A Great Escape by Felice Arena

Author:Felice Arena [Arena, Felice]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Random House Australia

Die Zeit vergeht

RUNNING OUT OF TIME

Peter leaves early. He writes a note saying he’s going to collect bottles for the recycling centre and puts it on the kitchen table for Oma to find.

As he leaves, he looks out for the two men in a car parked outside his building, the ones that Frau Roeder told Oma about. But they are nowhere to be seen, and the street looks deserted.

Outside Hubert’s building Peter spots a policeman. He’s talking to a mother pushing a pram – and making silly expressions at the baby who’s giggling.

The officer is a tall skinny man with enormous bushy eyebrows, even bushier than Opa’s. They’re so big that Peter finds it difficult to look anywhere else – they look like two dancing hairy caterpillars.

‘What are you staring at?’ the policeman says.

‘Nothing, but you have the perfect face to make babies laugh,’ says Peter. He quickly edges around the officer and the mother and pram.

‘Wise guy, eh? You’re just lucky I’m in a good mood this morning, boy,’ says Officer Eyebrows. ‘Otherwise I’d lock you up for disrespecting an official of the state. Now scram!’

Peter runs off and doesn’t stop until he reaches Elke’s building. On the rooftop he says hello to the pigeons toddling about in the coop. Peter reaches in and gently picks up Felix – his favourite. He cradles him and pats him softly. Felix coos loudly and nudges his small head against Peter’s thumb.

‘They’re happy to see you. Especially Felix.’

Peter jumps in surprise. Otto is standing at the edge of the roof looking out over the Wall.

‘I didn’t see you there! You’re not working today?’ Peter asks, noticing some new materials on the roof. ‘What’s with the two large planks of wood? And the canvas sheet? And the pots of plants?’

‘I’m working later,’ Otto says. ‘If we’re going to build a glider right here in the open, we’ll need a place to hide it. So I’m going to build a garden bed … well, make it look as if I’m building a garden bed. We’ll hide the construction of the glider under the canvas and place the two wooden planks and pot plants on top. People believe everything they read, so we’ll put up a sign saying Garden under Construction or something like that.’

‘Well, you’ve really thought this through.’ Peter grins, once again impressed.

‘We have to be more careful,’ Otto says, taking Felix from Peter and placing him back in the coop with the other pigeons. ‘Did you hear about the student yesterday? Shot dead and left to die on the barbed wire.’

Peter sighs heavily. ‘I know him. I mean, I knew him.’

‘Really? I’m sorry,’ says Otto, turning his back on Peter and looking out over the city again. He doesn’t say anything else and the silence feels awkward.

‘Um, Otto?’ Peter says. ‘You okay?’

Otto spins round. ‘Look, Peter, this might be getting too dangerous. Perhaps we should reconsider,’ he says. ‘I figure we have a couple of days at most before this whole area is totally secured.

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