The Auslander by Paul Dowswell Read Free Book Online Page B

Berlin, Professor Kaltenbach told Piotr what a marvellous city it was. ‘We shall take you to the zoo, and the circus, and the Museum of Antiquities . . .’
    Piotr told him indignantly that all the museums in Warsaw had been shut. That did not please the Professor. ‘Ours is not to question the policy of the General Government. I am sure it has been done for the good of the Reich.’
    They reached the outskirts of the capital in little more than two hours, just as the shadows were lengthening in the late afternoon sun. First, there were rows and rows of small houses, each with their own little garden. Then everything grew denser. Great long apartment blocks, six or seven storeys high, backed on to the broad scar of the railway line that ran into the centre. Piotr was so excited to see this great city he began to forget his troubles. For the first time since his parents’ death he felt a surge of hope. Maybe the family would be nice? Maybe the girls would be as friendly as their father? Maybe this would all be for the best?
    As soon as they emerged from the station, he was impressed by the grandeur of his new home. Everything was untouched by war. How terrible Warsaw looked in comparison.
    The Kaltenbachs had left their car close to the station. It was a plush Mercedes-Benz. Herr Kaltenbach announced he was going to take them on a tour of the sights on the way home.
    Kaltenbach was very keen to point out that Berlin in wartime was not the place it had been in the 1930s. Some of the statues on the bridges and boulevards had been taken down to save them from bomb damage. Some of the main streets had been covered by camouflage netting, to confuse enemy aircraft looking for recognisable landmarks. But the city was still magnificent. The ornate iron decorations on the bridges, the beautifully sculptured street lamps, the elaborate plaster work of the grand apartment and office doorways, they all spoke silently of confident prosperity.
    Piotr had seen big cities before. But there was something about the scale and magnificence of Berlin that put Warsaw and Lodz in the shade. The Professor pointed out the pink palace of the Royal Armoury, the Museum of Antiquities, the Brandenburg Gate, and with the greatest pride, the glittering gold cannons and angel on the Victory Monument. Even though it was piled high with sandbags to protect it, the monument still looked splendid.
    The car wheeled down another wide avenue and Herr Kaltenbach announced they were going home to meet the rest of the family. They slowed to a crawl by a grand apartment block with tall, wide windows and a stone and wood facade. The car squeezed through a narrow passageway into a generous courtyard. A few cars, mostly Mercedes and BMWs, were parked here. Kaltenbach led them towards the main entrance – a tall plaster and brickwork arch with an imposing door of carved wood and glass.
    The apartment was on the third floor. Piotr was shown into the wood-panelled hall and then a spacious living room where light streamed in through large windows. The place was spotless and sparkling, the wooden tables and bureaux buffed to a gleaming shine.
    There were three girls waiting there, each sitting separately on the sofa, armchair and chaise longue that filled the centre of the room. All had their hair in the elaborate braids fashionable in Germany. Piotr guessed they had dressed in their Sunday best. That made him feel welcome. They were making an effort for him!
    Kaltenbach stood behind Piotr, placing a hand on either shoulder. ‘This is Peter ,’ he announced to the girls, exaggerating the German pronunciation. ‘He is coming to live with us. I would like you to treat him like a brother.’
    The girls stood to greet him.
    Elsbeth, the oldest, was most like her mother, with angular features and slender build. ‘He is tall for his age,’ she said when they shook hands. It was said as an indifferent observation rather than a compliment.