Jáchym Topol - City, Sister, Silver

The sign was still there, though rusted now. And the balcony was covered with wire mesh. I rang the buzzer and almost instantly a head appeared behind the netting. I recognized him, guess he couldn’t say the same for me.

Open up. It’s cold as hell.

You the messenger?

Huh? I’m Potok.

Huh? The head disappeared.

A moment later the door opened, photoelectric cell I guess. I slammed it shut behind me. The old entranceway was gone. In front of me was a TV screen with me on it. Then the next door opened and I stepped into … a cage. Ugh, you gotta be kiddin … they came walkin up, two. I didn’t know em, either that or they’d grown a lot … where’s Montague? I asked. One of em pinched his nose with his fingers and offered me his hand, they walked behind me … what kina act’re you guys puttin on here, Montague … but then I clammed up. He’d turned out pretty hefty. Oh yeah … you’re … ex-boss Uncle Potok. Didn’t recognize you at first. What up, Uncle? … barely got the word through his lips, he was big now … Stein an the boxes? … an the resta my uncles? … they’re all somewhere, Montague, but look, it’s urgent, I gotta talk to your dad … your sisters turn up? … yeah, he said, and from the way he said it I could tell something had happened … where are they? … in with Dad, been a week now, said Montague, eyes glued to me … Father’s in there with em an that’s what’s got us worried, yeah, said one of the young men behind me … Dad’s like, sick, said we’re not allowed to come near him … I think I know what it is, Montague, I gotta get in there … my name’s Gyros, said one of the two, you don’t remember me, I was little, what happened to you, Mr. Potok … I realized it was the first time any person apart from waiters and cab drivers had actually called me mister … it stunned me … apparently I’d gotten rather old and cracked … can I wash up? But first lemme see your father … Maybe, just maybe, said Montague thoughtfully, you might wanna take a bath first. No time, your dad can take it … Montague gave in and led me … downstairs, metal doors all the way, and as he unlocked them, one by one, he told me the story: Some a my bros left, but there’s still plenty, thought you were one a the Vondráčeks, they’re how come we’re barricaded in here like this … they insist they also got a restitutional claim … to the lab, Vondráčeks at first, nother old Prague famiglia … we got a feud … he stopped at one of the doors. Dad doesn’t wanna see me, he said weirdly … any of us, but give it a shot … wait’ll I leave, gotta lock you in, Dad’s orders … then slam it hard … wait, Montague, are the girls in there? Took em in soon as they turned up … kay I’m goin, he walked slowly, peeking back at me over his shoulder.

I waited till he shut the door, then pounded. Now I couldn’t turn back. I stood in a dark hallway between two metal doors. Just a chilly little light blinking over the last one. Looks like a bunker … I shuddered and pounded again.

Doctor! It’s me, Potok! He came to see me … little Kučera … from the well. If it’s just you in there, girls, open up, I don’t care anymore … Doctor …

The door opened, I don’t know how, he was sitting in an armchair in the corner. Vats, scalpels, flasks everywhere, water bubbling …

I see you. He said.

Now I knew why Montague had left so quickly. This wasn’t the voice of old Doctor Hradil, the clever Mohawk beast … this was the Beast itself talking … he stood up, I gazed into the flat gloss of his silvery eyes.

I reached for my throat.

He tore the cord with the scalpel off his neck and tossed it on the desk in front of me.

I know everything, the voice croaked. It’s a good thing you came. An don’t be afraid. I’m not like them yet … but I will be. It’s getting closer.

What about your girls?

He pointed to one of the vats.

Of course I could tell right away, I’m their father … I finished them off. They would’ve killed my other children.

That grating voice … broke. Or seemed to. He sat down.

I donno what force brings you here, old Potok, by the way you look ghastly, like some scarecrow or somethin, but you’re just in time. I tried … I know that one of my sons has to do it. I tried, but I can’t bring myself to tell them. I had em lock me in here so I couldn’t, you know … but I can already tell, another door or two, he waved his hand. Take this upstairs, he patted the silver scalpel … an one of em has to come, tonight. Tell him what he has to do. I know about Kučera, they’re … they were linked. The boys’ll get over it, you can explain. An you donno how sweet those daughters of mine were. Nobody knows. Now they never will. Marie and Anna were their names. They were … lovely, they were sweet girls. I donno why it happened.

I took the scalpel and carefully stuck it in my pocket.

Wait, said the Doctor. Look at this.

On the table sat a vat. Inside it a transparent liquid. The surface quivering. I could see through the smooth glass sides. The smell drifted over to me. It smelled good and I felt a great hunger. I wanted to touch the vat, clutch it tight. I knew this was what I wanted. I stood at the table. Doctor Hradil’s hand flashed through the air and the glass shattered against the wall.

Yep. That’s it, he said. I finally did it. You’re probly the only person who’s ever seen the Elixir. In today’s era.

Elixir? But …

This is the genuine stuff. But it’s made of … that. They’re in it. You wanted it bad, huh?

It was strong.

Again I inhaled the aroma. As it faded into the walls’ dampness.

Now go tell them.

Aright, M.D., I understand. I’ll tell em how to do it. An I’ve got a great sorrow inside me. For everything. Bye. I’m goin.

Tell them … to sort it out with the Vondráčeks somehow, put an end to it. It’s what I want.

If that’s what you tell em, they’ll do it.

Maybe. An one more thing … which one’s it gonna be?

Montague.

Montague! My favorite … why does it have to be him …

He’s the only one I know. An Doctor, surely you know the old Jewish joke. Why me?

Why not. Said the Doctor. But you’ve got it mixed up, that’s from the old Doctor’s Heap of Anecdotes … it’s the patient that asks … hah, well, same difference.

I guess so. Later then.

Yeah. Later.

I wasn’t in any hurry. First I told Montague okay, a bath. Climbed into the tub and instantly fell asleep. He shook my shoulder, the water was cold. What time is it? There was still time … Montague brought me some of his older brothers’ clothes … we torched that getup a yours … I felt a little jolt inside me … yeah, no big deal, I said … there were some papers too, my sisses read em … And? I was all ears … Well, Montague blushed, some of em said good an all … an some, he turned away … What? What’d they say?! Well, they were laughin. He handed me the pages, but I was in the tub, the poems got soggy, tossed em on the floor … Montague passed me the clothes … Here ya go, jeans, black … zip or buttons? Rivets, said Montague … Some dress shirt, green silk … World War II parachute, Montague alerted me … I nodded … the only T-shirt he had was one with Batman on it, whatever … tall leather boots … those’re my oldest bro’s, David’s … huh, who … David, you know, the one that stayed with the Mohawks … aha … want a cap, it’s yellow … not a chance! … here’s a dark green one … give it here! Next an excellent coat and a belt around my waist. All dressed up. And after what I’d been through at the Dump, deep down in my soul I began to consider myself a new man. You look a little like the old Potok, said Montague.