Page 3 - Ausländer

cut tears from their eyes. The cold was that of a
deep November day. Only winter's darkness was
missing. Brown and golden leaves lining the verge
of the path were sodden or crisp and twitched and
tumbled with the occasional gust.

They continued to walk the boundary, getting
closer in a roundabout way.

A bird gave a sharp metallic tock. There were
guttural croaks too. The ones on the ground in
iridescent purple and blue-black moved like proud-
chested undertakers in tails. They seemed ruffled
by the presence of the women. One flew a short
hop.

The body gently swayed in the wind. Gently,
because of its bulk. For a moment the unseeing
wide eyes followed the girls' progress. It looked
like a sack or bloated punch bag hanging under
the slide. Green-brown camouflage fatigues clad
the limp figure. A long black boot, a paratrooper's
boot with white laces, touched the sock upon the
other foot. The other boot lay on the ground a few
metres away. Too far to have slipped off. Perhaps
kicked off during his death throes?

They were coming to a point where the body no
longer faced them. Kathrin stopped to scrutinise

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