Jacob’s family was rich and he was gifted and talented
student. As penitentiary-law tutor of Gdansk University, he
often attended symposiums. His childless marriage seemed to
be happy and his life was spinning on like colorful film. In
his childhood, a fortune teller foretold him great success.
He was sure she meant his academic career and all splendor
of it. The book suggests a sort of destructive alter ego
existing in every man which is able to destroy everything if
our will is not strong enough or we happen to take risky
course in our life. One day Jacob was approached by one of
his students whose name was among non-passers on his exam
lists. She argued to have seen her name among passers in the
Dean office. As Jacob was on a hurry, he got rid of her
saying any mistake was out of question. After some time he
coincidently overheard the corridor chat about the girl’s
suicide. Pounding on the fact on some occasions, he tried
to justify himself. While making shopping in well-known
supermarket, he decided to lift something. That incidental
deed turned into a habit as it evidently helped him to fight
his guilt feeling. One day under sudden impulse, having a
rest in a park, he decided not to go to work. That was the
first step to gradual losing the sense of reality.
Consequently, he lost his work, friends and divorced with
wife who left him. Financial troubles forced him to bagging
in streets. One day, in his mail, he found a photo of
himself lifting in the supermarket. Finally, he lost his
flat and landed in the street homeless. Spending nights in
railway stations, he made friends with a woman he used to
support occasionally with a nickel or penny in his better
past. They both made their home in abandoned fort. Once they
nearly lost their lives stoned by local hooligans and were
called social nuisance. During next attack, the woman was
sprayed with petrol and burned to death, while Jacob saved
his life falling underground through incidental opening.
Stumbling over skeletons of travelers evidently gased by
Germans during World War II, sick and stinky he finally made
it to the surface. There, he was recognized by the
unfortunate exam girl. She took care of him. Only than he
realized he reached the foretold highest point.
Unfortunately, he was overcome with sickness and died.
Intriguing story, revising common believes on standards of
valuing people; often the unfortunate who suffer their fate
for not so much evident reasons. Makes you think about your
own merits and deserves. Noticing others, no mater how
desperate, seems to be a token of wisdom. Waldi 25.06.2006.
Translator notice: Translating this short summary I cannot
resist an impression that the idea behind the story is in
fact quite different, the story shows how much our gilt
complex is able to turn our life into hell, and how much it
is a blind, automatic mechanism, having nothing to do with
real justice.