PHOTO PROMPT © Dale Rogerson

Karl and Emma held hands as they walked toward their secret meeting place in back of an abandoned house. The two teenagers lived in a terrible place and time, but love always emerges strongest in youth.

“What are you doing?” Emma giggled as Karl stopped suddenly. He let go of her hand and cupped the red blossom peeking through the gray boards.

“It reminds me of how much I love our country,” he answered.

“Love our country?” An indignant Emma took a step back. “With that maniac in charge, that dictator?”

“I said I loved Germany, not Hitler,” he replied.

This is a rare second installment in this week’s Friday Fictioneers hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. It was prompted by numerous commentaries on social media yesterday regarding the celebration of America’s 250th Independence Day.

A number of fine folks said they had nothing to celebrate and would not be either posting images of our flag or flying it from their homes because of the disaster President Trump has made of the nation.

I’ve been a registered voter for over fifty years. Presidents come and go but America stands. Another way of saying it is “I love my country but don’t trust my government.” Especially as I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to understand what that means regardless of which party is in power at the moment.

Yes, I’m sure it was possible for Germans to still love their country under Nazism. Even during Hitler’s reign, people had a choice as to whether or not to join the Fascists.

Okay, you could be forced to make a public acknowledgement but that wouldn’t change what you truly believed. Fortunately in Trump’s America, teenagers like Karl can’t actually be forced to join whatever might be the equivalent (if it exists) to today’s Hitler Youth.

Just a reminder that you don’t have to throw out the baby with the bathwater, so to speak.

As always, read more stories based on the above photo prompt or submit your own at inlinkz.

Oh, Rosen Tantau or Tantau Roses is a renowned German rose breeding company founded by Mathias Tantau Sr. in 1906. Based in Uetersen, Germany, it is one of the world’s most prominent rose farms, celebrated for developing classic, innovative, and disease-resistant garden and greenhouse cut roses.

These roses pre-date Hitler but are uniquely German.