Wood in the Afternoon

After Himmel Street is cleared, Liesel Meminger is taken to the police station, clutching Hans’s accordion. The mayor and Ilsa Hermann arrive and bring her to their home, crossing from the bombed quarter into the untouched. In the car, Liesel lets Ilsa hold her hand atop the accordion case.

At 8 Grande Strasse, Liesel spirals into shock. She wanders, unwashed, through the rooms, speaking to herself and sleeping to escape waking grief. On the day of Hans and Rosa Hubermann’s funerals, she appears in a pretty dress still layered with Himmel Street’s dirt. Rumor spreads that later she walked fully clothed into the Amper River, murmuring about a kiss and a Saumensch.

Weeks and months pass under the war’s weight. Clinging to memories of her books, Liesel searches the rubble of Himmel Street, finding nothing. The Steiner family receives two ceremonies: one upon burial and another when Alex Steiner is granted leave to return after the bombing.

Devastated by Rudy’s death, Alex blames his choice not to send Rudy to the elite school, wishing he had died instead. He rushes to the Hermanns’ steps to see Liesel. There, Liesel tells him she kissed Rudy’s lips after finding him, a confession that brings Alex to wooden tears and a strained, oaky smile in a silver, gray afternoon.