The Girl In Striped Pyjamas- COMPLETED. (Short Story)

Otto's P.O.V.

This is written in third person mainly because I think I write better like that, but it's still in Otto's perspective. You should probably read the normal version of the story first to understand everything, but please do enjoy/read/comment/vote/tweet/facebook! :) Read the epilogue after if you haven't already.

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Bittersweet love

The only thing guranteed in life is death. Certainly not a gurantee is love, though this is what many people are in pursuit of; what many people spend the entirety of their existence searching for. Of course, this as false a search as it is looking for a unicorn- both cease to exist. A myth. Many delude themselves into believing in it just as kids delude themselves into believing in Santa. You'd think this a cruel way to address the world, but once you become aquainted with the story of Gretchen, you'd this the previous paragraph is an understatement.

Her innocent story began in Munich in 1943. The fact Germany was undergoing a monstrous time was left unbeknownst by young Gretchen. She was merely the age of fourteen, though clearly her naivity lowered her mental maturity by years. You could blame her father for censoring all information ever directed to her, however blaming is a useless action. It neither provides a solution to the problem, nor can it alter time in order for you to travel back and change the course of actions. 

The young man who was appointed the blame in the end was named Otto. He thought it lucky when he was promoted to working for the Reichsmarschall- Gretchen's father, Alfred. He'd thanked the Fuhrer with a 'Heil Hitler'. Clearly in the times where many struggled to survive, including the 'superior nation' themselves, having an adequate job was more than enough for a reason to live. This was especially vital for Otto as he'd been a lone solider; simultaneously both army-wise and family-wise. Otto was oblivious to where his father and sister were. He had no contact with them since he had been called up for training, although he was consented to send letters home. He refused contact with them for the simple, primary reason, he didn't know what to say. This was as a result of the fact Otto's mother was taken away for feeding a starving Jew in hiding. And it was because of Otto that she got caught; he had been to the one to tell the Party. Which, you could guess, is the reason for his sudden high ranking postion. 

The first predicament that saw the two young Germans interact was in an unpredicted situation. Gretchen had knocked on Alfred's door where Otto was standing by his side. It was obvious that she'd been instructed by her mother to report to Alfred something along the lines of family antics. Otto didn't care for what the young girl said, he was merely astonished by the girl herself. Although his description of her would never compare to the description she had of him,  he was amazed at even noticing the beauty of this girl. It was rare of him to actually observe any features of anybody from the female gender- he was far from the most observant person. To be fair, Otto had not been in very much contact with women so had a lack of knowledge about their characteristics, needs and desires. However, it could be argued that Gretchen was far from a 'woman'. 

He watched her speak apprehensively. Her words were timid and shy, much like her personality. Gretchen's eyes met Otto's and in that split second, he saw fear ablaze in them. Quickly, she shot her line of view elsewhere whilst awkwardly shuffling her feet around. It was obvious she had an immense amount of respect for her father as she addressed him respectfully. Otto smiled to himself because of the mannerisms of this girl, she was one of the most respective people he had ever had the chance to meet. 

"Thank you Gretchen, now hop off downstairs," Alfred instructed. After being dismissed by her father, the girl left the room slowly. Otto nodded his head at the girl's name: Gretchen. For some reason, he thought it had a certain spark to it.