Hi, Thomas here. You're listening to a preview episode. You can enjoy the entire story

tonight by subscribing to our supporters' feed. There you'll get access to the entire

back catalogue, bonus episodes, and more, and it's all completely ad-free. Click the link

below to learn more. And thank you so so much. Me and the team really appreciate your

support.

As he watched the white clouds drift slowly by, Ferdinand thought about all he had achieved

in his career. He'd spent much of it working with the German military, which had afforded

him many opportunities. Like the clouds that passed overhead, he had travelled all over

the world. He'd even made it across the ocean to America, where he served as an official

observer with the Union Army during the Civil War.

But now, in early retirement, Ferdinand felt as if there was still so much more to do,

as if he had yet to fulfil his life's true potential. The sound of laughter brought Ferdinand

out of his daydream and back to where he stood in the garden. He turned to see his 11-year-old

daughter, Helena, or hella for short, running gleefully through the hall toward him.

In her hands, she held a bright yellow kite. It was a gift from her uncle, given to her

during a recent trip to Berlin. She was excited as she told her father that finally, the weather

was perfect for flying a kite. Ferdinand smiled at her, agreeing that it certainly seemed

like a good day for it. With that, hella took her father's hand.

As they walked across the neatly cropped grass, Ferdinand thought of his own childhood,

here at the manor house, that was his ancestral home. The ground house was located high on

a hill, surrounded by open fields that stretched as far as the eye could see. In the distance

was a large forest where he would often go to play with his brother and sister. And just

...