Page 368 - The Book Thief

THE SKY STEALER

The first raid, as it turned out, was not a raid at all. Had people waited to see the
planes, they would have stood there all night. That accounted for the fact that no
cuckoo had called from the radio. The Molching Express reported that a certain
flak tower operator had become a little overexcited. Hed sworn that he could
hear the rattle of planes and see them on the horizon. He sent the word.

He might have done it on purpose, Hans Hubermann pointed out. Would you
want to sit in a flak tower, shooting up at planes carrying bombs?

Sure enough, as Max continued reading the article in the basement, it was
reported that the man with the outlandish imagination had been stood down from
his original duty. His fate was most likely some sort of service elsewhere.

Good luck to him, Max said. He seemed to understand as he moved on to the
crossword.

The next raid was real.

On the night of September 19, the cuckoo called from the radio, and it was
followed by a deep, informative voice. It listed Molching as a possible target.

Again, Himmel Street was a trail of people, and again, Papa left his accordion.
Rosa reminded him to take it, but he refused. I didnt take it last time, he
explained, and we lived. War clearly blurred the distinction between logic and
superstition.

Eerie air followed them down to the Fiedlers basement. I think its real tonight,
said Mr. Fiedler, and the children quickly realized that their parents were even
more afraid this time around. Reacting the only way they knew, the youngest of
them began to wail and cry as the room seemed to swing.

Even from the cellar, they could vaguely hear the tune of bombs. Air pressure
shoved itself down like a ceiling, as if to mash the earth. A bite was taken of
Molchings empty streets.