(essay)

“Dear St. Nicholas,
It has been snowing for a long time outside the window, but I can hear the hail coming. I used to hear hail only in spring and summer. It’s also different because of that hail my mom didn’t cry. And now, every time there is hail, my mom presses me very, very hard and starts to cry. I don’t want her to cry.

And I don’t want my dad to be sad. He said that he lost his brother in the war, and now he is very sad because of this. I don’t know what it means to lose a brother. But once I lost my sister Nastya on the playground and burst into tears. I was afraid that I would never see her again.
I don’t want to be scared. And I don’t want dad to be scared. And mom. And Nastya.
You don’t have to give me anything. It would be better if you could take away our fears. Please.
Sincerely,
Misha”

This letter was brought to me by a soldier from my detachment with the words: “This is a reminder that our children must live in peace.” He brought it from the house, the inhabitants of which I ordered to be shot. According to my information, the Nazis were hiding there. I can’t understand how things have changed since I moved out here. I lost my brother in the war too…

P. S. My nephew’s name was Misha. My niece was called Nastya.