Herzstechen

The stories deal with the pains of love. Sample text: The old man suddenly felt that he was dead tired. He had been unable to sleep and had gone out again into the gloomy autumn night of 1998 to wander a little in the deserted streets of the small Swabian town. Now he found it suddenly hard to move his legs and longed for his bed. Then, a few steps ahead of him, a tiny flame flickered in a doorway, and he saw the woman who was trying to decipher the nameplates. But the lighter kept going out. "Can I help you?" asked the man, illuminating the doorbell panel with his flashlight. The woman spun around abruptly and jumped to the side as if she wanted to run away. But then she stopped. In the dim streetlight, he could see her eyes widened in horror. She swayed a little, and the man instinctively reached for her arm. He felt that she was trembling. "I'm sorry I scared you," he said, letting go of her arm. "Come, I'll shine the light for you again." She did not respond. When he turned on his flashlight, she returned to the front door and read the names. Slowly, she straightened up and said softly, "The address is wrong." Her voice was deep, and she spoke with a soft Slavic accent. "Who are you looking for?" asked the man. "A former colleague - but she no longer lives here. Thank you for helping me." She had almost whispered it and pronounced the words very carefully, the 'h' with a guttural sound like 'gecholfen.' Then she turned away and walked off quickly.