Death's Diary: Ballad Trilogy

The golden summer of Molching was full of preparation for its inevitable silvery fate.

There were doubts, there was worry, it was black.

A system had been established for the people to find out which home was shelter
certified. However, it would only be a matter of time till those shelters laid ruin. In
this time of bad luck, good luck followed. Hans Hubermann made the most of the
status of Molching after being hired by several people to blacken their blinds for the
nights. Black paint soon became scarce due to it's sudden demand. To his advantage,
he had the skills of a painter and a tradesman, and also the mind of an improviser.
The book thief followed Papa's footsteps on workdays, helping any way she could.
This would soon become her side job, as of course her main job would still remain
stealing books. The two shared laughs and secrets, mostly stories of Hans's past to
when he first met Mama. The Great War is even mentioned in their conversation.
What a dreadful time that was, and it seemed to be repeating itself ten times over.
During their breaks, the book thief would be captivated by the sound of the
accordion, envious that she'd never be able to play it like Papa. No matter how many
unsuccessful times she tried to learn how to play it. The respect Hans Hubermann
received throughout his work would soon lead both him and the book thief to a house
just east of Munich Street. It was a wealthy afternoon, retaining an ornate status in
such a difficult time. The two pastel women and man, dressed elegantly, had no
money, but offered champagne to liven up the summer day. Hans agreed to the
exchange and gave approval to the book thief. Much to the book thief's distaste, she
took another sip, this time enjoyable. The enjoyable moment would remain a secret to
Mama, but revealed to Max. I imagined those peaceful times during the turbulent war
would remain close to the book thief's heart, and also my imagined one.
I saw the boy run many times, since he was born I think. A lively child, a troubled
child, and also a determined child, a blond child. Those four children became one
after each foot touched the ground over and over again till he reached the finish line.
This day would decide if he was worthy enough to be a disciple of Jesse Owens. The
four medals were in his sights, just waiting to hang around his thin neck. However he
had another goal in mind at the same time. Impressing the new Hitler Youth leaders
was one thing, but also showing off in front of Franz Deutscher was more than
enough. Six weeks passed till the day Rudy would rise to greatness, at least in his
eyes. Race after race, breath after breath, blue boiling blood coursed through his
veins, he was invincible. Although his invulnerability had run out in the final race. I
saw from the very beginning what would happen, but I never knew how it would play
out. Early start after early start would soon lead to Rudy's disqualification. The book
thief was in uproar in her mind, appalled by the sight of what she'd just witnessed.
The kid was going to go far, but he cut his path off too soon or perhaps He cut his
path off too soon. After the event, Rudy reassured the book thief that it was all
purposely executed, no added detail. Both the book thief and I stood there
dumbfounded by the fact that a Saukerl had just outsmarted us.
The following days would involve not one but two book heists, but this time with some
unexpected assistance. The first target was A Song in the Dark and the second was the Duden
Dictionary and Thesaurus. Over the course of several days, she'd completely finished reading
the books she had in her current possession, including A Song in the Dark. On a sky blue
afternoon, Rudy soon arrived with an urgent look on his face, troubled even. They soon made
their way to the mayor's house. What awaited them was out of the ordinary, at least for the
book thief.

A closed window, a visible big black book, and a golden opportunity.

The book thief went over her plan nervously as she made her way towards the window. She
thought of every possible way to snatch the book unnoticed, but deep inside she knew there
was someone watching. Once in her grasp, the book thief and Rudy fled the scene, only for
her to realized she had already been caught. "Look at the window. Look at the window", I
wanted to whisper, but she had already acted accordingly. At the window Ilsa Hermann
waved and so did the book thief, a natural greeting between a thief and her victim. At the
bridge, they gathered their thoughts and opened the book. On the bridge, the Duden
Dictionary and Thesaurus was opened in the book thief's name, a letter to be more exact. It
read as both an apology and an opportunity for redemption. The book thief pondered on her
chance to redeem herself, but decided that stealing happiness is just another form of a human
trick. I thought that it was my job to steal happiness.