Liesel & Rudy One Shots

Letters

She was writing, constantly. Every night, she was writing letters. One to Papa, one to Mama, and one to Rudy. She kept them in a box and hid it under her bed, pushing in into the darkest corner. Her parents always watched her, until she would pull out the pen and paper, then they would disappear. They could never handle reading the letters. Rudy watched her with me, he read her letters over her shoulder and tried telling her jokes.

"Why is she doing this?" He asked me one night. I shrugged as I read the black cursive on the paper. "I visited Himmel Straße for the first time since - well, since the incident. I tried not to look at anything. It was nothing like it once was, old and aging."

"Clinging to what happened won't make any of this easier. It's been two years!"

"It's been three months, Rudy," I told him. Rudy rolled his eyes. He leaned against her chair and continued reading the letter.

"Your father, Herr Steiner, came home last week. He was devastated when he learned you and your family were killed. Of course, you already knew that. He wants to take me in, help him with his store and raise me. Frau Herman has been thinking about it. I don't think she'll let me go that easily.

"I've gone back to school. Most of the students won't talk to me. I hope it's because they don't know what to say. That's most likely what it is. Viktor talked to me once. He said he was sorry about throwing my book into the river. Thank you again for retrieving it.

"I'm trying. I'm trying not to be sad. I don't want to be. But I can't help it. I miss mama, papa, everyone. You especially. I'm sorry I never told you I loved you. I'm sorry I never kissed you, while you were alive. I'm-" She was crying now. Her shoulders shook and tears fell from her eyes. The bombing had destroyed her just as much as everyone else. I've noticed the many small changes she has put herself through. Her hair is shorter than it used to be. She eats less, sleeps less, so much less. She laid her pen down on her desk and sobbed into her hands.

I couldn't watch her, neither could Rudy. He wrapped his arms around her and tried to talk to her. He tried to tell her it was okay, that everything was going to be okay.

"You're going to grow old, Leisel. You'll get married to a good and honest man who loves you and you'll have lots of children. And you'll write books. You'll share your story with the world," he told her. Liesel wiped her tears away and quickly finished her letter. She slid her pen into a cup on her desk and left the room, heading towards the kitchen for a glass of water. Rudy sat at her desk and finished her letter.

"sorry. I'm sorry. I can't bring myself to continue with this letter anymore. I'll cry all this ink away and I'll have to start over. I love you, Jesse Owens.

Love,

Liesel Meminger"

"Alright, Death, give me the power." Rudy reached for her pen, but his ghostly hand couldn't grasp the object.

"What power?"

"The power for me to write a letter, of course!"

"Rudy, I have no power to give," I said as Rudy continued to wave his hand through the pen. "You need to figure out how to do it on your own," I told him as he finally accomplished to grab the pen. He slid a piece of paper in front of him. I heard Liesel walk back to the room as she spoke to Frau Herman. Rudy quickly scribbled something on the paper and moved out of the desk.

Liesel stepped in and looked down at the paper. "Frau Herman? Where you in her earlier?" She asked. Frau Herman stepped in.

"No, why? Is something wrong?"

"No, I was just wondering." Liesel turned to the paper and tried to believe what was written across it.

"I love you too

- Rudy"