This story is based on the song "stille nacht" form the flemish war musical 14-18

24 December 1914

Kurt was riling all over his body. The night had fallen hours ago and the cold was biting his skin but, he was defending his fatherland.
His fatherland be damned. He had seen so many horrible things happen. For example.
He had seen his own brother be killed, he lost all but 1 of his friends and why where they still here in the first place? 3 weeks they said. They had to go to the battlefield for 3 weeks and the war would be over.

But today It was Christmas eve and he had long lost the time. Why where they planning on attacking on Christmas day in the first place? Kurt never believed in God or Jesus. But he has learned that Christmas is a day of peace. The thing is if you celebrate Christmas. You're in your house with the whole family and it's nice, but when you're on the front. It's just a very cold night.

Kurt was on watch duty and had to climb a few sports of the ladder every now and then so his eyes popped over the edge of the wall made of sandbags. His best friend Fons had fallen asleep a long time ago and now he was just kind of sitting there. He saw that a French soldier that was on watch duty for his division was almost falling asleep. He would go over there and wake him but then he would be visible for the Germans and you never know what they are planning or who is watching him.

It must have been round midnight when he heard a voice from the other side of the walls. First he wasn't very sure if the voice was really there or if it was just his mind that was tricking him. After being in war for so long nothing surprises Kurt anymore. The voice was so clear though. It was such a clear voice that the guy must have been a singer before he was a soldier. Kurt decided to take the risk and he looked over the wall. There really was passing a German Soldier through nobody's land. Kurt looked at his right where the French soldier was now rubbing his eyes.

When the soldier walked passed Kurt, he could see that he was not carrying his musket with him. He also saw that the soldier must have put on his best coat because he looked way warmer than Kurt was at the moment. The soldier was now standing in the middle of the field and Kurt couldn't just sit there so he climbed on top of the wall. His sergeant had been woken up from the commotion and he started shouting at Kurt but the Flemish soldier was too fazed by the singing of the German soldier that he jumped from the wall and walked through nobody's land.

The soldier never heard Kurt approaching because he was surprised when Kurt continued the song but then in Flemish and for a second he was sure that the only people on the whole front where the 2 of them.

Well it literally was a second because they both turned their heads when the French soldier sung a French verse of the song. Before they knew it a British soldier had joined them too. It was just too special to be real. But it was real.

They sung the chorus together and the German soldier stuck his hand out. Kurt looked behind him and saw the soldiers of his division standing on the wall.

He turned his attention on the soldier again and he accepted the hand. His hands were much warmer than Kurt's. Probably from the warm coat.

The German soldier had folded his second warm hand around the almost frozen hand from Kurt. Every division located in the area was now standing around the 2 men. When the song ended it even started snowing. Kurt would have freaked out by now because snow melts and then freezes you in but he was not panicking when the other soldier was warming his hands.

It was silent and everyone was looking at the 2 sergeants that were standing in front of each other. "Truce for the day?" The German soldier asked. Kurt's sergeant nodded and shook the outreached hand. "Merry Christmas" he said.

The German soldier let go of Kurt's hand and pointed to himself "Blaine" he said with a German accent.

Kurt nodded and pointed to himself. "Kurt" he said.