Chapter 1: Prologue
20th July, 1956. 1710 hours – Munich, West Germany
The low rumble of cars could be heard inside the florist shop as they drove past, a gentle blur of different colours moving past the shop window as men and women alike walked along the pavement. Some of the men in business suits, holding their briefcases strode briskly along. Women, donned in office attire, chatted enthusiastically as the familiar sights of workers leaving after a days work began once more.
The shop itself was a rather small, but cosy space; its interior decorated with different kinds and types of flowers and plants alike along the windows as well as outside, encompassing the shop with a multitude of bright, vibrant colours. A woman with dark brown, shoulder length hair stood behind the counter counting the money in the till, as another colleague, slightly shorter and with dark blonde hair tied up in a bun walked around the shop, taking inventory. Both women wore a green apron over their clothing, with the former in a light blue striped buttoned down blouse and dark blue jeans.
"Make sure the balance is correct, okay?" Stated the blonde with a small smile as she walked back towards the counter.
The brunette smiled faintly. "When have I ever balanced the cashier wrong, Brigitte?" She asked, writing the balance on a piece of paper, before shutting the cash drawer. "I've just checked, we're neither over nor short, so we should be good."
Brigitte nodded quickly as she walked towards the door and changed the sign from 'open' to 'closed'. "Alright, I guess that's our work done for this week. Remember that we have a few orders to fulfil for next week, so we need to ensure our stock is resupplied next Monday." She gestured to the door, before opening it. "Shall we get going?"
The other woman nodded slowly. "Give me a few minutes, I need to sort something out." She replied. The blonde smiled in understanding, and walked outside, standing in wait just outside the shop.
Alone inside, Maho walked around the now empty shop, gazing at the bouquets of flowers that were displayed around her. She took off her apron and hung it on the stand behind the till, taking her time to focus on the colourful sights and sweet aromas of the flower shop around her. She always had an affinity for flowers and nature; ever since she was a young girl, she always enjoyed the sights and smells of different flowers, fascinated by the vibrant assortment of colour, shapes and types. It was a world away from her previous occupation and was a chance for her to reconnect with the beautiful things in life that she once took for granted. Until now, she had found it somewhat difficult to re-adjust into normal civilian life after the war. She had returned to the hometown where she grew up in, Munich, and had attempted to find a life for herself there. Working several jobs over the years, it was only now, working as an assistant to the florist, did she finally feel she had regained a sense of belonging within civilian life. She slowly picked up a bouquet of white lilies, and added a single dark crimson rose to the bouquet. Maho quickly deposited the money required into the cash drawer and amended the balance on the paper, before joining Brigitte outside the shop.
Upon seeing the bouquet of flowers Maho held in her hand, the former looked at the brunette with an air of compassion, and a small, warm yet comforting smile crossed her features. "I'll see you on Monday, Maho." Brigitte spoke softly, gently placing her hand on the latters' shoulder as Maho gave her a small nod, before locking the door to the shop and slowly walking down the street and turning left.
Maho watched as Brigitte headed down one way, before turning around and heading the opposite direction, her arms gently cradling the bouquet of flowers. She kept on going, occasionally looking at a car that sped down the main road, as well as weaving from side to side to avoid bumping into the many people that were walking towards her. Quickly glancing at her watch, she soon arrived at a crossroads. Upon crossing over to the other side, she continued onwards; large, grown trees behind a small, white wall with their branches and leaves overhanging on the right hand side creating a gentle, cooling shade which extended down the entire length of the road as she walked down, before stopping at an opening in the wall which was flanked by two white stone arches either side. A small plaque on one of the arches read "Waldfriedhof München".
As she walked down the entrance, the paved road slowly gave way to gravelled pathway, flanked either side by large dense woodland trees, with the branches and leaves stretching up and to the side. The sound of the city soon gave way to birdsong, and the gentle creaking and rustling of the leaves and branches as a soft breeze blew through them.
Maho instinctively looked up, attempting to find the bird that chirped so carefree and beautifully as the sun overhead cast a gentle shadow upon the multiple branches of maple, elm, pine, and sycamore trees that surrounded her. The coarse crunch of the gravel beneath her shoes as she walked juxtaposed to the calming, peaceful sounds, and sights around her. A quick look to her left and right however reminded Maho where she was; either side, dotted in between the trees were gravestones of all kinds. Some were relatively new, others not so new; the writing barely visible under the flora and fauna growing on the unkept gravestones.
The small smile on her face slowly faded as she continued on through, following the gravel pavement as she gazed on the path in front of her. The path led back out of the cemetery as Maho crossed the road and entered a separate area. Here, the dense woodland trees gave way to a flat, well-kept grass clearing, with the trees now in the background, the green leaves gently moving in the breeze. The gravel path was replaced with a stone cobble, with some moss growing in the cracks here and there. A low, stone wall surrounded the entire area as the brunette continued forwards. The path soon gave way to a small body of water which ran along the entire length of the grounds, separating one part from another, with a small, intricate stone pathway laid across for people to cross before returning to a gravel path, with two large grass laden ground on either side.
Maho slowly walked across the pathway, as her eyes swept across the grassy ground in front of her. Row upon row of small, square gravestones which barely rose above the ground more than a couple inches lay on either side, with a long lavender bush on either side. On the left side lay a large stone cross. She sighed quietly. She had arrived.
Walking down the left side, she passed several rows of gravestones before walking along a specific row. Some had names on them, whilst others simply were written "Unbekannt". She continued on for a little while, before stopping at the penultimate gravestone of the row. The gravestone, like all others, was simply designed. Engraved with a name, a small cross below it, and the date of birth and death. Maho sighed, kneeling slowly as she held the bouquet of flowers in her arms, her eyes fixated on the gravestone. She could feel the beating of her heart quicken, her breaths becoming shallower and ragged. She closed her eyes, attempting to quell the tears in her eyes, but they soon ran freely, each drop falling onto the lilies and the crimson rose as her body trembled with each breath she took. Memories began to flood into her mind, the horrors and nightmares of what she had seen in the years prior began to fill her senses once more.
The sight of mutilated, burning and charred human bodies.
The putrid scent of burning flesh, skin and bones.
The sickly, sweet metallic tang of blood running down the street and out of every orifice imaginable.
Events of the war began to play out around her, the sights and sounds rushing into her eyes and ears as she scrunched her eyes, attempting to silence the noise growing within her. She held the bouquet of flowers tightly, cradling it like a new-born child as she quietly mouthed a singular sentence repeatedly with tears falling onto her cheeks as she did so.
"I'm sorry…"
Notes:
Well, well. It's been just under a year when I finished "The Panzer Diaries: Great Britain", after taking a long time (1-2 years if not more from its previous chapter update) to write its final chapter. At the time I said that I was not sure whether a new Panzer Diary would come out after that one, but would keep my options open.
And yet here we are, the final Panzer Diary has begun. The third and final installment of "The Panzer Diaries" series. I had honestly debated on whether to start this third installment, given that the pressures of life and job hunting is good at preventing meaningful progress to be achieved at times. However, I do wish to give the readers of the first two Panzer Diaries (and potential newcomers to the series too) a final installment to close off the trilogy, and to bring the story to a meaningful conclusion. Hopefully with this piece, I can be able to do so. For those who have seen the first two pieces, welcome back, and to those who are reading this who have not read the first two fics in the series, a warm welcome to you :) I hope that you (both old and newcomers alike) will enjoy this work.
As mentioned in the description, I am also happy to announce that this is a joint venture between LisaEichwald21 and I, who helped and will continue to help with research and will co-author this final installment with me.
A slight forewarning on the update schedule of this fic. It will most likely not be regular updates. Pressures of life means I don't have much time to write, let alone consistently update. A new chapter will come out, but it will not be on a regular timescale. However, I will make it an effort to update when I can, and will complete this story. It might just take a while, so hope you will stick around for the long ride :) With that being said, I have already written the first 3 chapters, which will be out in conjunction with this one.
Stay safe all of you,
Deathvoltz
LisaEichwald21
Translations for German words/dialogue will be posted below. (Sorry if they are not accurate; I do not speak, nor learn German.)
"Waldfriedhof München" = Munich Forest Cemetry
"Unbekannt" = Unknown
As always, any reviews with constructive critism would be welcome.
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