Peter und Lutz Eine Erzählung mit sechzehn Holzschnitten von Frans Masereel

An eighteen‑year‑old named Peter finds himself suffocating in a packed underground carriage, the darkness of the tunnel pressing against his skin as the war that has haunted Europe for four years seeps into his thoughts. The cramped, stale air and the relentless clatter of the train mirror his own inner turmoil—a mix of fear, helplessness and the aching need to escape a world that seems to be crushing him from every side.

Amid the chaos, a young woman steps aboard, her delicate features briefly illuminated by a stray shaft of light. In that fleeting instant Peter feels an unexpected calm, as if her presence momentarily shields him from the surrounding madness. The brief encounter offers a fragile glimpse of tenderness, but the crowded carriage soon erupts again, reminding him that the shadows of war and uncertainty are never far behind.