December 10th 2023
Lenin
On the road to Berlin, I would have never been inspired that such chaos can be produced also in advanced democracies. I have not been able to penetrate the German borders more than thirty or fifty kilometres. Not with an army behind me, but alone, in a second class wagon. I had to take in consideration that there was no Kaiser anymore sponsoring my travel. My friends in Zurich suggested I take something to drink in the restaurant, thus I could have gotten access to all the pleasures of the first class at a reduced price. That had been a great idea because the train stopped for around an hour before entering the Freiburg Main Station. There was even no clear communication from the Deutsche Bahn and most of my comrades were staring at the screens of their mobile phones lost in some useless news. Only later, I discovered, together with my fellow passengers, that the national strike had been anticipated without a proper warning and that we must get off. My two options were to overnight in the town, waiting for the Deutsche Bahn to find a reasonable agreement with the employees, or try my luck with alternative means of transportation. I had not lived enough in the XXI century to get acquainted with such options. Even during my time working for the Revolution, I seldom relied on the occasional assistance of unknown farmers and common workers. It was too risky and they could have been better paid by the Police of the Czar. I am not escaping the authorities right now, but I am also tired enough that I will enjoy a small room in a comfortable hotel in Freiburg. It is such a nice town.
The art dealer
Glenn Brown is a British artist who has never attracted my attention before. Perhaps because his modern reinterpretation of classical masterpieces look to me, from time to time, disrespectful of our Christian traditions. There is a new series of lithographs, signed by that artist, which are going to be launched on the market by the end of the Year, before the Holy Christmas celebrations. Those ceremonies that all of us must observe to improve our souls and heal us from the suffering inflicted by others. By those who are behaving to be better than many others because they are carefully following the latest radical theories promoted by the leftists. It is laughable that British Universities are recommending at the same time, to their own students, to analyse the texts critically, but also to avoid expressing opinions resulting in them being offensive. It is easy to become offensive, because all of us are living with our own perspective and not all of them are well aligned. It is also a need of survival, otherwise we shall behave like the lemmings in an old video game. The other interesting piece is a print signed by Julian Schnabel. It has been recommended to me by a well renowned publisher, whom I need to keep anonymous. I am so tempted to obey his advice, but at the same time I would prefer to feel like an independent judge. Yet he is someone who knows how to make money and my activity in the art market is primarily aimed to generate my revenue.
The consultant
Back to Zurich, in my small apartment, I try to put together all the information collected in Hirzel. There are not too many, but perhaps there is some hidden hint also in the diaries of my grandfather. It is a pity that they are in some box, in my mother’s apartment in Milan. She keeps all the family memorabilia so jealousy, that I would hardly manage to convince her to let me bring the diaries in Switzerland. The only viable solution is to travel frequently to Italy during the weekends. Or perhaps even during the middle of the week, since I do not have to forget that I am now free from my impediment due to my work. I can go all around the world without asking for any permission. I only check the bank account to avoid going below a certain amount and find myself again in the condition to become an employee of someone. I am not enthusiastic to come back to Italy. I would at first settle some issues with my mother, who had never accepted my idea to leave the family company to try my fortune abroad. Perhaps she was right, but I always thought that my cousins would have been a better fit for the position. I do not like to take hard decisions and it is also the reason why I do not like consultancy either. A woman is a better fit to be a good mother, despite the sabbaths of the feminists who block the city centre of Zurich once every two weeks. Women are however curious human beings and they can so lovely become an effective sleuth. In my case, my first case will be the mystery of Heidi's book.
