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Andr Traichel
Letter to the Romans
Teutnia, RS2013
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All rights reserved.
Registered in Brazilian National Library,
under the number 459.630, book 864
Cover photo:
Katia Grimmer-Laversann
Portuguese revision:
Gabriela Silva
German Revision:
Adilson Eskelsen
Translated by Noeli Eggers Strate
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Notice to the Readers:
This is just a fictitious, detective story that was based on an
urban legend of a town of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
Legend has it that at the beginning of the century XX, a
Masonic Temple caught fire, without causing casualties, but, until
now, the facts are mixed with folklore and almost nothing is said. Inone of the cemeteries of the town there are still timeworn tombstones
with symbols of Masonry. I repeat: it is not related to this story.
The Order of Teutonic Knights exists until now, its
headquarters is in Austria, but it doesnt have anything to do with the
German immigration in Brazil. The description about the Lutheran
Church is also factual, but the facts narrated in this book are
fiction, they are just part of the plot of this novel.
The characters of this story and the community of New
Berlin are also fictitious and any resemblance with names is purelycoincidental.
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To my wife Mariana and mychildren Matheus and Valkiria for the
comprehension for the hours spent in front of
the laptop; to grandma Elvira, who never let
us forget who we are and where we are from.
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Prologue
June 07, 1944 22:25pm
All were alarmed. The news about another three temples that
had been burned in several places in the Valley concerned the
Brothers; now they redoubled the security to the access to themeetings. The sequenced beat and the old entrance word, whispered
and transmitted only to the members initiated in the Order, were not
synonymous of trust and entrance to the sessions anymore. New
dreads resuscitated old wounds that everybody in the Order had
considered healed.
On that starlit night, fourteen worried members from the
neighborhood and also from other districts, came to the meeting in
the New Berlin Colony temple.
- Mein Gott, we will not be safe anywhere while we wont
discover what is happening said the only Novice present at the
meeting. I heard that in the neighbor district all the accessories of thetemple remained there, among the ashes and the demolished walls,
until the curious ones arrived. After that, they didnt even paid
attention to the bodies; they were more interested in taking the
candlesticks!
This caused exaltation among them.
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- This shows that whoever burned the temple, was not
interested in robbery, but, in burning our Brothers live said the
oldest.
While all discussed how and what happened and what
actions should be taken, a small flame began near one of the curtains
that covered the east wall of the temple. The Brothers analyzed the
alternatives that rested, taken by the anguish and dread due to the
recent facts happened in the neighbor colony, so concentrated on
their ideas that they didnt perceive the imminent danger that
surrounded them.
When they realized, there was a thick layer of smoke on the
ceiling of the room of the four-sided building, adorned with golden
inscriptions in Latin and old German, about legends and teachings
transmitted from generation to generation to those that were chosen
to compose the Order.
The fire spread fast in the room. The Brothers tried but no
water came out of the small tap of the lavatory in the back of the
temple. The youngest and more vigorous tried to choke the flames
that now were shaping using the several rugs, but, the situation
complicated more, as if the fire waited for this. The heat increased
and the dense smoke that entered in the lungs was already causing
the succumbing of the oldest, with the black tunics that covered the
whole bodies.
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The despair increased when they realized that the only exit of
the building was through the Initial Room, localized in the previous
portion of the building. With difficulty, some of the Brothers tried to
open the thick door, elegantly carved, but of no use. The entrance
was locked, probably from outside, with no chance of opening. Since
old times, the Order temples didnt have windows or other
alternative outlets.
In just thirty minutes the fire consumed not only the building
localized inside a small colony of five hectares but also de bodies of
thirteen respected members of the community of New Berlin Colony.
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Chapter I
A new beginning
April 25, 2008 4pm
It was 3pm when Klaus Fischer emptied his drawers at the
News from RS newspaper office. After a decade of working as a police journalist, at one of the most respected newspapers of the
south of the country, Klaus felt that his time there was over. It was
not just the competition among the journalistic environment that
disturbed him, but also the fact that there were no chances to grow
there anymore. The salary was not suitable according to the risks of
the reports, besides, the sacrifices of the daily routine were stressing
the whole family.
During the last five years, Klaus had followed the same
routine. Every day he used to take his son at the nursery; that cost a
considerable part of his salary, and he used to walk the five
kilometers through Cristvo Colombo Avenue until the headquarter of the newspaper office, saving the money of the ticket besides doing
some physical exercise. His work demanded him to spend the whole
day dealing with law suits, puzzles, witnesses, and plots that were
similar to any Hollywood movie.
On the last working days, Klaus used to call to this wife,
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Bianca, to ask her to pick the little Artur up at the nursery after work,
because the chief editor asked him to stay longer at work. The reason
for this forced overtime was the report about a German engineer that
had been killed with his hands tied in a luxurious apartment of the
seventh floor in one of the fanciest neighborhoods of Porto Alegre .
Klaus was, definitely, tired of this.
After saying goodbye to those who had been his colleagues
for a long time and with a brief wave to his former boss, Klaus took
the lift on the third floor feeling relieved. He had just quit in a way
that he would always be remembered at the newspaper office. During
the meeting with sarcasm and truths that everybody would like to
say. Finally, he was free to restart his life in another place, far away
from the noise of the big city, of the car pollution and, above of all,
with his family.
Some weeks before, when he and Bianca decided to quit
their jobs, they researched through the Internet the Real State
agencies of some nearby cities. In a short time, they bought a house
in a small town not far from Porto Alegre , founded by German
immigrants in the mid of the nineteenth century.
Almost all the thirteen thousands and five hundred
inhabitants there had Germanic ascendancy and they still spoke their
grandparents dialect: the Plattdeutsch. Klaus was extremely excited
about the chance of using the first language that he had spoken when
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his family of small farmers lived in the countryside in a town that
had also been founded by German immigrants.
New Berlin was the perfect place to raise Artur and to restart
their careers: he at the local newspaper they liked to have a
journalist from the capital city for a countryside salary and she as a
Math teacher at the Agricultural Technical School.
The sixty-year-old house was bought with the savings that
they had done during ten years. It needed a remodeling; Klaus and
Bianca would do what they could, like the painting and a new
garden. Besides saving the handwork money, it would also help to
relax, a collective hobby.
On a sunny Saturday, two days after they quitted, Klaus and
Bianca moved. They packed and put the furniture in the small truck.
After a last look at the apartment that had been their home for so
many years, the couple left for their new life.
As soon as they arrived, they called the attention of the few
neighbors that lived in Linha Fritz ; most of them were agriculture
workers, who rarely left their town and that were not used to
strangers, especially those from other cities. There were many
speculations among the dwellers about how would be the new
inhabitants of that house that had been sold after many years.
As usual in small communities, everybody observed the
furniture and the packages that were coming out of the little truck.
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Bianca gave instructions to the carriers and to an already annoyed
Klaus about where the furniture should be placed; while little Artur
was already playing in the garden of the house.
The couples move would be the subject of the conversations
of the small community that week.
The first days were not as planned. Although Klaus was a
typical German descendant, one hundred kilograms of weight and six
feet height, blonde hair, blue eyes and usually unshaven, the dwellers
or dealers of the town were polite only if they were greeted with a
Guten Tag, well pronounced with a heavy accent.
After introducing himself at the local Newspaper, Klaus
new boss suggested him to snoop around, in order to know the
people and the places that would be his new working subject. During
this first week, he noticed the distrustful and crossed looks several
times.
What most called the journalists attention was, of course,
the prominent people of the town: the mayor Franz Schmidt, a simple
guy that had been elected under a job promise for everybody, even
that for turning this possible he had to build another city hall in order
to accommodate all of them; the police officer Hans Jorge Schneider,
known by everyone (even by those who were arrested by him); and
Mr. Frank Meyer Schuch, an octogenarian respected by all the elders
of the town; considering the fact that he was the principal responsible
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for the political emancipation of New Berlin , in the 1950s,
contributing for the progress and abundance of the small town.
The tourist attractions called his attention, as well as the half-
timbered style of the city hall, the typical German style. The stone
walls of these kind of buildings are hacked by wood beams in the
horizontal and in diagonal, providing support to the structure; the
colonial style centenary houses, well preserved; the main square of
the town always flowered and very clean, its basalt sidewalks and
trees like German pine tree, beyond several araucarias, typical trees
of the temperate climate of the South of Brazil.
One of the most visited tourist attractions was the
observatory, built among the hills around the town, at 800 meters
height, revealing an incomparable beauty in the woods and fog,
typical of that period.
Due to the fact that it was localized in a place of difficult
access, among the hills and with no industries, New Berlin didnt
attract workers from other cities, conserving much of the culture of
its founders. The local economy was based on agribusiness, since
dairy to the exportation of meat and it derivatives.
It was at the cemetery of the biggest Lutheran church that
Klaus Fischer noted something different, though. Although there
were many other cemeteries in the town, most of them centenary and
situated in the countryside, Jardim Concordia was the oldest, where
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the first colonizers were buried, as well as, the most prominent
people of the town.
Concordia church, which supported the cemetery, was
localized in the center of an area of around three hectares, large
lawns, tombstones outworn by the time, where some epitaphs in old
German were not legible anymore.
Amid all this, the journalists attention was captured by
thirteen tombs, placed separately from the rest, its tombstones in a
broken column shape and, above each of them, a marble angel,
already darkened by the time, but, still pointing to the sky, as if they
were indicating to the visitors that their occupants had left to a better
place.
Klaus approached in order to see better and he perceived
that, although they had been weatherworn, they were all well cared,
without weeds or dirtiness. He also noted that at each tombstone
there was a small sculpture in high-relief, something like an eight-
petal-flower.
- Its the Luther Rose; one of the symbols of the Lutheran
church, created under the supervision of Martin Luther himself.
Another symbol is the cross; each element has a different meaning. A
nice work, dont you think so, Herr Fischer ?
The journalist was so curious and entertained that he hadnt
noted the arrival of a man that was around sixty years old, he had
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gray hair, white skin, but a rosy face, and in a good physical fitness.
- Do you know me? - asked Klaus, surprised.
- Aber natrlich ! Many people that you interviewed belongs
to the Concordia church, because most of the people is Lutheran and
this was the first churched that was built in town, on April 10, 1870.
So, it is expected to be a meeting place of the members of our
community. Entschuldigung , I forgot to introduce myself: my name
is Gustavo Dietrich von Karl. I am the janitor of this resting place.
Klaus was really surprised by the erudition of the janitor; he
sounded more convicted and eloquent than the mayor or the police
officer who, theoretically, are enlightened.
- Herr Karl, sehr angenehm.
- Danke , Herr Fischer, I know that your German is perfect,
but, we can speak in Portuguese.
- So, again, it is nice to meet you, Mr. Karl. This cemetery is
really nice and well cared; I guess you are very dedicated to your
work.
- I believe that for many people come here and talk to the
beloved ones that passed away is the best way to expiate their sins
and problems; a mean to find the way for better days. They always
keep the cemetery clean and organized, I just do the usual
maintenance and the security.
- I understand. Could you tell me something about these
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people buried here? I became curious because they are so separated.
- It was a fire, a long time ago; old history for some people.
Thirteen men died burned in a building and, as we didnt have
firefighters on that time, there was nobody to save them. What rested
from their carbonized bodies was buried in these thirteen tombs. You
can observe by the dates that the burials were all in the same day,
but, unfortunately, in some of them the names are not so legible.
- I understand. I thought it was strange that they were so
separated from the other ones. It seems like they were not supposed
to mix with the others
- Its a fool superstition, Herr Fischer interrupted the
janitor, fast you know how people are. Thirteen people dead, a not
very blessed number. But, if you excuse me, I have to finish my
tasks.
Gustavo Dietrich von Karl said goodbye fast and returned to
his janitorial function, leaving the journalist with the impression that
there was more about that story, something that the educated janitor
wouldnt like to reveal.
On that evening, the meeting at the Lutheran cemetery was
the subject during their dinner and Klaus told the strange history to
his wife.
- The Lutheran emblem is really beautiful. I remember the
Confirmation classes, when the Pastor explained each element of it.
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If Im not mistaken, the black cross reminds the crucified Jesus
Christ; the heart is red because the cross doesnt kill our faith, but
keeps it live. Finally, the rose is white because the faith brings joy
and peace. I guess thats it
- Well done, Bia, you paid attention in class! Dont forget
that the rose is in a blue background, symbolizing the celestial joy
and around it, there is a golden symbol, which represents the eternal
blessing, our most precious one.
- Touch - said an amazed Bianca - you also havent
forgotten!
- Certain things we keep in the memory and dont forget
anymore. It is like the linking verbs. Once I memorized them for a
test at school and until today I keep those damn ones in mind: to be,
walk, stay, seem, remain, continue and become.
Both laughed and Bianca continued repeating the verbs for
some instants more.
- But, what really called my attention continued Klaus
were those thirteen tombs so separated from the others, like if they
didnt want them to mix. When I asked the janitor about the reason
he simply changed subjects and didnt tell me anything else. It
seemed that he didnt want to talk about this, as if he had said the
sufficient.
- Look - Bianca interrupted you can talk to the head of the
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municipal museum. There was a group at school who went to see the
exposition about the history of New Berlin , since the first immigrants
until today. The students told me that there are pictures, documents
and dome artifacts that resisted to the time and to the war. But,
before I forget, Leo called. He said he had access to the investigation
reports about the German engineer case and he had already sent them
to your email.
- Ive already told Leo that I dont have anything to do with
this anymore said Klaus - I passed the information to Marcio, he
should analyze the investigation data.
- I know, my dear, but you spend so much time on this case;
I think you could take a look and give Leo a feedback about it. After
all, he worked hard to gather the information for you former
report.
Like always, Bianca was right and he knew that. Many
times, the well dressed, tall, thirty-two-year-old mathematician,
logical thinker, gave the right direction to the reports that Klaus took
home, to work overtime, in front of his laptop. It wasnt different this
time, he knew. He really had to give a support to the young
journalism trainee; he had also faced this at the beginning of his
career in small newspapers of the capital city and he knew how
difficult it was to get the attention and the credits after the effort after
finishing a report.
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They met at College when Klaus decided to take the
discipline of free choice with the Mathematic course. The figure of
someone that was lost was outstanding in trigonometry classes and
Bianca noticed it. It was during the monitoring classes with Bianca
that they met and they started a relationship soon after this. Two
years later, they were graduated and got married and, since then, they
have helped each other in their professions.
That evening, another person would require the couples
attention. Although he was just six, Artur seemed to be older,
probably because of his height and weight, brown hair and very
active, demanding long hours of attention from his parents and from
any other person that was in the house.
After dinner, Klaus and Bianca stayed a longer time with
Artur in the living room, playing with his toys. After that, Artur went
to sleep in his bedroom, since he was going to have class early next
morning. Considering the move to the countryside, this was the
biggest change for them because all schools in the small town started
their classes at seven thirty in the morning, even if the temperature
was zero degree and the lawn was frozen.
It was ten oclock when the lights went off at the house in
Linha Fritz , but, something was bothering Klaus, something that he
knew was a good history.
What he didnt know was that this same history would risk
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