Page 488 - The Book Thief

CONFESSIONS

When the Jews were gone, Rudy and Liesel untangled and the book thief did not
speak. There were no answers to Rudys questions.

Liesel did not go home, either. She walked forlornly to the train station and
waited for her papa for hours. Rudy stood with her for the first twenty minutes,
but since it was a good half day till Hans was due home, he fetched Rosa. On the
way back, he told her what had happened, and when Rosa arrived, she asked
nothing of the girl. She had already assembled the puzzle and merely stood
beside her and eventually convinced her to sit down. They waited together.

When Papa found out, he dropped his bag, he kicked the Bahnhof air.

None of them ate that night. Papas fingers desecrated the accordion, murdering
song after song, no matter how hard he tried. Everything no longer worked.

For three days, the book thief stayed in bed.

Every morning and afternoon, Rudy Steiner knocked on the door and asked if
she was still sick. The girl was not sick.

On the fourth day, Liesel walked to her neighbors front door and asked if he

might go back to the trees with her, where theyd distributed the bread the
previous year.

I should have told you earlier, she said.

As promised, they walked far down the road toward Dachau. They stood in the
trees. There were long shapes of light and shade. Pinecones were scattered like
cookies.

Thank you, Rudy.

For everything. For helping me off the road, for stopping me . . .