At the beginning of December, victory finally came to Rudy Steiner, though not in a typical fashion.

With no further words, Liesel followed him, and they successfully avoided Rudy's tormentor -- straight into the path of another.

After school, Rudy and Liesel stopped in at Alex Steiner's shop, and as they walked home, they saw Rudy's old friend Franz Deutscher coming around the corner. Liesel, as was her habit these days, was carrying The Whistler. She liked to feel it in her hand. Either the smooth spine or the rough edges of paper. It was she who saw him first.

It was a cold day, but very still. It had come close to snowing.

"Look." She pointed. Deutscher was loping toward them with another Hitler Youth leader.

At first, they thought nothing of it.

Rudy shrank into himself. He felt at his mending eye. "Not this time." He searched the streets. "If we go past the church, we can follow the river and cut back that way."

The group crossing the bridge and smoking cigarettes could have been anybody, and it was too late to turn around when the two parties recognized each other.

"This is between us." Rudy tried to reason with him. "It has nothing to do with her. Come on, give it back."

"The Whistler." He addressed Liesel now. "Any good?"

"What happens at the end?"

He spoke very amiably. This could only mean that he was at his most dangerous. "Well, well, if it isn't Rudy Steiner and his little whore." Very smoothly, he met them and snatched The Whistler from Liesel's grip. "What are we reading?"

She hadn't gotten that far yet.

"Did I ask you to speak?"

"Fifty marks!" That was Andy Schmeikl. "Come on, Viktor, you could buy a thousand books for that."

Liesel tried a poker face. "You can keep it, then. I've already read it."

"I'll tell you what," he said. "For fifty marks, you can have it back."

Viktor Chemmel smiled.

She cleared her throat. "Not bad." Unfortunately, she gave herself away. In the eyes. They were agitated. She knew the exact moment when Viktor Chemmel established that the book was a prize possession.

Andy kept quiet. His mouth seemed to swing shut.

Damn it!

"Oh, no, they've seen us."

"No," he said. "I'll do anything I want," and he proceeded to the river. Everyone followed, at catch-up speed. Half walk, half run. Some protested. Some urged him on.

The older boy only swatted him away, the book held aloft. And he corrected him.

Rudy rushed at him now. "Come on, Viktor, don't do this to her. It's me you're after. I'll do anything you want."

She hesitated, and Viktor Chemmel deciphered it instantly.

It was so quick, and relaxed. There was a question, and a mocking, friendly voice.

"Please!"-- Rudy.

The water toppled.

"Tell me," Viktor said. "Who was the last Olympic discus champion, in Berlin?" He turned to face them. He warmed up his arm. "Who was it? Goddamn it, it's on the tip of my tongue. It was that American, wasn't it? Carpenter or something…"

The book was released gloriously from his hand. It opened and flapped, the pages rattling as it covered ground in the air. More abruptly than expected, it stopped and appeared to be sucked toward the water. It clapped when it hit the surface and began to float downstream.

Viktor Chemmel did the spin.

Liesel and Rudy didn't stick around to hear the laughter.

"Can you see it?" Liesel called out.

Rudy in particular had taken off down the riverbank, attempting to locate the book.

He continued down the water's edge, showing her the book's location. "Over there!" He stopped and pointed and ran farther down to overtake it. Soon, he peeled off his coat and jumped in, wading to the middle of the river.

Liesel, slowing to a walk, could see the ache of each step. The painful cold.

Viktor shook his head. "Not enough height. A poor throw." He smiled again. "But still good enough to win, huh?"

When she was close enough, she saw it move past him, but he soon caught up. His hand reached in and collared what was now a soggy block of cardboard and paper. "The Whistler!" the boy called out. It was the only book floating down the Amper River that day, but he still felt the need to announce it.

Another note of interest is that Rudy did not attempt to leave the devastatingly cold water as soon as he held the book in his hand. For a good minute or so, he stayed. He never did explain it to Liesel, but I think she knew very well that the reasons were twofold.

Rudy ran.

THE FROZEN MOTIVES OF RUDY STEINER

1. After months of failure, this moment was his only chance to revel in some victory.

"How about a kiss, Saumensch?"

2. Such a position of selflessness was a good place to ask Liesel for the usual favor.

How could she possibly turn him down?

He stood waist-deep in the water for a few moments longer before climbing out and handing her the book. His pants clung to him, and he did not stop walking. In truth, I think he was afraid. Rudy Steiner was scared of the book thief's kiss. He must have longed for it so much. He must have loved her so incredibly hard. So hard that he would never ask for her lips again and would go to his grave without them.