Disclaimer: I do not own The Book Thief.
The sky was tinted with a bluish-white color, as if the clouds had been just bleached and left out to float and dry under the pale sun. The 13-year old book thief sat on cold cement, under the front porch of Frau Diller's store, clutching The Whistler in her hands. She hadn't gone through the fourth page when she heard a familiar voice.
"Hey Saumensch." He said. Rudy. Rudy was her best friend, and he looks at her as if she's his lover. This stupid saukerl, she thought.
"Don't bother me, saukerl." She replied.
"Why are you still reading that, book thief? You've gone through that like a million times. Don't you ever get tired?"
"I get tired when I sleep, saukerl. Now knock it off."
"You're no fun." He replied.
Liesel wasn't minding what he's doing, but on the corner of her eye, she can sense that Rudy was doing something. Crouching on the ground, and his hands never seemed to stop moving. She didn't bother to look, but then the cold white ball that hit her shoulder told her otherwise.
She looked at him, surprised, and a little raged.
"I told you to knock it off!" She screamed.
The boy only laughed. "Well, at least I didn't hit you in the face like last time."
"What last time?" She wondered, and she remembered. The first time they met, this little saukerl had hit her hard in the face with a snowball. Maybe he thought that that is a secret to a lasting friendship.
And surprisingly, it was.
Liesel shut her book and put it on her side. She stood up and stepped on the cold damp ground. The coldness seemed to seep through the soles of her shoes, she could feel it creep under her ankles, and it made her shudder. She cupped snow on her hands, one that's a little bit bigger than Rudy's, and aimed it at the boy. Upon seeing what seems like a monster in the girl's hand, the boy ran. But he wasn't terrified, of course, he just wanted his feet to carry him away from her, and hopefully, her feet would carry her towards him.
And it sure did.
They ran and ran, and when Liesel thought she was close enough to hit Rudy straight in the back, she threw the snowball. But it only hit his shoulder. She doesn't have a good arm at throwing, but she can assure that she have good arms when it comes to stealing books and sifting through its pages.
Though she can never hit Rudy perfectly, she can't deny that she's actually having fun. They stopped running only to get a little bit of snow, and in time they'd throw it at each other just before they can catch up to the other. Liesel got two hits on her face, three on her chest, and a lot at her back.
Rudy got 2 at his legs, 3 at her shoulders, and one at his chest. And that was it. When they were certain their legs couldn't handle much more running, they both lied down on their backs, watching the sky as it seemed to move away from them, and stretch to its sides infinitely.
They didn't mind the cold massaging their backs, they just looked at each other. And they laughed. And as if on cue, the girl heard him say, "How 'bout a kiss, saumensch?"
And they both know none of them is getting any.
"How bout we invite Tommy Muller?" Rudy was saying as they made their way towards the mayor's house.
"We're stealing a book Rudy, not apples." Liesel replied.
"Fine." The boy said. She looked at him.
"Don't forget my shoes this time." The girl said. The boy laughed, and she did too.
As soon as they reached the point when every house seemed so big and clean and wonderful, they started their usual round. Rudy would keep watch as Liesel enters the the library through the window. Unfortunately, they wouldn't be doing any thievery today.
"The window's locked." Liesel announced.
"Shiz." The boy said. He looked at her, feeling a little sorry. "So, apples then?"
The two walked quietly. No Viktor Chemmel. The book thief was still feeling a bit disappointed, but at least they're having apples right?
"So, how many do you think will we get today?" Rudy asked, picking up a twig on the ground.
"I don't know." She said. "Five?"
"I'm thinking ten." The boy grinned.
As soon as they reached the familiar tree, Liesel's disappointment vanished. She knows it's always fun climbing up that tree, grabbing some apples, all the while trying not to get caught. This time, Rudy insists he'll be climbing though.
"You stay below and catch the apples, o'right?"
Liesel pouted, but she nodded. "Next time I'll be the one climbing, o'right?"
The boy looked at her. "No. We'll be climbing together."
The girl was about to smack him, but he was already climbing. And it wouldn't be nice to come after him just to give him a smack on the head, so she decided to let it fly.
"How you doing up there?" Liesel said, looking up.
"Fine. Just keep an eye on falling fruits." The boy replied. She nodded.
After that, it rained apples under the tree. One, then two, another two.
In the end, they only got nine.
"I thought you said ten." Liesel shouted.
"Sorry saumensch." He said, climbing down. "It seems were having only nine."
Liesel wached as he climbed down, one leg and then the other. Left hand and then the other. Alternately, as if he was some sort of a machine. Then one of his legs caught a not so strong branch. And so he slipped.
Thankfully, he was already halfway down the tree then, it wasn't very high a fall. But Liesel ran to him anyway. "Rudy," She crouched next to him. "Rudy. Are you alright?" He shook her.
He was closing his eyes, grimacing in pain. "Rudy." She continued. Then she noticed one of his eye open. Then his lips curved. "How bout a kiss, saumensch?"
She pushed him. "Saukerl." She said.
The boy laughed, he was faking his pain. It took him seconds before he can stop, and a lot of glares from Liesel too.
The two of them sat by the river, eating on their apples. They talked about soccer games, and Rudy's rants about the Hitler Youth.
"That Frau Deutscher." Rudy said. "Always picking on me."
"Maybe because your face annoys him." Liesel suggested.
"My face isn't that ugly, saumensch."
Liesel laughed. "I'm just joking."
They didn't realize they were down to their last fruit. Each of them had already eaten 4, and one was standing still between them.
"You have it." Rudy said.
"But you're the one who climbed for it."
"I said have it, saumensch."
Liesel smiled. She grabbed it, and ate it.
"I'll have it exchanged for that kiss, saumensch." Rudy said, a smile curving on his lips.
Liesel ignored her.
Quiet, the only sound of Liesels teeth grinding on the apple.
"Oh no." She said, it made Rudy turn to her anxiously.
"What saumesnch?" He said.
The look on her face was enough to tell Rudy that she's talking about the book.
"I'll get it for you." And he ran off.
It took minutes before Liesel wasn't alone by the river again. She looked at Rudy, thankful. She wants to hug him. She wants to kiss him, but she's not doing it of course.
"Thank you so much, saukerl." She said.
He bowed, when he looked up at her, Liesel could see from his face that he's asking for the usual. He was already positioning his lips for a kiss. Instead he got a smooch with with hard-bound paper.
He pushed it away. "Unfair." He said.
Liesel laughed. "I kissed that book too, saukerl. No complaining." She laughed again.
Rudy smiled.
They went home after that. It was already night time when both of them reached their homes. At night, she visited Max in the basement. She told him the weather report.
"The sky roared bleach-white," she said. "It's cold, and when you step on the ground, it's as though you're stepping on cold water."
Max smiled. "Thank you, Liesel."
The girl could only smile. And the two of them stayed like that for a while. She, reading, while Max was listening. Max also drew and wrote on his walls. The smell of paint was around, but that's home.
At dinner, Rosa was having her usual parade of curses with the people who piss her. Liesel and Hans could only look at each other. Then she'll smile when her father winks at her. And Rosa would say, "What are you saukerls smiling at?"
That was Rosa, Liesel thought. And she loved her, despite of what comes out of her mouth. And Rosa loves her.
At bed time, Hans sat next to her.
"What are we reading today?" Her father would say. And Liesel laughed, and then fished out a random book from her bed. "This." She held out the book.
"Your first book?" Hans said. She nodded.
And then her father would read to her. And even though he wasn't very good at it, and he still stops whenever he encounters a difficult word from the passage, Liesel loved it. Liesel loved every part of it. The words her father would scatter through the air, the words that her ears would wistfully catch, that becomes a melody, then a lullaby, and then she'll sleep.
And she felt the lips of her father on her forehead, and that always makes everything better.
And then she wakes up. The big and beautiful room would greet her. But even so, she feels pain. This isn't her house, it's the mayor's.
She lies back down on her bed, wondering if only in dreams will she hear Rudy's repeating requests, Max's great stories, Rosa's blabbering, and her father's warm words. She wonders if only there will she feel the love they had given her when they still walked with her in this waking life.
A tear trickles down her face.