Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief - by Katrina Nannestad

noisily. They are all waiting for my answer. Hoping for any answer. But I don’t speak. I haven’t spoken for months. Not since I woke up here in the Red Army hospital in Berlin. Sergeant Stepanov waves his remaining hand in the air. ‘Ah, it’s nothing, young Sasha. After four years of war, I am so used to sleeping on sticks and straw and dirt that I can hardly bear to feel my head sinking into something as soft as feathers. Even so, I don’t think you should go around stabbing at things in the dark. That knife might have missed the pillow and sliced something off my body. And honestly, I can’t afford to lose another hand.’ ‘Or buttock!’ calls a voice from across the ward. ‘He won’t have anything left to sit on!’ shouts another. ‘Shut up!’ cries a third. ‘It’s the middle of the night! I need my beauty sleep.’ ‘They’re right,’ says Nurse Irena. ‘All of these soldiers need their rest so they can recover from their injuries. It’s time you slept, too, Sergeant Stepanov. And you, Sasha.’ She and Nurse Sophie tuck me in from both sides. They pull and tug and tuck as hard as they can. I think they’re hoping the sheets will pin me down so I can’t escape again. Nurse Irena leans forward and presses her lips to my forehead. Nurse Sophie wiggles her fingers in a baby wave. Sergeant Stepanov winks. And then they are gone.

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