Auffallen to stand out

brigbleiben to be left over

Abtupfen to dab, wipe away
Entschuldigen excuse, apologize
der Lack lacquer, paint
die Zahl number, digit
der Zeiger hand (of a clock), pointer
das Blech sheet metal
innerlich inner, internal
feststehen to be permanent, definite
die Fingerspitze fingertip
vorsichtig careful(ly)
der Kreis circle
der Rand edge, border
leise soft(ly)
freudig joyfully, gladly
aufgeregt excited, agitated
fortfahren to continue, go on
berhaupt generally, at all
stehenbleiben to stop, stand still
ausgerechnet of all things, just
vorschieben to push forward
der Druck pressure
schtteln to shake
irren to be mistaken, err
der Witz joke
zunicken to nod to
der Schal scarf
barfu barefoot
die Kachel tile
scheuern to scrub
satt full, satiated
moistens most of the time
selbstverstndlich obviously, of course
aufhren to stop, cease
der Atemzug breath, gasp
lcheln to smile
verlegen embarassed
hochheben to lift up, raise

The Kitchen Clock

They were already looking at him as approached in
the distance, because he juststood out. He had
quite an old face, but from the way he walked,
they could tell that he was only twenty. He sat

down with his old face on the bench facing

them.And then he showed them what he was carrying
in his hand.
That was our
at them all,
bench in the
It was still

kitchen clock, he said, and looked

one after another,sitting on the
sun. Yes, I was able to find it.
there.

He held a round white kitchen plate clock out in

front of himself as he dusted off the the blue
painted numbers with his finger.
It has no further value, he remarked
apologetically, I know that also. And it is also
not especially pretty. It is only like a plate,
with white varnish. However, I do find that the
blue numbers are quite pretty to look at. The
hands are naturally only made of tin. And now
they don't work any more either. No. It's
definitely broken on the inside. But it still
looks like it used to. Even if it doesn't run
anymore.
With his finger tip he made a careful circle
around the edge of the clock shaped
like a plate. And he said softly: And it was
still there.
The people sitting on the bench in the sun did
not look at him. One man looked at his shoes, and
the woman looked into her baby buggy. Then
someone said:
You've probably lost everything?
Yes, yes, he said joyfully, think about it,
everything! Only this clock here, it's left
over. And he raised the clock up again, as if
the others were not yet familiar with it.
But it doesn't run anymore, said the women.
No, No, it
well. But
was: white
his clock.
excitedly,

doesn't. It is broken, I know that

otherwise it is just like it always
and blue. And again he showed them
And the best thing, he continued
I haven't even told you yet. The best

is yet to come:Think about it, it stopped at 2:30

in the morning. Exactly at 2:30, think about it.
Then your house was surely hit at 2:30, the man
said as he pushed his lower lip forward
importantly, I've often heard that. When the
bomb falls, the clocks stop.That comes from the
concussion of the explosion.
He looked at his clock and shook his head
pensively. No, dear sir, no, you are wrong about
that. It has nothing to do with the bombs. You
should not keep talking about the bombs. No. At
2:30 something quite different took place that
you don't know about. That's just it, that it
stopped exactly at 2:30. You see, I always came
home at 2:30. At night I mean. Nearly always at
2:30.That's just it.
He looked at the others, but they had taken their
eyes off of him. He didn't find them. Then he
nodded at his clock: You understand, I was
naturally always
hungry then, wasn't I? And I always went
straight into the kitchen. And it was almost
always two thirty. And then, then, of course, my
mother always came in. No matter how quietly I
opened the door, she would always hear me. And,
as I would
look for something to eat in the dark kitchen,
suddenly the light would turn on. And there she
would stand in her wool jacket with a red shawl
around her neck. And barefoot. Always barefoot.
And our kitchen had a tiled floor. And she would
squint her eyes, because the light was so bright.
Because she had already been asleep. It was
night.
So late again, she would say then. She never
said more than that. Only: So late again. And
then she would warm up my supper and would watch
me eat. At the same time she would always rub
her feet against oneanother, because the tiles
were so
cold. She never put her shoes on at night. And
she would sit there for as long as it took, until
I was full. And then I would hear her still
clearing away the dishes after I had already

turned off the light in my room. Every night it

was like that. And mostly always around two
thirty. I just took for granted that at two
thirty in the morning she would prepare a meal
for me. I just took it gor granted. She would
always do that. And she never said more than: So
late again. But she said that every time. And I
thought it would never stop. It was so natural to
me. It had always been like that.
For a moment there was complete silence on the
the bench. Then he said softly:And now? He
looked at the others. But he didn't find their
eyes. Then he said softly into the white and
blue round face of the clock: Now, now I know,
that it was paradise. Real paradise.
On the bench there was complete silence.
the women asked: And your family?

Then

He smiled at her with an embarrassed look on his

face: Oh, you mean my parents? Yes, they are
also gone with the house. Everything is
gone.Everything, just imagine. Everything is
gone.
He smiled embarrassed from one to the other.
they didn't look at him.

But

Then, once again, he held the clock high and

laughed. He laughed: Only this here.Only it's
left. And the best thing is, it stopped at
exactly two thirty. Exactly two thirty.
Then he said nothing more. But he had
old looking face. And the man sitting
him looked at his shoes. But he did't
shoes. He just thought the whole time
word paradise.

quite aa
next to
see the
about the