Two Boys, Two Worlds, One Heart
Moon over Berlin, Sun over Santorini: The Power of Love
August, 1983: Prologue — Pioneers and Scouts
Two boys sat a world apart, soaking up ideas as their skin soaked up intense rays of summer sun, ideas that wrapped seeds of destruction inside promises of warmth and comfort.
In Ukraine, on the sandy shores of the Black Sea, 12-year-old Dima digested his lunch, eager to escape the hot sun. He eyed the cold saltwater swishing ashore bare meters from him, wishing he were splashing in it instead of sprawling on a blanket with the other Young Pioneers.
The university student wagging his finger at them could barely compete with crashing waves and screaming gulls, but he preached with the fervor of a missionary, reedy voice cracking with passion.
Dima leaned forward, pushing sweaty blond bangs out of his eyes, captivated despite himself by the handsome young Komsomolets. Swimming forgotten, he piped up, forgetting that interrupting a leader of the Communist Youth League was very impolite.
“But why, Oleg Pavlovich?” he asked. “Why can’t they understand? Don’t they care?”
“Who can know, Dmitry?” The young man shrugged and scratched his scraggly goatee. “Who can say why the…
