This “good-bye" has been echoing in his mind for a long time. The conference dragged on a bit and as soon as the Elshteins emotional talk with journalists ended, Gerhard hastily darted out of the stuffy room into the fresh air. It was already evening and it breathed with the fresh sea air from the gulf. He was lack of time he arranged a meeting with Neumann at nine o'clock in the evening. He decided not to risk, went down to the great Hong Kong subway, had a good supper in a small restaurant "La Bagette" "and hardly arrived to the appointed time.
*
A car met him. There was a white two-store building in the darkness. Edged with white frames, two big windows, with dark venetian blinds, didn’t let the light in. Above the black door there was a simple doorplate in English and Chinese with an inscription “Kennedy Road, 1” and a compasses and a triangle above it. Brenner waited a little bit and without seen any bell pushed a heavy door. It opened silently. A simple corridor was like a chamber at the university library. On the right side there was opened a simple steel door. Gerhard, to the touch, hardly could see everything, walked along the winding dark maze and suddenly ran into a tall big grey-headed man in a bright livery. The last said pompously and in a grand manner: von Trapp, Gerhard Brenner. He said unclearly his surname Brenner having drawled the first letter “r” like an English word “skirt”. A Master of Ceremonies helped me put on quickly the white leather sheep apron, attached to it the icon pentalpha. Gerhard shivered and entered the big bright doorway.
There was a beautiful worthy solemn atmosphere. A solemn music was hardly heard.
“Probably it’s Handel?” – he thought. Each hall line was full of strong and valuable symbolism of the white and black leading to reflection and contemplation. A big prominent endless chessboard was emphasized by big candelabrums and bright shining stained-glass windows with symbols.
*
He remembered his far childhood’s cozy spacious apartment of good quality with the view on the St. Stephen's Cathedral, his mother, Mutti, smoking ling slim cigarettes and a severe silent pale governess named Louisa, different walking people in the living room, unfinished caps with tea, a wide table, a snowy tablecloth, a big fuming ashtray, flowers, windows under which there were little twisted balconies.
A calm silent boy was always under mother’s vigilant supervision, he studied and behaved well, he was a positive stable middling person. Once when he was eleven the school head called Mutti and told that Gerdi was caught in the act of sadism near the schooclass="underline" he was carefully dismembering green frogs, there were from thirty to fifty of them. The organs of the poor Rana Lessonae were put in long rows like infantry soldier lines like in the anatomy theatre. Evgelina together with the school head named Valter Riggle has been discussing this topic for a long time. They drank tea and he permitted her to smoke in his office. He advised to send the boy to the biological circle. When he was fifteen, Gerdi started passing time with his neighbor, from the parallel form, named Gerthruda, a tall awkward freckled girl with straw-coloured hair. However, she ignored him and when she had a boyfriend, a seventeen years old wide-shouldered handsome Basil, Gerdi became melancholy. He made circles in the neighbor court, traced her favourite cat named Betty and injured her paws. A cat not only shouted at the top of its voice it also scratched his hands and clothes. The neighbors decided that there was a maniac in their quarter. Gerdi with bandaged hands saw through the curtains Gerthruda passed in tears and he enjoyed his cruel foul action. Probably, mother Angelina was sure that it was Gerdi but she was silent. The cat stayed alive this miserable cat, for a long time, has been remembering about that awful crime.
At that time, uncle Fabian often visited them. His mother and Fabian could sit in the living room speaking about everything for hours. Generally, uncle Fabian was their distant relative of his late father. As it seemed to him uncle’s Fabian and mother’s relations were seemly. Once, uncle Fabian suddenly told Gerdi about the way and destination.
*
He explained that the young boy was in his school years. Every person has his own age of school years. For some it ends quickly for others it can last long. A pupil can do everything, earn money, try to reach the power, be in search of fairy kingdom or create mad theories but the main thing for him must be education. Otherwise, a pupil can lose his way and not to reach the next level and won’t be able completely return to his education he will surely move up to job. And this jib will be the highest prevailing line and a main goal. Moreover, just in his job he will be able to use in full measure his knowledge he got during his education. This job can be different: long and boring and even uninteresting. But as in the previous period, being in a work condition, a man can also try to get the Kingdom of Heaven, look for love, create family, bring up children or be keen on fantastic ideas but he can’t confuse his main line, having got, through ignorance, the realm of his seduction. Otherwise, you will leave your life. When a man completely fulfilled himself in his job, earlier in his education, he will find the third circle. He can continue his job and not to forget the school years but his main and major preferable super line must be release from the material chains for the sake of contraction of his philosophical way.
It was interesting for the seventeen years old boy.
*
During long conversations they talked about different topics sometimes arguing hoarse. Constant discussions gave Gerhard a special insatiability in getting different species of education. He could be seen in Alsergrund where he has been studying for two years, medicine, protestant theology, psychology. He visited numerous faculties of the Alma Mater Rudolphina Hauptuni and devoured medley of the sciences.
When he was twenty four years he got the master’s degree in economics and uncle Fabian started again speaking about his destiny.
*
Two years later, uncle Fabian brought Gerdi, Gerhard Brenner von Trapp in the Vienna stonemasons' lodge like a man of the world. The heart of the young man was beating facing unknown knowledge. Having entered the mystery circle of chosen people, he felt as if a big dense curtain of a performance about the mystery universe knowledge opened in front of him. Moreover he remembered a chamber of reflections, a white bind and speeches which he has forever remembered with enthusiasm.
*
Man’s life is too short to see some fragments of the universe. A person sees just these thin layers. People’s vain attempts are amusing. The history of mankind is a fire which reaches the absolute peoples amnesia. You can find dead cities left by previous lives and there were left only beautifully arranged stones.
The universe by the masons’ bodies is fruitless as monuments of the power. Moreover, the masons’ orders thoroughly preserve the most important thing the beginning and the sense of your own destiny.
*
The obligatory Messa has started. Gerhard was on the left among the middle rows like an apprentice. The Master told in so sincere way that Gerhard felt confessed, having dropped his head. The words were repeated on the canton by the other respectable Master with a Chinese look. Gerhard saw laymen in the auditorium. The Master turned to the tribune.
- None of you can reach the truth and just with the help of everybody little by little, from the forefather Adam to our time there will be built the temple which will be a deserving house for the great God, - said the Master and closed his eyes. – We are the vessels which are filled with those who managed to see the building of the second Temple, the keeper of the purest Zerubbabel.
Of thousands of our comrades there has been building a branch of an acacia and a blackthorn for getting the new second temple by the donation of the great light of knowledge and let our hearts open the purity of thoughts by the ebony tree box, a chalk, a coal and a clay.