seen by a plane flying above.
Fraulein Gelber had changed her clothes too. She wore her best hat with the tiny feather. Her hand was trembling as she ushered Heidi through the door and into the car.
She should be excited, Heidi thought, as the car turned slowly through the gates and began to creep down the lane. It had been, oh, how long had it been since she had seen her father? Over a year, perhaps.
Once she had hoped that he might write her a letter. She had studied hard so she could read it by herself when it came. But no letter had ever come.
Long ago, sometimes there had been phone calls. But there was no phone at the house where they lived now.
She should be excited. But somehow she just felt flat and scared.
The car drove through the village and Heidi looked at it curiously—it was only the second time she had seen it. Frau Leib talked about it so often it was almost as though she knew it. She hoped she might catch a glimpse of the children Frau Leib spoke of. But everyone was indoors.
Past the village, past the church. There was another car pulled up at the side of the road, in the even darker shelter of a tree.
Heidi’s car stopped. The driver stepped out and opened their door. Heidi scrambled out first. Fraulein Gelber started to follow her, but the driver shook his head. ‘Only the child,’ he said.
It seemed a long way from their car to the other. Heidi’s white socks shone in the moonlight (a tiny moon, a cheese rind of a moon). Her shoes shone back tiny moons too.
The back door of the other car opened. Heidi slid onto the seat.
There was no driver. He must have been told to keep his distance. There was no one to see or hear.
‘Well, Heidi,’ said the Fuhrer, ‘have you been a good girl?’
‘Yes, Duffi,’ whispered Heidi.
The Fuhrer bent to kiss her on the cheek. His lips were very cold.
‘You have been good?’ he asked again. It was as though he was thinking of something else, not even hearing when she said ‘Yes’ again.
‘Fraulein Gelber has been good to you?’
‘Yes, Duffi.’ It was as if that was all she knew to say. She’d thought of so many things she would say to him—let me come to Berlin, let me help you, look after you, work for you. The words were still in her head. But somehow there was no reason to say any of them now.
‘She is also a good girl,’ said the Fuhrer slowly. ‘She can be trusted. So few people can be trusted. They are all betraying me. Do you know that, Heidi? All of them! All of them!’ His voice rose in the confines of the car.
Heidi shook her head. What should she say? What did he want her to say? ‘I am still on your side, Father,’ that’s what she ought to say. ‘You can always trust me.’
Heidi was silent.
The Fuhrer looked at her, as though he had just remembered she was there. ‘You let me know if there is anything you need,’ he instructed her, though he didn’t tell her how. ‘And you listen to Fraulein Gelber. She can be trusted. But you must always be on your guard.’
‘Yes, Duffi,’ said Heidi, for the last time.
‘I have to go,’ said the Fuhrer. ‘There is so much to do and they will be waiting for me,’ and Heidi knew then that he hadn’t come all this way just to see her.
He kissed her cheek again. She slid along the seat, and out the door and walked back to the other car.
The engine of the Fuhrer’s car muttered. The car pulled out onto the road. Heidi watched it as it passed. She lifted her hand to wave, but it was too dark to see if the Fuhrer waved back.
‘You are lucky,’ said Fraulein Gelber, as their car slid back down the lane to home. ‘With all his other concerns, the Fuhrer still stopped to visit you!’
It was obvious she was bitterly disappointed at not seeing the Fuhrer too, but she was trying to hide it for Heidi’s sake.
For a moment I existed, Heidi thought. But she didn’t say the words aloud.
chapter fifteen
Ben Returns
‘Ben’s here already,’ said Mum, as the car drove up to the bus shelter next morning.
‘His cold must be better,’ said Mark.
Mum nodded. ‘Mind you keep warm,’ she said, as though the mention of Ben’s cold had reminded her. ‘There are so many bugs going around. And keep your jacket on at lunchtime.’
‘Yes, Mum,’ promised Mark.
‘And try not to get your feet wet.’
‘Mum!’ protested Mark. He got out of the car slowly. Blast Ben. Why couldn’t he have stayed home just another couple of days?
‘Hi,’ said Ben, blowing on his hands to warm them. ‘I saw your car from our place, coming down the road, so I raced over here. You’re early, aren’t you?’
‘Suppose so,’ said Mark. ‘How are you feeling?’
‘Fine. Mum was just stressing out, that was all. Anything happen while I was sick?’
‘Not much. Basketball practice was cancelled because of the rain. And old Haskett says we can’t have our lunches in the hall if we keep making so much noise.’
‘Where else would we eat then? Out in the wet?’
‘Dunno. Here’s Anna.’ He watched the car drive up and Anna and Little Tracey climb out.
‘My Auntie Flossy’s coming down this weekend,’ announced Little Tracey, bouncing into the shelter and splattering them both with raindrops as she unbuttoned her raincoat.
‘Good for your Aunt Flossy,’ said Ben, wiping his nose with his sleeve. He glanced at his watch. ‘Everyone’s early this morning,’ he remarked.
‘That’s because Anna’s telling us the story,’ said Little Tracey.
Ben stared. ‘You’re still playing The Game?’
Anna nodded.
‘Crikey. It must be a long story.’
Little Tracey nodded. ‘Come on, Anna!’
‘Have there been any good bits?’ demanded Ben.
Anna stared at him. ‘What do you mean, good bits?’
‘You know—battles and stuff like that.’
Anna didn’t reply.
‘There’ve been some bombs,’ said Mark, then wished he hadn’t. It sounded stupid, and both Ben and Anna looked at him like he was dumb.
‘Doesn’t sound like I’ve missed much,’ said Ben, sitting back. He folded his arms, tucking his hands in to keep them warm.
Anna was still for a moment, then began to speak.
chapter sixteen
Berlin
Fraulein Gelber came at night. She wore the coat that smelt of foxes, not her dressing-gown. ‘Heidi! Come on, wake up!’
‘What is it?’
‘A car has come for us. You must get up now. We have to make a journey.’
