Berlin Express by Michael Austen

Author:Michael Austen
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: antique
ISBN: 9780521175111
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2010-06-01T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12 A voice in the ear

It was almost six o’clock when Hiro left the cinema. There were dark clouds in the sky and all around the square the lights from advertisements shone as brightly as if it were night. For a moment Hiro thought he could be back in Tokyo. It made him feel terribly homesick. But he wasn’t at home. A sign above the cinema read: Alexanderplatz’. He looked at the map in his guidebook to see where he was.

Alexanderplatz wasn’t difficult to find on the map. He saw he wasn’t very far from his hotel - only seven or eight stops on the U-Bahn. Without thinking, Hiro walked towards the U-Bahn entrance. He didn’t have much idea what he was going to do when he got back to his hotel room. He supposed he was just going to lie on the bed and read or watch TV until he was able to sleep. Then he would leave Berlin the following morning. His trip seemed a failure, but he’d had enough. He felt frightened and tired and cold. Hadn’t he done all he could? He’d been brave and put himself in danger - his grandfather couldn’t be disappointed with him. Why shouldn’t Hiro just quietly leave Berlin now and go somewhere else?

Alexanderplatz station was big and busy. There seemed to be several lines, both overground and underground - he checked the map again and chose U-Bahn 2. He would have to change trains once.

He didn’t have to wait long for a train. He climbed in and sat in the corner. The train was very full. Looking up and down he watched all the different men and women, old and young, rich and poor. Some were clearly on their way home from work, others were just starting out for the evening. He watched a couple of his age, talking closely together and sharing a quick kiss. How wonderful, he thought. How lovely it must be to have so few cares in the world. The stations hurried by one after another. Dreamily, Hiro watched the lively city passing before his eyes.

It was only when they pulled into Potsdamer Platz that Hiro realised he’d missed his station. Looking at the map on the inside of the train he saw that he had forgotten to get out earlier and change to U-Bahn 6. With a shake of his head, he jumped up and went to the door.

Just before stepping out of the train, he stopped. ‘Why shouldn’t I just continue the journey?’ he thought. ‘I could go on to the end of the line and get the train back. It would at least kill some time.’

With a smile he went back to his seat. The woman sitting in the next seat seemed surprised. The train pulled out. Hiro looked at his watch: 6.35. He tried to relax.

Five minutes later he knew it was impossible. He couldn’t sit still. He couldn’t simply go back to his hotel and pretend he knew nothing of the Shark’s plans.

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