The Boy I Never Knew

This is a moving story about a shy, sensitive child and an old man who lost his young son during World War II. Eight-and-a-half year old Gilly is hiding a terrible secret. At his previous school, he had a bad stomach upset and messed his pants during class. All the children made fun of him, causing him terrible emotional anguish. His parents decide to move and register Gilly at a new school. One day Gilly runs into his neighbor, Sasha, recently retired. He is surprised that Sasha, who has difficulty walking, is the father of twins – his gifted brother Ronny’s best friends. From Ronny, he finds out that Sasha’s legs are weak because when the Germans invaded Russia during World War II, he hid in a cellar and spent an entire night with his legs in ice cold water. Now his legs have gotten worse and the doctor has suggested that Sasha exercise them regularly.

Gilly grows close to Sasha, and goes on short walks with him; they find a place of their own to sit and rest. Finally, the two share their deepest secrets. Gilly tells Sasha about the “incident,” and Sasha tells him about his young son from his first marriage. After Sasha lost his wife during the war, he and his son hid in a cellar, which slowly filled with ice cold water. When they left the next morning, his son was shot before his eyes. “You remind me of my son,” Sasha tells Gilly, and at that moment Gilly feels a certain closeness to the young boy he never knew.