I Meeting By Chance

Germany, 1922

Sixteen year old Alfons Heiderich sighed as he set his book down. He just couldn't concentrate anymore, but who wouldn't after finding out they were dying? He wasn't feeling good, so he went to the doctor. That's when he was told he had an incurable fatal lung disease and only had about a year to live. First he would start coughing, then it would slowly get worse. Once he started coughing up blood was the sign that he only had a month or two left.

What was he going to do? He was going to die before his eighteenth birthday, just like his brother had. He wanted to make himself known before he died, get in the future history books. That way people would always remember him. He had friends that could get him a job researching rockets, and he was always good with science so he would start there. His brother would be proud of him.

His thoughts were interrupted by the noise of something being dragged across the floor. He was in the local library, and it was pretty quiet considering it was a slow day so he got up to see what was going on. A short boy about his age was muttering something in a language he didn't understand* as he dragged a step stool over to a shelf. He had long golden blonde hair that was worn in a pony tail and had white gloves over his hands, but he couldn't see his face. He watched as the boy set the stool down on the ground and stood on it and tried to reach a book on the top shelf, but he was still to short.

"Brauchen Sie etwas Hilfe?" ("Do you need some help?") he asked as he walked over.

"Kein Dank bekam ich es" ("No thanks I got it")

The boy's German was perfect, but it was obvious that it wasn't his first language. Alfons continued to watch as the boy put one foot on the shelf then lifted himself up, grabbed the book he wanted, then quickly got down before something fell over**. Then he turned around and faced Alfons. Both of them gasped in shock as their eyes widened in surprise.

"Alphonse?" he whispered.

Author's Notes

Alright originally I was going to make this a one shot, but I decided it would be better to make it a two or three shot instead. The German I got from an online translator so it may not be perfect, but still. I know this is a short chapter, but the next one will be longer I promise. Please review, and I am accepting suggestions on this.

*Amestrian

**I'm short so I've done this before.