Journal of "The Man"

First of all, I don’t really mind living. In fact, I’d rather choose death over life from the kind of treatment I’m getting here. It’s a pain, but I’m used to it. From all the time I’d been here, I can take whatever punishment they decide to give me. I don’t care at all. My life isn’t nearly as important as the young one’s is. He carried such a resemblance to Edith. Her eyes, colour of hair and personality, always determined, yet cautious. It is more of a pain watching that boy every day compared to the beatings they give me. There is no point any more, as my pride and spirit are already broken, but I must make sure the young fellow’s isn’t. That’s more important to me than anything since I already lost Edith. I just have to help this boy get home to Denmark. Just have to.

He is a lucky one, you see. He was supposed to be killed along with his father when Edith escaped. She felt so hopeless at the time, her whole family was caught to be killed, so she thought. Now I am a prisoner here, once a guard, because I helped Edith get away.

 I don’t regret it.

She was my love at the time. I’d rather be killed and tortured than see her being killed. Now she lives in sorrow in Denmark, still grieving over her husband and son, one who is still alive but without her knowing. But as I said before, her son is abandoned and punished but still has his pride and dignity left. He is just a child! Me, as an adult, I still have tears streaming down my cheeks as I get whipped, but an innocent child tortured like that I will not tolerate. Yes, I had said I wasn’t afraid or nervous when the cruelty begins, but I had never said that made the pain unbearable.

I was young at that time; it was about 10 years ago! But I would’ve done the same thing I did then. I’m not calling myself a hero of some sort, but if it weren’t for me, Edith would have been killed by now. Now I must help Edith’s son too, so she has some part of her family left. I must tell him the directions out of this death camp and into the real world, with a bundle in the bushes that I had left especially for him. Edith’s family must be preserved, at least her son, that is.

When speaking to him I must act casual, so he does not suspect me in any way. After all, he is a clever boy and might think I planned a trap for him. It is his destiny to live with Edith, not mine. I could easily cross the fence and escape from here, but I have no life to live much more, as they will kill me soon. So with my directions and the boy’s clever mind, he will get out of this camp and into the real life. From there, it is none of my business.