There was talk of a book burning on the Opera Platz. I had to see it. I even wondered if such a thing could be possible or if it was just one more rumor. In spite of the promise of a rainy evening, gathering crowds dawdled and drifted restlessly along the avenues.
I found an outdoor table at the Café Steiner across from the Opera. I felt a thrill of anticipation in the air, an urgency. Unter den Linden was humming.
I should mention I had a cubicle at the American Embassy. I was overjoyed to be in this exciting city, to have this job typing and filing. I’d arranged my desk with my rainbow paperclips, my lucky coffee cup, my photo of me and my parents in our backyard back in Thorne River. My German wasn’t too bad.
Read more, The Loch Haven Review