No Turning Back

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Rider Of The Pale Horse Pt. 1

In 1869, Boltzmann left to become a Professor at the University of Graz at the age of 25. Jürgen, however, saw little attraction in the academic lifestyle. He had found his professors to be old and stuffy and he longed to be out in the field. He, instead, pursued many years of travelling and researching. And with the knowledge he garnered during this time; his ideas became increasingly more and more grandiose - earning him the reputation of being a maverick. And this new-found reputation fueled his many trips around the world.

On one hazy May in 1873, he travelled to the University of Turin to give a talk on some of his latest findings. But in the midst of the sultry summer - he found himself wandering the city alone one evening. After dining at one of the city's restaurants; he returned to his quarters at the University and saw a poster for an upcoming talk. A PhD student was due to discuss the scientific practices of ancient civilisations as part of her thesis. And on a whim; Jürgen decided to attend.

The hall was filled with empty chairs and very few audience members before a young woman finally appeared on stage. Her face was overcome with disappointment when she saw the dwindling crowd; but she composed herself and proudly announced her name - Larissa Wittenburg.

Since that day, Jürgen had become infatuated with the young Larissa. Afterward the talk, he offered to take her out for a drink in the city where they could discuss her ideas further. The couple spent their first evening together completely enthralled by the other's ideas. And when Jürgen was due to fly to Switzerland; he begged Larissa to keep in contact with him as he continued on his tour of lectures.

The couple wrote to each other daily as Jürgen sent Larissa postcards from all the places he visited. And it was not long before Larissa completed her doctorate that she announced to Jürgen her plans to move to back to her home village of Lüssum in Germany. Jürgen's work quickly took a backseat as he moved to Lüssum to pursue her. The couple eventually married and Larissa bore their daughter and son. Even during this academic calm; Jürgen and Boltzmann still kept in touch through letters and postal chess.

But it was not until the couple studied the true nature of the manuscript which Larissa had been curating that things began to fall apart. The manuscript was an ancient stone tablet that had been exhumed in the arid Syrian desert. In the lead up to their big discovery, Jürgen and Larissa had been travelling on many expeditions around the world to locate lost relics.

Many anceint civilisations were far more advanced than modern day scholars gave credit for. From the Aztecs to as far back as the Babylonians; humanity's fascination with the stars, mathematics and the nature of reality had been well documented. And with this fascination, there was no doubt ancient knowledge and technology that was just waiting to be rediscovered.

As with the Syrian manuscript, there was talk of an ancient stone which high priests would use for everything from healing to ritual ceremonies honouring the gods. It was called "manna" by some cultures or, in more recent times, "the philosopher's stone". During their travels, the couple sourced texts from around the world - all of which corroborated the mythology surrounding this elusive stone.

Their travels took Jürgen and Larissa far and wide throughout the Middle East and the surrounding lands. But during their time away; Primis and Anna were cared for by their nanny, Ingrid. But as loving and caring as Ingrid was - both children still longed for their parents. Even though it was difficult when their mother and father were away; both siblings knew their parents loved them deeply.

Just before the onset of the cholera epidemic; Jürgen and Larissa had recently returned from Iraq. There were many deadly diseases which plagued the Middle East but neither Jürgen nor Larissa had encountered any malaise beyond the occasional food poisoning. But when the village became awash with the disease many villagers blamed their frequent expeditions as the cause of the plague.

Very few people ventured outside the village aside from Jürgen and Larissa. And as each villager succumbed to the disease; tensions grew more and more hostile towards the family. It angered many seeing their relatives stricken with the disease whilst the Richtofens seemed immune. It was not long before it became unsafe to leave the grounds of their home lest rocks and vitriol be spewed forth - which even both Primis and Anna were not spared from.

Ingrid, also born and raised in Lüssum, remained steadfastly loyal to the Richtofens. She never once blamed them for the epidemic and fulfilled her duties to the family right up until the end. And soon, the village's hatred was also turned upon her. This resulted in Ingrid being shunned by her family and the wider village; forcing her to seek refuge in the safety of Richtofen household.

As a seventy-two year old widow, she had become a housekeeper in order to cope with the passing of her husband Franz. But over the years she had felt the frailty of age creeping up on her - as she feared her time on this earth was growing shorter. And even though her family had disowned her, Ingrid still missed them.
With each passing day it ate away at her that she could not be with her family in her last years.

But, as fate would have it, she received a letter from her daughter apologising on behalf of the family. They had finally come around and seen sense. And so, Ingrid's longing to be with her family resulted in her sneaking out into the village one night. 

But in doing so, Ingrid's actions changed many lives...

End of part twenty-five...