Die Nachstellung ( The Stalking ) |

Axel sat in his dingy lair in Berlin, thinking about his father, who was a very, cruel Stasi agent during the cold war. And he couldn’t get that Canadian couple off his mind ( see the prequel at https://www.dobrucki.ca/die-jagd-the-hunt/ ). Supposedly easy prey for his blade, but they kept eluding him on their cycling trip across East Germany to Copenhagen. He knew his father would be ashamed of him, as he repeatedly banged his head against the wall.

[ Present day: 8 years later… Axel… thinking… ]

I’m so grateful for my friend Adolf, who was able to hack into some of the Canadian guy’s internet traffic. Adolf, who spends most of his time on the dark web cyberstalking children, was able to find out that this guy practices Tai Chi and was signed up for a Tai Chi retreat at the Canadian International Centre.

So here I am close to Orangeville, set up in the bush just off the centre, which is like a university campus grounds. I could see statues of dragons and tigers as I walked around, exporing the beautiful park setting.

But the traffic getting here along Airport Road was terrifying, even for me. They call this area the GTA – Great Traffic Aggression.

There are a lot of people here, over 100, but I can plainly recognize the guy that is my prey, as he walks around the grounds with his brand new Fujifilm XE-5 camera. He thinks of himself as the tall, dark stranger, but he’s no Clint Eastwood, especially when his blood is all over my blade.

Peaking into the window of the Practice Hall, I could see him and all the others at the 6:00 AM meditation session. He didn’t look like the meditation type, or indeed even the Tai Chi type, but there he was, meditating with his eyes closed, right next to the guy from The Netherlands, whom I think he made friends with.

Then I observed him again during the 108 Tai Chi movement sessions, as I ran the stone across my blade. So sharp it could split a hair. I’ll be using it soon.

The Tai Chi retreat had over 100 attendees, from all over the world. The accomodations were sufficient, the food very good and the training sessions were fabulous. Tai Chi comes from the ancient Chinese Taoism, but there was no religion here, only mindful contemplation. Walking around the grounds, there are statues, several beautiful temples and the smell of incense filling the air.

Watching the guy moving, almost Karate-kata-like, Axel thought, “Schisse! This could be difficult.” And saying out loud, “These Canadians are just too tenacious for me!”, and so like a true coward, he chickened out.

But the torture of driving back to the airport made him think of alternatives, and he thought, “This guys wife is all alone at home.” I know the address from my friend Adolf. This should be easy and even more fun, he thought.

And so, Axel, a serial-killer wannabe, got into his rental and headed north.

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