Winners of the Bliesgau Story Contest

Here is the winning story by Eva F. from Saarbrücken: 

The Castle, the duke, the cat, and me 

On this fall break day, I wasn’t in the mood for fairy tales, and I certainly wasn’t in the mood for hiking. I’ve pretty much outgrown fairy tales, and to be honest, I usually don’t feel like hiking. But of course, that’s just between us! Mom wasn’t in the mood either, but we wanted to do Dad and my godmother Evelyn a favor, since she’d gone out of her way to take the train just to spend a few hours with us. The two of them seemed really excited about the hike, wearing the right gear and with their backpacks slung over their shoulders, while I shot Mom an annoyed look as she stowed sturdier shoes for both of us in the trunk of our car. On the drive to our destination, Dad raved about an exciting hike through the forest to a fairytale castle that had once easily rivaled Versailles. Versailles? Hard to believe, I already knew that place, and immediately I remembered all the tourists. We’d all shuffled through countless gleaming golden rooms in felt slippers and then roamed the grounds during a picnic. When we finally arrived, there were a few cars there, but not a trace of tour buses! Strange, I thought—a place like Versailles, and hardly anyone here knows about it? I looked around, but for the life of me couldn’t imagine stumbling upon a castle complex in the dense autumn forest. We’ll see! While Mom and I were still changing our shoes, the others went ahead and waved encouragingly at us. Somehow, things just didn't add up here.  

A castle or well-kept gardens? Not a chance! We made our way through the forest on narrow paths before reaching a plateau at the top that looked like a large meadow. Dad had already positioned himself next to a sign and explained that we were standing right on the central castle courtyard at that very spot. Yes, you heard right! But there was nothing left to see of the former buildings except a few sad remnants of walls in the grass. No comparison to the colorful illustration on the information board. Is this what it used to look like here? There was almost a real city up there—besides the magnificent castle for Duke Karl II August (I’d memorized that name right away!), his court, and his vast collections, there were plenty of other buildings as well. There was even enough room for a brewery and an entire army. The construction work alone took ten years; barely sixteen years later, in July 1793, it was all over. That’s when the palace went up in flames. The French Revolution! Had Versailles simply been lucky? 

I was disappointed and also kind of sad. How could it be that not a single trace of all that magic remained? We kept walking. Not far from the castle lawn, we could see the remains of another building: the orangery. It had three wings and must have looked like a little castle in its day. In the inner courtyard, you could still make out where the circular ballroom used to stand. Not only did valuable citrus plants spend the winter here—this was where truly stylish parties were held! Mom strolled around, looking a bit bored, while Dad and Evelyn were busy examining the ruins more closely. I was just about to bend down to peek into one of the barred vaults when a soft meow came from inside. I clicked my tongue, and lo and behold: out slipped a gorgeous, big white cat, who proudly raised her thick tail into the air, sparkled at me with bright blue eyes, and—I still can’t believe it—spoke to me! 

“Allow me to introduce myself: Chouchou, the duke’s cat.” I was speechless. “You’re surely wondering why I’m here. Well, as you know, we cats have nine lives. Of course, that only applies to ordinary cats—not a duke’s cat! After all, my ancestors once sat on the Persian peacock throne. Believe me, I really do know a thing or two about the life of luxury!” I did a quick calculation and came up with two hundred and thirty years that had passed since the fairy-tale castle’s downfall. “Where have you been all this time?” “The duke and duchess were warned and fled secretly by carriage to Mannheim right in the winter of the Year of Terror, 1793. While the many exotic animals and plants had to be left behind, I sat comfortably in the ducal luggage and sensed that something very serious was brewing out there. Cat instinct, you know! Still, I wasn’t entirely comfortable with this sudden escape. Especially since I didn’t want to abandon my friends, the children of the builder of this magnificent castle, Johann Christian von Mannlich. 

After all, the Duke was their godfather, so I used to see Carl and Caroline from time to time. Later, unfortunately, they moved away to Munich, but by then I’d already found a new spot down in the city and, well, I just adapted to each new cat’s life. But as we all know, cats are more attached to their homes than to their humans, which is why I keep checking in on things up on the Karlsberg. “I was, after all, a witness to world-historical events.” “Didn’t you miss the Duke and the Duchess?” “To be honest, the Duke was much more interested in horses, dogs, and exotic birds. And the Duchess became very melancholic after the death of her little son. I helped lift the mood now and then, but soon went my own way in that huge castle.” “Then tell me more about back then.” “Gladly. Come with me.” 

We returned to the spot where Chouchou had crawled out of the cellar vault. While my people continued to scramble among the ruins of the walls, I suddenly found myself standing with my companion in the midst of a glamorous party: ladies in fantastic ball gowns with voluminous hoop skirts, powdered wigs, and hats adorned with ribbons and flowers, their escorts dressed in gold-embroidered silk. Colorful, iridescent birds fluttered everywhere, peacocks spread their tails, pelicans let the guests pet them, and the air smelled wonderfully of orange and lemon blossoms. But we soon left the festive bustle behind and strolled down a wide avenue toward “Karlslust.” It was strange, though, that I saw myself and my loved ones wandering through the misty autumn forest there as well, as if we were moving through a movie set. 
 

“On our way to the Duke’s mysterious paradise,” whispered Chouchou. “Let’s see if we can sneak a peek at the big bird feeding or catch the Duke saving a few ladies-in-waiting from the bears again. He prefers to spend his time here alone or in pleasant company. Such a private person…” Chouchou smiled like someone who knows more than she’s letting on. A little later, we stood in front of a cute little castle that looked like a circus tent. We followed a magnificent peacock inside to a “The Wishing Table” laden with delicacies. Chandeliers, silverware, and champagne glasses sparkled, vying with colorful birds for attention. 

“Just look at what the Duke’s landscape architects have conjured up.” From the terrace of the “Tschifflik” cottage, Chouchou pointed out more exotic pavilions and a mighty waterfall that thundered down many steps into a huge basin at the bottom of the valley, followed by two ponds strung together like pearls on a string. White and black swans glided through the water there. On the shore of the larger pond, seated at a lavishly set table, were the Duke and his director of construction, raising their glasses to one another. Unbelievable! Chouchou snapped her paws briefly and was suddenly gone. What a shame! I was now standing next to Mom again, and then we all unpacked our backpacks together. At the spot where the duke had just been dining, we ate our sandwiches. “Farewell, Your Highness! Farewell, Chouchou! And thank you very much for the magical afternoon.”