x During the arrest of Sasha’s dad, his briefcase is seized. Sasha’s letter to Stalin is found inside. What else is inside? A bar of soap. Two pairs of clean socks. Fresh underwear. Warm undershirt. A pair of long johns. No one is surprised. With nighttime arrests a constant threat, even innocent people keep suitcases packed with spare things in the event they are taken to prison.

x Daily this car carries Sasha’s dad to his dangerous work as a secret policeman. Like all State Security vehicles the car is painted black. Such cars are nicknamed Black Ravens and are used to arrest enemies of the people. Soon so many enemies of the people need to be arrested Black Ravens are not large enough. The secret police adds vans. To keep the mass arrests secret, the vans are painted in bright colors to resemble fruits, vegetables, meats, and bakery delivery vehicles.

x During a celebration in the Kremlin, Comrade Stalin personally pins the order of the Red Banner on Sasha's dad’s chest, calling him "an iron broom purging the vermin from our midst." A photographer snaps a picture of this historic moment. Afterwards, Comrade Stalin likes the photograph so much he orders to turn it into a poster celebrating great achievements of the State Security. In the poster, Sasha’s dad’s likeness is altered in order, Sasha believes, to keep his dad’s identity secret.

x Sasha’s dad proudly calls himself old Chekist. The first secret police organization in Soviet Russia was called Cheka. The members of Cheka or chekists wore long black leather coats. Sasha’d dad keeps his old coat long after the new regulation uniforms are introduced. The Soviet citizens fear the sight of the black leather coats; the chekists are liable to arrest anyone without a warning. Sasha is not afraid. He loves the smell of old leather and uses the coat as a blanket while waiting for his dad to return home.

x This is Sasha’s dad’s order of the Red Banner awarded to him by comrade Stalin. Sasha knows that the order is given for “special heroic action under a certain threat to one’s life,” but he doesn’t dare to ask his father about the event for which the order was awarded. Sasha knows that his dad’s work is dangerous and must be kept secret.

x Sasha’s dad has several awards but he never talks about them. Here’s a secret policeman’s badge given to his dad for his devoted service to comrade Stalin. Sasha likes to imagine his fearless dad fighting the enemies of the people with the sword rendered on this badge.

x Sasha is not allowed to touch his dad’s gun but he knows all about it. It is a TT30 pistol with eight 7.62 mm bullets in the magazine. Sasha likes to watch his dad take apart and clean the gun. Once, after Sasha’s mother died, his dad took Sasha to the shooting range where the targets are painted as animal-like men, enemies of the people.

x Sasha’s dad warns his son to stay away from the tenant Stukachov. He suspects that Stukachov is an informer. No one is immune from an informer’s slanderous reports. All reports to the secret police, no matter how incredulous, are taken seriously. Sasha doesn’t know that his dad supervises a ring of professional informers himself. Many cases against the alleged enemies of the people are based on his dad’s informers’ reports. Often they lie, like Stukachov, especially if they can improve their living conditions by informing on another.

x Sasha wants to be a secret policeman even though he knows very little about what the secret police do. He could never ask his dad what they do of course; discussing his father’s job is not allowed. Sasha knows that first secret police was called Cheka and GPU, then OGPU and now it is called NKVD. He isn’t sure what all those letters stand for but suspects they stand for something heroic.