A pretty, woman in her early twenties satat a café, a cup of warm hot chocolate in her hands.  There was an ad in the news paper. A couple, who had moved into one of the new houses built on Himmel Street, was complaining of a ghost.  They needed someone who could get it to go away, as it was frightening their two young children. This immediately sparked the woman's interest, seeing as shebherself had lived on Himmel Street. She shivered. Heaven Street. But on the day the bombs came, it felt to her like hell. Continuing to read, she discovered that the family had caught glimpses of the ghost out of the corner of their eyes; it was a boy who seemed to be in his early teens, but that was all they could tell about him. Once, the wife, who loved to read, had been alone in their living room when she heard the voice of a boy say softly from beside her, "Book thief."

The woman breathed in deeply. She could help the family.  She knew that she could get the ghost to go away, because she knew who he was.  He was her Rudy, her Rudy Steiner. While Liesel wanted to help them, she wasn't sure id she could. What if she saw him? Seeing the ghost of her best friend, who had life stolen from him, might have been too much for her.

But Liesel went anyway.  She ran out of the café, went to her home, packed her bags, and left.  She told no one where she was going, but no one noticed her absence anyway.

Upon arriving at the house, she informed the nice couple that she might be able to help them. After all, she was the Book Thief. They gladly welcomed her into their home and gave her their extra room. Their children, who had golden hair much like Rudy's, immediately took a liking to her, and she to them.

That night, she lay awake in her bed when a gentle breeze touched her cheek.  She flinched, wondering where it had come from.  The window wasn't open, and her door was also closed.

"Book thief?" said a familiar voice.  It was very quiet and sounded far away, but it still caused her heart to jump into her throat. Her pulse quickened, and her breathing sped up. It scared her to hear his voice, after ten years of nothing. She had tried to push him from her memory or believe that he had simply gone on a very long vacation.

"Yes, Rudy?" she replied, eyes watering.

"Book thief!" replied the quiet voice. "Liesel, you are so beautiful!"

Liesel felt a tear slide down her face.

"Thank you, Rudy. Why are you here?"

"I'm waiting for you of course, saumech! I couldn't just leave without saying goodbye."

Leisel laughed shakily. Rudy was there. She couldn't see him, but he was there.  His ghost was talking tp her, even though it was quiet and far off sounding.  He had waited to go to heaven, or wherever boys who died in bombings went, just so he could say goodbye to her.  No tears were flowing freely down her face.

"Don't cry, Liesel," said the voice. "I'm right here."

"You shouldn't be here though, Rudy. You need to move on. Go."

The voice wavered uncertainly when it replied, "All right. If that's what you want.  I thought you would want me to stay with you. I love you."

Liesel, despite feeling all torn up inside, smiled and said, "Go, Rudy. You can't be happy. There's nothing for you here."

"Thank you for coming to see me. Goobye, saumench."

She felt the breeze on her cheek once again, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw him.  A boy in pajamas, with lemon-colored hair.  Her hand flew to her mouth as he grinned then disappeared. The room felt cold and empty after that, and she knew he was gone. Rudy was gone for good now.

Curling up in ball under the covers of her bed, Liesel cried. She cried like she hadn't cried for ten years. And even though a deep sadness filled her heart, a tiny part of her was glad. Rudy was gone.  He was a good kid, and now he was gone to spend eternity in paradise. And he deserved it. The boy with the hair like lemons deserved to be in paradise, and Liesel was happy for him. He had moved on, and now it was her turn to do the same.