Chapter 6 Accident on the swing

It's been weeks since Bruno and his family came to Get Together, and there's not the slightest hint that Carl, Daniel or Martin will be visiting him.He decided to find some entertainment for himself, otherwise he will go crazy one day if this continues. In Bruno's mind, there was only one lunatic, and that was Herr Roller, who was the same age as his father and lived in a corner behind Bruno's home in Berlin.He was often seen wandering the streets all day, arguing with himself.Sometimes, arguing and quarreling would lead to violent disputes, and he would reach out and fight his own shadow on the wall.Again and again, he pounded his fist against the wall until it bled.At this time, he would fall to his knees on the ground, weep bitterly, and beat himself on the head vigorously.Sometimes, Bruno would hear him say dirty words that he wasn't allowed to say, and Bruno would restrain himself from giggling.

"You shouldn't be making fun of poor Hale Roller," his mother told Bruno one afternoon, as he described the latest story of Hale Roller. "You have no idea how much he's been through in his life." "He's crazy," Bruno said, circling his head with his finger to show how crazy he thought Hale Basil was. "One afternoon he invited a cat to tea on the street." "What did the cat say?" asked Gretel, who was making sandwiches in a corner of the kitchen. "Nothing," Bruno explained, "it was a cat." "I'll tell you," continued the mother, "that Franz was a very nice young man--I've known him since I was little. He was very kind and thoughtful, and he danced like Fred As good as Estelle. But in the world war he suffered a severe trauma to the head, so he became what he is now. So nothing funny, you don't know how those young people suffered in the war ."

Bruno was only six years old at the time and didn't quite understand what his mother was saying. "It was a long time ago," my mother explained when he asked, "before you were born. Franz fought in the trenches for us, like so many young men. Your father used to know him well, and I think they served together." "And what happened?" Bruno asked. "Forget it," said my mother, "war is not a good subject. I'm afraid we'll be talking about war a lot soon." This conversation took place three years before the Bruno family came to Hanging Out, and Bruno didn't think much of Hel Roller at the time, but he suddenly believed that if he didn't do something meaningful now, he could make He'd turn his head, and he'd probably be wandering the streets like Hale Basil, fighting his own shadow, inviting pets to social occasions.

In order to entertain himself, Bruno spent a Sunday afternoon finding a new way for himself.On the other side of the house--on the side of Gretel's room, which could not be seen from her own room--was a very large oak tree with very thick branches, a tall trunk, heavy branches, and very strong. Enough to support a small child.The tree looked very old, so Bruno thought it might have been planted in the late Middle Ages.It was an interesting period of history that he had recently learned about—especially the part about knights exploring foreign lands and discovering new things. Bruno only needs two things to create his own ride - some rope and a tire.Finding the rope was easy, for there were great bales of it in the basement; and it took him little trouble to find a sharp knife and cut him to the length he needed.He moved these things under the oak tree and got them ready.However, tires are not so easy to come by.

Neither mother nor father was at home this morning.Mother rushed out of the house early in the morning to board a train bound for a neighboring city, and she too needed to get some air.The last time I saw my father was from the window of the room, I saw him walking in the direction of the small house and those people in the distance.Usually, there are always many trucks and jeeps with soldiers parked near the new home, but Bruno knows that he cannot remove a tire from these vehicles, but there is always a possibility to find a spare tire. When he walked out, he saw Gretel talking to Lieutenant Kotler. Although he was not enthusiastic, Bruno thought he should be able to provide some help, so he planned to ask him.Lieutenant Kotler was the young officer Bruno saw on the first day he came here. At that time, he appeared upstairs in his new home, looked Bruno up, nodded at him, and left.Bruno saw him on many occasions after that—he walked in and out of the house as if it were his home, and his father's office seemed exceptionally open to him—but they didn't. how to speak.Bruno wasn't quite sure why, but he knew he didn't like Lieutenant Kotler.Bruno felt that he was as cold as ice, and when he saw him, he wanted to add a thicker dress to wear.However, there was no one to ask now, so Bruno could only go up to him and muster up the courage to say hello to him.

Most of the time, the young and handsome lieutenant patrolled around in a crisp uniform.His black leather boots were carefully brushed with shoe polish, and his blond hair was combed neatly to the sides. Because of the pomade, even the traces of the comb teeth can be seen, just like a field that has just been plowed.And he wears so much cologne that his presence can be smelled from far away.Bruno came to a conclusion that he couldn't stand in a downwind position, otherwise he would be fainted. But on this sunny Saturday morning, he wasn't as well-groomed as he usually is.Instead, he is wearing trousers and a white tank top today, with his hair loosely draped over his forehead.His arms were dark and had muscles that Bruno would envy.He looked very young today, which surprised Bruno, even reminded him of the older boys at the old school.Lieutenant Kotler was having a lively conversation with Gretel, and what he said seemed extremely funny, because no matter what he said, Gretel always laughed and kept twirling her hair with her fingers.

"Hi," Bruno greeted, walking over.Gretel looked at him angrily. "What are you doing?" she asked. "Nothing," Bruno said, glaring at her angrily, "I just came to say hello." "Forgive my brother, Kurt," Gretel said to Lieutenant Kotler, "you know, he's only nine years old." "Morning, little one," Kotler said, reaching out his hand -- horribly -- to ruffle Bruno's hair.The motion made Bruenor want to push him down and jump up and down on his head. "What are you wandering around so early in the morning?"

"It's getting late," said Bruno, "it's ten o'clock." Lieutenant Kotler shrugged. "When I was your age, my mother couldn't get me out of bed before lunch. She always said if I slept like this, I'd be forever." Neither tall nor strong." "Well, but she was wrong, wasn't she?" Gretel smiled foolishly.Bruno looked at her in disgust.She spoke in a silly tone, as if she hadn't thought about it.Bruno wanted to leave them immediately, regardless of what they said, but he had no choice, he had more important things to do, something even he could not believe, and asked Lieutenant Kotler for help.

"Can I ask you to do me a favor?" Bruno said. "Look what it is," Lieutenant Kotler said, and although it wasn't funny, Gretel kept giggling again. "I wonder if there's a spare tire around here," Bruno continued, "like on a truck, or a jeep, if it doesn't work." "The only spare tire I've seen around here is Sergeant Hofschneider's , he always wears it around his waist," said Lieutenant Kotler, with a smile on his lips.It didn't make any sense to Breno, but it made Gretel bend over with a smile. "Well, does that mean he's still using it?" Bruno asked.

"Sergeant Hofschneider?" Lieutenant Kotler asked. "I'm afraid so. He's stuck to his tires." "Stop it, Kurt," Gretel laughed through tears, "he can't understand you at all, and he's only nine years old." "Oh please be quiet," Bruno yelled, looking at his sister angrily.It was bad enough coming here to ask Lieutenant Kotler for help, and his sister kept teasing him. "You're only twelve years old," he added, "so don't pretend to be mature." "I'm going to be thirteen, Kotler," she said angrily, now that her smile was gone and her face was frozen, "in a few weeks I'll be thirteen, a teenager, just like you ."

Lieutenant Kotler smiled and nodded, but said nothing.Bruno stared at him.If there are other adults around, he must make eye contact with that person, which means that they both know how stupid girls are and how ridiculous sisters are.However, there are no other adults here, only Lieutenant Kotler. "Anyway," Bruno said, not looking at Gretel's angry face at him, "is there any other spare tire I can find besides that one?" "Of course," said Lieutenant Kotler, no longer Laughing, looking a bit annoyed by the matter, "What do you want tires for?" "I want to make a swing," Bruno said, "and just tie it to a branch with a rope." "Indeed," Lieutenant Kotler said, nodding, as if bringing back some distant memories, although, as Gretel said, he too was only a teenager. "Yes, I made a lot of swings when I was a kid. I had a lot of fun with my friends on the swings." Bruno was amazed that they had something in common (even more surprised that Lieutenant Kotler had friends). "So you think there will be tires?" he asked, "around here?" Lieutenant Kotler stared at Bruno, seemingly pondering the question, wondering whether to give Bruno a positive answer, or irritate him as usual.That's when he saw Pavel - an old man who came to the family kitchen every afternoon to prepare the dishes, and when the family dined, he also put on a white jacket to serve at the table - walking towards the house.Kotler seemed to have an idea. "Hey, you!" he yelled, and said a word Bruno didn't understand, "Come here, you-" He said the word again, sounding harsh, and it made Bruno feel like he was with him It's embarrassing. Pavel came up and Kotler spoke to him very rudely, although Pavel was old enough to be his grandfather. "Take this little guy to the storage shed at the back of the main building. There's a row of old tires against the wall. He picks one and you move it back as he says, understand?" Pavel held the hat in front of his chest and nodded. His head, which was originally lowered, was even lowered now. "Yes, sir." He replied softly, as if he hadn't said it. "And then, when you get back into the kitchen, before you touch any food, make sure you wash your hands, you dirty--" Lieutenant Kotler repeated the word he had said twice, as he spoke Still spraying saliva stars.Bruno looked over to Gretel, she was admiringly looking at the sunshine on Lieutenant Kotler's hair just now, and now she felt uncomfortable just like Bruno.They never spoke to Pavel, but he was a good squire, and father said they didn't grow out of trees. "Go ahead," Lieutenant Kotler said.So Pavel turned and walked towards the storage shed, Bruno followed, looking back at Gretel and the young soldier from time to time, he had an urge to run back and pull Gretel away.Although she was loud, selfish and mean to him, there was nothing wrong with that, she was an older sister after all.But Bruno couldn't bear to leave her there alone with Lieutenant Kotler.He was clearly a complete jerk. Bruno found a suitable tire and Pavel was dragged outside under the oak tree.Bruno then climbed up and down the tree, tying the rope and tire securely to the branch.In this way, a great project has been completed.He once made a swing too, but with Carl, Daniel and Martin helping him.But this time, he can only do it himself, so the difficulty is obviously much greater.Still, he was in control, and for hours he happily sat in the middle of the tire, bouncing on top of it, oblivious to the rest of the world, though he ignored one problem - which was his The most uncomfortable swing I've ever sat on in my life. He sat on the tire and pushed the swing back and forth with his feet on the ground.Every time the swing swung backwards it rose into the air and almost hit the tree trunk, but Bruno kept kicking the ground, making the swing go faster and higher.Bruno had a great time, until one time when he kicked a tree, his hand holding the rope loosened. Before he could react, his body had already fallen from the tire, with one foot still hanging on the edge of the tire, his face facing the Down, fell to the ground with a whoosh. Bruno's eyes went dark, but he regained consciousness immediately.He sat up, but the swaying tire hit him on the head again, and Bruno yelled, and hurried away from the swinging track of the swing.He stood up, feeling pain in his feet and arms from having hit the ground first, but not so painful as to break a bone.He examined his hand, which was full of scratches and a gash at the elbow.His leg, however, felt worse, and he looked down at his knee, just below the shorts, and there was a big gash that looked like it was waiting to be discovered, because it started to bleed as soon as Bruno saw it. "Oh, my God." Bruno wanted to cry, looking at the wound, at a loss.But he didn't have to be in a daze for too long, because he could see his swing from the kitchen, and Pavel, the valet who helped him find the tire, was peeling potatoes by the window, and he saw the whole accident.Bruno looked up and saw Pavel running towards him quickly, all the way to him, and he was relieved to let the feeling of weakness all around him take over completely.He fell, but missed the ground, and Pavel picked him up. "I don't know what happened," he said, "I thought there was no danger." "You're swinging too high," Pavel said calmly, and his tone gave Bruno a sense of security. "I've seen it all. In fact, you may be in danger at any time." "It's in danger," Bruno said. "indeed." Pavel carried Bruno across the lawn, back into the house, into the kitchen, and put him in a wooden armchair. "Where's mother?" Bruno asked.Whenever something happens to him, the first thing he thinks of is his mother. "I'm afraid your mother hasn't come back yet," said Pavel, kneeling on the floor, examining Bruno's knee, "I'm alone here now." "How's the injury?" Bruno asked, visibly flustered and on the verge of tears "Am I going to bleed to death?" Pavel smiled kindly and shook his head. "You're not going to bleed to death," he said, dragging a stool and putting Bruno's legs on it. "Stay still. There's a medicine kit over there. " Bruno watched as he took the medicine kit out of the kitchen cupboard, fetched a bowl of water, and tried it with his index finger to see if it was too cold. "Do I need to go to the hospital?" Bruno asked. "No, no," said Pavel, turning around, kneeling on the floor, dipped a piece of gauze in water, and gently wiped Bruno's wound.It made Bruenor recoil in pain, even though it didn't hurt that much. "It was just a small cut. It didn't even need stitches." Pavel cleaned the wound, then wrapped another gauze tightly for a few minutes, Bruno frowned and bit his lip nervously.When Pavel took the gauze away again, thankfully the wound was no longer bleeding, he took a bottle of green medicine from the medicine chest and dabbed it on the wound.Because of the sting, Bruno yelled "Wow" several times in a row. "It's not that bad," Pavel said kindly, "it actually doesn't hurt that much, but the more you think about it, the more it hurts." This really worked for Bruno, and he tried his best to restrain himself from yelling "Wow".After Pavel had applied the green potion, he took out a bandage from the medicine cabinet to wrap up the wound. "Now," he said, "better, huh?" Bruno nodded, ashamed of himself for not being brave enough. "Thank you," he said. "You're welcome," Pavel said, "now, you need to sit here for a few minutes before you get down and walk. Understood? Let the wound relax. Don't go near the swing again today." Bruno nodded and stretched his legs on the stool.Pavel went to the sink, washed his hands carefully, even cleaned his nails with a wire brush, dried his hands, and went back to the potatoes. "Will you tell mother what happened?" Bruno asked.He spent the last few minutes wondering whether he would be seen as a hero who had survived an accident, or a villain who had set a death trap. "I think she'll see for herself," Pavel said, taking the carrot to the table, sitting down across from Bruno, and peeling the skin on an old newspaper. "Yes, I think," Bruno said, "maybe take me to a doctor." "I don't think so," Pavel said quietly. "You don't know," Bruno said, not wanting to let the accident end so easily, (after all, it's the one thing he's been most excited about since being here.) "The wound might actually be worse than it looks ""Nope." Pavel listened to Bruno indifferently, the carrot getting most of his attention. "Well, how do you know?" Bruno asked immediately, a little exasperated, even though this was the man who had just picked him up from the ground and tended to him. "You're not a doctor." Pavel stopped his work of peeling the carrots. After a while, he looked at Bruno from the table. He lowered his head and looked up, as if he was thinking about how to express something.He sighed, thought for a long time, and said, "I'm a doctor." Bruno stared at him in surprise, which didn't help him. "But you're a page," he said slowly, "and you're preparing vegetables for dinner. How can you be a doctor?" "Young man," Pavel said. (Bruno was very fond of this title, because Pavel called him "young man" instead of "little guy" like Lieutenant Kotler.) "I am indeed a doctor. But you know, a night alone Looking at the sky, he doesn't have to be an astronomer either." Bruno didn't understand Pavel's words, but he saw Pavel up close for the first time.He was a short man, and very thin, with long, angular fingers.He's older than his father and younger than his grandfather, but that still means he's old, and although Bruno has never seen him before coming to Hang Out, there's something about his face that makes Bruno think he used to stay Bearded. But there is really nothing else. "But I don't get it," Bruno said, trying to get to the bottom of it. "If you're a doctor, why do you serve our meals? Why don't you work in a hospital?" Pavel hesitated for a long time before answering, and Bruno was silent.He didn't know why, but he figured it would be polite to wait for Pavel to be ready to answer. "Before I came here, I played the role of a doctor," he concluded. "Play?" Bruno asked, not familiar with the word. "Aren't you doing well?" Pavel smiled. "I'm brilliant," he said. "You know, my dream was to be a doctor. Since I was a kid, since you were your age." "I want to be an explorer," Bruno said quickly. "Good luck," Pavel said. "thanks." "Have you found anything?" "In our home in Berlin, there's a lot to discover," Bruno responded. "It's a very big house, bigger than you can imagine, so there's a lot to explore. Not like here." "Nothing is the same here." Pavel agreed. "When did you come and hang out?" Bruno asked. Pavel put down the carrot and plane and thought for a while. "I think I've been here all along," he said quietly at last. "Did you grow up here?" "No," Pavel said, shaking his head. "I didn't grow up here." "But you just said--" When Bruno said this, he heard his mother's voice from outside.Upon hearing her voice, Pavel immediately got up from his chair, returned to the sink with a carrot, a plane and a newspaper of carrot peels, turned his back to Bruno, bowed his head, and said no more. "My God, what's the matter with you?" Mother came to the kitchen and bent down to examine Bruno's wound. "I made a swing and fell from it," Bruno explained, "then the swing hit my head and knocked me to the ground and I almost passed out. It was Pavel who came out and picked me back up." , and cleaned the wound, put a bandage on it, and it hurt, but I didn't cry. I didn't cry once, did I, Pavel?" Pavel turned slightly in their direction, but did not look up. "The wound is cleaned," he said quietly, without answering Bruno's question. "There's nothing to worry about." "Go back to your room, Bruno," said the mother, who looked very unhappy now. "but I--" "Don't argue with me--go back to your room!" said the mother.Bruno got out of the chair, his weight on what he decided to call his bad leg, and it hurt a little.He turned and left the kitchen, but he could still hear his mother thanking Pavel as he went upstairs.Bruno was happy about that, because everyone could see that if Pavel hadn't been there, he would have bled to death. Before going upstairs, he heard his mother's last words to the squire who called himself a doctor. "If the Commander asks, we'll say I cleaned Bruno's wound." For Bruno, it was really selfish for his mother to take credit like this.