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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
By John Boyne
Chapter 18 Audio |
The day after
Father told
Bruno that
he would be
returning to
Berlin soon,
Shmuel didn't
arrive at
the fence
as usual.
Nor did
he show
up the
day after
that. On
the third
day, when
Bruno arrived
there was
no one
sitting cross-legged ,on the
ground and
he waited for
ten minutes
and was
about to
turn back
for home,
extremely worried that
he would
have to
leave Out-With
without seeing
his friend
again,
when
a
dot in
the distance
became a
speck and
that became
a blob
and that
became a
figure and
that in
turn became
the boy
in the
striped pyjamas.
Bruno
broke into
a smile
when he
saw the
figure coming towards him
and he
sat down
on the
ground, taking
the piece
of bread
and the
apple he
had smuggled
with him
out of
his pocket
to give
to Shmuel.
But even
from a
distance he
could see
that his
friend looked
even more
unhappy than
usual, and
when he
got to
the fence
he didn't
reach for
the food
with his
usual eagerness.
'I
thought you
weren't coming
any more,'
said Bruno.
'I came
yesterday and
the day before
that and
you weren't
here.'
'I'm
sorry,' said
Shmuel. 'Something
happened.'
Bruno
looked at
him and
narrowed his
eyes, trying to
guess what
it might
be. He
wondered whether
Shmuel had
been told
that he
was going
home too;
after all,
coincidences like
that do
happen, such
as the
fact that
Bruno and
Shmuel shared
the same
birthday.
'Well?'
asked Bruno.
'What was
it?'
'Papa,' said
Shmuel. 'We
can't find
him.'
'Can't find
him? That's
very odd.
You mean
he's
lost?'
'I suppose
so,' said
Shmuel. 'He
was here
on
Monday and
then he
went on
work duty
with some
other
men and
none of
them have
come back.'
'And hasn't
he written
you a
letter?' asked
Bruno.
'Or
left a
note to
say when
he'll be
coming back?'
'No,'
said Shmuel.
'How odd,'
said Bruno.
'Have you
looked for
him?'
he asked
after a
moment.
'Of course
I have,'
said Shmuel
with a
sigh. 'I
did what you're always talking
about. I
did some
exploration.'
'And there
was no
sign?'
'None.'
'Well, that's
very strange,'
said Bruno.
'But I
think
there
must be a simple
explanation.'
'And what's
that?' asked
Shmuel.
'I imagine
the men were taken
to work
in another
town
and they
have to
stay there
for a
few days
until
the
work is
done. And
the post
isn't very
good here
anyway.
I expect
he'll turn
up one
day soon.'
'I
hope so,'
said Shmuel,
who looked
as if
he was
about to
cry. 'I
don't know
what we're
supposed to
do
without him.'
'I
could ask
Father if
you wanted,'
said Bruno
cau
tiously, hoping
that Shmuel
wouldn't say
yes.
'I don't
think that
would be
a good
idea,' said
Shmuel, which,
to Bruno's
disappointment, was not
a
flat-out rejection
of the
offer.
'Why
not?' he
asked. 'Father
is very
knowledgeable
about life
on that side
f
the fence.'
'I
don't think the soldiers
like us,'
said Shmuel.
'Well,' he
added with
something as
close to
a laugh
as he
could muster,
'I
know they
don't like
us. They
hate us.'
Bruno
sat
back
in
surprise.
'l;m
sure they
don't
hate you,'
he said.
'They
do,' said
Shmuel, leaning
forward, his
eyes
narrowing
and his
lips curling
up a
little in
anger. 'But
that's all
right because
I hate them too.
I
hate
them,' he
repeated forcefully.
'You
don't hate
Father, do
you?' asked
Bruno.
Shmuel bit his
lip and
said nothing.
He had
seen Bruno's
father
on
any
number
of
occasions
and
couldn't understand
how
such a
man could
have a
son who
was so
friendly and
kind.
'Anyway,'
said Bruno
after a
suitable pause,
not wishing
to discuss
that topic
any further,
'I have
something to
tell you too.'
'You
do?' asked
Shmuel, looking
up hopefully. 'Yes. I'm
going back
to Berlin.'
Shmuel's
mouth dropped
open in
surprise. 'When?' he
asked, his
voice catching
slightly in
his throat as
he did
so.
'Well,
this is
Thursday,' said Bruno.
'And we're
leaving on
Saturday. After
lunch.'
'But for
how long?'
asked Shmuel.
'I think
it's for
ever,' said
Bruno. 'Mother
doesn't
like it
at Out-With-
she says
it's no
place to
bring up
two
children
-
so
Father is
staying here
to work
because
the Fury
has big
things in
mind for him,
but
the
rest of
us are
going home.'
He
said the
word 'home',
despite the
fact that
he wasn't
sure where
'home' was
any more.
'So I
won't see
you again?'
asked Shmuel.
'Well, someday, yes,'
said Bruno.
'You could
come on a
holiday to
Berlin. You
can't stay
here for
ever after
all. Can
you?'
Shmuel shook
his head.
'I suppose
not,' he
said
sadly.
'I won't
have anyone
to talk
to any
more when
you're gone,'
he added.
'No,'
said Bruno.
He wanted
to add
the words,
'I'll
miss you too,
Shmuel,' to
the sentence
but found
that he
was a
little embarrassed
to say
them. 'So
to morrow
will be
the last
time we
see each
other until
then,' he
continued. 'We'll have
to say
our goodbyes then.
I'll try to
bring you
an extra
special treat.'
Shmuel
nodded
but
couldn't
find
any
words to
express his
sorrow.
'I
wish we'd
got to
play together,'
said Bruno
after a
long pause.
'Just once.
Just to
remember.'
‘So do I,’
said Shmuel.
'We've
been talking
to each
other for
more than
a year
and we
never got
to play
once. And
do you
know what
else?' he
added. 'All
this time
I've been
watching where
you live
from out
of my
bedroom window
and I've
never even
seen for
myself what
it's like.'
'You
wouldn't like
it,' said
Shmuel. 'Yours
is much
nicer,' he
added.
'I'd still
like to
have seen
it,' said
Bruno.
Shmuel
thought for
a few moments
and then
reached down
and put
his hand
under the
fence and
lifted it
a little,
to the
height where
a small
boy, perhaps
the size
and shape
of Bruno,
could fit
underneath.
'Well?' said Shmuel.
'Why don't
you then?'
Bruno blinked
and thought
about it.
'I don't
think
I'd
be allowed,' he said
doubtfully.
'Well, you're
probably not
allowed to
come here
and talk
to me
every day
either,' said
Shmuel. 'But
you still
do it,
don't you?'
'But if
I was
caught I'd
be in trouble,' said Bruno,
who
was sure
Mother and
Father would
not
approve.
'That's true,'
said Shmuel,
lowering the
fence
again
and looking
at the
ground with
tears in
his
eyes.
'I suppose
I'll see
you tomorrow
to say
goodbye
then.'
Neither
boy said
anything for
a moment. Suddenly Bruno
had a
brainwave.
'Unless
..
.'
he
began, thinking
about it
for a
moment and
allowing a
plan to hatch in his
head. He reached
a hand up
to his
head and
felt where
his hair
used
to be
but was
now just
stubble that hadn't
fully
grown
back. 'Don't
you remember
that you
said I
looked like you?' he asked
Shmuel. 'Since
I had
my
head
shaved?'
'Only fatter,'
conceded Shmuel.
'Well,
if that's
the case,'
said Bruno,
'and if
I had
a pair
of striped
pyjamas too,
then I
could come
over on a
visit and
no one
would be
any the
wiser.'
Shmuel's face brightened
up and
he broke
into a
wide smile. 'Do you think
so?' he
asked. 'Would
you
do
it?'
'Of course,'
said Bruno.
'It would
be a
great
adventure. Our final
adventure. I could
do some
exploring
at last.'
'And
you could
help me
look for
Papa,' said
Shmuel.
'Why not?'
said Bruno.
'We'll take
a walk
around and see whether
we can
find any
evidence. That's
always wise
when you're
exploring. The only
problem is
getting a
spare pair
of striped
pyjamas.'
Shmuel
shook his
head. 'That's
all right,'
he said.
'There's a
hut where they
keep them.
I can
get some
in my
size and
bring them
with me.
Then you
can change
and we
can look
for Papa.'
'Wonderful,' said
Bruno, caught
up in the
enthusiasm of
the moment.
'Then it's
a plan.'
'We'll meet
at the
same time
tomorrow,' said
Shmuel.
'Don't be
late this
time,' said
Bruno, standing
up
and dusting
himself down.
'And don't
forget the
striped
pyjamas.'
Both
boys
went
home
in
high
spirits that
after
noon.
Bruno imagined
a great
adventure ahead and
finally an
opportunity to
see what
was really
on the other
side of
the fence
before he
went back
to Berlin
-
not
to mention
getting in
a little
serious exploration as
well
-
and
Shmuel saw
a chance
to get
someone to
help him
in the
search for
his papa.
All
in
all, it
seemed like
a very sensible plan
and a
good
way
to say
goodbye.
Chapter 19 | The Boy in the Striped Pajamas |
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