Blood Brothers by Ernst Haffner Read Free Book Online Page A

he’s dead. But there’s a chance, too, that a fist-sized chunk of ballast could bounce up and kill him. Or that his arms and legs seize up with cold or lack of movement, and can’t hold him up on the axle anymore … The prospects as Franz describes them aren’t exactly rosy. He admits that he only takes this route when he’s really up against it. His most horrible experience under an express was going from Warsaw to Berlin one time. From Warsaw to Berlin under the express! “For cowards I expect it’s easier to take a goods train,” Franz concludes. “I’ll take the chance,” Willi determines. It doesn’t sound especially heroic, but it’s a decision, and Willi is determined to follow through. Franz offers to put Willi under the right train in Cologne — a city Willi doesn’t know — and also offers to help equip him for the ride. Franz doesn’t pursue the conversation, and Willi’s thoughts are too preoccupied with the risk he’s staring at. The train goes on with its monotonous rat-ta-ta-TA … rat-ta-ta-TA … rat-ta-ta-TA …
    When they wake up from their nap, light is seeping through cracks in the tarpaulin. Franz pushes his way through to find out where they are. “It’s almost time, laddie. As soon as the train starts to slow, we’ll hop off. How are you feeling about Cologne–Berlin now?” Franz alludes to their earlier conversation. “My mind’s made up,” replies Willi. The locomotive whistles and starts to brake. There’s still no trace of Cologne, they’re just going through a little wood. Franz gives Willi instructions on how to jump off a train. Throw yourself down as soon as you land, so that the brakemen don’tnotice. The train slows further. Franz jumps first, and throws himself to the ground. Willi comes after. But he doesn’t even need to throw himself to the ground, the impetus does it for him, he doesn’t have much say in the matter. They set off across the fields, and before long they hit a tree-lined road. After a good hour or so, they reach the end of one of the tramlines, and not long after they’re in the city.
    Willi isn’t especially interested in Cologne or the Rhine. He wants to get to Berlin. Franz, however, is full of the joys of coming home. Though Franz knows Willi is probably down to his last fifty pfennigs, he takes him along to his old hostel. Comradeship is a given among kings of the road. In the hostel they are shown to a niche with two field beds in it, and in the dining room there is a huge bowl of bean soup with pork belly. Willi starts to object again. “Eat,” replies Franz, and divvies the meat up. When they are both full, Franz returns to the subject of Willi’s trip. “First you need to be well-rested. Otherwise you won’t last an hour before you’re ground up.” On Franz’s advice, Willi decides not to go till tomorrow night. Then they repair to their beds, to catch up on their sleep.
    Willi sleeps through till noon the next day. He’s planning to leave in the evening. After eating, they go back upstairs to prepare for the journey. In just five hours, he’ll be lying on the axle. Franz has got hold of an old threadbare blanket, which he cuts up into pieces. Willi stands there, shaking his head. What’s Franz doing, cutting up these yards and yards of footcloths? And that bag he’s sewing? Franz drapes the bag over Willi’s head, and marks the places for his eyes. Takes it off him again, and cuts a couple of peepholes in it. Two strips are sewn on to the bottom end. Finally Franz explains: “You have to keep this bag over your head right through thejourney. First, it’ll keep you warm. Second, if you didn’t have it, you’d arrive in Berlin with grime on your face an inch thick, and that would give you away.” Willi can imagine what a pair of heavy mittens would be for. But all those strips of material? Franz goes on to explain that in addition to his face his clothes will be filthy. So he needs to wear his anorak inside