Before she realises, she nods off, and
when she opens her eyes again, she can see the tips of two
shoes appear in the air just above the floor. At first, she is
unable to understand what is happening. Even as a pair of shoes
lie in front of her and trouser legs start to appear, she
cannot believe what is going on before her very eyes: somebody
is materialising. She fascinated as she watches the body
emerge. Slowly, one layer is placed on top of the other, more
and more of the body becomes visible. It is the body of a
woman. A dead woman. An instant later, the door opens and
Charlie, Merilu's partner, enters the room. He grasps the
situation, bends over the corpse. "What's this supposed to
be?", he asks Merilu. She does not answer. He goes on
asking. Merilu replies curtly: "She appeared. She was dead
when she materialised here. I don't know this woman."
Text excerpt
Ursula Hentschlaeger
Merilu
Short story, 1993
Merilu is a young commissioner at the
holiday space station M4. One day, a corpse materialises at her
office out of the blue. When a second body appears, she cannot
conceal her problems any longer because she knew both victims.
Contribution, in: Mord vor Ort, Wien 1993
