Sketches. The whistler and the shoes

SKETCHES

 
 If the summer of 1941 was walling up around the likes of Rudy and Liesel, it was writing and painting itself into the life of Max Vandenburg. In his loneliest moments in the basement, the words started piling up around him. The visions began to pour and fall and occasionally limp from out of his hands.
 
 He had what he called just a small ration of tools:
 
 A painted book.
 
 A handful of pencils.
 
 A mindful of thoughts.
 
 Like a simple puzzle, he put them together.
 
 Originally, Max had intended to write his own story.
 
 The idea was to write about everything that had happened to himall that had led him to a Himmel Street basementbut it was not what came out. Maxs exile produced something else entirely. It was a collection of random thoughts and he chose to embrace them. They felt true. They were more real than the letters he wrote to his family and to his friend Walter Kugler, knowing very well that he could never send them. The desecrated pages of Mein Kampf were becoming a series of sketches, page after page, which to him summed up the events that had swapped his former life for another. Some took minutes. Others hours. He resolved that when the book was finished, hed give it to Liesel, when she was old enough, and hopefully, when all this nonsense was over.
 
 From the moment he tested the pencils on the first painted page, he kept the book close at all times. Often, it was next to him or still in his fingers as he slept.
 
 One afternoon, after his push-ups and sit-ups, he fell asleep against the basement wall. When Liesel came down, she found the book sitting next to him, slanted against his thigh, and curiosity got the better of her. She leaned over and picked it up, waiting for him to stir. He didnt. Max was sitting with his head and shoulder blades against the wall. She could barely make out the sound of his breath, coasting in and out of him, as she opened the book and glimpsed a few random pages. . . .
 

 
 Frightened by what she saw, Liesel placed the book back down, exactly as she found it, against Maxs leg.
 
 A voice startled her.
 
 Danke schn, it said, and when she looked across, following the trail of sound to its owner, a small sign of satisfaction was present on his Jewish lips.
 
 Holy Christ, Liesel gasped. You scared me, Max.
 
 He returned to his sleep, and behind her, the girl dragged the same thought up the steps.
 
 You scared me, Max.
 
 
 
  

THE WHISTLER AND THE SHOES

 
 The same pattern continued through the end of summer and well into autumn. Rudy did his best to survive the Hitler Youth. Max did his push-ups and made his sketches. Liesel found newspapers and wrote her words on the basement wall.
 
 Its also worthy of mention that every pattern has at least one small bias, and one day it will tip itself over, or fall from one page to another. In this case, the dominant factor was Rudy. Or at least, Rudy and a freshly fertilized sports field.
 
 Late in October, all appeared to be usual. A filthy boy was walking down Himmel Street. Within a few minutes, his family would expect his arrival, and he would lie that everyone in his Hitler Youth division was given extra drills in the field. His parents would even expect some laughter. They didnt get it.
 
 Today Rudy was all out of laughter and lies.
 
 On this particular Wednesday, when Liesel looked more closely, she could see that Rudy Steiner was shirtless. And he was furious.
 
 What happened? she asked as he trudged past.
 
 He reversed back and held out the shirt. Smell it, he said.
 
 What?
 
 Are you deaf? I said smell it.
 
 Reluctantly, Liesel leaned in and caught a ghastly whiff of the brown garment. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! Is that?
 
 The boy nodded. Its on my chin, too. My chin! Im lucky I didnt swallow it!
 
 Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.
 
 The field at Hitler Youth just got fertilized. He gave his shirt another halfhearted, disgusted appraisal. Its cow manure, I think.
 
 Did whats-his-nameDeutscherknow it was there?
 
 He says he didnt. But he was grinning.
 
 Jesus, Mary, and
 
 Could you stop saying that?!
 
 What Rudy needed at this point in time was a victory. He had lost in his dealings with Viktor Chemmel. Hed endured problem after problem at the Hitler Youth. All he wanted was a small scrap of triumph, and he was determined to get it.
 
 He continued home, but when he reached the concrete step, he changed his mind and came slowly, purposefully back to the girl.
 
 Careful and quiet, he spoke. You know what would cheer me up?
 
 Liesel cringed. If you think Im going toin that state. . .
 
 He seemed disappointed in her. No, not that. He sighed and stepped closer. Something else. After a moments thought, he raised his head, just a touch. Look at me. Im filthy. I stink like cow shit, or dog shit, whatever your opinion, and as usual, Im absolutely starving. He paused. I need a win, Liesel. Honestly.
 
 Liesel knew.
 
 Shed have gone closer but for the smell of him.
 
 Stealing.
 
 They had to steal something.
 
 No.
 
 They had to steal something back. It didnt matter what. It needed only to be soon.
 
 Just you and me this time, Rudy suggested. No Chemmels, no Schmeikls. Just you and me.
 
 The girl couldnt help it.
 
 Her hands itched, her pulse split, and her mouth smiled all at the same time. Sounds good.
 
 Its agreed, then, and although he tried not to, Rudy could not hide the fertilized grin that grew on his face. Tomorrow?
 
 Liesel nodded. Tomorrow.
 
 Their plan was perfect but for one thing:
 
 They had no idea where to start.
 
 Fruit was out. Rudy snubbed his nose at onions and potatoes, and they drew the line at another attempt on Otto Sturm and his bikeful of farm produce. Once was immoral. Twice was complete bastardry.
 
 So where the hell do we go? Rudy asked.
 
 How should I know? This was your idea, wasnt it?
 
 That doesnt mean you shouldnt think a little, too. I cant think of everything.
 
 You can barely think of anything. . . .
 
 They argued on as they walked through town. On the outskirts, they witnessed the first of the farms and the trees standing like emaciated statues. The branches were gray and when they looked up at them, there was nothing but ragged limbs and empty sky.
 
 Rudy spat.
 
 They walked back through Molching, making suggestions.
 
 What about Frau Diller?
 
 What about her?
 
 Maybe if we say heil Hitler and then steal something, well be all right.
 
 After roaming Munich Street for an hour or so, the daylight was drawing to a close and they were on the verge of giving up. Its pointless, Rudy said, and Im even hungrier now than Ive ever been. Im starving, for Christs sake. He walked another dozen steps before he stopped and looked back. Whats with you? because now Liesel was standing completely still, and a moment of realization was strapped to her face.
 
 Why hadnt she thought of it before?
 
 What is it? Rudy was becoming impatient. Saumensch, whats going on?
 
 At that very moment, Liesel was presented with a decision. Could she truly carry out what she was thinking? Could she really seek revenge on a person like this? Could she despise someone this much?
 
 She began walking in the opposite direction. When Rudy caught up, she slowed a little in the vain hope of achieving a little more clarity. After all, the guilt was already there. It was moist. The seed was already bursting into a dark-leafed flower. She weighed up whether she could really go through with this. At a crossroad, she stopped.
 
 I know a place.
 
 They went over the river and made their way up the hill.
 
 On Grande Strasse, they took in the splendor of the houses. The front doors glowed with polish, and the roof tiles sat like toupees, combed to perfection. The walls and windows were manicured and the chimneys almost breathed out smoke rings.
 
 Rudy planted his feet. The mayors house?
 
 Liesel nodded, seriously. A pause. They fired my mama.
 
 When they angled toward it, Rudy asked just how in Gods name they were going to get inside, but Liesel knew. Local knowledge, she answered. Local But when they were able to see the window to the library at the far end of the house, she was greeted with a shock. The window was closed.
 
 Well? Rudy asked.
 
 Liesel swiveled slowly and hurried off. Not today, she said. Rudy laughed.
 
 I knew it. He caught up. I knew it, you filthy Saumensch. You couldnt get in there even if you had the key.
 
 Do you mind? She quickened even more and brushed aside Rudys commentary. We just have to wait for the right opportunity. Internally, she shrugged away from a kind of gladness that the window was closed. She berated herself. Why, Liesel? she asked. Why did you have to explode when they fired Mama? Why couldnt you just keep your big mouth shut? For all you know, the mayors wife is now completely reformed after you yelled and screamed at her. Maybe shes straightened herself out, picked herself up. Maybe shell never let herself shiver in that house again and the window will be shut forever. . . . You stupid Saumensch!
 
 A week later, however, on their fifth visit to the upper part of Molching, it was there.
 
 The open window breathed a slice of air in.
 
 That was all it would take.
 
 It was Rudy who stopped first. He tapped Liesel in the ribs, with the back of his hand. Is that window, he whispered, open? The eagerness in his voice leaned from his mouth, like a forearm onto Liesels shoulder.
 
 Jawohl, she answered. It sure is.
 
 And how her heart began to heat.
 
 On each previous occasion, when they found the window clamped firmly shut, Liesels outer disappointment had masked a ferocious relief. Would she have had the neck to go in? And who and what, in fact, was she going in for? For Rudy? To locate some food?
 
 No, the repugnant truth was this:
 
 She didnt care about the food. Rudy, no matter how hard she tried to resist the idea, was secondary to her plan. It was the book she wanted. The Whistler. She wouldnt tolerate having it given to her by a lonely, pathetic old woman. Stealing it, on the other hand, seemed a little more acceptable. Stealing it, in a sick kind of sense, was like earning it.
 
 The light was changing in blocks of shade.
 
 The pair of them gravitated toward the immaculate, bulky house. They rustled their thoughts.
 
 You hungry? Rudy asked.
 
 Liesel replied. Starving. For a book.
 
 Looka light just came on upstairs.
 
 I see it.
 
 Still hungry, Saumensch?
 
 They laughed nervously for a moment before going through the motions of who should go in and who should stand watch. As the male in the operation, Rudy clearly felt that he should be the aggressor, but it was obvious that Liesel knew this place. It was she who was going in. She knew what was on the other side of the window.
 
 She said it. It has to be me.
 
 Liesel closed her eyes. Tightly.
 
 She compelled herself to remember, to see visions of the mayor and his wife. She watched her gathered friendship with Ilsa Hermann and made sure to see it kicked in the shins and left by the wayside. It worked. She detested them.
 
 They scouted the street and crossed the yard silently.
 
 Now they were crouched beneath the slit in the window on the ground floor. The sound of their breathing amplified.
 
 Here, Rudy said, give me your shoes. Youll be quieter.
 
 Without complaint, Liesel undid the worn black laces and left the shoes on the ground. She rose up and Rudy gently opened the window just wide enough for Liesel to climb through. The noise of it passed overhead, like a low-flying plane.
 
 Liesel heaved herself onto the ledge and tussled her way inside. Taking off her shoes, she realized, was a brilliant idea, as she landed much heavier on the wooden floor than shed anticipated. The soles of her feet expanded in that painful way, rising to the inside edges of her socks.
 
 The room itself was as it always was.
 
 Liesel, in the dusty dimness, shrugged off her feelings of nostalgia. She crept forward and allowed her eyes to adjust.
 
 Whats going on? Rudy whispered sharply from outside, but she waved him a backhander that meant Halts Maul. Keep quiet.
 
 The food, he reminded her. Find the food. And cigarettes, if you can.
 
 Both items, however, were the last things on her mind. She was home, among the mayors books of every color and description, with their silver and gold lettering. She could smell the pages. She could almost taste the words as they stacked up around her. Her feet took her to the right-hand wall. She knew the one she wantedthe exact positionbut when she made it to The Whistlers usual place on the shelf, it was not there. A slight gap was in its place.
 
 From above, she heard footsteps.
 
 The light! Rudy whispered. The words were shoved through the open window. Its out!
 
 Scheisse.
 
 Theyre coming downstairs.
 
 There was a giant length of a moment then, the eternity of split-second decision. Her eyes scanned the room and she could see The Whistler, sitting patiently on the mayors desk.
 
 Hurry up, Rudy warned her. But very calmly and cleanly, Liesel walked over, picked up the book, and made her way cautiously out. Headfirst, she climbed from the window, managing to land on her feet again, feeling the pang of pain once more, this time in her ankles.
 
 Come on, Rudy implored her. Run, run. Schnell!
 
 Once around the corner, on the road back down to the river and Munich Street, she stopped to bend over and recover. Her body was folded in the middle, the air half frozen in her mouth, her heart tolling in her ears.
 
 Rudy was the same.
 
 When he looked over, he saw the book under her arm. He struggled to speak. Whatshe grappled with the wordswith the book?
 
 The darkness was filling up truly now. Liesel panted, the air in her throat defrosting. It was all I could find.
 
 Unfortunately, Rudy could smell it. The lie. He cocked his head and told her what he felt was a fact. You didnt go in for food, did you? You got what you wanted. . . .
 
 Liesel straightened then and was overcome with the sickness of another realization.
 
 The shoes.
 
 She looked at Rudys feet, then at his hands, and at the ground all around him.
 
 What? he asked. What is it?
 
 Saukerl, she accused him. Where are my shoes? Rudys face whitened, which left her in no doubt. Theyre back at the house, she suggested, arent they?
 
 Rudy searched desperately around himself, begging against all reality that he might have brought them with him. He imagined himself picking them up, wishing it truebut the shoes were not there. They sat uselessly, or actually, much worse, incriminatingly, by the wall at 8 Grande Strasse.
 
 Dummkopf! he admonished himself, smacking his ear. He looked down shamefully at the sullen sight of Liesels socks. Idiot! It didnt take him long to decide on making it right. Earnestly, he said, Just wait, and he hurried back around the corner.
 
 Dont get caught, Liesel called after him, but he didnt hear.
 
 The minutes were heavy while he was gone.
 
 Darkness was now complete and Liesel was quite certain that a Watschen was most likely in the cards when she returned home. Hurry, she murmured, but still Rudy didnt appear. She imagined the sound of a police siren throwing itself forward and reeling itself in. Collecting itself.
 
 Still, nothing.
 
 Only when she walked back to the intersection of the two streets in her damp, dirty socks did she see him. Rudys triumphant face was held nicely up as he trotted steadily toward her. His teeth were gnashed into a grin, and the shoes dangled from his hand. They nearly killed me, he said, but I made it. Once theyd crossed the river, he handed Liesel the shoes, and she threw them down.
 
 Sitting on the ground, she looked up at her best friend. Danke, she said. Thank you.
 
 Rudy bowed. My pleasure. He tried for a little more. No point asking if I get a kiss for that, I guess?
 
 For bringing my shoes, which you left behind?
 
 Fair enough. He held up his hands and continued speaking as they walked on, and Liesel made a concerted effort to ignore him. She only heard the last part. Probably wouldnt want to kiss you anywaynot if your breaths anything like your shoes.
 
 You disgust me, she informed him, and she hoped he couldnt see the escaped beginnings of a smile that had fallen from her mouth.
 
 On Himmel Street, Rudy captured the book. Under a lamppost, he read out the title and wondered what it was about.
 
 Dreamily, Liesel answered. Just a murderer.
 
 Is that all?
 
 Theres also a policeman trying to catch him.
 
 Rudy handed it back. Speaking of which, I think were both slightly in for it when we get home. You especially.
 
 Why me?
 
 You knowyour mama.
 
 What about her? Liesel was exercising the blatant right of every person whos ever belonged to a family. Its all very well for such a person to whine and moan and criticize other family members, but they wont let anyone else do it. Thats when you get your back up and show loyalty. Is there something wrong with her?
 
 Rudy backed away. Sorry, Saumensch. I didnt mean to offend you.
 
 Even in the night, Liesel could see that Rudy was growing. His face was lengthening. The blond shock of hair was darkening ever so slightly and his features seemed to be changing shape. But there was one thing that would never change. It was impossible to be angry at him for long.
 
 Anything good to eat at your place tonight? he asked.
 
 I doubt it.
 
 Me neither. Its a shame you cant eat books. Arthur Berg said something like that once. Remember?
 
 They recounted the good old days for the remainder of the walk, Liesel often glancing down at The Whistler, at the gray cover and the black imprinted title.
 
 Before they went into their respective homes, Rudy stopped a moment and said, Goodbye, Saumensch. He laughed. Good night, book thief.
 
 It was the first time Liesel had been branded with her title, and she couldnt hide the fact that she liked it very much. As were both aware, shed stolen books previously, but in late October 1941, it became official. That night, Liesel Meminger truly became the book thief.