In the first part, the kids Yossi and Matt were trying to find a unique bird. They had found her next to a construction site but then Yossi lost Matt. In the second part, Yossi is worried for Matt but he fails to go back and find him. The morning after he is waiting for his auntie to pick him up for the weekend and while waiting, he vomits. In the third part, Yossi spends a hazy afternoon with auntie and meets an old friend.
The apple rolled down towards an old man.
“Hello Yossi” said the old man with a smile no one would mistake for good intentions “I have waited for you for so long.”
Yossi looked at him. He did not recognize the man but he felt familiarity that he could not explain.
“So kind of you…” the old man took the apple off the ground and gave it a bite “so kind of you to offer me food… I missed your kindness…”
“Do I… Do I know you?” Yossi asked
“Do you know me? Well, it was so long ago… but how could I ever forget? like they say — it feels like it was yesterday…” the old man said and grinned.
Yossi kept his eyes on the man, on his ugly face, on his bumps and wrinkles that disgusted and fascinated him altogether.
Suddenly the man’s happy face turned sad “You never came back for me Yossi and you know it was very scary…”
Who could he be? What is he talking about? Yossi tried to figure out.
He had a faint recollection of yesterday’s events. He remembered running to the dunes, counting birds and then going to find a particular bird that he was in fact interested in for a while and maybe… yes maybe he was not alone? He tried really hard to remember, was there something else?
“I am the friend you’ve left behind, Yossi” he said “but I don’t really mind you did it again, I wouldn’t have expected it any other way”
The old man words made no sense to him and still he had known his name and he caused Yossi great distress.
“Sorry, but who are you? do I know you?” auntie’s voice was heard.
The old man seemed surprised by the question. “I’m just an old man.” he said “A very old man. You have a beautiful son, mam. Keep him safe.” he then turned around and started limping away.
“Who was this?” auntie asked.
“I don’t know auntie, but… I don’t know”
Yossi thought he must be real if auntie had spoken with him. But his words made no sense, no sense at all.
“Try not to speak with strangers, Yossi. You never know what they might want from you. And you know, you have enough friends — you don’t need to make new ones.”
They got up and started to walk again, aunties’ house was only a few minutes away but the road seemed much longer and slower. Every step demanded great effort and Yossi felt he was pulled downwards as if he was carrying a heavy burden.
“Auntie, I don’t feel so good.”
“But Yossi, we’re here. That’s my doorstep. You’re probably still sick, we should have stayed home.”
Soon after he was already in bed, still with his clothes on he fell asleep.
“The germans planned to build a nuclear bomb, did you know that?” grandfather asked auntie
“Yes, I know it. We’ve discussed it a thousand times” she answered with impatience
“If they had a little more time they would have blown both Moscow and Washington off the ground and would have won the war and then the only place where Jews were to be found was books. But they would have burned these books too.”
Auntie didn’t like anyone talking about the Germans but that was what her father mostly talked about and he was already too old to be rebuked.
“Father, you know Yossi is staying with us today, right?” she asked
“Yossi, my grandson, how wonderful. Where is he then?”
“He is sleeping now, father. He was hmmm… a little tired.”
“Oh, good good — he should rest and regain his powers. We never know when the Germans might come.”
“Daddy!” she shouted
