Friday, March 07, 2008

WI: Destiny



It began as such a small thing, like a policeman beating a nag. In the beginning no one thought that two murders in Sarajevo would have any effect at all upon the world. The assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, all of it precipitated by a piece of newsprint, a short announcement, a small note clipped from the paper: the Archduke of Austria would visit the city to direct army maneuvers in the mountains. Small things. Then, in Belgrade, at a small table in a small cafe, the small newsclipping was passed from hand to hand among terrorists of the Narodna Odbraba. A grenade was thrown. One grenade.

"I come to visit Sarajevo and they throw bombs at me!" the Archduke complained to the Mayor. Then, the Archduke's chauffer took a wrong turn, as simple as that. He backed the automobile to the precise spot where the road had diverged, where a Serbian student named Gavrile Princip waited with a pistol, an angel of death. The first bullet killed the Archduke's pregnant wife, Sophia, and her unborn child. A second bullet, to the heart, killed him. "Sophia!" he called out. "Don't die!"

But she was dead already. As was he. A dead German policeman killed four years afterward in such a small place as Okres Krupina went unnoticed. The Great War begun by a small means was finally over.


(From Pepek the Assassin)
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12 comments:

Tammy Brierly said...

How tragic!

Tumblewords: said...

History takes a back seat. Who'd have thought? Nice post!

Gemma Wiseman said...

Such a familiar story, and yet you have given it a beautiful, refreshing line of thought. In fact, you reveal a challenging, ugly beauty.

Cleverly written!

Smiles and Light

Constance Brewer said...

I always learn interesting things on your blog! Good job!

Crafty Green Poet said...

It is always good to be reminded of these pivotal historical moments, you told it well too

ren powell said...

And isn't it frightening there is trouble in that region again!

I didn't know Sophia was pregnant! - who am I kidding, I didn't know she was named Sophia :-)

- and "back at you" as they say rather ineloquently.

Anonymous said...

sad! But that that's how it is it at some placesin this world.

get going

little wing writer said...

excellent post... you told the sad story so smoothly... yugoslvia is a beautiful country.. well, today it is so different... nationalism is an interesting emotion... thank you

Anonymous said...

Yep, very nice post.......neatly done.

UL said...

pepek, that was written so well...history is almost like looking back at destiny, is it not?

January said...

Yes, very well written. I had forgotten some of this history. Thanks for the reminder.

Yoli said...

I have found you through Tara's blog, through my insomnia. Beautiful writing Taurus.