gone anywhere for a hundred years and you just need to be in the company of girls. You are so handsome and you don’t let anyone look at your beauty. — Okay, okay, let’s go, but only because I really have nothing to do. “Jens patted August on the shoulder in a friendly manner and, grabbing a gun, they went into the house, where they had a conversation and debate about the future. In the evening, as agreed, they went to the SS party. The building where Jens led August was no different from others nearby, but it was closest to the Reichstag. They plunged into the atmosphere of an expensive party, and Augustus understood at first glance what kind of people there were. They are dressed in strict, expensive suits, some, as Jens said, wearing SS uniforms. It consists of black high combat boots, trousers, a belt, a white shirt with a tie and a black jacket with a bandage on the sleeve, on which a swastika is depicted. There were not as many people in uniform with the swastika, the distinctive sign of the SS, as August thought. Most of the male society, however, is dressed in the same colors as the SS sheep. In addition, almost all the ladies, according to the latest fashion among women, are dressed in men’s suits. August looked around the group again and his attention was drawn to the girl sitting furthest away. Her dark brown hair, barely reaching her shoulders, is curled, and her gray eyes, if you look closely, are full of sadness. The girl looks detached, as if she is far from the society around her. A hand in a long leather glove from time to time brings a cigarette holder with a thinly smoldering cigarette to the bright red narrow lips. Holding a glass of champagne in her other hand, she looks somewhere through the people. August watched her for about ten minutes until Jens approached him in the company of an unfamiliar man. — August, meet Anton Drexler, founder of the NSDAP. “Hello, it’s a pleasure,” he politely extended his hand in greeting. — Hello, August, I haven’t seen you here before. Is this your first time attending such an event? — Yes, I came with Jens. — He pointed to his friend. — He would like to join your organization. Anton looked at Jens and smiled pleasantly. It was clear that he was interested in both of them. “I see that you,” he turned to August again. — from a rich family. “I…” he faltered a little, because he knew that people from bourgeois families are not liked here, especially if you belong to the upper class by blood. — Yes, I come from a rich family. — Have you thought about making a military career? Soon our party will rule Germany, we could use people like you. “I’ll definitely think about it.” On this note, they parted and continued their evening in the company of young people like themselves. Augustus often looked around, but that mysterious stranger was no longer there, no matter how much he looked for her. They joined a company that was discussing exactly how promising it was to join the SS now. “We were just lucky to be born in Germany.” Hitler will become the best ruler in the entire history of the country. We will enslave the whole world. “And we will destroy the Jews and other peoples.” — Why? “August immediately realized that he had asked something wrong. Everyone turned to him. — In the book “My Struggle” he describes the racial inferiority and uselessness of other peoples. Didn’t you read it? — this question took him by surprise and, in order not to be exposed to ridicule, Augustus was forced to pretend that he also had something to do with it. — I just started reading, I haven’t reached this point yet. — Oh, well then, I see, new guy. Let’s drink so that the barons and bourgeoisie have only one thing left — get out of the country. They do not allow people to live normally. — and they ended this conversation amid laughter and jokes. Returning home on foot, he thought about conversations with the founder of the SS and with the other guys who had already joined there. Of course, August understood from the newspaper headlines that they would really rule Germany, and after reading their slogans and listening to the company a little, he really understood that if something was not done, then his family could be deprived of everything they had. He walked and replayed the phrase of one of the senior officers in his head: “Let’s drink so that the barons and the bourgeoisie have only one thing left — get out of the country. They don’t let normal people live.” Jens, of course, went in the other direction, and the feeling of loneliness, which had receded for a while, again spread through August’s soul. It consumed him, like all the inhabitants of the city, but, standing now on the silent street, he felt it all especially acutely. He was left alone. He had never been so lonely before. But now all his friends have fled in all directions. One went to Switzerland to open his own business, the second went to become a doctor, and he completely lost contact with him. The third, unable to bear unrequited love, lies under a morphine drip, and the fourth — Jens — joined the army and politics. Yes, he wanted to become a tank driver, but it’s not like he was so eager for it. Maybe he should study this topic better? In any case, if he was truly deprived of everything, he would simply have no choice. He will have to enter there. He felt that something frightening was approaching. It was approaching not only Berlin, but the whole world. But while walking on the way home, he did not understand this feeling at all, did not understand where it came from. Therefore, having driven away unnecessary thoughts and this very feeling, he simply went home. Seeing a car near the house, he became wary. Entering the house and seeing the servants running around, he stopped one. — What’s going on here, what’s all the commotion? — The gentleman feels bad, he has something wrong with his heart. We called the doctor. A moment after the uttered phrase, he rushed up the stairs, pushing aside the servants, wanting to see his father as soon as possible. But when faced with the door and his crying mother sitting next to it, he realized that things were very bad. He dropped to one knee and, taking his mother by the shoulder, shook her subtly. She looked at him. — What happened to father? “We…” speaking in a crying voice. “We were… having dinner, when suddenly he felt ill.” We immediately called a doctor. He’s examining him now. There are suspicions of a heart attack.