"You should not become so angry about the card games we played, Karl. Your winning or losing were not that important. I did not really mean that you will never be married, my dear".

Having lost all five games of Old Maid cards had not been pleasant for Karl, a man priding himself on his abilities as an administrator in an intelligence unit in service of "The Third Reich". His friend Laurie had tormented Karl. "You're the old maid, Karl!!" she had cackled, laughed, and exclaimed loudly. "You will never be married, Karl. You'll be a lonely, old bachelor and have no children or grandchildren for company when you grow old. You're so stupid that you never win; not even in a game as simple as old maid. There's something wrong with you, Karl!! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha"!

That the games Karl and Laurie had played were not important was certainly an accurate assessment of that situation. World War II was about to end in defeat for "The Third Reich". From the East were advancing the Russians, and from the Wast came hoards of English and their allies. There was a race between armies, airforces,and their awesome weaponry. Who would be first to reach Berlin? Americans had not yet reached the Elbe but were reported to have been less than fifty miles. Berlin was, at least for a time, quiet in anticipation of those unwanted visitors.

Gathered within that dark and noisy place beneath brick structures on the Earth's surface were the people. On and on continued blaring background music and the singing of those traditional songs that had rallied the German people into a sense of loyalty to "The Reich". Along with loud conversation, dim lights, shadows made ghostly figures of those