Konrad and Alexandra (PDF) - Rolf Gross

Konrad agreed that this sounded more in line with his character. "But is he not endangering himself by leaning so farleft?""He never said anything like what I am telling you, this is entirely my conjecture. You see why I did not want to talk aboutthese things in public where everybody listens."Towards noon it became sultry. The clouds in the northwest had piled into an enormous white thunderhead. The sun"stung." A few thatched houses and low brick–farm buildings at the edge of an extended park of mighty, old treesappeared.Konrad pointed at the buildings. "This is Rheinsberg. My favorite Landschloss. Here King Friedrich Wilhelm I kept hisyoung son Friedrich II under house arrest after the son had tried to flee from his authoritarian father with a boyfriend.Katte, the young man, was executed under Friedrich’s eyes. Friedrich was allowed to keep himself a coterie ofphilosophers, literati, and musicians there. Later he said that these had been the happiest years of his life."They rode along an Allee of blooming linden, their intoxicating scent floated in the airless shade under the trees like lakesof forgetfulness. After the noiseless sand paths the horses clanked along the cobblestone pavement of an arrow-straightroad that made the distance to the castle seem like miles. They were glad to find some cool under the park’s trees.The faded gilt roof of a Chinese teahouse came into view at the moment the first thunderclap broke.Konrad spurred his horse into a fast gallop. "Quick, let’s get to the Chinese kiosk before the rain comes down."With a blinding flash of lightening followed by deafening thunder the clouds broke. The kiosk was deserted, boarded upand locked, but its eaves afforded ample cover for the horses and themselves.Alexandra’s hair hung in wet streaks over her face, her drenched blouse stuck to her skin. As usual she wore nothingunder. Konrad watched her pull her blouse over her head. Deliberately slow she hung it on one of the baroqueornaments. For a minute she hesitated. With a challenging look, she took everything off and ran stark naked into thewarm rain.Laughing and teasing him she danced through the meadow.A second flash very close. Alexandra a black witch madly beckoning from the blinding inferno.Konrad, paralyzed, was still undecided. After the thunder had rolled away, she began to sing a Georgian love song in thestreaming rain. Overcome by desire he ran after her.As fast as the thunderstorm had come upon them it was over. The sun came out. They dried their clothes sitting in theseclusion of the chintzy kiosk like Adam and Eve after the fall: happy.Relieved from the heat, frogs and birds began to sing. Somewhere a cuckoo counted to nine."Vladimir has changed," began Alexandra as they cobbled along the allee again. She felt the irresistible need to get herstory over with before this day passed."He lives like a haunted man in constant fear of the Okhrana, hiding on their estate most of the time. His father wasarrested once more. Vladimir has lost none of his elitist views, but much of his hauteur is gone.""Where did you meet him, if he is that elusive?""At Kluchkov’s one day. I was sitting in the stacks looking for the books I brought you—in fact Vladimir suggested allthree of them—when he came in hoping to find his first volume of poetry. He was much taken aback to come upon me sounexpectedly. I was hidden from his view, you see."She fidgeted with the bridle. Her horse threw up its head and neighed. "You know that for years I wanted to settle my oldaccount with him, but I sensed that it was too late. He had changed. My old charges had been preempted."She pulled on the reigns. Her horse misunderstanding her intentions and nervously danced a few steps until she couldreign it in again. "He was very elusive that day, but I felt that I wanted to find out what was underneath the new Vladimirand invited him for a day’s ride along the coast north of Lakhta."Her horse stood and Alexandra glanced at Konrad uncertain how to continue, hoping that he would come to her rescue,that he would say something and reveal his thoughts.Konrad did not look at her, a mocking expression hung around his lips. "Did you find out how and why he had changedso much?"My God, she thought, does he not guess that I made love to Vladimir? Before she could collect her thoughts and find thewords to explain, a melodious bell-like sound spread across the blue firmament. It was soon answered by second clangat a slightly lower pitch."What is this sound?" asked Alexandra puzzled in her deep voice. "Is it a bird?"Konrad smiled ironically. "It is the mating call of the toad, his female friend answered him, did you hear her?"A second pair of calls."They sit at the edge of the castle’s pond after the rain, very ugly to look at, big, slimy, orange-speckled frogs who inhabitthe alluvial lakes of Northern Germany, their Latin name is bombinator. They blow themselves up to twice their size tomake this uncanny sound."He smiled at her.Driven to desperation she cried out. "Konrad, I made love to Vladimir on the bluff above the sea at Lisi Nos!"He continued to smile, kindly. "Yes, I imagined you did."77