Status: ***ed up Rammstein feelage, ahoy.
Die Jagd
Four
Carol
If Google Maps had not existed, there would have been no possible way Danni and I would have found Herr Lindemann’s house. Many of the towns and cities in Germany had a fun way of changing the street name at random, most of the time it was when you least expected it, such as on curved roads.
As we finally arrived and walked up to the front door of the quaint, quiet little cottage I notice it looked like someone had clipped it right out of a Home & Gardens magazine. Everything was perfectly placed and the yard was delightfully groomed. However, I couldn’t help but zip my jacket up a little more as a chill was sent up my spine after we knocked on the door. There was something just about the little cottage that seemed off, as if it was overly maintained.
Danni stood up a little straighter as the door opened to reveal a giant of a man with a barrel chest and shoulders that nearly touched either side of the doorframe. I couldn’t help but look up in surprise at the gigantic human smiling down at us. “Willkommen,” He said in a soft yet monotonous accented voice, “You must be the journalists? I am Till Lindemann.”
“Well,” I started, clearing my throat, “My friend, Danni Jakobsen, is the journalist.”
Flashing him a smile Danni nodded in agreement with me. “And my good companion here, Carol, is here to translate for me. My German is a bit rough.” She admitted.
He gave us a curt nod and invited us inside. Stepping into the living room, we could easily see the inside of the house matched the outside's pleasant appearance. Square shaped windows let enough light inside, reflecting off the white pine furniture to give the cottage a cozy, comforting feeling. I did not notice any picture frames set up or hanging on the wall, but the antique vases and figures decorating the living room gave the impression that he respected arts and history.
“Can I get you some tea? Maybe some coffee?”
“Yes, please.” Danni said, speaking with a strong voice. “Just black, please.”
“I’ll take a little cream with mine, please.” I finally said after contemplating for a few moments.
A smile slowly crawled across Till’s face and he disappeared into a room -the kitchen I presume- without another word. I gave Danni a look and she returned a similar one. Till seemed like an odd character, but I suppose there were some instances in his life that we didn’t know about that may have made him become the way he is today. The Berlin Wall was rough on a lot of people in his generation. I could only imagine there were stories that were just waiting to be told so the weight could be lifted off his shoulders.
We both thanked him as he returned with our coffee. I sat up and silently inhaled the rich smell of the bitter caffeine. I hadn’t had my fill of my sweet addiction yet and my brain was screaming at me to take the first sip. As I expected the black coffee was a tad more bitter than I was used to, as was usually most European coffee. However, it was still very good, especially mixed with some cream to make it a bit smoother. Danni always called me a coffee snob, can’t say I disagreed with her.
Sitting contently with her coffee, waiting for it to cool I suppose, Danni flashed her “Journalist Smile”. The smile she gave to welcome people into telling their deepest, darkest secrets to her. I loved it when they fell for it.
Danni jumped right into the interview, asking her questions with the full force of a controlled and confident woman that was going to get exactly what she wanted. I envied the confidence she was able to fish out during these interviews. She was the embodiment of a powerful, independent woman. I listened intently as I religiously sipped my steaming hot coffee, Danni taking cautious sips here and there, while listening to the two start to unravel another historical story.
~
As I waited for the familiar buzz to kick in and soothe my headache I was disappointed to find the opposite happening. The miniscule pin prick in my head started to grow into a throbbing hammer smacking the top of my noggin. I rubbed my face to shake it off but, to no avail, the pain continued and I glanced at Danni. She was still focused on Till, asking him the detailed questions and writing down the complicated answers he gave.
Leaning forward on my knees I tried to listen intently as I grew more and more tired. It felt as if invisible weights were trying to pull my eyelids down into submission.
Why was I getting so tired and sickly feeling all of a sudden??
Danni glanced at me out of the corner of her eye, wrinkling her face up with worry she pulled herself from her interview for a split second and turned her attention towards me.
“Are you alright?”
“Um… I’m not sure.” I replied. “I feel really exhausted all of a sudden.”
She nodded, keeping her eyes trained on me for a few more moments as if trying to study my stance to figure out what was wrong with me. She eventually gave me a curt nod. “I’ll finish up pretty soon.”
Letting out a thankful sigh I nodded. “That would be much appreciated…sorry about this.”
“It’s fine, no worries.” She said quickly while she turned back to Till and continued on with the interview.
As the minutes ticked on the stinging of the headache continued and my eyes started to feel as if they were burning from being dried out but also preparing to let the holy flood gates open. When my vision blurred so bad to the point I was starting to get light headed I couldn’t take it anymore.
“Entschuldigung,” I pipped in once there was a break between the questions and answers, “Wo ist die Toilette?”
Receiving a sly smile, Till responded to me in English, “Down the hall and to the left.”
“Danke.” I muttered as I stood up and tried to head for the doorway that lead into the hallway.
My vision not only became blurry as I stood up but the images all around me started moving from side to side. Turning for the doorway I stumbled as I tripped over my own feet. When I hit the floor I remember Danni’s voice calling out. I think she was calling my name, but I couldn’t hear her clearly. The world seemed to be moving all around, trying to shake my senses out of whack as I became dizzy. Soon, everything faded into darkness.
If Google Maps had not existed, there would have been no possible way Danni and I would have found Herr Lindemann’s house. Many of the towns and cities in Germany had a fun way of changing the street name at random, most of the time it was when you least expected it, such as on curved roads.
As we finally arrived and walked up to the front door of the quaint, quiet little cottage I notice it looked like someone had clipped it right out of a Home & Gardens magazine. Everything was perfectly placed and the yard was delightfully groomed. However, I couldn’t help but zip my jacket up a little more as a chill was sent up my spine after we knocked on the door. There was something just about the little cottage that seemed off, as if it was overly maintained.
Danni stood up a little straighter as the door opened to reveal a giant of a man with a barrel chest and shoulders that nearly touched either side of the doorframe. I couldn’t help but look up in surprise at the gigantic human smiling down at us. “Willkommen,” He said in a soft yet monotonous accented voice, “You must be the journalists? I am Till Lindemann.”
“Well,” I started, clearing my throat, “My friend, Danni Jakobsen, is the journalist.”
Flashing him a smile Danni nodded in agreement with me. “And my good companion here, Carol, is here to translate for me. My German is a bit rough.” She admitted.
He gave us a curt nod and invited us inside. Stepping into the living room, we could easily see the inside of the house matched the outside's pleasant appearance. Square shaped windows let enough light inside, reflecting off the white pine furniture to give the cottage a cozy, comforting feeling. I did not notice any picture frames set up or hanging on the wall, but the antique vases and figures decorating the living room gave the impression that he respected arts and history.
“Can I get you some tea? Maybe some coffee?”
“Yes, please.” Danni said, speaking with a strong voice. “Just black, please.”
“I’ll take a little cream with mine, please.” I finally said after contemplating for a few moments.
A smile slowly crawled across Till’s face and he disappeared into a room -the kitchen I presume- without another word. I gave Danni a look and she returned a similar one. Till seemed like an odd character, but I suppose there were some instances in his life that we didn’t know about that may have made him become the way he is today. The Berlin Wall was rough on a lot of people in his generation. I could only imagine there were stories that were just waiting to be told so the weight could be lifted off his shoulders.
We both thanked him as he returned with our coffee. I sat up and silently inhaled the rich smell of the bitter caffeine. I hadn’t had my fill of my sweet addiction yet and my brain was screaming at me to take the first sip. As I expected the black coffee was a tad more bitter than I was used to, as was usually most European coffee. However, it was still very good, especially mixed with some cream to make it a bit smoother. Danni always called me a coffee snob, can’t say I disagreed with her.
Sitting contently with her coffee, waiting for it to cool I suppose, Danni flashed her “Journalist Smile”. The smile she gave to welcome people into telling their deepest, darkest secrets to her. I loved it when they fell for it.
Danni jumped right into the interview, asking her questions with the full force of a controlled and confident woman that was going to get exactly what she wanted. I envied the confidence she was able to fish out during these interviews. She was the embodiment of a powerful, independent woman. I listened intently as I religiously sipped my steaming hot coffee, Danni taking cautious sips here and there, while listening to the two start to unravel another historical story.
~
As I waited for the familiar buzz to kick in and soothe my headache I was disappointed to find the opposite happening. The miniscule pin prick in my head started to grow into a throbbing hammer smacking the top of my noggin. I rubbed my face to shake it off but, to no avail, the pain continued and I glanced at Danni. She was still focused on Till, asking him the detailed questions and writing down the complicated answers he gave.
Leaning forward on my knees I tried to listen intently as I grew more and more tired. It felt as if invisible weights were trying to pull my eyelids down into submission.
Why was I getting so tired and sickly feeling all of a sudden??
Danni glanced at me out of the corner of her eye, wrinkling her face up with worry she pulled herself from her interview for a split second and turned her attention towards me.
“Are you alright?”
“Um… I’m not sure.” I replied. “I feel really exhausted all of a sudden.”
She nodded, keeping her eyes trained on me for a few more moments as if trying to study my stance to figure out what was wrong with me. She eventually gave me a curt nod. “I’ll finish up pretty soon.”
Letting out a thankful sigh I nodded. “That would be much appreciated…sorry about this.”
“It’s fine, no worries.” She said quickly while she turned back to Till and continued on with the interview.
As the minutes ticked on the stinging of the headache continued and my eyes started to feel as if they were burning from being dried out but also preparing to let the holy flood gates open. When my vision blurred so bad to the point I was starting to get light headed I couldn’t take it anymore.
“Entschuldigung,” I pipped in once there was a break between the questions and answers, “Wo ist die Toilette?”
Receiving a sly smile, Till responded to me in English, “Down the hall and to the left.”
“Danke.” I muttered as I stood up and tried to head for the doorway that lead into the hallway.
My vision not only became blurry as I stood up but the images all around me started moving from side to side. Turning for the doorway I stumbled as I tripped over my own feet. When I hit the floor I remember Danni’s voice calling out. I think she was calling my name, but I couldn’t hear her clearly. The world seemed to be moving all around, trying to shake my senses out of whack as I became dizzy. Soon, everything faded into darkness.
♠ ♠ ♠
~Lights out!