A Hard Dayโs Night was all we could talk about. Iโd seen the film three times and knew the words to every song.
Walking by the lake one sunny afternoon, I caught sight of something in theย shrubbery. I moved closer. It was a red bicycle, rusty, battered basket, aย big bone shaker bicycle which appeared to be abandoned. I left it there ofย course, it wasnโt mine. That night I could think of nothing else; the Beatles,ย music, boys and their silly ways were history. The red bicycle filled my mind.ย I told two friends, boys, plus my older brother and the following day led themย to my find; it really must be homeless. Weโd leave it one more day and thenย decide what to do.
Relief, it was still there. The boys wanted to take charge, but it was myย discovery. With a struggle we pulled the bicycle out from the bushes, it wasย quite heavy and very different to the one Iโd left behind in some place calledย storage. My father was in the army and we had recently moved to Kladow inย Berlin. I hadnโt wanted to leave my school, my friends and my lovely midnightย blue bicycle, but once we arrived and I discovered that I could see theย lake from my bedroom window, could see the pine and cherry trees aroundย the apartment and the wonder I felt when told that the border between Eastย and West Berlin was just up the road, it quickly became a place of excitementย and mystery. The boys got their way. They had the first rides, but the bicycleย was rather rickety and the all fell off it. I remember laughing because theyย were just boys.
When it was my turn, I was cautious. I couldnโt reach the seat soย scootered it until I was on the flat alongside the lake, the Havel. Then cyclingย was easy and quite soon I was close to the dividing barbed wire fence, theย closest Iโd ever been. I knew I shouldnโt go closer, but I did. I could vaguelyย hear my brother and the boys shouting my name, but carried on stopping onlyย at the fence.
I saw him immediately. He was on the other side, only a few yards awayย from me, sitting on the grass with a cigarette in his mouth and a rifle in hisย hand. I froze and looked right at him. He put the rifle down, took the cigaretteย out of his mouth, stood up and shouted something and waved. I thought theyย were baddies over there, but he was smiling, he looked nice. I waved backย and he winked at me. I turned the bicycle around and pushed it towards theย running boys. As I walked away, I could hear him singing, โItโs been ‘Aย Hard Dayโs Nightโฆโฆโฆโ
kingdom