Konrad and Alexandra (pdf) - Rolf Gross

Alexandra decided to fly to China in search of him. What harm would there be in trying? If she
could fly to Svaneti, she could also reach China. Sitting with crossed legs on her bed, she
concentrated all her anxious intensity and love on Konrad.
After a while she did take off and rose above the sleeping city into the dark night. But
the bright light, which had previously guided her, did not appear. She was surrounded by cold
darkness. She tried to find a star, or the moon to direct her towards the east, but it was all in
vain. The world was pitch dark. She became more and more alarmed. Strange apparitions
appeared from the night. The city had long disappeared. She could not make out the features
of the land below her. Where was she?
She began to call. "Gocha, I need you, I cannot find my way in this darkness. Gochaaa!
Gochaaa, help me!"
Alexandra, once again, had the sickening feeling of falling from the night at increasing
speed towards the dark earth below. She tried to roll herself into a ball and lost her balance,
she tilted sideways, and dropped with a terrible scream.
Claudia, awoken by her scream, shook her. "Alexandra! You are having a nightmare."
She woke in Claudia’s arms.
"My God, what are you doing? You are bathed in sweat. Where were you?"
Alexandra with a racing heart, a dreadful fright in her eyes, stared at her friend who
bedded her down and got a wet washcloth to put on her forehead.
Alexandra closed her eyes. With a deep sigh she kissed Claudia’s hand. "I tried to reach
Konrad and got lost in the night. It was a horrible dream-flight. Don’t ever try to fly by yourself
on a moonless night."
Claudia crept into her bed and held her tight much like Alexandra had done in Adishi.
Slowly Alexandra calmed down. They finally fell asleep together.
And then Gocha appeared to Alexandra. She looked warm and motherly and not at all
frightening. "You cried for me, what happened? I was asleep, and it took me some time to
reach you. I see your friend Dia is with you."
Alexandra told her that she had been searching for Konrad in China. She was worried
about him.
"You must never go on a journey when your soul is troubled. You are not complete then
and in that state your breath-soul may try to follow your shadow-soul, which does the flying. If
the breath-soul leaves your body you die. It was not the darkness of the night, if you had been
whole you would have found the light to guide you. But death threw darkness over your mind.
You have to thank Dia that she brought you back safely."
Alexandra woke, Gocha had disappeared too fast. She had so many questions to ask.
How to use flying to heal people? How to contact Konrad? But the old witch had disappeared.
She kissed Claudia next to her, who opened her eyes with a smile.
"Yes, I also saw and heard Gocha explain what you have done wrong. I see that my
reluctance to fly is not unfounded, it is dangerous considering the little knowledge we have."
"But you know," said Alexandra, "it was the first time that I tried to go on such a journey
on my own free will. Now I know that it can be done, and I will certainly try again. Would you
come with me to the office tomorrow? I have a very ill patient coming to see me, I want to try to
heal him. I have to unravel this mystery. You can rescue me, if I have another hard landing."
Claudia promised, and hand in hand they went back to sleep.
309