Sample Translation by Sally-Ann Spencer From Kid or The Stranger's Child Acclaimed children's author Renate Welsh tells a tale from wartime Austria. The story so far: After Ursel's mother dies, her father, a doctor, remarries. Ursel's new stepmother is cold and distant, and not a bit like her real mum. In her head she calls her 'the woman', and resents the way she bosses her around. But things are about to get far, far worse for Ursel. When Allied bombs start to fall on Vienna, her father sends her away to live with her stepmother and her family in the country. Ursel's new grandfather, whom she calls 'the old man', is even stricter than her step-mum, and, as the Allied troops draw nearer, his mood becomes increasingly violent. Ursel can't wait to go home to her father and her real grandparents. In the meantime she refuses to give in to her step-family. Her name, she decides, is too good for them to use - from now on she'll no longer answer to 'Ursel' but only to 'Kid', the name the old man spitefully called her. In the following extract she hears worrying news from Vienna… ***** On her way home Kid's sandal broke in two. The woman scolded her. Kid's foot was swollen, but the woman didn't notice until evening. She bathed it with carbolic soap, which stank but stopped the wound from throbbing. That night she dreamt of Vienna. She was walking towards the house where her parents lived, with granddad on one side and granny on the other, when a white ship landed on the roof, a shiny white ship, and all of a sudden fire shot out of the second-floor windows and the house was filled with flames. 'Daddy!' she screamed, and couldn't stop screaming even when she'd woken up. The woman was standing next to her bed, talking to her. 'What's wrong? What's the matter?' Kid told her about the dream, and the woman sat on the edge of her bed, her cool hand caressing her forehead. 'Everything's fine. Go back to sleep,' she murmured. It felt nice to be stroked. The woman's voice sounded different, warmer and softer than usual. She fell asleep. The next morning she couldn't stand up. The wound on her sole had a soft yellow patch at its centre. It was swollen and the skin around the edges had a nasty shine to it. Kid hopped on one foot to the toilet. The woman fetched her another tub of soapy water. 'You can't go to school today,' she said. She lent Kid a proper sketch pad along with her own paint set, made up of lots of tiny blocks of paint. With one foot dangling in the tub, Kid sat painting the posy of wild flowers on the kitchen table -- a picture for her dad. The woman was stirring batter. Her sisters and the old man had gone out. 'You've made a good job of the bluebells', she said. 'The daisies look silly,' said Kid, but secretly she was pleased. 'Why don't you paint them yellow around the outside, to make it look as if there's sunshine on the flowers?' The postman came into the kitchen with a telegram. The woman ripped it open, and stood rooted to the spot. She looked at Kid, re-read the telegram, and sat down at the table. 'Tell me your dream again.' Kid began to tell her, but tears were rolling down her cheeks. She wiped them away, but they still kept coming, she didn't know why. The woman rested her hand on Kid's head. The door opened and the old man came in. The woman took her hand away and gave the man the telegram. The sheet of paper quivered and rustled. 'Oh no,' said the old man. At that moment the woman's sisters came in, and the two of them read the telegram. One of them sobbed and the other one clutched her handkerchief. Kid wanted to ask what was wrong, but her mouth wouldn't work. She was angry too. Everyone had read the news except her. Harald burst into the kitchen. 'When's the funeral?' he asked. All four of them turned and shouted at him. This wasn't the time for silly jokes, Uncle Stefan's house had been hit by a bomb. Uncle Stefan -- that was daddy. Her daddy! The telegram was meant for her more than anyone else! Kid jumped up, soapy water spraying across the kitchen, and grabbed the paper. HOUSE AND FLAT DAMAGED STOP BRIGITTA SLIGHTLY WOUNDED STOP LETTER TO FOLLOW STEFAN Brigitta was daddy's assistant. Kid loved Brigitta. 'What's happened to daddy?' she cried. 'He won't have been in, he'll have been at the hospital,' said the woman. 'He can't be hurt, or else he would have said so…' 'I want to see my daddy!' screamed Kid. 'Stop being hysterical' the woman's sisters scolded. 'It's no use crying,' the old man joined in. 'Think of the poor soldiers at the front. They put up with much, much worse.' 'She dreamt it all last night,' said the woman. One of the sisters picked up a dish cloth and mopped the floor. 'Look at all the mess you've made,' the other one said to her. Kid's hands hung loosely at the end of her arms. The woman said something. But somehow Kid couldn't hear a word.