Konrad and Alexandra (PDF) - Rolf Gross

Grandfather was very sad when he found his wife and all his children gone. But the emperor of Russia came toGrandfather’s aid and gave him much money to ransom his children. With that money Grandfather filled a whole wagonwith gold pieces, drove into the mountains, and brought back Grandmother and her children. They lived many yearshappily thereafter. Grandfather died, but Grandmother is still alive in that castle with Uncle David and Uncle George andtheir children. Next year I will take you to Kakheti to Grandfather’s castle.""Mummy," said Otto, "are there wild men in these woods?"Von Bredow turned around and laughed. "No Otto, our soldiers have driven them all across the border."Alexandra smiled. "Where they live happily ever after."Bredow cracked his whip over the horses and sighed. "We hope so, but who can foretell."Soon the Snow Castle appeared, an elegant manor house surrounded by farm buildings and old oaks. Friedrich’s wife, atall, gaunt woman with the first few strands of gray in her blond hair and laughing blue eyes, welcomed her guests at thedoor. From behind her a gang of children dressed in animal heads and costumes danced noisily into the yard. Thechildren barked, trumpeted, and crowed dancing around Otto. At first Otto held on to his mother, but the animals cried,"We don't have a lion, will you be our lion king?" Otto roared from behind his mother. Under much shouting and laughterthe children took him upstairsThe Bredows made their guests comfortable in front of a roaring fireplace in the salon. Herr von Bredow offered anaperitif, and while the men discussed the threatening developments in Russia, Alexandra had to describe Georgia to thecurious ladies of the house. The lively conversation and the warm atmosphere reminded Alexandra of the familymeetings at the house of her grandfather in Kakheti.Mrs. von Bredow had prepared a festive table in the dining room, old family silver, Meissen porcelain, and Bohemianwine glasses. The delicate smell of burning charcoal wafted through the room from a simmering samovar that reflectedthe light of the many candles. Between the settings she had placed fir twigs as decoration. An enormous tiled stovereaching almost to the ceiling spread warmth.They were served pheasant that Bredow had shot himself with preserved wild cranberries and potatoes and an oldFrench red wine from his cellar.After coffee the lady of the house accompanied Prince Oldenbourg—who turned out to have quite a respectable tenorvoice—to selections from Schubert’s WinterreiseWhen Otto and the children reached the upstairs, the donkey pawed his hoof, brayed at Otto, and turned him into a lion.Now, when he roared, everyone fled in terror."Don't run away," Otto said in his natural voice, "I promise to be a good king to you."The animals brayed and barked, the rooster crowed, the snake wound itself around his arm, but then the elephanttrumpeted loudly, and Otto became frightened again. He had never heard an elephant trumpet before."Don't be frightened," whispered the snake, "You are the all-powerful king, you have only to roar and all animals will obeyyou." He roared at the elephant ferociously, and the elephant waved his trunk sideways and knelt down before him. Andthen he noticed that the mouse had fearlessly climbed onto the elephant's broad back and was inviting him to follow her.He climbed next to the mouse holding on to the elephant's shoulder and off they went running through the house."This house has many hidden rooms and stairs." said the mouse, "I will show them to you. The elephant is too big topass some of the secret passages, but I can."They ran down a long, dark corridor with many rooms. In one the snake had her bed, another was occupied by the bird, itwas full of feathers, the dogs lived in a surprisingly clean room."Where does the elephant live?" asked Otto. "Oh, he is already big, he goes to school and has a room downstairs," daidthe mouse, "and the rooster lives in the attic, so he can see the sun first every morning and crow when we have to getup."Otto asked, "Do I get a room too?" "I will show you, it's a special room above the dining room," said the mouse andwhispered to the elephant, who stopped and with his trunk grabbed the mouse and set her on the floor. Otto slid down byhimself.The mouse opened a door and let him in, the others all waited in the hall. "Look," said the mouse, "here is a hole throughwhich you can see into the dining room and spy on the grown-ups." She opened a trap door in the floor. A blast of hot aircame through the opening. Otto went on his belly and peered down. The door was above the huge, tiled stove in thedining room. Voices came from below, and after he had figured out how to peer around the stove, he saw his mothersitting next to a gentleman who looked like his uncle Niko only much older. They were eating with silver forks fromelegant plates, drinking red wine, and talking. He roared at them but they must have thought that it was the wind fanningthe fire in the stove, no one paid attention to the lion.When they returned to the dark corridor the animals were making a deafening noise surrounding Otto and threateninghim with their arms, beaks, and the elephant's trunk. He raised his paws at them showing his claws and roared his mostfrightening roar. That shut them up."Bravo!" said the snake curling up to him, "that will show them who is the king."Otto took the mouse's hand. The snake hissed, "She is only a little, gray mouse. Look at me! I am a poisonous snake, I125