Till we fall E-Book

Tobias Heuer

• Herausgeber: tredition
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019

Seitenzahl: 380

Beschreibung

"Till we fall" is a modern fairy tale for grown-ups. So tenderly is magic woven into the real-world fabric of this extraordinary story that it becomes natural and plausible. Among the author's role models in the genre were Erin Morgenstern, Eowyn Ivey, Ali Shaw and Audrey Niffenegger. Sophie is out for a walk in Hamburg's Municipal Park with James, her Labrador Retriever. She encounters Oliver, a young man sitting on a tree stump crying bitterly. He seems to be desperate. When she asks him what's wrong, he claims to be the Fall personified, and that he is frantic because he has lost the ability to usher in the season and all the changes that come with it. It is already October. The leaves should have started to fall long ago. If Oliver won't succeed in finally initiating fall, all of nature is in jeopardy. Sophie decides to help the stranger. Together they try to find a way for Oliver to regain his power. It doesn't take long for Sophie to fall in love with him. During their search, they discover not only the true nature of seasons, but also how the seasons relate to all human feelings.

Leseprobe

Sophie is out for a walk in Hamburg's Municipal Park with James, her Labrador Retriever. She encounters Oliver, a young man sitting on a tree stump crying bitterly. He seems to be desperate. When she asks him what's wrong, he claims to be the fall, and that he is frantic because he has lost the ability to usher in the season and all the changes that come with it.

It is already October. The leaves should have started to fall long ago. If Oliver won't succeed to usher in the necessary changes, all of nature might be destroyed.

Sophie decides to help the stranger. Together they look for a way in which Oliver can regain his power. Within a short time, Sophie falls in love with him. During their search, they discover not only the unbelievable about seasons, but also their connection to all human feelings. Sophie doesn't give up hope that in the end, Oliver may still save the threatened world of plants.

TOBIAS HEUER

TILLWEFALL

Roman

Translation: Peter Hessel

© 2019 Tobias Heuer

Verlag und Druck: tredition GmbH, Halenreie 40-44, 22359 Hamburg

ISBN

Paperback:

978-3-7497-2110-8

Hardcover:

978-3-7497-2111-5

e-Book:

978-3-7497-2112-2

Das Werk, einschließlich seiner Teile, ist urheberrechtlich geschützt. Jede Verwertung ist ohne Zustimmung des Verlages und des Autors unzulässig. Dies gilt insbesondere für die elektronische oder sonstige Vervielfältigung, Übersetzung, Verbreitung und öffentliche Zugänglichmachung.

For Melanie

With all the love my heart holds for you

PART ONE

1

At first, Sophie hadn't even noticed the sobbing. The closer she came to the little tree stump by the roadside, the more clearly she heard it. Again she whistled for James, her Labrador Retriever. But James didn't care that she wanted him by her side right now. Not paying attention to her, the dog roamed through the low pale-green bushes beside the road, puffing like a little steam engine. His snout was moving so fast that it seemed he wanted to catch the thick rain drops before they could touch the ground. He didn't listen to her because the awful weather was offering him too many exciting smells. Sophie gave him an accusing look.

She tightened her fingers around the wooden umbrella handle before she took a few more steps toward the lone figure sitting on the rotting stump.

A young man had his face buried deeply in his hands, leaning his elbows on his knees. Sophie stopped about six feet from him and looked at him closely. Hesitation was against her nature. Normally she wasn't the kind of person to first consider everything thoroughly before taking action. But there was something about the actual scene that kept her from addressing the young man.

He wore a light-brown overcoat with a mottled pattern. Its seam touched the wet ground around the stump. In the front of the coat were two long rows of black-and-gold buttons, and it had thin epaulettes on the shoulders. These almost gave his coat the look of an elegant uniform jacket from the past. Under the coat, Sophie recognized a fine dark-brown tweed suit with a matching vest and a black necktie over a white shirt. But the most unusual thing were his socks: one with green-and-white stripes, the other with a bright-yellow plaid pattern. The socks were inside narrow ankle-high leather shoes highlighting the eccentric look of this young man. The overcoat as well as his shoes would have looked good on her, too, she thought, slightly tilting her head. Really curious now, she wondered: What was wrong with this guy? With her free hand, she gathered her wavy shoulder-length hair in her neck, bunching it in a thick strand.

"I don't know who you are. But please keep going," the faceless figure suddenly said into his hands, making Sophie flinch. Maybe she hadn't expected him to notice at all that she was watching him. Or perhaps she was surprised by his demanding tone of voice which she found not exactly appropriate under the circumstances. In any case, she was startled and suddenly felt challenged.

"I apologize for caring when I see somebody sitting alone crying in the rain on a tree stump." He answered quickly and soberly:

"Apology accepted. And now please just go away!"

Sophie snorted with contempt. She looked for James who had just disappeared behind a rhododendron bush. Who does this guy think he is? She is not going to let him boss her around like that.

"Correct me if I'm wrong," she said, "but as far as I know, this park is public property. I'm not going anywhere unless I want to. And do you know what?" She lifted her shoulders a bit. "Right now, I can't think of a better place to be than right here."

She dropped her shoulders, waiting for a reaction. But this time, the young man made no effort to reply. He simply continued sobbing quietly without saying anything further. Sophie saw no reason why she should let his silence drive her away. After all, she only meant well. She stayed where she was, looking at him for a while. Lost in thought, she moved her hands down her burgundy knee-length woollen overcoat, resting them on her slender hips.

"Now you won't speak to me anymore?" she finally asked, watching her dog running toward the young man, his tail wagging wildly. James had just appeared again from behind the rustling bushes. The man stayed crouched on the stump.

"Don't be afraid," she joked. "The worst he'll do is bite a couple of fingers off." But the man didn't move at all. James turned away, suddenly finding a fallen pine cone much more interesting.

"You're talking about your dog?" the man asked quietly. Sophie wondered how he could even see through his hands which he was still holding in front of his face. Maybe he had just heard the dog.

"No, I mean the blackbird on the branch over there," she countered, a little bitchier than she had intended. "Of course I mean my dog."

Now the man lifted his head and sat up a bit, cautiously dropping his hands into his lap. He turned to the left, with a brief glance at the branch where two seconds before, Sophie had noticed the bird singing its tune. Then he turned around and looked at her. Suddenly a little less secure, Sophie placed her left hand into the crook of the arm holding her umbrella. She stood up to his gaze.

The young man's face was reddish and a little swollen, but apart from that it wasn't exactly unattractive. He seemed to be a bit younger than herself. But what really caught her attention were his eyes. Each eye was of a different colour. The right eye was brown while the left eye had more of a strongly moss-coloured green shade. His short dark-brown hair was a complete mess, sticking out in all directions.

Sophie had just found her speech again, wanting to open her mouth to ask him why he was sitting there in the rain all by himself, when she heard a strong flapping of wings. Amazed, she watched the excitedly fluttering blackbird land on the man's right-hand epaulette.

Flabbergasted, Sophie forgot her question while the bird folded its wings, puffed up its feathers and moved its little head back and forth between her and the man's ear. Sophie's lips stayed slightly apart while she stared back and forth between the man and the bird.

"Did you mean this blackbird?" he challenged her, his voice still trembling. He began to caress the bird gently. "I don't believe it will bite my finger off. But I can't promise about yours. What do you think?"

He looked at the bird with affection. Sophie was speechless and not quite sure whether he had addressed her or the bird. Now she saw that James had come over to the tree stump, sat down and also looked at the blackbird. Sophie couldn't believe what had just happened in front of her eyes. She was amazed how calmly James was behaving. Usually he jumped on new people he met. She would have expected him to wildly chase the bird away, knocking the young man over in the process. Instead, James quietly sat there, curiously looking at a constellation that must seem very odd to him.

"James! Over here!" she called. He made no effort to obey.

"James, come here! We're leaving!" she ordered with more determination. But there was no response. More and more, she felt uneasy.

"So, now you want to leave?"

Her chance acquaintance stopped caressing the blackbird and carefully laid his hand on James's head. Sophie couldn't believe her eyes: The bird hopped down across the folds of the man's overcoat and finally came to rest between his fingers on James's head.

"So courageous a minute ago, and now suddenly intimidated by a little bird … " He pulled his hand back. Sophie was perplexed to see how James carefully - as to make sure the bird wouldn't fall off his head - stood up, turned around and slowly trotted over to her. When he had arrived, he half circled her and finally sat by her side. Sophie looked down to him and saw him pant with content. The blackbird swayed on the dog's broad head, looking up at her, while James didn't seem to care. Sophie wondered whether she should pinch herself.

"By now at the latest, I would have thought you might move as far away from me as possible."

Sophie swallowed heavily but she didn't see why she should allow him to get rid of her with that trick.

"Only because you have trained a bird and persuaded my dog to carry it around like a hat?" she countered, realizing how little self-confidence she was showing. She was not at all happy about that.

"I don't see what should be so dangerous about it," she said, touching the bird's cool feathers with shaking fingertips. She secretly cursed herself. At first, the bird seemed to move back a bit, and she thought it might fly away. But then it leaned toward her, very slightly pressing its little body against her knuckels. She could feel its rapidly beating heart and the constant twitching of its muscles.

Again, she gave a doubtful look at the man. Now she noticed that in addition to his obvious sadness and desperation, a third look had appeared in his face. A look Sophie ranked somewhere between surprised respect and unwelcome confusion. A lone tear was rolling down his cheek, and Sophie felt a cold stab in her chest.

"Why are you sitting here…? I mean, on a Sunday afternoon in the Municipal Park. Without an umbrella in this horrible weather?" she dared to venture again, trying to avoid the interesting questions that were now burning inside her. Such as: How in hell did you just do that? Now he took his eyes off her and looked into the woods as if he could find an answer there.

"I have lost something," he announced as quietly as if he wanted to confess something to the trees and to Sophie.

Even though it was hard not to be distracted by the bird, who now cuddled with her hand as insistently as a kitten, Sophie didn't take her eyes off the man.

"If you're feeling that bad, it must have been something important," she said.

"You don't have the slightest idea," he countered, lowering his head again.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that," she said. "In the twenty-seven years of my life, I have lost all important things at least twice: my purse, my cell phone, my front door key, my car keys, my dignity…" Sophie stopped short, asking herself why she was again talking faster than she was thinking. "And from my experience I can tell you that two helping hands usually make the search successful. She clapped her hands, causing the bird to twitter in complaint. "Now… to help you get out of the rain and to get you into some dry clothes: What are we looking for?"

He turned to her again with a sad look. "Listen, even though it really makes me curious why my blackbird allowed you to touch it, you can't help me. You cannot find what I'm looking for. It is completely impossible. So thanks for the offer, but forget it."

"Your blackbird? Did you really train it or something? Is it kind of a pet?"

"No, it isn't," he replied. "It was just a manner of speaking. Of course, it isn't my blackbird. It's just any old blackbird that happened to sit on a nearby branch." He shook his head, annoyed.

"I see. And you're a sorcerer who scares me by having this bond with birds and with the pets belonging to other people?"

"If that is what would finally satisfy you."

Although Sophie knew that really none of this was of any concern to her, she turned bitchy. A blast of wind went through the tree tops, but didn't reach the lower branches under which they were. Only the rustling disrupted the silence for a moment.

"No, that doesn't satisfy me."

"And why doesn't that surprise me?" he asked, resigned.

"How do I know? But I won't leave you alone until you at least explain how you're doing that thing with the bird. What do you think I'll do when I get home now? Will I believe I'm at a stage where I see ghosts?"

"Maybe that would be a lesson for you not to talk to strangers in a park in the evening. Do you do that often?"

"No, but I happen to be helpful," Sophie countered, "and that's why I simply wanted to stand by you and see what the matter is. If I were sitting alone in the rain, crying, I would prefer if someone would pay attention to me and that I wouldn't be all by myself!"

The man gave a short sob that showed how exhausted he was. He shook himself and stood up.

Perhaps Sophie only imagined it, but it seemed that the branches of the trees around him were bending down a little as he straightened out. As if they wanted to reach him with their twigs. It was minimal, but quite visible for Sophie.

Instinctively, she moved back a few steps. Her retriever gave her a sceptical look. He had stayed where he was, as if the stranger and the blackbird sitting on his own head were quite normal. Sophie's goose bumps intensified, and she clasped her umbrella so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Yet something was stopping her from running away. She wondered why she couldn't act reasonably on this occasion.

When he was standing, Sophie noted that he was taller than she had expected. He moved slowly as he walked over to her. He was actually pulling the tree branches along, giving the impression that a shallow, barely visible wave of leaves was following him. Sophie stayed where she was. So carefully did the man set his feet on the ground that she wondered whether he might be afraid of destroying something. She inhaled the cool moist air through her open mouth and waited for this elegant apparition to come to a standstill hardly an arm's length away from her. His eyes of different colour were glazed over, reflecting her tense face.

James had also stood up again and now sat down next to the man, on the old wet foliage, happily wagging his tail. Oh, what a friend, Sophie thought. The bird wobbled on James's head where it was having some trouble holding on to the dog's chocolate-brown fur.

"Will you tell me your name?" he asked her. She felt his breath as he did. It was pleasantly warm and completely human, which she found somewhat reassuring.

"I am Sophie," she replied hesitantly. It sounded as if she weren't a hundred per cent sure. "And you?"

He tried a friendly smile, which only confused her more.

"Even though that is of no concern, my name is Oliver."

Sophie nodded. "Why should your name be of no concern? No name is unimportant."

"Because soon we will go our separate ways again. You will go your way, and I will stay here," he said, looking at her with a fixed glance.

"Not until you tell me what it is with the animals, and also - damn it all - with the trees. I know that I'm not just imagining it! The branches are following you. Or am I completely out of my mind?"

"No, Sophie, you're not just imaging it."

She shuddered when he said her name. His voice was firm, but vulnerable at the same time. She saw how much he had to pull himself together to speak with her.

"But why are they doing that? I don't understand. And the bird, I … "

This time, he interrupted her: "Promise me that you will keep going with your dog if I tell you!"

Sophie hesitated briefly and wondered what options she had. "I promise."

Oliver took a deep breath and sighed. "All right …," he said, pulling his shoulders up to his ears, as if for protection. A few seconds passed before he went on.

"The trees follow me with their twigs because I am the Fall."

There was a short pause. Sophie wondered whether she had heard him correctly.

"Sorry, what did you just say?" she queried. Oliver made a face as if he regretted this talk even more than before.

"I said that I am the Fall."

"The Fall?"

"Yes."

"You're a season?"

"Yes."

He still looked her firmly in the eyes. Although she gave him a searching look, she could find not a trace of humour in his face.

"How do mean you're the Fall? Am I to believe you?" she replied.

"Well, the bird, the branches … your mind will be unable to include these in its image of the world. I can only suggest that you will at least try. Apart from that, it is unimportant since it isn't part of our deal that you must believe me. We agreed that I will name the reason, and then you will leave me alone."

"Yes, but a logical reason."

Oliver crossed his arms over his chest and looked through Sophie, frustrated.

"First of all, this reason is absolutely logical. It is just your horizon that isn't broad enough," he continued, "and secondly you can't simply change the rules afterwards. That's not particularly honourable."

"I never claimed to be honourable."

Once again, he desperately shook his head.

"I have a feeling I'm talking to a child. And anyway, aren't you afraid of me? You know it would have been far better for you to run away. You're a graceful young woman, and in case of doubt, you would be completely at my mercy. Ever think of that? Quite apart from what you have just experienced here," he said tensely. "Helpfulness or not. This isn't courage. It's foolishness."

While he snarled at her, Sophie saw that he still seemed to be close to tears. Apparently he still had to control himself not to loose his composure. Obviously he wasn't feeling well. He wasn't simply unfriendly because he was tactless, but because her presence really seemed to bother him.

"I wouldn't be helpless against you," she replied as casually as possible, making herself taller. "Apart from that, I don't think you would do me any harm. Men who sit crying in the rain on a tree stump don't generally look very threatening, you'll have to admit that." Again a short pause followed during which they both looked at each other quietly.

"So you're not afraid of me? My presence doesn't make you feel - how shall I put it - unsafe?"

Sophie listened to her emotions. The risky situation into which she had maneuvered herself did bother her, but she really didn't feel unsafe. The only thing that made her curious were the goose bumps that had spread across her entire back and didn't vanish again as normal goose bumps did. But this was not the day when she wanted to allow her long-forgotten lack of selfconfidence come to the surface again.

"Unsafe? Why? Because you're the Fall?" she asked jokingly.

Oliver looked at her as if she were a little girl that would have to be warned over and over how dangerous it is to cross the street without first looking left and right.

"Yes, that's the effect I have on most people."

"It's your luck that I am not most people." Sophie hardly believed her ears as she heard herself say that. But Oliver looked as if it didn't surprise him much.

"To be exact, I don't mean most people, but all people. All people feel somewhat insecure in my presence. You may need a bit longer, but you'll find out."

Again, Sophie found this statement a bit unsettling. It wasn't her impression at all that he wanted to tell her a pack of lies.

"If it is really true that all people feel lost in your presence, that would be very sad." She felt something contracting in her lower belly. It seemed less and less promising to search the creases of her brain for an explanation of the unusual happenings that had taken place a few minutes ago.

"Being the Fall also has its good sides," he said, now speaking more to himself than to her, "and I also have to accept some inconveniences once in a while." He bit his lips. Neither the first nor the last part of the sentence seemed to convince Sophie.

"You're really serious, are you? Or? This thing about being the Fall?"

"Yes, completely serious." Again he stared at the ground in resignation.

"But if that's true, why are you sitting here in the park, crying? I mean, aren't there better things to do for the Fall? Wouldn't you have to conjure up some storms or something like that?" Sophie was hoping that no one happened to stand behind one of the countless trees, listening to their conversation. "Not that it would bother me, but this summer is already unusually long.

Maybe, if you really are the Fall, you should hurry up a bit … "

She hadn't completely ended her sentence when Oliver left abruptly, roughly grazing her shoulder as he passed her.

"Hey!" she shouted indignantly, turning around her axis, watching him disappear.

*

Without giving her another look, Oliver, whom she hadn't even known five minutes ago, went away, pulling the gentle wave with him through the tree tops. Since he was walking away fast, the many leaves rustled excitedly, bowing with reverence before him only to straighten up again. Sophie flinched when James touched her wrist with his cold snout, loudly whimpering. She looked down at him and saw that the bird was no longer sitting on his head. It didn't seem to please the dog at all. He threw a brief, melancholy look at Oliver before looking at her sadly. Sophie knew this expression very well. It was the same look the charmer gave her when he knew that she had bought a fresh bag of his beloved pig's ears only to hide it in the upper kitchen cupboard. It was the look that said: I'm a dog. I can't open that door, but I know you can. So please have a heart and hurry up!

Sophie kept looking at the quickly disappearing figure, squinting her eyes. She didn't believe in sorcery. Those dreamy times were over for a good reason. Still, she couldn't deny what she had seen. The look in James' eyes was too tragic for her to just stand still. She also walked away. She started running on the slushy walk, getting faster until she was almost jogging. James understood right away and confidently ran ahead, happily panting. Sophie's umbrella teetered as she momentarily clamped the handle under her arm, using the free left hand to pull the left sleeve of her jacket up. A quick look at the watch told her it was shortly before six. She still hadn't finished the cake for Lena's birthday. All this commotion had really interfered with her plan.

Slowly, she caught up with Oliver again. From under her umbrella, she noticed him stepping out into the open. Now he was walking along the shore of the park lake.

"Oliver, wait!" she called when they were only a few yards apart. But he didn't seem to listen to her.

Again and again, Sophie had to evade the sandy mud puddles stretching across the path. She tried not to lose her determination. The rain splashed hard against her checkered fabric, but still she continued her pursuit. She ran even faster until she had finally caught up with Oliver, having to take at least two steps for every one of his.

He seemed to be totally unconcerned when he saw her suddenly showing up next to him and insistently staring at him. He stubbornly ignored her, looking straight ahead. It was plain and simple that she didn't exist for him.

By now, Sophie's shoes and the cuffs of her tight jeans were wet through and through, sprinkled with mud. This annoyed her terribly because she absolutely adored these ankle-height shoes. Let this be a lesson for me, she thought. How many times had she vowed never to wear them again outdoors in such weather? Irritated, she blew a strand of her auburn hair from her face and wondered whether she looked as annoyed as she felt.

"Did I say something wrong? I was only kidding…" But Oliver refused to answer. He remained silent. At the rose gardens, he turned right.

"OK. What if I tell you that I believe you?" Sophie made another attempt, seeing how the leaves were gently waving above their heads. "I mean that you're the Fall for real. What could you have lost that has upset you so much? I imagine it isn't exactly easy to unsettle a season that much. After all, you're something like a force of nature, aren't you?"

Oliver clenched his teeth, throwing her a cursory glance. His eyes were still glazed over. Then he looked up ahead again.

In the meantime, they were back in the woods. They had reached a round open structure made of brick arches with a fountain in a waterfilled basin. Six little penguin statues were sitting on the rim of the basin.

"What can it be that the Fall has lost?" Sophie repeated her question.

A few rays of sunshine cut through a small hole in the heavy clouds, dipping the scene into a fresh golden light. Sophie always called such a glow in the late afternoon artist's light. In the far distance she saw a young couple out for a stroll pushing a baby carriage. They briefly looked in Sophie's and Oliver's direction, but without taking note of them. The baby carriage was covered with a transparent hood to protect the infant against the weather. Sophie could hear the crunchy clattering of the plastic tires.

"What I lost?" Oliver finally answered quietly, pushing his hand deep into the pockets of his overcoat. "My power. I have lost my power."

Another blow of wind made the tree tops above them tremble. Sophie laid her head slightly askew to signal him that she didn't understand.

"I have lost my power to help the plants to make their leaves welt and shed," he went on. "It simply doesn't work anymore."

He laid one hand across his mouth, struggling for composure. Sophie tried to sort out for herself what he had said. She looked up into the green of the beech trees. It was mottled now, brightened by the sun. Suddenly it came to her mind what the TV newscaster had said last night. This summer had been by far the longest since the beginning of records. A guest expert of the German Weather Service had reported that the development of the late summer had been quite worrisome, and that researchers are greatly concerned.

Sophie had only listened to the report while half asleep on the couch, using her remaining concentration to fondle her dog. That's why she had only heard some fragments of the newscast. But now, as she was facing this extraordinary young man who claimed to be the Fall and having lost his power, she recalled more and more statements of the expert, and remembered his worried face. On the one hand, he had said that climate change was responsible for the considerably delayed change of seasons. After all, it was already early October, and the leaves should have changed their colours a long time ago. The trees should have begun to shed their leaves to protect themselves early enough before the freezing winter temperatures set in. However, the expert didn't offer an exact explanation for all that. To Sophie, he had made a fairly clueless impression.

But even if she had been fully aware that evening, she had to admit that she probably wouldn't have taken the subject all that seriously. She loved the summer, and although the weather had turned quite cold in the meantime, she was happy that everything still looked so unusually fresh outdoors. Yet now, when she looked around, she realized that the state of nature did seem somewhat unnatural for this time of year.

"Is that why all the trees are still so green?"

"Yes," Oliver answered, and he held back sobbing in despair. "It is a catastrophe! You have no idea what the consequences will be. And I am alone responsible for it. It is my fault alone… "

He buried his face in his hands again. Sophie saw how he shivered.

"But what can be so terrible about it?" she tried to calm him down, even though she already thought that on this subject she was revealing how over-confident and gullible she was. "And even if you're right, you can't accept all the responsibility yourself. The plants do share some of the blame if things don't work out this year the way they should. Why do they need you at all? I think they should be able to do it on their own!"

"Yes, formerly, that's the way it used to be."

"Formerly?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"There are no exact records. But that was quite a long time ago."

"And who has told you that?"

Oliver took a deep breath.

"Listen, I don't even know why I'm telling you anything about this. It only gets me into trouble. It will make no sense to you, and everybody whom you tell anything about it will think you're nuts. But to process what you have seen, you would actually have to tell someone, otherwise you will really go crazy. Why all this? I think it is better if I keep as much information as possible to myself. We should think about it. How can we manage for you and James to go home now?"

Sophie noticed that it had stopped raining and that she won't need her umbrella anymore. She tilted it to the side, twisted it in her hand a few times and pulled it together into the folded state while it was still turning. She fastened the Velcro and pushed its iron point into the sand.

How do you know James's name?" she asked sceptically. "Has he told you? Do you have some kind of a telepathic connection or something like that?"

"No, he didn't tell me. You did."

"When?"

"Just a while ago, when you stalked me. You called him because he wasn't interested in you."

Sophie remembered: "That's right … so no telepathy."

"No telepathy. Neither with the dog nor with the bird."

"Too bad. You would have impressed me deeply."

Oliver snorted again and ran his hands through his hair.

"You're really special, Sophie. Please forgive me that I must disappoint you," he continued, "and now… How do we end our unexpected encounter? Do you have a suggestion?"

Sophie again took a few steps toward Oliver, making the point of the umbrella click on the ground rhythmically.

"You're totally drenched. Don't you want to go home, too, and quickly make yourself some tea so you won't catch a cold?" She stopped briefly before going on. "That is, if it is possible to catch a cold when one is the Fall."

A thin smile appeared on Oliver's lips, but it quickly disappeared again.

"I can catch a cold like every other human being."

That performance amused Sophie, and she briefly remained standing in front of him.

"Good… No, it isn't good at all!" she corrected herself quickly. Once again her tongue had been faster than her mind.

"I wanted to say that it would be good for you to go home." She had picked up the thread again. "Think about it! You would kill two birds with one stone, and you'd be rid of me."

When she had finished saying the last few words, Sophie realized indignantly that part of her was hoping Oliver would continue to refuse listening to her. She tried to ignore that part. Of course, she was curious. But that would disappear after a certain while, she told herself. If you really want, you can forget everything. She simply wanted to make sure that he wouldn't continue moping around in the park, possibly catching a flu.

Oliver looked at her sadly.

"Sophie, I don't want to go home now. As you can imagine, I have an extremely important task here." Sophie had a dull feeling in her stomach.

"Not to your parents or whatever?" Sophie asked him, worried.

Oliver stepped from one foot to another. She could see that he was just about to flee again from her. It was her impression that this time, she would not catch up with him that easily.

"I'm sorry, I don't want to offend you," she tried to comfort him, "but if you don't want to go home, where are you going to sleep tonight?"

"I will not sleep anywhere tonight," he answered a little defiantly.

Even though she didn't feel like it at all, Sophie gave a short laugh. "What do you mean, you'll not go to sleep tonight?"

"I mean it the way I said it," he answered stubbornly.

She stared at him in confusion, but she didn't give up.

"Listen, the sun is just about to set. In less than three quarters of an hour it will be dark here."

"I am aware of that. I can well look after myself. After all, I have survived the last few nights. Besides, I won't shut an eye anyway, I have to …"

"The last few nights!" Sophie interrupted him. "You're not going to tell me seriously that you have been here in this weather for several days already." the Fall or not, that can't be good. She lifted her arms on both sides and let them drop again abruptly. "When I look at you like this, you don't exactly look as if you were penniless, living on the street. So where is your home?"

Sophie didn't know herself why she got so excited. She knew she had no right to do so at all. She was a complete stranger to him. But her helper's instinct and her stupid habit of not minding her own business simply left her no other choice.

"I will not tell you where I live," he replied sadly.

"So you do have a home."

"I never claimed not to have one. It's just that I don't want to go there and I can't go there. I have some important decisions to make here. You don't understand that. I can't get away from here."

Without considering it carefully, Sophie put all her courage together and stepped very close to him. They now stood even closer together than at the tree stump. Her heart was frightened by her advance and it was beating very rapidly. She looked at him with a determined, tenderly-angry expression.

"Even though you may finally think that I am totally crazy: I will not leave you alone here… You have a choice: Either I'll stay here and catch my death with you, or you'll come along and stay the night in my apartment." She could hardly believe what she had just said and slapped her own face in secret. "I have a shower and a very comfortable couch … And that is, to make it quite clear, not a decently indecent offer. When you are warm and have had some sleep, you'll see things in another light and you'll get an idea that will help you to carry on.

She nodded in slow motion as if wanting to lend weight to her words while continuing to look straight in his face, which now expressed blank bewilderment.

"You're insane. You can't be serious."

"Yes, I can," Sophie answered, trying to keep up her upright attitude. Defiantly she noticed that more goose bumps were forming on her back, her bottom and in the back of her thighs.

"You want to take me along into your apartment? A total stranger? That…"

"… is totally naive, yes, I know. We already discussed that subject. By the way, I don't necessarily want to do it, but you leave me no choice as I see that you practically want to kill yourself here. I'm certainly not leaving you alone here, no matter how strange you seem to me, and that's my last word."

"I could just as well go to my shared apartment."

"Will you do that?" Sophie noticed how she was getting warmer, under her overcoat and the thick woollen scarf, in spite of the cool evening air.

"No, I won't." She quietly observed how Oliver wrinkled his forehead in doubt and continued to stare at her. "You see," she said smugly.

"And you still don't feel unwell, do you?" he asked while the question marks on his face became more evident. "You don't feel sick, depressed, do you?"

Sophie ignored her unwanted doubt and the unwell feeling in her stomach, fibbing stubbornly: "No, sorry! I can't feel anything like it." He moved a piece away from her. Sophie stayed where she was.

The day was drawing to a close. Clearly, the clouds had opened up, and the sky was turning the colour of vanilla ice cream. In the last fifteen minutes, the weather had become much friendlier.

Sophie recognized that Oliver's mind was hectically at work. After what she had just told him, he seemed to have completely mixed feelings. His face revealed quiet sadness as well as deep-seated pain. On the other hand, there was something not quite as obvious. She wondered whether he might be feeling any gratitude.

Oliver took his hands out of his coat pockets again and crossed them at the back of his neck. His eyes wandered back and forth between the tree tops as if he were looking for some truth up there that might help him in this situation.

James had been so quiet the whole time that Sophie had almost forgotten him. He now gave a single timid bark and leaned lazily against her leg, once again acting as if he couldn't stand on his own four legs. She knew what he was trying to tell her. He wanted to let her know that he was bored. He wanted to get going. That behaviour had become his custom lately.

"Come on, make up your mind!" she broke the silence. "James wants to go home, too. He is quite depressed, I think, because you have taken his new winged playmate away from him."

Oliver lifted his eyebrows. "I haven't taken anything away from him. The blackbird stayed with him voluntarily. All I did was to introduce them to each other. Often there are more communication problems than necessary among different animals. We just have to mediate a little."

Now Sophie wrinkled her forehead. "And when you say we, do you mean yourself, the Fall? Or do you believe that other people can also assume such a mediator role?"

"So far I haven't met anyone other than myself, but it is completely conceivable, I think. It is only a matter of trust and sensitivity."

Sophie wondered whether she should get into an argument because of this casually spoken remark or just to show how dumbfounded she was. She chose the latter. She recognized that at least he didn't find her suggestion all that absurd anymore, and she didn't want to jeopardize the progress she had made. Also, she was aware how much time this had already cost her. After all, there was still a birthday cake waiting to be decorated.

Once again, she considered the wisdom of her actions. Would they get herself on the front pages of the daily papers? Would the headlines read that after all, she had personally invited her murderer to her apartment?

But then she thought of her mother and what she had always taught her about being helpful and warm-hearted. She threw her last misgivings overboard.

"I know you're a grown man who can make his own decisions. But please don't stay here in the park tonight," she tried without making it sound like imploring him. "Please!"

It took a moment, but then Oliver took his hands away from the back of his neck. Sophie recognized that he had given in. She had convinced him.

"I agree. If that's what satisfies you. But only for one night, all right? Then I will come back here. I'm running out of time. And believe me, this affects all of us. While your offer is total insanity, a bit of sleep wouldn't hurt me at all." He wiped the tears off his cheeks with his coat sleeves. He didn't achieve much because the coat was completely drenched from the rain.

After a brief pause, he added: "Anyway, thanks for the offer!"

"You're welcome!"

Sophie gave a sigh of relief. She didn't know why, but a voice told her that she could trust this man, and that she shouldn't leave him alone. He was right: She was a hopeless case.

"If you don't mind, I would like to get going”, she said. “I still have some things to do tonight, and I'm already far behind schedule, so … "

Oliver stood there as if the acceptance he had just expressed hadn't completely sunk in yet. He hesitated for a moment, looking at Sophie as if to check whether he could really trust her. As if he had something to lose, she reflected.

"Good. So let's go," he finally surrendered. "If you're generous enough to have me as your guest, I certainly don't want to cause you any additional stress."

Sophie grinned and turned around to leave. With her very first movement, James rushed off as if he had waited for a starting signal.

"No mad rush, I just have to hurry a bit."

Oliver followed and caught up with her.

"Where is your apartment?" he asked without looking at her. "Is it far?"

"No, not really. At your speed, a half an hour, I think."

Already, she had to try and keep up with him, but he was sensitive enough to recognize her hidden plea and slowed down a little.

2

Sophie picked a route which she knew to be lit up in the dark. She was right. The little lanterns came on the second the walkers had entered the chosen path in the park. Under the mighty shades of the big trees, the evening seemed to be ahead of its time by more than an hour. This reinforced Sophie's worry she might have a real time problem. After all, when she discovered Oliver on the tree stump, she had already been on the way back from her walk. She had timed her afternoon perfectly. Actually, this half an hour of social work had not been part of her agenda.

A few minutes later, the three of them, walking silently beside each other, entered Maria-Louisen Street. They continued in the direction of the Outer Alster Basin. They passed many villas of splendid architecture, magnificent Art Nouveau buildings with red brick facades. What Sophie found unattractive though were those from the 1970s, and the modern cubist homes with their black-framed, floor-length windows.

Sophie saw that the young summer linden trees along the sidewalk were bowing to Oliver as he passed under them. She wondered whether other pedestrians would also notice this phenomenon. But then she thought the swishing movement that followed them as they walked below the trees was probably not conspicuous enough to be observed by others.

As they reached Barmbeker Street, rush hour traffic was in full swing. The noise of countless cars broke the silence among Sophie and Oliver. James had walked ahead. He obediently stood still at the traffic light, sat down and waited for her, not without wagging his tail to show her how proud he was of himself.