Schwarz’s Diary (extract)

“Today at the checkpoint an old man comes armed with two enormous loaves of bread… One of the loaves falls from a table and begins to roll across the floor. The old man chasing after the bread, suddenly remembering where he is - puts up his hands and whales something we do not understand… It is in dialect. Just in time I put my hand on Schwarzer’s rifle and stop him from pressing the trigger… Schwarzer tells me sorry but the man reminds him of his father-in-law. Well, I joke, you can be forgiven for seeing a bomb in that loaf of bread. Schwarzer is always complaining about his father-in-law!

The truth is, they come in their thousands. We cannot keep them all out. Each day I feel the need to speak out about this onerous duty.”