It brewed in her as she eyed the pages full to the brims of their bellies with paragraphs and words. You bastards, she thought. You lovely bastards. Don’t make me happy. Please, don’t fill me up and let me think that something good can come of any of this.

He left Himmel Street wearing his hangover and a suit.

Handfuls of frosty water can make almost anyone smile, but it cannot make them forget.

There was also a rumor that later in the day, she walked fully clothed into the Amper River and said something very strange. Something about a kiss. Something about a Saumensch. How many times did she have to say goodbye?

Very suddenly. Yes, quite suddenly, I didn't feel like I could handle my feeling of aloneness.

What do you want to kiss me for? I'm filthy.'- Liesel So am I.'- Rudy

Yes, I'm often reminded of her, and in one of my array of pockets, I have kept her story to retell. It is one of the small legion I carry, each one extraordinary in its own right. Each one an attempt - an immense leap of an attempt - to prove to me that you, and your human existence, are worth it.