Dear Anne,
This breakfast is for the world's best actress. I admire
you.
Lisabeth
"All right! I did take the genuine Glasswork with me.
That's true. I hid it in the drum of Gosseling's projector,
if you want to know," Anne-Christine said, after reading the
note and laying it aside.
"This certainly isn't the first time you've made yourself
so interesting!" Lisabeth continued teasingly.
"That's also true", Anne-Christine confessed, calmly
peeling an egg.
"Has there been one occasion on which you really travelled
in time?" Lisabeth wondered.
"Of course there has been", Anne-Christine said. "I
visited Anne-Lise a few times. I've told you that".
"You told me indeed, but now I'm starting to doubt if it
really happened", Lisabeth stated.
"You may doubt as much as you like", Anne-Christine
answered laconically.
"And you, Govert, can you travel in time?"
Lisabeth looked at her other table-companion in wonder.
"Yes, I can. I taught Anne how to do it and I'm willing to
teach you", Gosseling answered confidently.
"I don't believe a syllable of it", Lisabeth said with a
laugh. "I'm the only one who obtained any result. I am the
Transsyldavia's Grand Duchess, not by that bogus time
travelling, but simply by using my common sense instead and
one of these days I will become Czarina too!"
"You'll have to hurry, for there are a number of nations
who wouldn't like that to happen, you know!" Gosseling said.
"If I understand those messages properly, then they feel
rather menaced by such a development. England in particular
doesn't like Russia to have one more ally and I even hear
rumours about a war which could be at hand."
"How fortunate", Lisabeth replied. "If they just start
that war between the wedding and the first night, then this
will be very favourable for me".
"Lisabeth!", Gosseling said, showing astonished. "Do you
know what you are saying?"
"Oh yes! You are just a bunch of tinkers and it will all
depend on me to escape with the Crystal Castle. Anne-Christine
may take her Glasswork with her, if that's what she prefers.
I'll show you that nothing will go wrong and that you don't
need all that hotch-potch and hocus-pocus if you just rely on
your simple brains."
She looked around in triumph.
"It's all right with me", Anne-Christine said. "That will
be the best way to get rid of my Glasswork".
"I think it's rather foolish, Lisabeth. You mustn't
overestimate your capabilities.", Gosseling warned, frowning.
"I'll show you the destruction of the Glasswork once more
tonight. Perhaps that will change your mind once and for
all".
He needed all day to build up his machinery, a job for
which he didn't like thelp. Lisabeth spent the day arranging
certain aspects of her coming marriage and Anne-Christine
remained in a dream, playing with her Glasswork.
It was well after dark when they took their places and the
preformance could start.
"I'm rather curious", Anne-Christine said, "for I haven't
seen those images yet".
"Prepare for the worst", Gosseling warned, putting the
projector in motion. Anne-Christine very soon saw what chaotic
scenes would unroll if Gosseling's prediction came true. It
sparkled in a very literal way and it was clear that neither
man nor Glasswork would survive this violence.
"What a hell. I wouldn't like to be in there", Gosseling
said.
"Neither would I", Anne-Christine answered.
"They must still be inside", the scientist guessed.
"Who?" Anne-Christine and Lisabeth asked
simultaneously.
"Anne and I", he declared but Lisabeth didn't understand.
She had seen nobody.
The last glass plate rolled out of the machine, and then
just a huge white blob was projected on the wall. In this
light, she could see what had happened. Both Anne-Christine
and Gosseling were time-travelling under the influence of
these images, to the time when the Crystal and the Castle
would possibly be destroyed.
They weren't bothered by the clear white light, pouring
from the projector, blinding everyone's eyes. They continued
their monotonous conversation.
"They must be dead by now", Anne-Christine said, without
showing too much emotion.
"All right. I've seen enough now. Shall we return to
Lisabeth?" Gosseling asked and, after Anne-Christine had said
"That's fine", they were both surprised by the fierce light
which still filled the room.
"Why didn't you turn the projector off?" he asked
Lisabeth. "You could see we weren't in a position to do so,
couldn't you?"
"Oh well, I'm getting so tired of you both", she answered.
"But did you enjoy the firework?"
"You still don't believe a word of it, do you?", Gosseling
asked; then, answering his own question: "Of course you don't,
for if you did, those pictures wouldn't exist. You'll really
go to the edge and even beyond".
"Yes", Lisabeth said. "I really don't believe in it and
one of these days we'll see who's got it right".
"It seemed just like war, didn't it?" Gosseling asked
Anne-Christine, who seemed to be impressed by the violence she
had seen so close.
"Yes, to be honest, I don't like the prospect of being
involved in such a mess", Anne-Christine answered.
"It certainly will be a solution, how to end the long
quest for the Muscovite Crystal once and for all", Gosseling
concluded.
Lisabeth joined the discussion.
"I don't know what you saw, but I just saw some fires here
and there, some smoke and a few explosions. Anyone who
possesses a garden and some black powder, could have made
those images", she stated. The other two shook their heads at
her failure to understand.
Busy times were ahead. Lisabeth's marriage came nearer
and, at the same time, the threat of war became more tangible.
Newspapers indicated that both France and Britain thought that
a union between Russia and Transyldavia would change the
balance of power in a negative way.
This was also the essence of messages sent to Moscow by
foreign diplomats. The Czar didn't hide the problem from
Lisabeth.
"They may attack us anywhere", was his opinon. "But I
won't give up my marriage, even though the country is rather
indefensible. But it is impossible to conquer Russia entirely.
Napoleon wasn't able to do so and it all will end up in
skirmishes here and there. But I suppose they certainly can
spoil our honeymoon. You'd better spend that time with your
friends, while I'll be on duty awaiting the political
intrigues."
Those words sounded like music to Lisabeth's ears and she
then spent all her time and energy to find a way to bring her
Crystal Castle to safety by a swift retreat.
"Dear Govert", she started, the day before her marriage.
"Would you be so kind as to make use of a false message, right
after the wedding? Just tell them that an assault has taken
place in the town of Archangel for instance. Something rather
far away, just to get rid of my husband as soon as
possible".
"Just what I thought", Gosseling said. "When will you ever
marry for real?"
"I don't know", Lisbeth replied. "But can you do it? Then
we'll leave right after the ceremonies."
"I'll see what I can do for you", the scientist answered
carefully. "I noticed a telegraph line entering the Palace and
with my machines I might be able to compose a message for you.
Do you have an example of such a telegram?"
"That would be fantastic," Lisabeth said, clearly
relieved. "And I think I've seen that kind of paper liying on
a desk, a few days ago. I'll try and snatch a few sheets".
The wedding was the biggest party that ever had taken
place in Moscow's history. Guests had come from every corner
of the earth, the French and British being the most important
absentees. They had sent neither diplomats nor members of
their royal families but that was hardly noticed among all the
other noblemen and diplomats.
Anne-Christine assisted Lisabeth at all the festivities.
Gosseling had reported himself sick. It had taken him all day
to decipher the decoded telegrams. Lisabeth had been able to
take away five but that was not really enough to find the
system in the code of the ever-changing heads.
In the middle of the night, after he had managed to find
something after all, he went to the palace garden. With great
effort, he climbed onto one of the poles to attach a copper
wire, coming from his own room. He had done this duty and, in
the guest room with a number of instruments at reach, he was
waiting for the moment to send Lisabeth's alarming message.
Hours crept by and he passed the time by checking and
rechecking the copper wires. From far away, he could hear the
music and the guests' voices.
His hands were shaking when the moment came to put the
bogus message onto the telegraph wire.
"I do hope the code will be right", he thought, pushing
the key for the first time. A few moments later, after he had
heard the party fall silent, he was convinced that the message
must had reached the Czar and must have been taken seriously.
He rapidly pulled loose his connection to the telegraph pole
and collected his other mechanical and electrical parts.
The Czar didn't hesitate and sent his newly-wed spouse to
the Black Sea. The message gave enough reason for it: The
British had entered the northern waters and had already
occupied a good part of Archangel.
"In the south you are the most safe", he assured her
hurriedly. "And I'll come over to see you whenever I can free
myself".
At the same time as their farewell, there was a huge and
unforeseen exodus of guests. Anne-Christine, Lisabeth and
Gosseling were barely able to drive their coach through the
busy streets of Moscow's railway station district.
Later than planned, they were finally seated in the first
coach behind one of the fifty locomotives, waiting for them at
the station. Lisabeth's face shone with pride and she thanked
Gosseling heartily, by kissing him many times on all the
places she thought appropriate.
"The Czarina's wish is to depart for the Black Sea right
away" she told her lackey, who immediately transferred her
wish to the drivers.
It was the beginning of a long journey.
"Our last journey", Gosseling said to Anne-Christine.
She had kept silence and seemed to prepare herself for a
devastating end both for herself and for her Glasswork. She
smiled understandingly and immediately redirected her eyes to
the porte-manteau in which she kept her Crystal.
"A bit more cheerful!" Lisabeth exclaimed. "Who knows,
nothing will go wrong. Perhaps we are just fooling ourselves
with an idea that we invented ourselves. That is a clear
possibility, isn't it? You obviously musn't believe in things
as long as you haven't seen any hard evidence. It may well be
just imagination without anything likely to happen".
Anne-Christine and Gosseling didn't seem to hear her
cheering words.
Days later, the locomotives with their Crystal load chose
the right track which had been appointed to them. Lisabeth
acted like a conductor of a majestic symphony orchestra. One
by one she made the hissing and puffing monsters roll slowly
forward and stop at a clearly-drawn white mark.
When they were all in line, the giant proportions of the
splendid Castle became visible for the first time. The Crystal
Towers and Castles seemed to repeat themselves endlessly.
"That is an amazing piece of craftmanship", were they only
words Gosseling could say, in silent admiration.
It became clear that all the parts were joined without
seams when workmen fixed the bolts and the locomotives could
withdraw themselves one by one. The job was ended within the
hour and then the Crystal Castle could be pushed to the edge
of a cliff, high above the water of the Black Sea.
"Did you think of a decent brake?" Anne-Christine
wondered, not wishing for a bath together with the Castle.
"Of course I did", Lisabeth answered with a big smile.
"And what's more, it works!"
The last wreath of smoke had disappeared over the horizon
when Lisabeth, Anne-Christine and Gosseling entered the
Castle.
"Everything is already there!" Gosseling spoke in
surprise.
"Well equipped" Lisabeth said, her face shining with
pride. "I even didn't forget your projector/time-machine and
your calculator."
"How thoughtful of you", Gosseling said, seeing his
spiritual offspring standing in the Crystal parlour. "But the
development of the glass plates may encounter some
difficulties, as any light will damage them".
"There are enough curtains around", Lisabeth answered.
"And I've made them perfectly light-tight for you".
"That's good", Gosseling approved with satisfaction. "Then
I can show you that my method of prediction is right....if it
won't be too late by then".
"It's rather quiet here on the Crimean!" Gosseling spoke,
late in the afternoon after the first and quiet night at the
Castle. He looked around, searching for a subject of his
predictive skills.
"It has to be something which is beyond our control, but
which is changing and can be verified. Then I can see whether
it really works."
"You're right. This place is dead calm", Anne-Christine
agreed. "You can record us again, but then you'll never know
if you can predict something as we can adapt our behaviour
from what you predict."
"That's correct", Gosseling agreed. "And that's why I will
take some shots of that three-mast ship over there",
indicating the only ship that was visible.
"That must be a Russian ship", Lisabeth proudly said. "The
passage through the Bosporus has been excluded for other ships
by international treaties".
"Forget about state affairs for a while, Lisabeth!" Anne-
Christine asked. But Lisabeth kept on looking at the large
ship still sailing on the horizon, with all sails set and
coming resolutely closer.
Gosseling installed his apparatus in the rocky garden next
to the Castle and began shooting his pictures. In the
meantime, Lisabeth was preparing his dark room for him.
"Just give the calculator a little warm-up!" he said
looking after a long string of glass plates streaming slowly
but at regular intervals through the camera.
Having finished his job, he shared a few moments with
Lisabeth and Anne-Christine in the setting sun before he
hurried to his dark-room, from which just the sound of
clattering glass plates, the noise of the calculator and the
smell of chemicals escaped for some hours afterwards.
It was already evening when he showed up again, carrying a
well-filled drum full of glass plates.
"I've predicted the images and, if I'm right, I know
exactly what this three-mast ship is heading for", he said
proudly.
"Did you look for that yourself already?" Lisabeth asked.
"She doesn't go fast, as there is little wind".
"No, I didn't cast an eye on the future already, but we
may project the images right now, and then we'll all know soon
enough", he said.
"There's no place to project", Gosseling complained. "What
a lunacy to live in a Crystal Castle!"
"This wall is the least transparant of all", Lisabeth
proposed, indicating a glass wall at the sea-side, where the
gentle breeze had already deposited a thin film of salt.
"All right then!", Gosseling said, and he pulled his
machine to the other side of the room.
Not too long later, they all saw how the three-mast ship
began her voyage over the glass wall.
"Now we can see two ships", Lisabeth said. "The real one
and the one in the images!".
The projected ship headed slowly to the real ship's
position, far beyond the salty screen. Tens of plates later,
both the images coincided for the spectators.
"We are at the actual time now!" Gosseling cried. All
three of them were anxious to see what was going to happen
next.
This showed up rather soon. The ship sailed on for at
least an hour, until it came close to the cliffs, while the
projector rattled without showing any signs of fatigue.
"It's a British Man o'War", Lisabeth said in a surprised
voice. "You clearly can see her Red Ensign. What the hell is
she doing here?"
At that very moment, the ship changed course and the three
spectators saw her gun ports, which were wide open.
"Is this real or is it a prediction?" Anne-Christine asked
rather nervously.
"Both of 'em"!, Gosseling shouted. "We've got to get
away!"
He dragged the girls from their chairs and pushed them
through the door to the first steps of the stairs. Anne-
Christine saw how he returned for a moment and she knew that
he was going to save her Glasswork.
"You'd better forget about that!" she yelled furiously.
She turned around and passed him. Before he could lay his hand
on her porte-manteau, she had already grabbed it from the
table.
"Come on! Don't quarrel! Please hurry!" Lisabeth
called.
She didn't want to wait any longer and ran out of her
Castle, while Gosseling ran after Anne-Christine, chasing her
around the Crystal table for possession of the Glasswork.
"Mad, they are completely idiot", she thought. "The
shooting may begin any moment and then they will be as dead as
a rabbit in a hunter's bag".
She didn't have to wait long for this event to happen. The
first round was a miss and caused a large number of craters in
the garden without hitting the Palace even once. At the second
volley, Lisabeth was thrown from her feet and regained
consciousness at the bottom of a deep bomb crater.
"Thank heaven, they came to their senses after all!" were
her first thoughts, after her colourful journey, seeing Anne-
Christine and Gosseling standing right above her and
overhearing their conversation:
"What a hell. I wouldn't like to be in there", Gosseling
said.
"Neither would I", Anne-Christine answered.
"They must still be inside", the scientist guessed.
"Who?" Anne-Christine asked.
"Anne and I", he declared.
"They must be dead by now", Anne-Christine said, without
showing too much emotion.
"All right. I've seen enough by now. Shall we return to
Lisabeth?" Gosseling asked and, after Anne-Christine had said
"That's fine", they both vanished into thin air.