Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5 They followed a line of passengers onto the airfield. It was drizzling, but the cold rain hadn't stopped a crowd of people from gathering to watch the zeppelin take off. It was like a party, with photographers snapping pictures and a band playing brassy German tunes. The loud music woke up Gertie, who stared in amazement at the

Hindenburg. It loomed over them like a silver mountain. A smiling man in a uniform stood in front of a metal staircase. The stairs led up into the belly of the airship. "Willkommen!" he said. "Welcome!" They walked up the stairs — and into another world. To Hugo, it seemed they had entered a fancy hotel from the future. They found their cabin, which was small and very modern. The sleek bunk beds were made with thick blankets and silky sheets. The sink and desk even folded up and down to make extra room. Hugo had never seen anything like it. They left their suitcases and coats in the cabin and did a quick tour of the two floors of the small passenger area. They peeked into the dining room. Long tables were set with white cloths and sparkling dishes and flowers that looked as if they'd just been picked from someone's garden.

Down the hall was the lounge. On the wall was a hand-painted mural of the world, with zeppelins zipping across the sky. Hugo wanted to explore every inch of the passenger area. But it was time for the zeppelin to take off. And so they joined a small group of passengers standing along a row of windows. The windows actually slanted down, so they had the perfect view of the action on the airfield. Muscled crewmen were unhooking the ropes that held the zeppelin to the ground. Hugo hadn't noticed that someone had sat down next to him. It was a girl about his age. She had dark blond hair, round brown eyes, and a face scattered with freckles. "First time on a zeppelin?" she asked. "Yes," Hugo answered. "What about you?" She paused for a few seconds, counting silently on her fingers. "It's my eighth time," she said. "Wow!" Hugo said with surprise.

Eight times? This girl must be a millionaire! Each Hindenburg ticket cost $450, almost as much as a new car. Hugo guessed that Mom and Dad had used the rest of Aunt Sylvie's money to pay for this trip. "I'm Martha Singer," the girl said. "But call me Marty." "Hugo." "That's my father," she said, pointing across the room to a friendly looking man with puffy hair and round glasses. "He works for the Zeppelin Company. They own the Hindenburg." Hugo's mouth dropped open. "Your dad owns the Hindenburg?" "No." She laughed, but not in a way that made Hugo feel dumb. "He just works for the company, in the American office in New York City. We go to Germany a few times a year." "And you always take a zeppelin?" "We do," Marty said. "And every trip I see something different. Last time, I got to see a

whole family of dolphins. They leaped up out of the water when we flew over them." "Maybe they wanted to hitch a ride on the Hindenburg," Hugo said. "Who doesn't?" Marty grinned. A warm feeling filled Hugo's chest, like when he would sip hot chocolate on a freezing New York day. He tried to remember the last time he talked to a kid his own age. Their house in Kenya was surrounded by wilderness, and the nearest village was twenty miles away. Hugo hadn't made any friends in Kenya, unless you counted the oneeared baboon. Hugo had the urge to tell Marty all about that baboon — and other things, too. But now it was Gertie's turn to talk. She turned to Marty and smiled. "You're pretty! You look like a cheetah." This was one of Gertie's games, to match a person to the animal he or she looked like.

And Marty seemed very happy to be compared to a curious spotted cat. "Thank you!" she exclaimed. She narrowed her eyes and studied Gertie. "And you look like a gazelle with pigtails." Gertie's pale face lit up. Just then a man's voice thundered over the loudspeaker. "Schiff hauf!" Up ship! The men on the airstrip let go of the anchor ropes and leaped backward, away from the zeppelin. Hugo grabbed hold of Gertie, bracing for a sharp jolt as the zeppelin took flight. But he didn't feel a thing. Like a feather lifted by the breeze, the great airship rose silently off the earth. Hugo almost forgot to breathe as the world outside got smaller and smaller. The people on the ground shrank into dots.