August 12th, 1961 – West Berlin
Gilbert had kept himself preoccupied for the majority of the day by attempting to scrub away an ambitious goal of one layer of decay from the house. It was either that or turning to the degrading task of begging to get some extra money into the household – which, really, wouldn't be so bad, if not for the lack of pity people took on a lanky teenager. Gilbert had already been forced to consider using Ludwig as a prop for sympathy many times before, however the decision continuously fell at a massive N-O. Even if it was to feed his younger brother, there was just something about exploiting the kid like that that irked him.
Fucking ethics.
Ludwig arrived home from an outing at the park later in the day, just after Gilbert had polished the bedroom off. The kitchen ended up being the only room left; unfortunately for Gilbert, also the most difficult room to clean. So if anything Ludwig's timing was beneficial to Gilbert's aching arms, but detrimental to the potential eradication of bacteria infestation.
"How was it?" Gilbert questioned from the bedroom, throwing himself across the bed. Referring to it as a bed was a bit generous in retrospect. It was more or less springs wrapped in a cloth, almost corresponding to a long-term torture device for his back. It didn't take long for his brother to scamper into the room, most likely hunting for his book.
"Fine. Played football - Did you tidy up?" Ludwig seemed confused that his brother genuinely put himself through such a thing.
Gilbert gasped in mock-offence. "Why so surprised? Just for that, I'm not telling you where your book is."
"You can't hide people's stuff, it's rude!" Ludwig reprimanded, "I wasn't surprised in a bad way. Thanks for clearing up Gilbert, really. But where's my book?"
It didn't take long for Gilbert to succumb to the puppy-eyes from Ludwig. He rolled over to reveal his pillow, and Ludwig instantly clocked onto where the book had been stowed. Ludwig snatched it from beneath the pillow, pouting a little. "You could have squished it…"
"My head isn't heavy enough to – Oh, you saying my head's big? Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want, I actually put it there to make sure it didn't get dirty. 'Cause I'm a nice fucking brother." He was telling the truth about not wanting to ruin the book during his aggressive cleaning spree. He didn't remember who, however a pleasant old lady gave it to him when she encountered the brothers on the streets. Must have been a year ago, before they found this house to keep. She gave a blessing over their wellbeing and the book to Gilbert, who ended up dumping it on Ludwig. A book couldn't feed them, why the hell would he want it? Ludwig, on the other hand, was much more appreciative to have received the book. Gilbert reckoned he'd made it into a safe place for himself. Ludwig was just a child after all, it was impressive how well he coped with all the bullshit they'd been through.
"Now that you have your book, I want you to tell me everything you did today with your friends."
A few hours passed and daylight turned to nightfall. Gilbert had begun scouring the kitchen units for something to present as dinner. Time passed and all he could locate was bread. Fucking bread! That wasn't enough to feed a goddamn kid. Still, Gilbert tipped it out onto the table to see how much was available. Two pieces and one loaf end. "…Shit. Er, Ludwig. Ludwig!"
The youngster hurried down, face contorted into a frown, "Uh-huh?"
"We don't have any food besides bread, so eat up. Don't worry, we'll eventually be able to feast like kings! This is just for the time being, I promise," Gilbert told the other, beginning to pace the kitchen. Ludwig picked up a single bread slice and peered around for anything to have with it. Gilbert paused in his tracks, "What?"
"It's too dry by itself, I really don't like it…" Ludwig admitted. "And I don't want the fat piece."
"Too bad, eat it like that, I've tried to find food for ages now. I'd better go out and buy something for breakfast. I'll take the loaf end if you hate it that much. Seriously, eat Ludwig, it's not going to be like this forever." Before Ludwig could issue any sort of complaint, Gilbert marched out of sight. Ludwig pulled off a piece to shove into his mouth, not wanting nor willing to argue with his brother. He'd be happy with just bread for the rest of his life if it meant Gilbert would eat with him for once.
Meanwhile Gilbert had taken to rummaging through the bed sheets for any change. He had some money with him, tucked away in his back pocket, nevertheless searched for any extra coins earnestly. Gilbert couldn't go another week without smoking, he'd vomit out his insides if the craving got any worse. Food was the obvious priority, alas Gilbert was beginning to fear whether his current earnings would even be enough to get any decent food.
Now, he wasn't sure where he'd managed to get such a bizarre idea from. Perhaps Gilbert had become delirious from desperation. Heck, maybe his cunning nerve was finally becoming of use in such a dire time like this. Gilbert's stroke of genius might have been down to sheer dumb luck – If it'd feed a family of two, he didn't care how dumb it was.
Gilbert sprinted into the kitchen and grabbed the abandoned loaf end, running around the table a few times before skidding to a halt in front of his brother, who watched with confusion. "Ludwig, I have an idea! A buddy of mine from work, Roderich, came over from East Berlin a while back. Hated it there and all, kept complaining about the commies – He did say, though, that the food here was more expensive. You won't understand completely Lud, so just trust me. The food there is cheaper. I'm gonna sneak across overnight and bring back proper food for us Ludwig. It'll be great!"
Ludwig didn't look particularly impressed, "Will you come back soon?"
"Not soon…" Gilbert placed a hand on Ludwig's shoulder, "Before you wake up in the morning, I'll be making breakfast as usual. Go to sleep after you've eaten, I'll be home before you know it."
Ludwig brightened up at the reassurance, "Promise?"
"Promise! I'll come back!" With that proclamation, Gilbert kissed Ludwig's forehead in spite of the squeal of horror from him. Gilbert shoved the bread into his mouth so he could grab his jacket (actually, it'd been his father's and the two brothers now shared it) as well as wave goodbye to Ludwig. He was gone within a matter of seconds.
Probably about twenty minutes after Gilbert's departure, Ludwig headed off to bed. He read two more pages of his book out loud – after all, the teacher had applauded his articulation earlier – and even opted to sleep in his brother's bed instead of his own (which was even more uncomfortable than his own bed). Gilbert was right. The morning would come before Ludwig knew it. Plus he wasn't a baby anymore. He didn't get scared over small things like being home alone! Yes, Ludwig felt safe and sound, in his and Gilbert's home.
August 13th, 1961 – West Berlin
Morning came. It crashed through Ludwig's world like a miniature hurricane. His first thought, when sunlight interrupted his slumber, was to ask Gilbert about the other Berlin. For all that he'd heard about the place, Ludwig knew none of it to be true. Was it really a Russian wasteland? Or just the same as this Berlin? Once awake Ludwig thundered into the kitchen to greet his brother; he really wanted to get some questions off his chest, about the people and the houses, the food and the liveliness, the streets and the dogs; he was curious! "Gilbert! Gilbert! How-"
But Gilbert wasn't in the kitchen.
No matter, Ludwig presumed he was in the bathroom. He was crestfallen when he discovered the room as empty as before.
"Gilbert… Gilbert!" Ludwig shouted, only to be met with an uncomfortable stillness. "Gilbert?"
He wasn't in the bedroom.
Nor in the kitchen.
Definitely not in the bathroom.
Why would he be in the garden so early in the morning?
Ludwig's heart plummeted into his groaning stomach, chest tightening with trepidation. Where was his brother? The disconsolate child didn't know what to do with himself. Did he wait for a bit? Call the police? No – no, not the police. Ludwig knew he had to do this on his own.
Ludwig didn't bother going out that day. He wanted to wait for Gilbert to come home. Gilbert promised he'd come back – Not that he'd be back on time. Ludwig knew Gilbert could be a bit impulsive occasionally, so he wouldn't be surprised if he'd tried to make friends with some of the people in the shop. Did Gilbert have work today? Maybe he was late crossing the border and instead went to work. Ludwig deliberated like this for hours on end, not a single one of his theories providing any sort of comfort to him.
Finally he came to a decision to go after Gilbert. Ludwig had a rough idea as to where to go, because Gilbert had pointed it out to him a few months ago. He grabbed his hat to hide his unwashed hair and left the house without another consideration.
To cut out the tedious journey, Ludwig close enough to the centre of Berlin in due course. From there on, he didn't need to navigate his own path to the border. Crowds of confused and inquisitive Berliners alike were preventing Ludwig from getting any closer. Everyone spoke loudly and quickly, frantic even, Ludwig could only catch snippets of what was being said. He wasn't tall enough to even tiptoe over the shoulders of what felt like the entire population of Germany! No matter how hard he pushed through the concentrated masses of people, he couldn't get any closer.
Ludwig gave up soon enough, panting faintly as he surveyed the area for a straggler. A young gentleman in uniform caught his eye, spectating the crowds from a nearby location. The 8 year old darted through various clumps of people, disconnected from the crowd and flung himself in the direction of the officer.
"E- Excuse me, sir, what's going on?!" Ludwig croaked out, staring at the officer with pleading eyes.
The man sighed, not impolitely, merely out of exhaustion from the looks of it, "Kid… Where are your parents?" He looked taken aback as Ludwig teared up, "The w… They're – Aw kid, don't cry! I'm sorry, it's just… Well, they closed the border between East and West Berlin."
Ludwig stepped back, shaking his head a little from disbelief. The sound around him became muffled as his heart hammered violently, flooding his ears with its beat and bruising his chest. "No… N- No, please – When?" His brain felt frazzled, as if it couldn't process the most standard of functions. Number than the rest of his emotionless being; like the shock of it all had removed an entity of emotion from Ludwig's core, and out of cruelty chose to leave behind nothing but dull pain.
The officer interpreted Ludwig's tears as a sign of him being overwhelmed by the amount of panicked individuals around them. He placed a hand on Ludwig's upper back, gently steering him away. "They're it closed down at midnight. It's complicated kid, the whole ordeal is. But as of today, East Berlin is shut off. We're lucky we're on this side."
Ludwig could have screamed at the officer. Yelled and bawled, thrown himself into the crowd again to try and break down the border. He didn't though. Ludwig had no more energy left, as if the realisation had drained him to a lifeless state. Ludwig nodded in thanks to the man for being cooperative. He was beginning to back away from the officer; Gilbert said stay away from them because they could discover the brothers' livelihoods. Not that it mattered anymore. Not that any of it mattered anymore.
Gilbert was gone.
And Ludwig didn't know if he was ever coming back.
Thanks again for reading! Hoping it'll pick up soon in terms of pace, depends really. Reviews are love :)