The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas, Shmuel's POV
When Shmuel first met Bruno, he'd gone to sit out at the edge of the fence to get away from the other boys. They'd been fighting, again, so he'd retreated to the fence as far away as he could get. He'd just sat there, cross-legged, alternating between watching the house in the distance and the dirt, enjoying the silence.
Suddenly, a boy was standing before him. They greeted each other and before long they were talking. Bruno wasn't quite like the other boys on his side of the fence. And he was as happy as he was by sharing the same birthday, though he didn't show it. He could see Bruno was hesitating though, and he was somewhat glad because he wasn't sure he'd have the answers.
Soon Bruno was visiting everyday. Shmuel would sit, waiting like he did that first day, enjoying the silence and Bruno would visit him in the afternoon. After he asked, Bruno would bring food for him. He felt bad for putting that upon the boy, but the hunger pains he felt propelled him to asked.
They talked about a lot of things. They talked about languages and countries. They talked about Germany being superior, but changed the subject rather quickly after sensing Shmuel's discomfort. They talked about exploring and Bruno explained about explorers and mistakes. They talked about their past lives and Bruno talked a lot about what his home in Berlin was like.
He'd never been to Berlin before, but to him Poland seemed like such a nicer place. He told Bruno about his family and living above the store and his Papa's watches. He told Bruno about his armband and Bruno told him about his father's armband. He told Bruno about the trains, and after the horrible moment where he thought he might cry, he pushed on, finishing his story.
Shmuel was crushed when Bruno didn't defend him. He'd thought Bruno was his friend and he thought the fact he snuck him food attested to that. Then Bruno had said Shmuel wasn't his friend and it hurt, even though he didn't really mean. Bruno never said anything about his wounds- he never did- but he did apologise. He felt better, even though Bruno's betrayal stung.
He was happy for Bruno. He truly was. When Bruno told him about his impending return to Berlin, he was happy for Bruno. He was glad for the other boy. Bruno had talked numerous times about missing Berlin. He was glad Bruno was getting to return to his old home. Bruno looked torn though and Shmuel would have felt content with that if he weren't holding the boy back.
Bruno had always expressed his wish to play with Shmuel on the other side of the fence. Shmuel was more than happy to help the boy to sneak over to his side of the fence, even though he was still distraught about his father's disappearance. He was extremely grateful that Bruno offered to help him find his father.
Bruno was scared. Shmuel was scared too. When they started to match into that large building, he was scared. But part of him was glad he wasn't alone, that Bruno was with him. At least they weren't alone. And maybe they'd find his father. Maybe his father was somewhere in this building, waiting for him.
When Bruno clasped his hand, Shmuel clung to it and the comfort it provided. If Shmuel had his way, nothing would cause him to let go.