In the Land of Armadillos Read Online Free PDF Page A

struggling with her composure, as any woman would when called upon to visit the offices of the Gestapo on Staromiejska Street. “And it’s Lipowa now. I’m married. What have I done? I have a right to know why I’m here.”
    He was relieved to hear that she spoke a good German. So few Poles did. Without the need for a translator, their conversation could be kept private. “It’s nothing like that. This is a social visit. It turns out we have a mutual friend.” Her expression showed that she found that difficult to believe. Max was struck by the feeling that he had seen her somewhere before. “The artist, Tobias Rey.”
    Few words could have had a greater impact, he was sure. Her face blanched as white as her pearls. Spots of color burned high on her cheeks, contrasting attractively with her milky skin.
    â€œSo he’s alive,” she said with a rush of emotion. “Thank God.” Then, reacting with despair, “I had hoped he might have escaped by now.” She put a gloved hand to her forehead, an eloquent gesture of grief.
    He hastened to reassure her. “Don’t worry, he’s safe. You could say I am his protector.”
    She needed a moment to take in the information. Clearly, hearing his name had been an enormous shock. Emotions collided across the even surface of her flawless face. “How is he?” she said, feigning something like normalcy.
    â€œOh, he’s fine now that I’m looking after him. He’s painting for me, some scenes from In the Land of Armadillos. ”
    A light came into her eyes. “I worked with him on that one.”
    â€œYou were his translator.”
    â€œYes, on that one and two others, The Thief of Yesterday and Tomorrow, also The Town Inside the Hourglass. How did you know?”
    Max was very proud of his detective work. “Bianca Rozycki. He wouldn’t tell me your name. I had to call the publisher to find you. Were those also for children?”
    â€œNone of them were for children.” She turned her lovely head toward him, surprised. “Have you ever read any of his books, Sturmbannführer?”
    He was insulted. “Of course. In the Land of Armadillos is my son’s favorite storybook. I’ve read it many times.”
    â€œYou’ll know this, then. In the story, the armadillos live alongside the cockatoos for years, peacefully sharing the savannah, until an armadillo named Lazarus comes along and tells the others that cockatoos are bad, greedy creatures. The armadillos trample the blue cockatoos’ favorite food, the indigo plant, and then they drink up all the water. In town, they don’t let them rest in the trees, and they close down all the birdseed stores. The cockatoos fly away, never to return. On his way home after the celebration, an armadillo named Aramis comes across a cockatoo hiding in the roots of a baobab tree. Because of a broken wing, she is unable to leave with the others.”
    â€œBianca,” he said helpfully. He was listening with rapt attention. It was thrilling to hear the story told by someone involved in its creation.
    She continued. “He takes pity on her, brings her home and fixes up her wing, tells her she can stay until she heals. Though she is a bird and he is an armadillo, they fall in love. In the meantime, things aren’t going well in town. No one knows how to make the armadillos’ favorite poppy-seed cookies. The cafés close down because the cockatoos were the only waiters. And finally, no one can purchase new shoes when their old ones wear out, because the cockatoos were the cobblers, too.
    â€œAramis realizes that if he and Bianca want to be together, they must leave. They move to Paris, where they open a café, the Blue Cockatoo. It’s a smashing success, welcoming all kinds of animals, two-legged, four-legged, and flying. They live happily ever after.” She cocked her eyebrows at him. “What does