A day in Berlin (Hallo aus Berlin fanfic)

Radfahren in Berlin

Pulling his white socks up to his ankles and strapping the velcroe on his red shoes, Rolli excitedly prepared to go cycling. He wished his pets goodbye, locked the door, took his bike and left.

His gazelle bike had a shiny electric blue paintwork with patches of black where the paint had flaked off revealing its past life. A few spokes from the front wheel were missing from reckless crashes over the years.
He had begged his mother to get it fixed but she had sighed it wasn't too bad. She did say though that if he had the money to hire a mechanic to fix it, she wouldn't stop him.
Currently Rolli had €3,21 from doing odd jobs for Herr Müller.

He sped past Frau Hundertwasser who was atypically sitting on her beechwood patio, reading a thick novel while sipping morning coffee.
Herr Müller one house down was delicately tending his garden. He observed his plump, leafy cabbages which glistened and sparkled from the water he had lovingly splashed on them. On his bald head was his favourite beige fisherman's hat.

The wheels of Rolli's bike whirred, the gentle breeze pushed his blonde hair back and he breathed in the crisp October air. Sparrow chicks chirped ravenously from treetops and hedges.
He caught sight of Rita who appeared to be out shopping, and waved to her. She walked up to him and he stopped.
"Guten Morgen Rolli," she smiled."Du bist ziemlich früh."

"Ich gehe in den Park. Kommst du mit?," Rolli asked.

Rita thought about it for a moment but shook her head."Nein, danke. Ich gehe einkaufen."

"Was kaufst du?"

Grinning widely, Rita put a finger to her lips and whispered,"Es ist ein Geheimnis." She turned and walked away.

Rolli felt confused but decided to let her do whatever she was doing. After all it wasn't the first time she did something cryptic.

He winded through the streets of Berlin, past the 9 to 5 salarymen trudging to the train station; past the local shops and cafés turning their signs to show they were opening; and past white doves, grey pigeons and fat finches who perched on trees, cables and tall street lamps.

Eventually he reached Volkspark Friedrichshain, his favourite place to cycle. It was the fourth largest park in Berlin, a short bike ride away from his house and was practically empty in the morning.
The rhythmic pedalling, the chirping of morning birds and the soft sunlight lulled him as he cycled through the park.

He thought back to what Rita had said. What could she be doing? A birthday gift? No, his birthday was all the way in March. A Christmas gift? No it was still a solid two months away.
Rolli decided it was probably not for him to guess.

Rolli passed a marble statue whose white skin seemed to glow in the morning sunlight. It was of a boy with tight curls, which peeked underneath a cap, patting the head of a swine. Beside him the green water of the fountains sparkled and white, foamy jets of water frothed.

Overwhelmed by the majestic scenery, Rolli sat down on a bench. He gazed at the caramel leaves as they fluttered down the trees. A leaf landed in his hair.
His hands clawed through his hair in pure desperation. Eventually he took it out of his hair by shaking his head violently but it left his hair in a terrible state.
After assessing the damage in the reflection of the fountain water, Rolli figured it was best to make a loop around the park and go back home to comb his lustrous locks.

He hopped onto his electric blue bike bike and sped off with the autumn wind ruffling his already ruffled hair.
This acceleration was short lived when a small boy was stood in the middle of the pathway. He wore a puffy orange jacket and looked about seven.

"Hallo? Wo ist dein Mutter?," Rolli asked hesitantly. This question seemed to agitate the boy considerably - he burst into distraught sobs with snot and tears rolling down his red face.
As someone who didn't have siblings, Rolli had no clue how to calm him down. In a panic, he picked him up and gently plopped him on a bench. The small boy, who was still bawling his eyes out, looked up at him with teary eyes.
"Um...," Rolli sputtered once the boy had calmed down slightly."Wie heißt du? Wie alt bist du?"
The lad snivelled in a quivering voice,"Ich h-heiße Jo-Jonas Braun und ich b-bin sechs Jahre alt."