"This is mad" I whispered harshly at Karl as we stood to the side of a massive burning of books. My eyes were literally bulging from my head as we walked slowly along the masses of Nazis who were throwing books into the fire. Karl had an arm wrapped around my waist and he held me close to him. I didn't know if he did it to try and comfort me or to try and stop me from escaping.
"Isn't it just? All this culture" he said and then I saw her. Elsa Schneider was stood to one side looking solemn.
"I'm going to kill her" I whispered and Karl followed my gaze.
"No you're not. You're a hostage remember?" he said and I nodded as we continued walking towards her. But then out of nowhere another man stepped forward. He was wearing the same uniform as Karl but he looked like my dad. He had pinned Elsa against a column and was searching her clothes.
"Karl. I need you to let me go" I stood still and looked into his eyes. He smiled in disbelief and then turned back to Elsa and dad and then back to me and his smile fell.
"Is that him?" he asked me "Is that Indiana Jones?"
"Karl" I begged again "please let me go"
"It is, isn't it? If I caught him then my mother..." he trailed off but I shook my head.
"He would end up dead if you caught him...please Karl. I am begging you to let me go"
"I can't Grace" he said and I shook my head and then dragged my knee up and hit him where it hurt. As he doubled forward I muttered sorry and began to run off towards Elsa and dad. Luckily everyone was engrossed in the burning and so no one noticed me.
"Dad" I gasped and he turned around to look at me.
"Gracie" he sighed and he hugged me "I am so sorry"
"I'm fine dad. Honest."
"Come on. Let's get out of here" dad said and he released me but grabbed onto my hand. As we moved through the crowds I saw grandfather.
"Gracie!" he exclaimed and he gave me an awkward one armed hug.
"Grandfather" I said.
"I've got it. Let's get the hell out of here" dad said and we began to move forward straight into the path of Adolf Hitler. I could have sworn my heart stopped beating as dad and him made eye contact. Then everyone was alright as he just signed the diary and moved on.
...
"What did you get?" grandfather asked dad as we began to walk to the boarding gates.
"I don't know. The first available flight out of Germany" dad said and I sighed.
"Good" grandfather said and we showed out papers to boarding guards and then we moved out to a zeppelin. My mouth fell open when I saw how large it was. It was massive. Crazy.
When we boarded the zeppelin we found a compartment to sit in and I leaned back and took a drink of the water dad had just bought me.
"Well, we made it" dad smiled and grandfather looked over his paper.
"When we're airborne, with Germany behind us, then I'll share that sentiment" he spoke pessimistically.
"Relax" dad replied and I peered out the window.
"Crap" I groaned and dad peered over my shoulder.
"Oh god." He moaned and then grandfather looked.
"That is why we can't relax" grandfather said and returned to his paper.
"Gracie. Go to the toilets and stay there until I come fetch you" he said and he began to push me from the booth.
"You can't exactly walk into the ladies toilets" I pointed out and grandfather laughed.
"Didn't stop him when he was eight Gracie. He..." grandfather began to story as dad stood next to me.
"Gracie doesn't need to know that" dad interrupted "Go. Toilets. Now" dad ordered me and I began to walk off to the ladies toilets, catching a glimpse of Vogel as I went.
...
"You can come out now" I heard my dad's voice come from around the door.
"Is he gone?" I asked. I knew the zeppelin had begun to rise into the air but I didn't know if he had gone.
"I pushed him off the zeppelin. Pretended to be a steward and kicked him off for no ticket" dad said as I opened the door and grabbed his hand as we went back to grandfather.
"You know, sharing your adventures is an interesting experience" grandfather said when we had sat down.
"That's not all we shared. It's disgraceful. You're old enough to be her fa...er, her grandfather!" dad said.
"Seriously? Please don't" I begged them to change the subject, not wanting an image in my head.
"Well, I'm as human as the next man" grandfather said.
"I was the next man" dad replied and I shuddered.
"Ships that pass in the night" grandfather laughed and began to read his diary.
"Gross" I whispered and dad smirked.
"Do you remember the last time we had a quiet drink? I had a milk shake" dad said. I knew they weren't close.
"Hmmm...what did we talk about?"
"We didn't talk. We never talked" dad said and he sounded sad.
"And do I detect a rebuke" grandfather peered over his spectacles.
"A regret. It was just the two of us, Dad. It was a lonely way to grow up. For you, too. If you had been an ordinary, average father like the other guys' dads, you'd have understood that" dad replied.
"Because you are an ordinary father Junior? You go around and kill people...do not question me on parenting. Actually, I was a wonderful father"
"When? And I believe I have done a good job with Gracie" dad said and I groaned. They were arguing big time now.
"Did I ever tell you to eat up? Go to bed? Wash your ears? Do your homework? No. I respected your privacy and I taught you self reliance" grandfather stated.
"What you taught me was that I was less important to you than people who had been dead for five hundred years in another country. And I learned it so well that we've hardly spoken for twenty years"
"You left just when you were becoming interesting. Although I have always cared for my granddaughter" he said and I silently agreed.
"Dad, how can you?" dad asked him.
"Very well. I'm here now" grandfather said and he leant back in his seat.
"What do you want to talk about? Hmmm?" he asked and then there was an awkward silence.
"Would you two pack it in" I ordered and looked at the pair of them.
"Okay. You were never close so stop dwelling on the past and do something about it now!" I gasped and they looked at me. Karl had taught me that you did anything for family and to see mine squabbling like this was horrid. Karl? Where had he come from? I hadn't thought about him since Berlin and now he had randomly jumped into my thoughts. Weird.
