A Night Divided

The siblings meet at the abandoned building and Gerta leads Fritz down into the bomb shelter space. Straightaway, Fritz is suspicious. He tells Gerta that this couldn’t possibly be what their father meant. Gerta tries to make a case for their tunneling. She tells Fritz, “A couple weeks of digging and then we’re out on the other side” (117). But Fritz points out numerous complications. For one, they don’t know the exact length of the Death Strip, the space in between East and West. If they got stuck in between, they’d be caught and killed. Their digging would also churn up plenty of dirt. What would they do with it all, Fritz asks? Gerta has an idea in mind: “We could garden in the day while people are watching and then tunnel when they aren’t” (119). But Fritz isn’t sold on the plan. He climbs out of the basement, telling his sister, “It’s over, Gerta” (120).Gerta leaves with him, thinking that it must indeed be over.

Back at home, Gerta is awakened by the sound of crying through the walls. It is their neighbor, Herr Krause, returned home after being interrogated by the Stasi.