“The Death Issue” December 2015 1

The Organ Recital
Simon Ward
They don't speak, content with the sounds of a city at peace. Michelle has the image of
an allotment in her mind, the marrows ripe for picking. Aaron thinks of war and how
freedom can be compromised. It's a quiet morning in Schöneberg and the onset of spring.
“I found this before,” he says, reaching for his pocket. “Do you know what it is?”
He opens his fist. On his palm rests a dried, brown seedpod with coarse tendrils.
“Clematis,” she says, as he drops it in her hand, “it's from a vine. Some of them have
bluish-purple flowers but this one's not so nice. It grows over everything and uproots all
the other plants. They're hard to pull up.”
“What it's called?” he asks.
“Old man's beard,” she answers.
“Ah, I can see that,” he says, putting his arm around her. “Not the best thing to bring
you then.”
“No, it's nice babe,” she tells him, placing the pod in her pocket.
After crossing the lights, they stop at the corner of the street. He kisses her neck. She
walks ahead and asks directions.
Further down the road, past closed shops and offices, they spot the top of a spire. A bell
rings at steady intervals. They quicken their pace.
Attached to the right-hand side of the church is a concrete tower, holding several bells
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