Six months later, she made her way to the address of Peter’s grandmother. He had made her memorize the address and promise to go there if anything happened to him. It was almost dusk when Anna knocked on the weathered door of her destination.

Katrina opened the door and saw the young woman carrying a baby. Before she could say anything, the woman said, “I’m Anna and this is your grandson, Peter.” Katrina pulled Anna inside and tears ran down her cheeks as she hugged both of them. Anna handed her grandson to her. It had been a long time since Katrina had felt such happiness.

Anna and Katrina talked and drank weak tea until dawn and Peter wanted fed. For nearly a week, Katrina’s small house was alive with activity. Even at six months Katrina could see her son in the young infant’s face and actions. As the weeks passed, Katrina noticed her daughter-in-law looking sad when Katrina happily talked about future plans. “Anna, what’s wrong? You look so unhappy.”

“The war is not over and I must rejoin my old unit. I’m planning on leaving the day after tomorrow. You must take care of Peter. I’ll be back as soon as I can. For the first time since he was born, I feel he is safe.”

Katrina never saw Anna again. She was killed in the final assault on Berlin.

All of Barry Kelly’s novels are available in print and digital formats from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or your local bookstore. Visit www.factsandfictions.com for more by the author.