The Lieutenant's Always There
AN: A somewhat shortened version of The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas, with a very AU ending. Hope you enjoy it, all the same.
Frowning, Bruno looked around for something to amuse himself. He had only been at Out-With for a month, and he had nothing to do.
He thought that he could play a game of one person Ludo, but even that didn't excite him. Then, he thought, maybe some fresh air was what he needed.
He hurried downstairs, even though Mother and Father often told him not to, and smiled at the idea of getting some fresh air.
When he arrived in the kitchen, Maria, who'd been the family maid for years, smiled at him.
"Good Morning, Master Bruno," she said cheerfully.
He grinned back.
"Hello, Maria. Are you well?"
"Quite well, thank you. What are you doing today?" She asked polietly.
"Going outside for some fresh air," he said, just as the door opened, and in walked Pavel. Pavel was a nice enough man, even though for some reason, most people were extremely rude to him. He peeled vegetables during the day, and at night, he was the family's waiter.
"Hello, Pavel," Bruno said to him, and the old man inclined his head towards him, nodding.
"Hello, young master," he said softly.
Bruno smiled at him, then made his way out, but not before he helped himself to a crisp apple. Once he had taken a bite, he hurried outside.
The air was as fresh and as crisp as his apple, he decided. It was a lovely sunny day, and birds twittered around.
As he was passing an old pear tree, he heard his sister, Gretel, laughing loudly. There's no prize as to working out who she's with, Bruno thought drily, and looked up to see his sister and one of his father's soldiers talking together.
The soldier, whose name Bruno couldn't remember at that moment, was cleaning the family car. "Oh, Kurt. You're so funny." Gretel giggled, as Bruno walked up to them.
Lieutenant "Kurt" Kotler looked up and smiled at Bruno as he approached. "Good Morning, little man, what are you doing up at this time of the day?" He inquired.
Bruno merely raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Then, struck by a rather good idea, he asked, "Are there any spare tires around, like from one of the trucks or something?"
Kotler smiled at him, and said, "The only tire that I have seen around here belongs to Lieutenant Haufschneider." Bruno looked up to see said lieutenant, over by the gate, but didn't see any tires around him. "I see is he using it?" Inquired Bruno somewhat confused.
Gretel and Kurt laughed. "Oh, yes. He's very attached to his spare tyre," Kurt smirked at him.
Bruno raised an eyebrow at this, and Gretel said, "He doesn't understand. What Kurt means, Bruno, is that Lieutenant Haufschneider is fat. Why do you want a tire anyway?"
"I just wanted to make a swing, because I'm rather bored." Bruno said, and Kotler smiled again. "I see. What a wonderful idea. I used to make swings with my friends when I was younger." He said, and looked around him as though looking for someone. Finally, his eyes rested on Pavel, who was digging up some carrots.
"You!" He shouted, quite loudly. Pavel glanced up, and met the eyes of Lieutenant Kotler. "Yes, you, you big piece of shit, come here!"
Both Gretel and Bruno met each other's eyes at this, and their mouths hung open. Gretel had never heard Kurt speaking in such a harsh tone, or even swear, before.
Pavel, who was still holding the shovel, had walked up to the seething lieutenant and said, "Can I help you, sir?" Kotler glowered at him and said sharply, "Take this boy to that old shed behind the house. In there are some tires, he will select one, and you will take it wherever he wants it to go." "Then, I want you to return to Auschwitz, understand?"
Pavel nodded, and gestured for Bruno to follow him. As they walked together, Bruno asked, "What did Kotler call the farm?" Pavel, slightly puzzled, said, "What farm are you referring to?" Bruno pointed towards the "farm" he could see, and Pavel, somewhat hesitant, said, "It's called Auschwitz, and it's not a farm."
Then, to cover up the uneasy silence between them, Bruno said, "Look, there's a tire, could you please carry it for me to the old apple tree?" Pavel nodded, and carried the tire to the tree. When he had finished, Pavel said, "I'll see you this evening, young man."
Bruno nodded, and made his swing. As he was swinging sometime later, he glanced up, and saw clouds of thick black smoke, and thought that whatever they were burning smelled ghastly. As he had this thought, he quite suddenly fell out of the swing.
He lay on the ground, panting, until his sister and lieutenant Kotler came running up to him.
"Bruno, are you all right?" Gretel asked, in horror. She didn't really like her younger brother, but she was sympathetic when he hurt himself.
Bruno nodded, and allowed Kotler to lift him up, and carry him back to the house. "You only have a small cut; I can clean it up for you." Kotler said, and set about cleaning Bruno's knee.
"Kotler, what are they burning at Out-With?" Bruno asked, still mispronouncing the word. Needless to say, Kotler looked confused. "What do you mean, Out-With, I've never heard of the word." Bruno frowned, and said, "I'm talking about the camp, and I asked what they are burning there."
The look on the Lieutenants' face was, needless to say, awkward. "I don't know." He said.
Just at that moment, Bruno's mother came in with all her shopping. "Bruno, what on earth happened to you?" Bruno shrugged, and said, "I fell out of a swing, but Kotler fixed me up." At this, Elsa shot Kotler a grateful look.
"Thank you, Kurt." Then, turning to Bruno, she added, "Your grandfather is coming for tea, why don't you dress nicely?" Bruno nodded, and, giving his mother a hug, went upstairs to get changed.