Why our two great nations had become vicious foes that lobbed epithets and waged wars, none of us could say the true cause only what was the reason for the current or more recent confrontation and it usually because of a previous one.
Anna was a historian and an astute one of both our cultures and painted a different picture that we once had a shared heritage and only a civil war between kin could have produced such a heated and bloodied legacy. Only brothers know how to hurt each other.
We kept in contact, she had found a job and finally married a man of notable means who was a good father to Anna Two. The little Anna was in an expensive school and spoiled with everything Anna did not have and this made her marriage blissful. She laughed, while he was not a man of her type or character, he understood her basic need and performed more admirably than anyone.
The League was in its first year and like the old Republic's slogans of law and order it was largely the same, with new shared re education camps and a much larger penal system. There was no suspension bridge spanning the continents, but it felt like one the day two cities became one. And it was the sheer efficiency, the utter ruthlessness of the precision that made it very successful.
To the secret police's surprise, there were many more like Anna and it was unnecessary to carry on the old methods. They were now quite bored and sometimes created their own Artesian like hoaxes to pass the time. But there can never be another Karl Knutmudsen, these were all imposters and very poor renditions of a master.
Near constant the Colonel entreated me to return. He felt such remorse that he had Anna's father reinstated and promoted to trade ambassador. He professed that I was right and felt the wound in harming Anna had broken some unspoken promise. I said we remain good friends and I was forever in his debt for rescuing me from poverty after the war and even before during the days of the old Commissariat, but I was too weary of forever fighting the legacy of the Artesians. I still didn't know much of them or why the old guard were so terrified of such a hoax, only that it seems to have become real. But I cannot see clearly anymore.
For Anna, she insisted I pay a visit to her foreign land. While she and her husband had a modest apartment in a crowded urban district, she wanted to share everything and allow me to indulge and soak in all of her people's culture. Her insistence was almost in sync and a counterpoint with the Colonel tugging me to mine. A cruel jest deciding between a beauty or a beast.
Anna Two was now about the age of my daughter and she was very captivated by the pop music of Anna's homeland. When she learned of the opportunity being thrown away, she begged her mother to allow me to be her chaperone. And I acquiesced to Sophie's demands.
We took the next convenient jet and flew commercial economy to the main Capital air strip. There we transferred to a larger plane that hurtled us at incredible speeds to Anna's home. The air was a different kind and while everything resembled what we had at home from square buildings and curved roofs, to bright neon signs and paved streets, it had their own distinct flavor that captivated my daughter as she eagerly recited all the pop songs of her favorite foreign bands.
Anna greet us at the airport and drove us in her own car. We stopped for a meal in a local restaurant and caught up on things that were more pleasant to do than over the phone. She arranged for my daughter and Anna Two to travel on their own through the city and assured me it was quite safe. I looked out the restaurant windows and saw many children, younger than our own wandering about with no supervision. It was very foreign to me, but I again acquiesced and we spent the rest of the day alone.
She was always honest with me and said she was working again for the secret police, or had always been working for them. She admired the Colonel who knew exactly who and what she was and only wondered why he allowed her to operate with such impunity for so long. Now that I was no longer her foe she wanted us to be friends. She promised as always, that her intentions were genuine and she did so with Karl Knutmudsen in mind. We laughed it was like a halo of protection that has carried me my entire life. Everywhere I go some convert or fan of the Artesians had made it their way to treat me like I was Karl's left foot that still walked the earth and thus wanted to kiss each step as if it was Knut's.
The wars were over, the prohibitions and taboos also no longer and even when she tried to explain what were the Artesians all about, I only heard gibberish. Knut's words and slogans were everywhere. They were so ingrained in Anna's homeland entire buildings, districts and squares were named after his words. Even the restaurant, the names of the dishes, the gestures, all Artesian. Artesian cuisine as they would call it now.
I lived, eat and breathed Artesian. You could call the city Artesian, the nation, even Anna and still I could not fathom the concept and felt troubled that I would forever be lost in awareness and yet I shared space and was right next to the creator of all of this. I told her about the phone call on that last day and she knew everything. I told her honestly believed I was a fool and Oliver was right and she said this all is true, but it doesn't matter and she knew how I felt and thought most would have gone mad by now having experienced everything I had.
Anna would have made Knut proud a more worthy heir to his gospel than even Oliver or Ingrid. We enjoyed their art museums and walked past giant murals plastered with Karl Knutmudsen. They must have done it a thousand different ways and each one unique, yet connected beautifully to the Knut. I could actually sleep easier here surrounded by it as I knew someone else was concerned and carrying on his legacy and I didn't have to deal with or care about it.
The Colonel called me again and we spoke about Anna and her dealings. She confirmed she has always been honest with me and he is surprised as he tried to ascertain if this was just the greatest con, but he could not find one and he admit he was afraid he was being lulled into complacency and honestly believed she had no ill will towards me. It's just like the day he nudged me in Wolf's office, she is an even bigger carnivore, but he couldn't understand why she hasn't devoured me.
I must not taste very well. Or there was really something about this whole Artesian hoax after all. But rather than embrace and pretend to be some kind of prophet for something I'll never understand, I'll continue to be myself and reject it all. Everyone can do that now.
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