and Cameron finally drove past the last curve on the main street and he immediately noticed Das Haus.
It was an imposing structure. Three stories high, plus an attic for good measure. It had that typical late nineteenth century style. It was called the, “Luetische” (Liege, Belgium) style. It somewhat resembled a Victorian home, but it had an ornate three-dimensional carved front of poured cement. The facade of the house, which paralleled the main street, had been severely damaged by large caliber machine gun fire (probably .50 Caliber) and mortars. Many of the ornate cement animal head carvings had been shot away or damaged. The sides of the house were made of bricks; they also bore many scars of war and conquest. Cameron could immediately see how this home had been an important fortress. It was the tallest building in the village, and was at the junction of three roads leading away from the village. From the attic, one could see 360 degrees in all directions. It would have been a great observation point for an artillery observation post, he thought to himself.
Cameron looked at the structure and was immediately struck by an immediate feeling of sadness and terror. He could not understand this strange emotion, but it bothered him. As his eyes moved across the impressive building, his view became fixated on the bottom floor, where large windows faced the main street. He suddenly thought he saw the face of a young man; with sad eyes staring at him through the bottom left front window. The boy’s eyes had a haunting quality about them and it unnerved him. As suddenly as he had seen him, the boy vanished without a trace. Cameron was about to ask Dieter about the boy, when Dieter unexpectedly slammed on his brakes and parked on the main street across from Das Haus. Before Cameron could utter another word, Dieter was already out of the car and walking across the street.
They went around the large brick wall, which separated the courtyard from the sidewalk. Dieter knocked on the old and wellworn door. No one answered. Dieter tried again, and after two or three minutes, the door slowly creaked open. An extremely old and pale looking gentleman looked up at them. He could not have been more than five-foot two and weighed a maximum of one hundred and ten pounds. His hands were trembling and he had the look of a man who was already dead, but did not know it yet.
“Ja, what can I do for you.” He stammered.
“Ah, hello Herr Johannes, I am glad to see you. This must be your son-in-law.” He said, as he extended his scrawny white hands.
Cameron stepped forward and shook his hand, but made it a point to take it easy on the old man. The hand was withered, pale and trembling. The old man, Herr Jacobi, was of slight build, bald and smelled like a rotten piece of Brie. His odor was so repugnant that it was physically uncomfortable to be near him. Cameron had never in his life smelled a more vile and disgusting individual. Herr Jacobi, for some unknown reason, was unable to look Cameron in the eye. As if he was somewhat aware of his body odor, and could not do anything about it.
Dieter stepped around Cameron and also shook the old man’s hand. Dieter led the way in the darkened musty hallway and Cameron followed behind. Cameron had a difficult time seeing in this somewhat somber environment. It reminded Cameron of a black and white vampire movie. There were no visible lights, and the only means of illumination was a small shaft of light pushing through the dirty and stained glass window above the door.
Herr Jacobi slowly walked through the house; showing them every room. Cameron was somewhat amazed at the condition Herr Jacobi was living in. There was garbage, broken furniture, unopened boxes, junk, filth and stacks of old magazines throughout the house etc. Cameron had never seen a more disgusting and soiled abode in his life. Cameron thought to himself, I am glad Ingrid is not here, she would never buy this rattrap.
Dieter stopped and looked at Cameron.
“I know what you are thinking, but don’t worry, I guarantee that we will have this home in a good condition by the time Ingrid comes here. Many skilled workers owe me favors, and I will pull a few strings.” Stated Dieter, in off-handed sort of way.
“OK, I will take your word for it.” Replied Cameron, as both men walked out of the house. Cameron was still haunted by the face of the small boy in the window, he stopped Dieter in the middle of the street and asked him.
“Dieter, who was that small boy, I saw in the window when we first drove up to the house?” Asked a curious Cameron.
“I think your imagination got the best of you my friend. And don’t listen to any of those old wives tales about ghosts and evil spirits.” Replied Dieter, as he walked over to his car, and got in. Cameron decided to drop the subject, maybe the sunlight played tricks or he was just imagining.
Both men had inspected Das Haus and left after an hour of thorough investigation. Dieter was convinced that he could restore this ancient home into a beautiful and cozy residence for his daughter. As they drove back to his house, Dieter told Cameron about his remodeling plans for Das Haus. Cameron on the other hand was not as sure that this was such a good idea, but was willing to give Dieter the opportunity to prove him wrong. After all Dieter had restored hundreds of old buildings in worst condition than Das Haus.
Cameron’s mind now shifted to his current work assignment and hoped it would not be challenging as the restoration of Das Haus.
For the rest of the day, his thoughts were solely on his assignment and his first day at work. The excitement he felt was comparable to the first day of school. That sour queasy feeling in the pit of your stomach. No matter how hard he tried, that feeling would not go away. He hoped that his new colleagues were forthcoming and not to upset that an American would be their new boss.
“Arbeit Macht Frei” Work Will Set You Free
(Quotation often seen at the entrance to concentration camps)
Cameron woke early, unable to sleep. The excitement and strangeness of the previous day had left him somewhat uneasy. Yet it stimulated him to the possibility of purchasing this new home, Das Haus. He only hoped that Ingrid would be as excited as he was. After all he thought to himself, women are more sensitive to these types of things and may not see the mystery of it all.
He glanced at his watch and noticed it was only five forty-five a.m. Cameron was sure that his office staff would not be at work this early in the morning. Germans were very punctual individuals, but not that punctual. He took his time while showering and dressing, and eventually wandered down to the kitchen by six-thirty. Both Dieter and Kate were already up and drinking coffee, their favorite pastime it seemed. He sat down at the table and joined them for breakfast, and ate in silence. Eventually Cameron broke the silence by asking Dieter for directions to his office in Aachen.
“No problem Cameron, I know exactly where it is. Just take the Europaplatz exit and follow it down to the intersection of Bismarckplatz. If you look to the right, you will see a four story modern yellow building. Your office is actually on the third floor and it faces the main square.” Answered Dieter in a matter fact tone.
“Thank you, Dieter. I am sure I will be able to find it without problems. I think I will be leaving shortly.” Replied Cameron as he got up and walked out to his car.
The trip to Aachen took around forty minutes. Cameron was once again flabbergasted at the speed of the average German commuter, somewhere around one hundred and twenty miles an hour. Cameron knew he would have to practice high speed driving techniques
