Letters to Rudy [The Book Thief Fanfiction]

first letter.

Dearest Rudy,

Other than writing my life in a book, I have also decided to write to you, secretly. If you're reading this right now, just to let you know that I began writing letters to you without you knowing. I have probably told you about this if you are reading at this moment. Frau Hermann gave me this notebook and a fine pen, and she told me to do anything with these, and I thought of something in which is the thing I'm doing right now.

Anyways, 3 days have passed since Himmel Street was bombed. It was a tragic happening, you know that too. I was fortunate enough to survive the bombing, but I wasn't feeling well. I saw Mama and Papa lying lifelessly on the destroyed structure which was once our house. I cried and I kept on telling them to wake up, but they wouldn't. I gave up, and I just kissed their rubbled foreheads and told them I love them. I would surely miss Mama's incredible art of saying Saumensch and Papa playing the accordion. I saw Papa's accordion and I picked it up, thinking that was one of the things I need to treasure alongside books and precious memories.

I went around looking on those people who died, and then I saw you. You were carried by some LSE soldiers. I fastly approached at your direction as they put you down gently on pieces of destroyed, grayish walls. You were alive, you were barely alive. You said that you needed to tell me something, but then, sadly, I can't make out the words you're supposed to say. Why? Because you gave up.

I wept harder on your lifeless body, I kept on shaking you, doing my best to wake you up, yelling your name for what seemed like hundreds of times. None of them made you wake up. You were the only one I had at that moment, and I'm not giving up on believing you were still alive. It seemed like I was given a curse up there and that Death lingers around me and that even the only one I ever had he would even take away from me.

"Rudy Steiner! Rudy! Rudy, you Saukerl! You Jesse Owens!! You gotta wake up!! Don't you know you're the only one I had now?" I had said, sobbing really hard on your lifeless body.

I had to do something that you didn't receive when you were alive.

I kissed you, soft and true on the lips.

I have to admit, when I first saw you, there's this little part of myself that admires you. And as I grow older up to now, it growed. I think I like you. No scratch that, I LOVE YOU ALREADY. Honestly, when you asked me a kiss at the Amper River, I wanted it so badly. Why was I a dummkopf for not kissing you at that time? You deserved the kiss. You really do.

The kiss was quite long and it actually felt good, your lips were soft. I broke it, and I still saw you unawake. Sudden realization hit me hard. You were really dead. I gave up, and I gave you a one last kiss when suddenly, I felt your lips moved, sort of like smiled. But I brushed it off because I thought you were dead. I broke the kiss and was about to go until something shocked me.

When I was about to go, you held my hand and you smirked. "I knew that you've been dying to kiss me. How about another kiss again, Saumensch?" You had said. My emotions were mixed at that moment. They were confusion, joy, anger and oh, great love. It seemed so impossible that you were really alive. I thought you were dead. "I thought you were dead!"

"Gotcha Saumensch," you playfully said while managing to wink at me with your voice hoarsed.

I muttered "DUMMKOPF" under my breath and just kissed you right on the lips, not wanting to lose you anymore. I don't want to cry again, it makes me feel weak.

We were found by Frau Hermann a while later and she offered to let us stay at her house, the Bürgermeister's house, as long as we want and needed to. Right now we are in the same room (we are sharing rooms) and you are already sleeping peacefully on the bed. The night is growing old, my hand is aching, and I should sleep. Tomorrow is waiting for me.

Until the very next time I write you.

With much love,

Liesel