We
decided to take the train – travel by night, wake up to see
the endless plains go by, rarely dotted by houses. We had known each
other only for a very short time and were so much in love that we hardly
spoke. It was my first time in Poland, and I somehow hadn’t imagined
the country to be so different. I had seen some old Polish movies, for
example by Lech Majewski, so I assumed that Poland was a very agricultural,
spiritual country.
But what I could see in the early morning light was frighteningly modern.
I realized we were driving through military land only because of the
rain splashing against the invisible fences and by some metallic constructions
indicating the large structures underground.
I began to feel slightly less romantic and tried to embrace my companion,
but he rejected me. Suddenly our romantic silence turned into a distance,
and I wasn’t sure any more about who this person was I was traveling
with. I observed him. His hair was shiny but I couldn’t see his
eyes.
His name was Piotr. I asked him: „Do you think it was really a good
idea to go to Warsaw?“
He was lying on his back on the lower bed, I was lying on the upper bed, my arm
and my head were dangling down and I felt slightly dizzy.
„It’s the best place in the world,“ he replied. „Don’t
worry.“
Later the train stopped at a small station, without any reason. Soldiers
in colorful uniforms paraded on a field next to the station, and when
an elderly woman stepped out of the train, crowded together to
greet her. The train resumed it’s voyage.
I fell back to sleep. When I woke up, we were already going through the
outskirts of Warsaw. How strange, I thought, why are all these houses
collapsing? Each house we passed by collapsed without making any noise.
Are they clearing the city? Do they plan to build something interely
new? Unseen before?
Vehicles
were circling above us. I was frightened and tried to hide under the
lower bed, but there wasn’t enough space. The train
came to a halt. One of the vehicles flew by the window so close that
I could make out the driver.
He
didn’t seem to be human at all. He, she or it was a white,
dry mass with an elegant surface. He didn’t have anything like
a face, any eyes or other perceptive organs.
Actually, he resembled
a bovist that I had once seen in the forest.
„Look at that“, I said to Piotr, but nobody answered. I searched
the cabin, but I was alone. Had the vehicle taken Piotrek away? Had he
simply gone to the toilet? Or had he left me alone? In any case I would
have to leave the train. I collected my luggage und stepped outside.
Right in front of my eyes another building collapsed and the sky went red.
I started screaming.
Two small white creatures approached me. I couldn’t understand how
they moved, because they didn’t have any legs. They were so strange
that suddenly I wasn’t frightened any more. Why should I be? I couldn’t
see any humans around me, Piotr was gone, everything around me was collapsing
and the sky was red – there was only one possible reason for all
this: I was dying anyway. Probably we had gone into a train crash and these
were the visions of my last seconds. I decided to try to be as happy as
possible under these circumstances, smiled at the two creatures and opened
my arms to embrace them.
To my surprise I sank into a soft and nicely smelling mass and felt
like coming home. I started crying, but this time it was because I felt
so overwhelmingly happy. When I opened my eyes again, the whole scene
had changed. Warsaw had become the most beautiful city in the world.
Antje Majewski
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