The Effects of War by Richard Short

War was going to be great! It was going to cleanse the individual, the nation and the continent – if it turned into a World war then that would be cleansed too! Hurrah!That's what Pawel Hutz thought at the beginning, but after only six months (five months of that in the trenches, three months of that with his nerves burnt to cinders) he was beginning to think differently. Pawel had been excused from active service (Pawel's father Field Marshall Hutz was a big deal, he could swing anything) and he now resided in the seaside resort of Goldenhaus. Pawel was there to recuperate but he was by no means idle; a position as a clerk in a small legal firm kept him busy during the day, and at night he could spend his time thinking. From his clerk's wage Pawel paid his board to a Frau Gosslinger, who owned a large white house nested upon the cliffs overlooking the beach. Pawel Hutz occupied the attic room in Frau Gosslinger's house, the ground floor room being occupied by another Hero of the War, the cripple Wilhelm Weiss. The first and second floor belonged to Frau Gosslinger, who was still quite wealthy following her husband's untimely death (the house was spilling over with brave men!). Pawel's room contained everything one could wish for; a radio, a kettle, a bed and a bookshelf, a lamp, a pillow, a table and a window. The only problem was that Pawel Hutz could not stand up straight in this room, he was over six feet tall and the room was barely 5'10"; 5' 5" where the slope was. Wilhelm Weiss however stood less than four feet in his wheelchair – and his ceiling was ten feet tall! It didn't take a genius to work out that this was an odd set of circumstances. Pawel didn't begrudge Wilhelm Weiss his ceiling, a Hero has earned himself some luxury after all, but he did think it a waste and one day he decided to speak with Frau Gosslinger over lunch about a new arrangement. "Hutz! Can you help me here?" asked Wilhelm Weiss, who had bunched up the hall carpet with his wheels and now couldn't proceed to the dining room. "Yes, certainly" answered Pawel, but before he could give Wilhelm a push he saw Frau Gosslinger in the adjoining room and called out to her, moving towards the kitchen and leaving Wilhelm bumping up against the carpet edge with a red face.Pawel Hutz and Frau Gosslinger were deep in conversation by the time that Wilhelm Weiss rolled up to the table. "Can you pass the salt please Hutz?""What? .. oh, yes, here you are" and Pawel passed Wilhelm the pepper."The salt please Hutz""Hhm - what? .. Oh yes, here you are".The conversation continued between Pawel Hutz and Frau Gosslinger and Wilhelm Weiss continued to irritate them with his requests. By the end of the meal Frau Gosslinger had agreed that Wilhelm Weiss would be better off in the attic room. "I mean, I just think it makes sense really" said Pawel clearing his plate into the bin, "Absolutely, absolutely" agreed Frau Gosslinger.So Wilhelm Weiss was dragged to the third floor, which involved much effort by Frau Gosslinger and Pawel Hutz, so much so that it hardly seemed worth it, and there Wilhelm made his home for three months. After the third month Wilhelm was taken into a sanatorium, his mental state having become quite fragile - but that is what War does to people.