Page 395 - The Book Thief
P. 395
But Ive heard what happens there. That was the unmistakable, oaky voice of his
father.
Come on, Rudy, hurry up.
Yes, but understand, Herr Steiner, this is all for a greater purpose. Think of the
opportunities your son can have. This is really a privilege.
Rudy, the candles dripping.
He waved them away, waiting again for Alex Steiner. He came.
Privileges? Like running barefoot through the snow? Like jumping from ten-
meter platforms into three feet of water?
Rudys ear was pressed to the door now. Candle wax melted onto his hand.
Rumors. The arid voice, low and matter-of-fact, had an answer for everything.
Our school is one of the finest ever established. Its better than world-class. Were
creating an elite group of German citizens in the name of the Fhrer. . . .
Rudy could listen no longer.
He scraped the candle wax from his hand and drew back from the splice of light
that came through the crack in the door. When he sat down, the flame went out.
Too much movement. Darkness flowed in. The only light available was a white
rectangular stencil, the shape of the kitchen door.
He struck another match and reignited the candle. The sweet smell of fire and
carbon.
Rudy and his sisters each tapped a different domino and they watched them fall
until the tower in the middle was brought to its knees. The girls cheered.
Kurt, his older brother, arrived in the room.
They look like dead bodies, he said.
What?
