The Book Thief(89)

Not only was Rudy recognized now as a good

school student. He was a gifted athlete, too.





For Liesel, there was the 400. She finished seventh, then fourth in her heat of the 200. All she could see up ahead were the hamstrings and bobbing ponytails of the girls in front. In the long jump, she enjoyed the sand packed around her feet more than any distance, and the shot put wasnt her greatest moment, either. This day, she realized, was Rudys.



In the 400 final, he led from the backstretch to the end, and he won the 200 only narrowly.



You getting tired? Liesel asked him. It was early afternoon by then.



Of course not. He was breathing heavily and stretching his calves. What are you talking about, Saumensch? What the hell would you know?



When the heats of the 100 were called, he rose slowly to his feet and followed the trail of adolescents toward the track. Liesel went after him. Hey, Rudy. She pulled at his shirtsleeve. Good luck.



Im not tired, he said.



I know.



He winked at her.



He was tired.



In his heat, Rudy slowed to finish second, and after ten minutes of other races, the final was called. Two other boys had looked formidable, and Liesel had a feeling in her stomach that Rudy could not win this one. Tommy Mller, whod finished second to last in his heat, stood with her at the fence. Hell win it, he informed her.



I know.



No, he wont.



When the finalists reached the starting line, Rudy dropped to his knees and began digging starting holes with his hands. A balding brownshirt wasted no time in walking over and telling him to cut it out. Liesel watched the adult finger, pointing, and she could see the dirt falling to the ground as Rudy brushed his hands together.



When they were called forward, Liesel tightened her grip on the fence. One of the boys false-started; the gun was shot twice. It was Rudy. Again, the official had words with him and the boy nodded. Once more and he was out.



Set for the second time, Liesel watched with concentration, and for the first few seconds, she could not believe what she was seeing. Another false start was recorded and it was the same athlete who had done it. In front of her, she created a perfect race, in which Rudy trailed but came home to win in the last ten meters. What she actually saw, however, was Rudys disqualification. He was escorted to the side of the track and was made to stand there, alone, as the remainder of boys stepped forward.



They lined up and raced.



A boy with rusty brown hair and a big stride won by at least five meters.



Rudy remained.



Later, when the day was complete and the sun was taken from Himmel Street, Liesel sat with her friend on the footpath.



They talked about everything else, from Franz Deutschers face after the 1500 to one of the eleven-year-old girls having a tantrum after losing the discus.



Before they proceeded to their respective homes, Rudys voice reached over and handed Liesel the truth. For a while, it sat on her shoulder, but a few thoughts later, it made its way to her ear.





RUDYS VOICE

I did it on purpose.





When the confession registered, Liesel asked the only question available. But why, Rudy? Why did you do it?



He was standing with a hand on his hip, and he did not answer. There was nothing but a knowing smile and a slow walk that lolled him home. They never talked about it again.



For Liesels part, she often wondered what Rudys answer might have been had she pushed him. Perhaps three medals had shown what hed wanted to show, or he was afraid to lose that final race. In the end, the only explanation she allowed herself to hear was an inner teenage voice.



Because he isnt Jesse Owens.



Only when she got up to leave did she notice the three imitation-gold medals sitting next to her. She knocked on the Steiners door and held them out to him. You forgot these.



No, I didnt. He closed the door and Liesel took the medals home. She walked with them down to the basement and told Max about her friend Rudy Steiner.



He truly is stupid, she concluded.



Clearly, Max agreed, but I doubt he was fooled.



They both started work then, Max on his sketchbook, Liesel on The Dream Carrier. She was in the latter stages of the novel, where the young priest was doubting his faith after meeting a strange and elegant woman.



When she placed it facedown on her lap, Max asked when she thought shed finish it.



A few days at the most.



Then a new one?



The book thief looked at the basement ceiling. Maybe, Max. She closed the book and leaned back. If Im lucky.





THE NEXT BOOK

Its not the Duden Dictionary and

Thesaurus, as you might be expecting.





No, the dictionary comes at the end of this small trilogy, and this is only the second installment. This is the part where Liesel finishes The Dream Carrier and steals a story called A Song in the Dark. As always, it was taken from the mayors house. The only difference was that she made her way to the upper part of town alone. There was no Rudy that day.