Yup, that ending definitely caught me by surprise. An excellent story, and it was nice to see things from a different point of view than we usually encounter.

Unique, lovely, and rich in detail with a brilliantly sustained atmosphere. This story has a calm, peaceful feeling to it, not quite melancholy and not quite nostalgia - if you'll pardon me being a little abstract here, it gives me the sense of looking over a quiet lake in wintertime and reflecting on life. I actually read the follow-up to this story first, by mistake, so the element of surprise wasn't here for me, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading it nonetheless. One of my favorite stories from you.

Well, nicde little O'Henry twist there at the end. I wonder what the POW Langenscheidt would think of Karl's turning a blind eye to the things going on in Stalag 13, and getting drunk in Paris while his "prisoners" do all sorts of things that they're not supposed to?

Just found this: I wasn't online much in February and didn't see it. It's a lovely short piece, nice slice-of-life approach. Great sensory details in the opening paragraphs set the stage well: I can see and feel that cold twilight. The story gives a very good sense of the monotony of camp life for the guards as well as prisoners, and you portray Langenscheidt's mixed feelings about his posting very well. The reference to the North African campaign, with its greater glory but greater dangers for the men serving in it is a nice way of underscoring his feelings that he should be doing more (especially to impress his girlfriend), yet his sense of reprieve in having the dull but safe job in Stalag 13 rings true. Nice assessment of the general interaction between the guards and the prisoners in the camp-again, Langenscheidt's relief at their apparent docility seems genuine, and suggests why he is willing to not look harder for problems that might rock the boat. And the situational irony of the ending works as a perfect conclusion!

Wow, great twist and lovely story. Loved the quiet, slow beginning and the very-well done description. Every word moved towards establishing your atmosphere - perfect! The note about the German-surnamed POWs really adds to the theme of your story, which climaxes in the subtle and profound twist ending. Great job!

I love this story! I think people often forget about the German POWs in the war. It's nice that you've been able to work another prisoner's perspective into this. A great idea. Wish I'd thought of it. :)

That's sweet. A nice portrayal of Karl. I think every viewer gets the impression that the character wants peace, just like the prisoners.

I love the uniqueness of this story! It's very well done! :D Poor thing about Langenscheidt's cousin though, but the US treated their prisoners VERY well, so he's probably doing alright. I would love to more if you wanted to extend it! :D

Very nice doing this from the German point of view, especially the bit about Langenscheidt's cousin. (Historical trivia to work into a story someday: the reason lasagna is so common in Scotland today is because many Italian POWs were sent to Scotland, and stayed there after the war.)

Oh, I wish you'd have continued this one as a series of letters between Karl and his cousin.

I LOVED the surprise ending. Bravo!

Very good work; atmospheric, a little melancholy and a convincing look at a character we don't see much of in the series. You've found an unusual approach, and done very well with it.

I liked all of the chapters but I do have to say, this last one was my favorite. The ending really surprised me. I'd like to see more of these.

A unique and unusual look at the "other" POWs that we don't see. Excellent writing as always.:)

woo Hoo! Say yea to the UP, eh!

Sorry, got carried away there, eh. Nice to see the story from a different POV. Thanks.