Page 394 - The Book Thief
P. 394
other to be heard. Different sentences fought for attention until one person,
previously silent, came between them.
No, she said. It was repeated. No. Even when the rest of them resumed their
arguments, they were silenced again by the same voice, but now it gained
momentum. Please, Barbara Steiner begged them. Not my boy.
Can we light a candle, Rudy?
It was something their father had often done with them. He would turn out the
light and theyd watch the dominoes fall in the candlelight. It somehow made the
event grander, a greater spectacle.
His legs were aching anyway. Let me find a match.
The light switch was at the door.
Quietly, he walked toward it with the matchbox in one hand, the candle in the
other.
From the other side, the three men and one woman climbed to the hinges. The
best scores in the class, said one of the monsters. Such depth and dryness. Not to
mention his athletic ability. Damn it, why did he have to win all those races at
the carnival?
Deutscher.
Damn that Franz Deutscher!
But then he understood.
This was not Franz Deutschers fault, but his own. Hed wanted to show his past
tormentor what he was capable of, but he also wanted to prove himself to
everyone. Now everyone was in the kitchen.
He lit the candle and switched off the light.
Ready?
