by Maggy Diak
22.
The investigation following the tragic incident lasted a few days. The French police was cautious. It did not take them long to find out that Marija, Isabelle, who was immediately taken to hospital for treatment, and I were no terrorists or in any way dangerous to their country, but they were not so sure about Maurice and Peter Otrin. Maurice was found guilty of two burglaries. I heard later that he was given a two-year suspended sentence. Otrin had a really hard time to prove that his strange writings, the names of the leaders of different countries, trinities, places and numerous other names weren’t secret codes or incitement to illicit acts. Yet even though they dropped all charges against him, they openly told him that he was to blame for Isabelle’s insanity. No matter how hard he tried, he could not convince them that it was her own sick ambition and greed that drove her to that. They said from now on he was unwelcomed in their country. It meant prohibited.
The investigation revealed that J.E. was Marija’s half-brother. He was a Slovenian on his father’s side. A Balkan, as he used to call the Slovenians. His mother and his father, his step-father, in fact, never told him the truth. It’s a pity, I think. As a child he wouldn’t have suffered much if he had been told that his blood was mixed. He would have got used to it and maybe learnt to respect all people no matter what nationality they were. When he saw his mother on Marija’s photo, he ran home to demand the truth from his mother. She told it and paid for it with her life. J.E. shot her on the spot then returned to the office to probably kill Marija. Why he changed his mind we will never know. He must have recognized that he would not be able to live with the truth.
Marija was sad. She was looking forward to finding her brother and she imagined a happy meeting. She felt sorry for him, yet she did not grieve. He was not the brother she would want.
Finally, we were allowed to return home.
On the plane Marija and Peter had again neighboring seats. Yet this time Peter did not behave sulkily as on the way to Paris. He was ready to explain all his prophecies to her. He confirmed his prophecies that in the year 2016 great catastrophes threaten to destroy the world, however, he comforted her that negative powers were always opposed by the positive ones and that it seemed they would be really strong in 2016.
But they had a short arguing too. Marija asked him, offended, why he had said that she had stolen his suitcase. “I have never in my life stolen anything!” she exclaimed. “No matter how hungry I was I never stole a breadcrumb! It was not nice of you to say I was a thief!”
Otrin felt uneasy. “I can’t help,” he defended himself. “The more I was telling you that I cannot show you my book of Prophecies, the more you pushed me. I could think of no one else to be interested in my suitcase.”
In the end they parted as friends.
***
My wife was waiting for me at the airport and Kate was waiting for Peter. While holding my wife in my arms, I was looking at Kate, who had arms around Peter's neck. Our eyes met. My look was saying to her that we could have had a really nice time together if she had only wanted and hers was answering: yes, I know and that’s exactly why I left. Forty years of marriage is forty years. You cannot just make them disappear.
When we were in our car, I asked my wife how was her lover. She gently patted my knee, and said giggling: “I prepared a delicious dinner for him and a warm bed. I am anxious to bring him home as soon as possible. I promise, he won’t be sorry.”
***
More than a year has passed since our return from Paris. I am spending most of my time in my cellar carving small figures of wood. Here and there, I murmur to myself the letters: pns, ppppns, pnnnsssss. Who knows, one day I might hit the right vibration. I could use some clairvoyance to see finally, what my wife is doing when I am not near. I also searched my name. It has an interesting perspective. I mean, I have it. It says I was born to achieve something of great importance. What that is I don't know yet. I'll know when I find the other two in my trinity and my pre-adequate. I'm working on it.
In future I plan to visit Otrin. I need some help. I don't know where he is now. He is presumably hiding somewhere in the mountains. When he returned from Paris, people from all over the world started to besiege his home. They wanted to know what their names foretold them. When he refused to tell them, one of them tried to cut off his head. Later that person told the police that Otrin’s skull was going to be clairvoyant and will be able to talk. From then on Otrin and Kate are on the run. Nevertheless, I’ll find them when I decide to! Pns … ppppppppns … pnnnnns …