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he worked on his dissertation even in the forest, because there too he met his benefactresses (aka hatchet women) who called out to him, asking how things were, how his work was getting on, and how the dissertation was going. He greeted them in a mechanical way, meanwhile listening to the strange sound up above; he looked up and saw the pines converging at an unattainable height. He felt that if he kept on walking among the pines for a long time he would be bound to emerge at the seashore. But the forest was becoming ever more dense and more gloomy. It was a particularly hot day, so the gloomy forest was enticing. The pines reminded him of music by the two Richards — Wagner and Strauss, and also of the writings of Nietzsche, which were above all musical. If only he could read them in the original! He walked on and now there were no people around and he had the feeling that he was prepared to wander in this forest until the end of his life, when, exhausted, he would fall at the foot of a reverberating pine tree and fall asleep for all eternity.
    But suddenly the forest came to an end. Ahead of him there was boundless space with no signs of life whatsoever. No human life. The fragrant grasses whispered, birds screeched, and some creatures he could not see, and did not want to see, made a rustling sound amongst the grass. He wanted to go home, but he did not know the way. Leaving the forest behind him, he walked across the fields, following a path which kept winding around, leading goodness knows where. And now he had even lost sight of the forest; all around him there was nothing but the plain. Snatches from songs about
A Path in the Middle of the Fields
that was
The One and Only Path
came into his head. What idiots composed those songs! These paths lead nowhere! Why hadn’t he stayed in the forest? There he could have found some berries at least! There he could have sat down under a pine tree! Instead of walking in the midst of the fields under the scorching sun, following a path that led to the end of the world!
    It seemed that if he followed this path back he would return to the forest; at least the sun would not be beating down there. But the peculiar nature of this space is such that if you follow the same road back you do not get back to where you started from.
    God, how dreadful! A healthy man at the peak of his strength went for a walk in the forest and got lost! And he can’t find his way back home! What a humiliating state of affairs! What stupid forces had dragged him to this Irivka! When he got lost once in New York, he worked it out in the space of ten minutes! Whereas here it could all be over for you! How long had he been walking since the morning? His wristwatch had stopped. He was lost in both space and time. The path wound its way among the grass like a snake, not leading anywhere. Or did it lead to Hades — it was hot enough. Here he was; this was the flip side of making contact with the elements. In the sea, in the mountains, in the forest and on the steppe it was possible to get lost and not find your way out, and instead of elation you experienced terror.
    But this is not the steppe zone! In this region you have to search hard if you want to find a boundless space like that! And yet! … Just as he was ready to fall on his back in the grass, stretch out his arms and await his end beneath the scorching sun, he caught sight of two female figures up ahead.

5. All the folklore
    Despite the extreme heat, his hunger and the terror that had just overwhelmed him, Eugene recognised one of the girls. It was she who had brought him the amazing apples a few weeks previously and asked to be shown round the house. At the time, he hadn’t asked her name. The other girl looked much younger, although they were both of the same height.
    The girl recognised him too. But he regained his presence of mind, succeeding in concealing the despair he had just succumbed to. He struck up a conversation with the girls just as