Chapter 6

I lay in a corner of the bed and tried to make sense. Claus was strange. I wanted to like him, and did when he wasn't under the influence of the colonel. He had an evil streak no different than the man who ironically rescued him from the brothel only to make him his private whore-boy that he discriminately loaned to other men that the colonel either wanted a favor from, or perhaps even to wage blackmail against.

Claus had mentioned that so many men came to his bedroom that he would report to the colonel exact details of what sexual acts the men were into. Claus claimed that some men only wanted to receive oral or perform anal sex, whereas others would perform oral on him or get fucked by him. Those were the men that the colonel was most interested in. The Nazi's obviously had a double standard on what constituted homosexuality. Without a doubt, the colonel was a secret one himself; still, knowledge is power, the hypocrisy notwithstanding. His motives a mystery to my young naïve friends sense of adult power games. That information only reinforced my theory that sex was indeed a double edged sword; pleasure and power.

I thought again of the innocent children's game of 'eye-spy' we played in the jeep, then I saw him holding a gun to uncle's head and tempting fate by pulling the trigger. I saw him anxious to molest my cousin, settling instead on fucking my aunt. The latter atrocity I wanted to lay blame on the Nazi for, but couldn't. I could only blame him for not interceding to protect the woman who fed him, albeit, she ended up a pawn, unfortunate collateral damage in his mind.

Claus had been very kind to me sexually. He could easily have taken advantage of me in the barn away from his handler. The thought had occurred to me when he wanted to check on the animals; instead he petted the beasts and uttered soothing words to them as he told me his sad life story.

The offer of oral sex without expectation of reciprocation took me back. Claus didn't stand to profit anything by it, on the contrary, perhaps even risked depreciating himself to me considering he wasn't being forced in any way. I mulled that over and over in my mind; there was something relevant that had to do with my relationship with the colonel. Could the boy have detected exactly what my uncle had perceived, and that what I, was beginning to sense was the colonel's odd benevolence toward his pretty boy? No obvious display of jealousy, but an adversary that Claus reasoned was one to be reckoned with for whatever his reasons?

My final thoughts before dozing off was were those of an immature fourteen year old boy stepping off a train, who was without a doubt intellectually stunted well below his physical age by pampering, well-off, protective parents; to that of a fourteen year old boy suddenly forced well beyond his years into a harsh reality of wits to survive.

I hated that rooster, never getting used to its annoying daily revelry that woke up everything avian and animal into an ill-tuned chorus of noise, all complaining to be fed. In the city it was the clippity-clop of horse hooves on the cobblestone, street vendors making their way to set up their kiosks, but at least at a reasonable hour after sunrise. Without a doubt, if ever a rooster found its way into the city it would be hunted down and strangled for disturbing the peace and end up a soup simmering on somebody's stove.

Usually what followed was a clatter of pots and pans in the kitchen, my aunt preparing breakfast, the aroma enough to drag me out of bed a short time later. Beth would be seated in her nightgown endlessly nattering about whatever was on her mind, her small boobies hinted under the material getting a tad too small for her. Nobody but me seemed to notice the petite perky nipples exposed every once in awhile depending on her movements that I was mildly curious about and beat myself up with guilt thinking about them when I played with myself.

My uncle would be busy reciting and writing out chores for me to perform over and above my usual daily doldrums, work on the farm seemed never ending and I wondered how he managed the upkeep before I arrived. Sometimes my aunt would intervene and allow Beth and I to go for a late afternoon swim in the nearby river, me clad in an old pair of my uncle's trousers that she cut off at the knees that I had to tie with a rope, Beth in proper ladies bathing attire.

There was to be no breakfast that morning, the rooster could wail all he wanted, the small house was in a shroud of silence except for the stirring of three naked forms, none of whom bothered with the bed clothes rumpled at the foot of the bed. The air was hot and damp, our bodies clammy and the unique spicy redolence of masculinity was not unpleasing to the senses.

The colonel rolled onto his back. Not having to be encouraged and without trepidation, Claus and I shared the man's cock and balls with mutual moxie, perhaps with rival enthusiasm, even. The whore-boy stole the competition by delving below the man's testicles that he held high above as he grossly laved the nether regions, his face glimmering with slick saliva. In unison, I mouthed and masturbated the very ecstatic, whimpering man, feeling pleased at myself for being a zealous contributor.

I couldn't believe my eyes when as if on cue, Claus raised the man's legs and impaled himself in the man and fucked him vigorously. The colonel yelped and immediately I tasted his warm tangy semen whichdeluged forth it rattled the man's body. His barrage of incomprehensible, throaty hoarse words I felt rest assured were well meaning, grabbing my hair in his fist only a reactionary impulse. Claus was not long until his own body shuddered and he mouthed a mix of English and Polish profanities. I envied him and began to second guess my inflated foolish notions that I held some kind of place over his homosexual boy-whore.

As we dressed, the colonel finally noticed the bruises on my back and chafed chest as I knew he would eventually. My concocted story of falling on some rocks, I discarded. When Claus was asked to interpret the cause, I saw an opportunity to find out where I stood in the man's graces and revealed that I had been raped by two of his soldiers. The man appeared ready to explode, the red and purple veins in his neck and forehead appeared pronounced as he seethed, digesting the unfathomable.

He regained his composure and asked more questions of who, where and what in a nonchalant demeanor while he primped himself into his uniform standing in front of the mirror. I regretted my selfish stupidity when the inevitable question was asked as to the whereabouts of Jon in his dutiful assignment as caregiver during my alleged rape. I hadn't thought that out, foolishly put Jon in harm's way.

I fumbled for explanation to protect Jon and claimed the one man was a sergeant, far superior to Jon, who threatened him into silence and turning a blind eye even though Jon pleaded the man to believe that I was the colonels valet which only seemed to compel the sergeant's desire even more, relaying negative opinion of the commander, I lied through my teeth.

As we passed, the curtain was open revealing an empty bed where Beth had been sleeping. Obviously, my uncle and aunt were taking no chances having the madman and his young accomplice still about the house that they perceived as a legitimate threat and removed Beth to the safety of their bedroom where the family remained cowering in fear until they heard the screen door slam and the jeep start-up. They needn't have worried; the colonel was preoccupied with something more important than breakfast being served.

Claus drove the vehicle, which irked me. Amateur at best, he fumbled with the gears needing the colonel to direct him. Jon had taught me well. I sulked in the rear seat. Halfway to base, the colonel instructed me to drive, and I gloated, mastering every gear without metallic complaint.

Jon. I had to get to him to collaborate my lies in case the colonel interrogated him, that, of which I was certain would happen and fear overwhelmed me that I would be caught in a lie and both, Jon and I would pay our own price. Him a firing squad. Me, falling from the man's grace as a liar if only to protect Jon; and subjected to becoming just another boy-whore as was Claus.

I needn't have worried. The moment we stepped into the colonel's office the major stood and saluted and with a grave seriousness relayed something to the colonel. Claus was perplexed and on the verge of tears. He told me that Jon had been severely beaten during the night and was in the infirmary under intensive care. The naked boy was discovered at dawn by two mechanics in the munitions compound, he had been sodomized with a metal pipe.

The colonel glared at me, he believed every word I said then. Through Claus, he reaffirmed the time and location of my assault, a detailed description of the men involved and then screamed orders at the bewildered man behind the desk to get duty rosters for the previous day. The man flipped pages in a binder and had the information the colonel demanded, the grid patrol location narrowed down to ten sentries.

Almost dislocating my shoulder, the colonel grabbed my arm and stormed us out the door; Claus and the man I served each morning were in hot pursuit. The enlisted men's mess was our destination. A hundred or so men and teens ate breakfast and became silent in wonder as the colonel led me by the neck aisle by aisle. No one had to tell me why.

I spotted the younger man first; he looked me in the eye and started to cry shaking uncontrollably. He was the one who pointed out my aggressor seated not five chairs away looking like death warmed up recognizing me, his eyes wide and white with blood webbing the tiny veins and his jaw flapping, unable to form words.

There would be no court martial, no trial, no plea for forgiveness. The colonel upholstered his side arm and shot the man between the eyes. I had never seen such gore. His head exploded, blood and grey matter splashed everywhere splattering the men unfortunate enough to have been close by.

He abruptly turned his attention to the younger man stricken in fear attempting to flee from his chair and before I could tell the truth to spare the man's life, the back of his head turned into a crimson mush and he fell to the floor. I felt horrible. He never raped or beat me, I lied and a young man was executed for it. I would have nightmares over that for a lifetime.

The colonel holstered his gun, put his arm around my neck and walked me away from the carnage. I was crying, sobbing heavily, telling him the truth of the other man's limited involvement that he didn't understand, Claus grabbed my arm and sneered, telling me to shut up escorting me along with the colonel away from the nightmarish scene.