A Squire’s Trial

theatrical flair on his part to make truly come alive. Never before
had I felt so unsettled, and yet truly engaged and interested
– had someone observed this from the side, they
would've mistaken our exchange for nothing more than a lifelong
friend sharing some good-humored stories with someone
whom he hadn't seen in years.
For me, the whole thing was a wild roller-coaster that somehow
combined exciting, thrilling banter of a worldly traveler
with the unsettling comprehension of the horrid actions this
man had taken – and with not a single shred of remorse. It was
almost like he was from another planet and our customs were
too different to really reconcile, even though we both experienced
joy, fun and excitement the same way.
This man was like no other that I have met, or even heard of
before. Sure, we all know of pirates and adventurers; the
movies are over-saturated with such characters, but I never
imagined that such people could ever be real. There are, of
course, historical pirates and travelers, but these things are of
a distant past, so this man appeared as something from the
history books, or straight out of a movie... and yet he was also
a fascist. His visit was an unexpected intrusion into my day, or
rather, my life, as I had never encountered anything even remotely
like this, possibly making this a once in a lifetime experience:
like a bright flash of light in an otherwise monotonous
and dull-by-comparison existence. I was sure I’d never meet a
man like him again. I felt a burning desire to know more about
him, to figure out what made him tick.
- I don't get it. Hearing you, it feels like you can do anything
you want. Why walk around like a vagabond and hang out with
bums, calling yourself a ‘fascist’? I bet a man of your ability
could lead a successful life.
9