Soccer on Himmel Street

Note: Based on the Book Thief. Passages in Italics taken from the Book Thief.

January 1939

Year of the Führer:

Rosa Hubermann did love Liesel. Deep down in the pit of her stomach, Rosa Hubermann knew she would give the world for the girl. It was just that her way of showing it was... different.

*** Some Facts about Rosa Hubermann***

She was five feet, one inch and wore her browny grey strands of elastic hair in a bun.

To supplement the Hubermann income, she did the washing and ironing for five of the wealthier households in Molching.

Her cooking was atrocious.

She possessed the unique ability to aggravate almost anyone she ever met.

But she did love Liesel Meminger.

Her way of showing it just happened to be strange.

It involved bashing her with wooden spoons and words at various intervals.

As Mrs. Hubermann watched through the window, a glint of pride reflected in her eyes. Mud-stained snow carpeted Himmel Street, trampled by the children. Their laughter echoed, frantically searching for a way out, leaking through the narrow space between the short buildings. The sky was dressed in a nervous grey, densely spreading across the horizon until disappearing behind the outlines of the buildings along Himmel Street. Rosa Hubermann's eyes were fixed on a pale, skin figure, standing between two used metal barrels. Liesel Meminger.

The Hubermann woman watched as Rudy Steiner placed the soccer ball on a small pile of muddy snow. A smile was hinted on his face as Tommy Müller tried to force Liesel out of the net, certain of the usual outcome. After all, the Steiner boy hadn't missed in eighteen penalty shots. But Liesel refused to budge and Rudy didn't make her.

***Some Facts about Rudy Steiner***

Hair the colour of lemons.

Eyes the colour of the nervous sky overhead.

His hero was Jesse Owens. To the point where it went too far. He was sometimes seen as a little crazy, but that suited him fine. No one on Himmel Street liked to talk about it, only named it the Jesse Owens Incident. Rudy never knew just exactly why he wasn't allowed to paint himself in black. Only that it had to do something with politics.

He was the boy who painted himself in black.

She was the Book Thief.

They were meant to be best friends from the very beginning.

Rosa Hubermann couldn't help but smile as Liesel somehow deflected the oncoming ball with her elbow. Her face glistened with pride, making the air around her shimmer. But it was quickly wiped away as Rudy hurled a snowball, hitting Liesel in the face. Rosa's cardboard textured face contorted itself in a smile as her foster daughter spat mud and snow out of her mouth. A snowball in the face couldn't be anything other than a great start to a strong friendship.

***

Four years later:

A book floated down the Ampler River.

A boy jumped in, caught up to it, and held it in his right hand. He grinned.

He stood waist-deep in the icy, Decemberish water.

"How about a kiss, Saumensch?" he said.

The surrounding air was lovely, gorgeous, nauseating cold, not to mention the concrete ache of the water, thickening from his toes to his hips.

How about a kiss?

How about a kiss?

Poor Rudy

***A small announcement about Rudy Steiner***

He didn't deserve the way he did.

"Are you smiling?" came the voice of Hans Hubermann.

The smile was wiped from Rosa Hubermann's face as quickly as it had come.

"No, Saukerl," she bit back, but she could tell by the silver gleam in the man's eyes that he didn't believe her, "Why would I be smiling, huh? Don't think these wooden spoons are only for the Saumensch's Watschen!"

Hans Hubermann put his hands up in surrender, but as he left the room, Rosa could hear him chuckling to himself, "Rosa Hubermann smiling. Man, I would have paid to see that."

Rosa loved living just as much as Liesel Meminger outside, wiping snow from her face, or her husband with his silvery eyes dancing as he played the accordion for his foster daughter. But Rosa Hubermann simply never showed it, only ever known for the Watschens she gave and her colourful vocabulary.

***Rosa Hubermann's typical vocabulary***

Saumensch: Sau: pig. Mensch: the act of humiliating a female.

Saukerl: Male for Saumensch

Watschen: A good hiding.

If only I could have told Rosa Hubermann to show Liesel just how much she meant to her. If only I could have told her she didn't have half as much time as she thought she did. If only I could have told her that it was almost over. That Himmel Street didn't have much time before the bombs came. Before Molching was turned to ash. Before the only survivor was a book thief.

***

Four years later:

Doing her best to hide her worry and frustration, Rosa Hubermann glared at the young girl

"What did you do there, you little Saumensch?" The sentence was numb even in Rosa's ears. How could this be happening? With no more wash, there would be no more money.

"It was my fault," Liesel answered, eyes trained on the floor, "Here." She walked over to the wooden spoons, grabbed a handful, and placed them in front of her. Rosa could see the hurt in the girl's eyes. Hurt the colour of darkness, wrapping around her small body, suffocating her. It black tendrils wrapped themselves around her neck as tears flooded her eyes.

"Take your pick," Liesel muttered, not meeting Rosa Hubermann's eye.

"It's my fault. It's my fault," Liesel whispered over an over.

Rosa's fingers brushed them but she couldn't bare to hit Liesel. She willed her mind to give the Saumensch a Watschen to remember, but her fingers refused.

"It's not your fault," she said, hand stroking Liesel's waxy, unwashed hair, "It's not your fault.

I love you, she wanted to say, I love you so much, Liesel Meminger.

But deep down, Liesel knew.