A Thing Called Love

Chapter 1

It was past ten o'clock in the morning in Germany, and Elvis Presley was walking along the deserted streets. For the first time in at least two or three years, he was alone and free.

He hadn't planned it. If he had, he would have spent all day wondering about everything that could go wrong. It simply came to be that the sergeant decided to sent everyone home early today upon seeing the other soldiers flock out onto the streets containing only elderly people and a few housewives with small children, he followed them without considering the implications.

Elvis was supposed to go to Friedberg originally, but then they decided that a small town would be better. Not that it made any difference to him as he did not suppose that one was better than the other. Neither was home after all. So far, he hadn't yet been discovered. Even now, nobody spared him a second glance. They were used to soliders and all he was to them was another soldier.

There were two army bases in town, one located in a room suburban area on top of a while and another closer to the center of town. Elvis had been assigned to the smaller base. While it was further from his hotel and the other, Elvis didn't really mind.

If he'd been here under different circumstances, if it were a European tour or the like, he might have even liked it here. There was something quaint about the little town and its architecture. It was a time of peace and the ones he loved the most were with him, so he tried not to worry too much about his career.

Elvis slowly trudged down the hill with his hands stuck in the pockets of his uniform. He stopped when he came across a small side path surrounded by foliage. Thinking that maybe it was a short cut, he followed it. Leaves rustled above his head as Elvis searched his pockets for a piece of gum, which he unwrapped and then popped into his mouth.

Elvis frowned when the sound of childish voices floated into his ears. He continued walking at a steady pace until he reached the end of the path regardless. He eventually found himself at the edge of a school yard. There was no fence keeping him from entering. It looked like any school yard back home. The children were mostly segregated by gender. Some of the girls played hopscotch while some of the boys played cowboys and indians or ball. Groups of older children were reading magazines or simply talking. A group of three young boys of about eight or nine ran up to him, all staring intently in a way that unnerved him just slightly. He hoped and prayed that they were not going to scream "ELVIS!" and alert everyone of his presence.

"Hello, kids," Elvis greeted them.

"Hallo, Gee-Eye," one of the boys, a slightly heavyset youngster with a blond buzz cut, spoke up. The three proceeded to argue in their native tongue. One of them grabbed Elvis by the hand and tried to pull him along.

"What do you want?" Elvis asked in bewilderment. The heavyset boy screamed what Elvis thought was a name, then ran over to what Elvis thought was a teenage girl, but when she turned around he realized that it was a woman.

The woman looked around, then caught sight of his out of place figure and made her way over. The child skipped after her, grinning as if to say 'Look what I found'.

She was honey blond with bright blue eyes and soft features. Her hair was slightly curled and fell to just above her shoulders. Quite a sight to behold.

"Hello," she said, shaking him out of his strange stupor.

"Hello." Elvis forced himself not to stare.

"Are you coming back to school, soldier?"

"No, ma'am. I-" he stopped when he felt someone grope at his pocket. One of the children stepped away with a package of Spearmint in his hand and a wide grin on his face. The woman snatched it out of his hand and held it out to Elvis while yelling at the boy in German.