Emil and Karl by Yankev Glatshteyn

Author:Yankev Glatshteyn
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781250111951
Publisher: Square Fish

chapter fourteen

In the evening a man smoking a pipe dropped by. He filled the room with great clouds of smoke even before he took the pipe out of his mouth and said “good evening.” He sat in a rocking chair and puffed away.

Matilda was cleaning the house and barely looked at the visitor. Quietly she explained to the children that he was their neighbor, the signalman, who lived in the little hut by the train tracks and who waved to the passing trains with his little flag.

Emil and Karl were curious about the signalman. They moved closer, but when they got near him they smelled a very sharp, unpleasant odor. The signalman’s large cap fell down over his eyes. He clenched the stem of his pipe between his teeth and dozed for a bit. Then he awoke with a start and began puffing away on his pipe, trying to get its fire going again.

Hans opened the door, sat down on the threshold, and looked out. A few flies buzzed around the kerosene lamp that stood on the table where they had just finished eating. From time to time Hans let out one of his laughs. Emil sat down next to him and looked out into the dark. He thought about how much he would like to ride on a train.

The signalman woke up once more and puffed on his pipe, but this time he couldn’t bring its fire back to life. Slowly he felt each of his pockets, poking and rummaging about, until he pulled out a match. He struck it against the rocking chair. The match lit and immediately went out. Disappointed, the signalman started to suck on the stem of his pipe.

Suddenly he opened his eyes wide and asked, “Who are these boys?”

“Just boys,” Matilda answered. “They’re good boys.”

“Ah!” the signalman responded, as if that was enough information for him.

“Their names are Emil and Karl. This is Emil, and the other boy is Karl,” Matilda said, pointing.

“Really?” the signalman said, surprised. “That’s very nice.”

“And you’ve been guzzling a bit too much,” Matilda said. “Someday you won’t even be able to hold that flag in your hand.”

“No, today I’ve barely even wet my lips.”

“Is that so!” Matilda said. “You can smell it a mile away.”

“Well, what’s true is true. Yesterday I did go drinking. My friends took me out and said, ‘Have a drink.’ The fact is, I have a strong character, but when they put a bottle on the table and say, ‘Have a drink’—”

Karl’s whole body shivered, and he went to sit in a chair.

“Hans, close the door,” Matilda said. “Karl is cold.”

“No, I’m not cold,” he said, but as he spoke, another shiver ran through him.

“The nights are a little chilly,” the signalman said. “Here it’s much cooler than in the city. People come here to cool off.”

Hans shut the door and started shouting “Heil.” The signalman raised his hand lazily with each Heil. Emil sat at the table and counted the flies buzzing around the lamp.

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