VICTOR AND THE SCARRED HAND

Petra Hadžidaova
Aug 4
3 min read

Autumn was slowly starting to set in, bringing with it a chilly wind. Leaves were beginning to fall, blown away from their roots where they grew. And with it came a whisper of many voices. “Do you know that new neighbor down the street?”

A newcomer has disturbed the community where our little Victor lives. Buzzing words were spreading around fast. “Did you see his hand?” was the question of the week.

Victor caught snippets of their conversations every once in a while, but failed to understand the big fuss. That is, until his buddy came to him that afternoon with an intriguing story.

Victor was hanging out at the ballpark, just throwing some balls at the wall, waiting for his buddy. The weather was just perfect, warm enough yet not too warm. Every once in a while, the sun hid behind the clouds, and a gush of cool wind would sweep through the air. Today would have been a perfect day to play some ball. Instead, though, Victor was going to get a far more wholesome experience and firsthand storytelling.

His friend arrived with excitement gracing his face. Forgoing greetings, he went straight for the neck, so to speak. “Have you heard about the new guy in town? Some say he is part of the mafia.”

“Mafia?” thought Victor. “Yeah. That is why he is missing two of his fingers on his right hand. Do you think it is true?” continued his friend. “I do not know,” answered Victor, startled by the information.

“Hey, I got an idea. Let’s snoop around a bit. We could go to his house at night and observe him. Maybe we find some info,” his friend added enthusiastically, all proud of his amazing idea. “I do not know. I think we should leave the man alone.” Victor alarmingly tried to persuade his friend to abort his plan.

“Oh, come on. We won’t be found out. Besides, if he is a criminal, then we would be doing our neighborhood a good deed,” concluded his buddy. ‘A good deed?’ His friends' warped conclusion and Victor’s hidden intrigue silenced the voice telling Victor that this may not be the right idea.

While playing catch and discussing baseball, Victor couldn’t help but be distracted by the upcoming mission they would embark on. There was something eerie about that man. Everyone noticed it.

Evening was slowly approaching, and both Victor and Charlie had dinner to attend. But they planned to meet after 9 in front of Charlie's house. Without much of a problem, they both managed to sneak out of the house and gather as appointed. Their great mission officially began.

While walking to their destination, guilt began to gnaw at our little Victor, who kept pushing it away. They were just about to find a safe spot to observe Mr. Krieger when a voice behind them stopped them in their tracks. It was Mr. Krieger himself. “What are you two boys up to?” His voice cut sharply and authoritatively.

Charlie bolted and managed to make a run for it, not stopping at the loud “Hey”, from Mr. Krieger. Victor, on the other hand, froze. ‘So much for survival instincts’, he thought to himself. He turned slowly to Mr. Krieger to find a tense face staring back at him. Nothing more could Victor read on his face. He looked to the ground and waited for whatever was coming. But nothing came. He looked back up and noticed Mr. Krieger was looking at him with a puzzled look on his face.

“What are you here for, kiddo?” he asked calmly. Looking down once more, Victor quietly said, “We wanted to know more about you.”

“You and the whole town. Didn’t your mother teach you snooping is not okay?” he commented, then added, “Well, since you're here, come inside for some tea.”

Feeling way too guilty and frightened to not obey, Victor found himself inside Mr. Krieger’s house. Sitting in front of the television, Victor spent the hour listening to the life story of Mr. Krieger, a war veteran who lost his fingers because of a bomb.

Walking back home, Victor mulled over the events of the day. He really should not have believed the gossip about Mr. Krieger. Gossip is a sin, to begin with, and today Victor realized why. He wondered if God was behind them being caught. After all, this experience taught him a lesson he will never forget.

For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.

Hebrews 12:6-7 NKJV.

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