Elsa didn't know for how long she sat there, staring at the wall. But when she looked out the window, the sun was already receeding into the hills. The once beautiful day had turned nasty. Rain lashed the ancient windows, and she feared the glass would shatter inward and harm her.
Elsa rose from the chair, feeling useless. She could have been doing something; she still had many important things that she hadn't unpacked. She blocked the thought from her mind, the thought that had been nagging at her since they had moved to Auschwitz: that this was a barmy idea, and that they should all go home. Bruno had it right. He always did. It's the children that notice these things, Elsa concluded, as she took a last sweeping glance around the room. She should listen to them more often. But then the door flew open with a clanging sound.
Her hand flew to her mouth. And who else would be there? It was the young soldier from hours before, the one who had walked so rudely through the room like he owned it. She assesed him quickly, heart still fluttering. He stood awkwardly in the doorframe, his head almost grazing the top. His unnaturally blonde hair poked out from underneath his crooked cap, shining though there was almost no light. His uniform was dirty and wrinkled, and the unmistable smell of beer made her eyes water. His eyes, an odd shade of deep blue, made Elsa think of trips to the ocean with her parents when she was but a girl. He had to be only a teenager. So how did he get into the Army?
They frowned at each other for a few moments, the steady downpour the only sound to break the silence. Elsa could see that he was shivering, though he tried to play it off like he was wiping the rain from his sleeve. A stream of water cascaded down his forehead, and he blinked it away. Add his bloodshot eyes, and the young soldier looked as if he had been crying for some time. Maybe he had been. How would she know?
Finally, the boy cleared his throat. "I'm here to see, er, Herr Commandant?" He said it cautiously, like someone asking the cat, "Well, what did you do with my mouse?" Elsa could see his eyes boring into her, and it made her uncomfortable. "Well, don't just stand there freezing then," she snapped, suprised at how harsh her voice sounded. "You didn't seem to mind it when you waltzed right through earlier!"