The Book Thief

HIMMEL STREET

Liesel woke up lying in rubble, ashes with burnt wood. What? Where am I? Many questions ran through her mind. Through all the pitch black, the accordion could be seen by Liesel's leg. Liesel threw all the rubbish across what she believed was the basement, gently blew away all of the ash from the surface of the instrument then clinged onto the sides of the red, burnt accordion.

"Help me! Someone please!" Liesel yelled in distress.

A young soldier pulled a bookcase away to discover a girl, a book as well as an accordion.

"Dankeschon Sir." Liesel was in disbelief with what she saw, for it was her home; the small building in Himmel Street with a thunderstorm-like woman married to an old man with a warm heart who took in an communist evacuee.

"Mama! Papa!" tears slowly rolled down Liesel's ash-covered face.

"I am very sorry girl, you are the only person we can find alive."

Liesel fell to the ground, the cold crumbly ground, a realisation that her family were dead, her friends were dead, her enemies were dead, her brother was dead; her soul was dead. That very word haunted Liesel as she roamed through Himmel Street, but all she could see was remains of homes and bodies of those who had been crushed by their home, suffocated due to the lack of oxygen or had a bomb dropped over their head. The sight was horrendous, so many humans.

"I see humans, but no humanity." Liesel whispered to herself. Thousands of bodies from babies, babies who could have grown into beautiful adults with wonderful children, to elderlies, elderlies who may have had grandchildren unaware of what has happened to their favourite granddaddy.

COULD HAVE

MAY HAVE

Death changes everything from the present to the past. It was all in the past when these people smiled, cried, laughed, sung, danced, slept, loved each other, it was all in the past.

Familiar faces lay on the ground: Mama and Papa.

Papa's eyes were open.

"Papa, you have beautiful blue eyes, not dead eyes. Your fingers are always playing gracefully on your accordion, they don't feel the ground, the ground which was what we called home." Liesel kissed her surrogate father on the forehead, "Auf Wiedersehen farter." Goodbye father.

Lying beautifully, however dead by his side was Rosa Hubermann, the woman who rests regretting not sharing her undeniable love with Liesel or Hans.

"Mama, your skin, hands and face are always so warm, you don't own hands of a snowman. You are as beautiful as a snowflake mama. I love you mama." Liesel gently leans in to hug the woman who loved her so much, she was not even the slightest bit aware.

"Saurkel, Rudy Steiner." shoulders kept stating the heart-breaking truth on how she was the only lucky person on this street. "I can't lose everything. Rudy!" Liesel yelled up to the sky. Her brother, her mother, her surrogate family, now Rudy.

"I am sorry, is Rudy your brother? is Rudy your boyfriend? I am sorry child."

Trudging along the street named after heaven, a young boy is pulled out of the ashes.

"Rudy!"

"Liesel, Saumensch. I need to tell you something."

"Shhh. Don't speak."

Liesel placed her arms around Rudy's back, then placed his cold, heavy head on her warm knees."

"I have to tell you Liesel. I lo---."

Rudy's eyes shut, he leaned back, took his last breathe then rolled into death's arms.

"Rudy? Rudy! Answer me, Rudy kiss me!"

Liesel kissed Rudy's dead lips, his lips were still warm... and soft. Rudy still felt alive, his skin felt like skin against Liesel's face drowning in tears. Rudy's love for Liesel still feels alive, it shall live for an eternity; love never dies.

"Ich liebe dich Rudy Steiner." I love you Rudy Steiner.

Liesel kissed Rudy's cheek, cleared all the ash from her skirt which Rosa spent hours making in addition to cleaning for Liesel's sake. Liesel stood up on her two feet, on the floor was a book opened on the first page reading in ink : For Liesel, from Max. Liesel collapsed to the floor, hitting the bricks from 33 Himmel Street.

Liesel Meminger was adopted by Ilsa. Rudy Steiner, his family along with the Hubermann family, shared a funeral. Liesel, made a speech, no one knew what she muffled under the tears, however it was something about a kiss, a saurkel, a book, an accordion, a coat of thunder and love. Max as well as Alex Steiner returned 2 years after the end of Hitler's surrendering. Liesel was over-joyed to see them again, Alex had received the devastating news of his family's death, Max had survived the torturing of Jews.