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Once I realized what was going on, believe me, I wanted to drop out. I mean, who would ever want to be a part of that? To be remembered throughout history as that kind of a man? And not even a man at that. I was only nineteen at the time, only years older than the youngest daughter, whom I accidentally began to affectionately refer to as Anna. It was a stupid idea. It grew an attachment, and that was the one thing this job did not require.

For the most part, the family kept to themselves. The girls hung out together outside and giggled and gossiped away while the mother and father said around the house, resigned to their silence and occasionally speaking to one another. The boy was stuck to the mother's side like glue. He was a small kid. Kind of a brat though. 

They had been here for almost a year in captivity. As the resident soldiers on duty, we were supposed to keep an eye on them. Some of the older guys, though, made little exceptions when it came to the older daughters breaking the rules. I couldn't blame them. They were all beautiful.

Even Anna.

I say 'even' because she turned out to be a real clown at times. She was overdramatic and yet humorous in certain situations. And she was quite smart. She read to me a poem by a man named Robert Browning called Evelyn Hope. Her explanation of the poem afterwards, though morbid, was interesting to hear. She didn't appear at all phased that her family was in this house against their will.

It's not our fault as soldiers. We're just following orders. 

I bonded with Anna a lot over the weeks. She let me play with her sister's dog, even though her sister would probably frown at the idea of one of "those soldiers" touching anything that belonged to her. In return, I let Anna grab extra pieces of bread from the kitchen to feed to her little brother, who was apparently quite weak with hunger and other sicknesses. 

Never, not once did I yell at her or raise my voice, even when she did stupid things. Once she tried opening a window on the second floor of the house, complaining of the heat. Nobody realized at the time that one of the guards outside would think that she was trying to escape, and so the guard shot at her with his rifle. He missed her by only inches.

It wasn't his fault as a soldier. He was just following orders.

And Anna never opened a window again.

It was in the beginning of July when I finally gathered the courage to kiss Anna for the first time. I was walking her back from the kitchen to her shared bedroom when I leaned over and kissed her cheek.

Anna turned and smiled at me. "I think you meant to do this," she said, and kissed my surprised lips.

From then on I knew I had gone too far. I had not only befriended the captive, but fallen for her. 

God, I was an idiot.

But that didn't stop me. Little by little I found ways of showing my affection for Anna without outwardly admitting it. I left her little flowers at the foot of her bed in the mornings. I'd save a piece of cake " served only to soldiers and guards " for her enjoyment. I went into town and bought better soap for her and her sisters to use; the one they had been using was crudely made. I doted on her and tried to make her life in imprisonment at least a little bit easier for her. 

All of that ended on one summer night.

One wretched, horrifying, God-awful summer night.

Reviews

[compositionc]

That was amazing.
You spelling, Grammar, and word usage was spot on. It was kind of a sad tale about two people, in love, on opposite sides of the wall.
Nice.

[Jazique]

Your spelling, grammar, and punctuations were pretty good and for your writing it was interesting as of sad of two people on the opposite of each others world. Well done.

[Shallowed]

I can see that you have the talents to become a very good writer. Why don't you go and try to hit the big time?

[Snickers]

Really really good I liked it, is the main a boy or girl lolz, but I really liked it.