The Nightmare

92

Axel wakes up when the telephone on his nightstand rings. He hadn’t been able to sleep until close to dawn, and only beside Beverly’s sweating body.

Now he observes her young face and can tell that she resembles Greta: the same mouth, the same eyelashes.

Beverly is whispering something in her sleep and rolls over onto her stomach. Axel feels the warmth of tenderness wash through him as he regards this heartbreakingly small young person.

He sits up in bed and reaches for the thin volume of Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s The Visit. There’s an unexpected knock on his bedroom door.

“Just a minute,” Axel calls at the same moment Robert rushes into the room.

“I thought you were already awake,” Axel’s brother says. “I really need your advice about this new instrument that I’ve-”

Robert sees Beverly in the bed and halts abruptly.

“Axel,” he stammers. “What’s going on?”

Beverly wakes up when she hears Robert’s voice. When she sees Robert, she hides underneath the blanket.

Axel gets out of bed and wraps himself in his robe, but Robert is already backing out the door.

“Shame on you!” Robert’s saying softly. “Shame on you!”

“It’s not what it looks like-”

“You’ve been using her?” Robert raises his voice. “You’ve been using a mentally ill girl?”

“I can explain,” Axel tries to say.

“You son of a bitch!” Robert grabs him and tries to pull him out of the room.

Axel loses his balance and knocks the lamp to the floor. Robert is still backing up.

“Wait!” Axel says. “You’re wrong! I know what it looks like, but you’re wrong! Just ask her-”

“I’m going to take her to the police station right now!” Robert declares. “I would never have imagined that you would-”

Robert is overcome with emotion and his eyes well up.

“I’m not a pedophile,” Axel says. “You have to understand me. I only need-”

“You need to sleep with a child!” Robert says. “You’re using another human being whom you’ve promised to protect!”

By now Robert has reached the library, and Axel has followed him. Robert falls into one of the sofas and looks at his brother while trying to keep his voice steady.

“Axel, you realize, of course, that I have no choice but to take her to the police,” he says.

“I understand,” Axel says.

Robert can’t look at his brother any longer. He rubs his hand over his face and sighs.

“I might as well take her there now,” Robert says.

“I’ll go get her.” Axel returns to the bedroom.

Beverly is sitting upright in bed and smiles at him while wiping away tears.

“Go on and get dressed,” Axel says. “You have to go with Robert.”

As Axel returns to the library, Robert stands up. They both stand while avoiding each other’s gaze.

“You should stay here,” Robert says.

“Right,” Axel whispers.

Beverly enters the library a few minutes later. She’s wearing jeans and a T-shirt. She’s not wearing makeup, so she appears even younger than she is.