AFTER a long and tiring railway journey, the narrator arrives in an unfamiliar city. He has a letter of introduction, but is unable to locate the address. He spends the night in the station.

Next morning, he finds that everything has been stolen, including the letter. An old man takes pity on him and offers him a meal. He is then asked to deliver a message to another part of the city. He sets off across the city, but it is now too late to continue.

He returns to the shelter of the station and lies down to sleep. He is attacked by a group of soldiers. The narrator loses consciousness and awakens on a bed in an unknown room.

He drifts in and out of delirium, and at times talks to a woman who may be imaginary. He is especially startled when a man suddenly emerges from a wall of the room. They speak for a while, gazing out of the window at a view of the city and the castle. The man asks certain questions that make the narrator realise how little he understands of what has happened to him even before he arrived.

He awakens again, still in pain. The previous man has vanished. He is questioned by a vaguely familiar figure in military uniform. At a certain point he is once more shown the view from the window. It has changed. Neither city nor castle can be seen.

He falls to the floor. A gun is placed against his head. He hears screaming. The trigger is pulled.

CONTINUE >>