Path of Service

Zurich. July 1923

It was a sunny summer day outside. The warm air barely stirred the green leaves on the trees. The hot weather was at its peak. This time of year — exactly the time when people go on vacation, spend time with family and friends, in short — take a break from long and exhausting work and studies. Our main heroine was no exception. The young girl tossed the last bag into the trunk of her car and closed it, inhaling the warm air deeply. "Finally, I'll get a proper rest," Judith said joyfully. "I've graduated from university, passed all my exams. Now I can really take a break." At that moment, Judith felt a special sense of warmth and comfort. "That's right," replied Daniel Halle, Judith's uncle. "This year has been very important for you. And very difficult. You need a good rest so you can start work with renewed energy. Being a lawyer isn't that easy." "All the hustle is still ahead, Uncle," Judith added. "Judith, hi!" a voice suddenly called out, making Judith and her uncle turn around. "Portia, hello!" Judith happily responded to her friend's greeting. The girls hugged tightly. "Hello, Mr. Halle." "Hello, Portia." "So, are you ready? Kat and Ann are waiting for us." "Yes, Portia. I was just saying goodbye to my uncle." "Alright, I won't keep you girls any longer. Go, enjoy your vacation." "Thank you, Mr. Halle," Portia replied happily. "I'll wait for you in the car, Judith. See you soon, Mr. Halle." The man simply smiled at the young girl and nodded. Portia headed straight for the car's front door. Judith reached out to Daniel and they embraced. "It's only for two weeks, Uncle. Don't miss me too much." They pulled apart. "Take your medication on time. Just know, I'll be calling to check." The man smiled and chuckled. Daniel took two kinds of medication for his liver, which had been troubling him for the last several years. "Don't worry about that. Go. Don't keep the girls waiting." "See you soon, then." Daniel smiled at her. Judith was about to leave, but the man suddenly stopped her. "Judith, wait." The girl stopped and looked at her uncle. "Yes, Uncle, I'm listening." "I know this will sound cliché, but..." the man hesitated, then continued, "Be careful on the road. After all, this is the first time you're driving abroad alone." "Don't worry, Uncle. Everything will be fine." Judith smiled at the man, trying to dispel his doubts. "Alright. Fine, I won't keep you any longer." Judith said goodbye to her uncle with a smile on her face and finally got behind the wheel. "I can't wait. Italy. The sea. The sun. Sand... How I've dreamed of this!" Judith started the car. "It'll all be there in just a few days, Portia. Just be patient for a couple more days." The girls were in great spirits. After a tiring school year, they desperately needed a good rest. "Let's go! Italy, Portia is coming to you!" The car moved off. Daniel watched them go. The girls drove off, and the man was about to return to the house when he suddenly noticed a red stain on the road, right where Judith's car had been. He found this quite strange and unusual. For a moment, the man felt an unpleasant sensation seeing the stain, but he didn't dwell on it for long. --- The sun was still shining. It was hot. The thermometer showed +32°C. Judith and her friends were driving. The mood of all four girls couldn't have been better. "So, girls," Judith broke the silence, "are you happy with your results this academic year?" "Please, anything but mention the university. Please, just not that," Ann said wearily. Judith looked in the rearview mirror, and Ann's words made her smile. "Tell me about it," Kat agreed. "I'm so tired of it, I feel sick just remembering it." "Finally, I won't have to see Miss Freitag's face all summer," Portia joined the conversation. "If only you knew how she tormented me this year." "Why didn't she, let's say, like you very much?" Judith inquired. "If only I knew," Portia replied. "She constantly made sure I fell behind on something... In short, she did everything to stop me from succeeding." "Maybe you should have talked to her?" Ann suggested. "I did. More than once. No use at all," Portia said and opened the window. "But that's all in the past now! No Miss Freitag, no university will ruin this beautiful summer and my mood!" the girl cried out happily, waving her arms. The warm wind blew into her face, ruffling her hair. They had about thirty kilometers left to the Swiss-Italian border. There were quite a few cars on the highway. Judith was glad that besides that, there were no traffic jams, and movement was free. But there was still one detail that worried Judith — a red light was flashing in the car. "Judith, maybe you should get the car checked?" Portia suggested. "You're probably right... Before leaving, I checked the car, but didn't find any problems... We should stop at the nearest workshop." They drove on. There was no workshop nearby, but Judith still didn't stop to check the car since she didn't know much about it, so she hoped to find a workshop. In the meantime, all she could do was continue the journey. "It's a shame to realize the vacation won't last long," Kat said wearily. "Then work will begin..." "Youth is ending, Kat," Judith replied. "Now adult life really begins." "That's what I'm talking about," the girl continued. "It's all so strange. Time flew by so fast." "I agree with you," Ann replied. "As if just yesterday I was in elementary school. Now I've graduated from university and will soon start working." The girls talked for a long time about life and the future. Everything would have been fine, but at one point, the friends' carefree trip began to turn into something very serious... ---

Gotthard Tunnel, Göschenen.

Having reached the Gotthard Tunnel, known for its eternal traffic jams, the girls ended up in just such a jam, which they greatly disliked. But besides waiting, they had no other choice. A few cars ahead of Judith's vehicle stood a truck — at first glance, perfectly ordinary. "Oh no, not this place..." Kat said lazily. "There are always jams here." "How long are we going to be stuck here?" Portia grumbled. "I'm already feeling stuffy. The last thing I need is to get trapped here!" Judith looked at that very truck and had an unpleasant feeling — something told her that not everything was right with that vehicle. Who knew that Judith would turn out to be right?.. The red light in the car was still flashing, but Judith no longer paid attention. Judith was looking at the truck when suddenly she was blinded by a bright light, forcing her to close her eyes. Then came the deafening sound of an explosion. That very truck exploded, its body turning into small metal pieces that scattered all over the highway. The explosion tore through the dense line of cars. Someone panicked and swerved into oncoming traffic. Someone sped off along the shoulder. The orderly traffic jam turned into a frenzied stream in seconds. Chaos erupted. Terrified drivers couldn't think clearly, each slamming on the accelerator and speeding off in random directions. Cars lurched forward abruptly, some hitting the gas, others honking desperately. One car tried to dart ahead, swerving from side to side. Its driver spun the wheel, trying to avoid flying debris. But a sheet of metal, spinning, slammed forcefully into the side of the car. The car lost control. It spun around. It flipped over, sliding across the asphalt and turning into twisted metal. Another car, driven by a terrified woman, also suffered — due to an excess of adrenaline, the woman lost control and sped off in a random direction. "Hit the brake!" her husband shouted. "Hit the brake!" "God!" the woman cried out. She somehow managed to pull herself together and pressed the brake pedal with all her might, but as luck would have it, the car still wouldn't stop — apparently, the brakes had failed. The car crashed into a tree and exploded in the same instant, lost in flames. This incident also affected the girls. Judith, despite all the tension and fear, tried to maintain control over both her emotions and the car. She pressed the brake, but suddenly the car spun around in a drift, as if deliberately approaching the scene of the accident. Judith turned the wheel, trying to swerve, but her car still clipped a large detached rear wheel from the former truck. Judith's car flipped in the air, then crashed onto the asphalt with a loud bang, rolling over and over. The car looked like a real mess: two wheels had come off on one side, the windshield was covered in multiple cracks, the hood and roof were bent, the doors opening and closing at random. In the end, the last thing Judith saw was panic, chaos, a pile of burning cars, huge flames, and black smoke. Her friends were thrown around the cabin. Kat and Ann were pinned against the back door. Portia had ended up from the front seat to the back, crushing Kat and Ann beneath her. Judith remained in her seat, but she too had suffered: blood flowed from her forehead and chin, her clothes were stained with blood, shards were visible in her hair, and the seatbelt pressed her against the seat. Smoke was coming from the car's hood... --- Judith lay in the hospital. There was no one else in her room. The girl's head and left arm were bandaged. She was asleep. In the hallway, her uncle worried about her. He was beside himself, for Judith was all that remained of his late sister. "What can I say..." the doctor said. "The patient has a concussion and a broken left arm. She'll have to stay here indefinitely." "Of course, Doctor..." Mr. Halle replied in a trembling voice, while trying to remain calm. "Don't worry. She'll recover soon." Daniel nodded slightly in confirmation. The doctor was about to leave, but Daniel stopped him, as if he had forgotten to ask something else. "Doctor, I have one more question..." The doctor looked the man in the eyes, awaiting the question. "What about the girls who were traveling with Judith?.." Daniel asked carefully. The doctor slowly took off his glasses and sighed. After hesitating briefly, as if pondering his answer, he said: "Miss Ann Petersen and Kat Schneider... I'm very sorry, but they died before arriving at the hospital..." Hearing this, Daniel's skin crawled. He felt terrible for the girls, but at the same time thanked God that Judith had not shared their fate. "Portia Frost, however, is in critical condition. There is a chance of survival, and we are doing everything we can." Daniel nodded. "Forgive me, if you have no more questions, I need to go," the doctor said, not even waiting for Mr. Halle's reply. Daniel slowly approached a chair and sat down, covering his face with his hands, sighing deeply. "Margaret entrusted her daughter to me before she died," the man whispered desperately. "If anything happens to Judith, I will never forgive myself." ---

Zurich, November 1905.

It was a foggy, cold day. A time when going out for a walk is usually unpleasant. And the Halle family had far more pressing matters at the time. The cool November wind was alternately tearing yellow leaves from the trees. The trees seemed sad that their leaves were leaving them. Winter was approaching. Winter was also approaching in the Halle household. Their home was filled with cold and despair. "Her chances of survival are practically zero..." the doctor said sadly. "Prepare for the worst." Margaret Halle had been in a terrible accident on her way home from work. At the hospital, her legs failed, and the woman could no longer walk. Months of treatment did not help her, so the woman insisted on being taken home to be cared for there. She had now been bedridden for two months. Lately, her condition had deteriorated significantly, but Margaret still refused to return to the hospital. "But there must be some way out..." Daniel said with a glimmer of hope. "I'm truly sorry, but I'm afraid nothing can help her now. Nevertheless, we will continue her treatment. But you see, there are cases where doctors, unfortunately, are powerless... and this is one of those cases..." Daniel looked at his little niece. He felt incredibly sorry for her, as she could literally be left an orphan. "Mrs. Halle asked for you to come in. She wanted to talk to you about something." "Yes," the man nodded slowly. "Judith, come along, my dear. Mom is calling us." The doctor nodded to Daniel in apology and left. The man, taking Judith by the hand, entered his sister's room. Margaret lay looking out the window. Hearing them enter, she shifted her gaze to the visitors and smiled weakly. "Daniel... Judith, my little princess." Remembering the doctor's words, Daniel's heart tightened. He refused to accept that his beloved younger sister might leave him and her daughter. Judith approached her mother, and Margaret took her little hand. "Judith, you've started coming to see me less often..." "No, Mommy, it just seems that way to you." The woman smiled. "Perhaps you're right. My soul is eager to be rid of this suffering and leave this world." "Margaret..." Daniel said in a trembling voice, "what are you saying? Don't even think such things." "My time has come, Daniel," the sick woman said with a smile and inner pain. "I can feel it. Every day I get worse and worse." Daniel rushed to his sister and squatted down, looking her straight in the eyes. "Then let's go to the hospital. You'll get better there, you'll see. The doctors will help you." "I lay there for almost three months, and what good did it do, tell me? Daniel, I don't want to spend the last moments of my life watching doctors and nurses run from one side to the other. I want to spend the rest of my life with you — with you and my beautiful Judith." Daniel wanted to object, but he understood perfectly well that it was all true and that little could help Margaret now. So, he just listened. But hearing such words from his sister was worse than any hell. "After David died, I tried to be both a mother and a father to Judith. I did everything so she would never want for anything." The woman paused. "What are you trying to say?" Daniel asked warily. The woman prepared herself, gathered her emotions, and took a deep breath. "My fate is already sealed, Daniel," Margaret began. "Soon I will leave this world..." "Margaret, please," the man said with displeasure. "Please, let me finish. Daniel, I will soon have to go, and I don't want Judith to be left all alone. She's still just a baby." Margaret paused briefly, then continued. "After I die, I want you to look after her. She has no one left but you. Promise me that you will take care of her and protect her from everything." "I... I'll call the doctor. He couldn't have gone far," the man said nervously, getting up abruptly, but... "If you leave now," Margaret cried out a little louder, in a hoarse voice, "I will never forgive you, Daniel..." These words made the man stop. He clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth in pain. Margaret saw her brother's state and understood his feelings perfectly, but she had already made up her mind and needed to finish what she started. The man was silent. He didn't want to accept that Margaret had decided to leave this world, but he also couldn't refuse his sister's final request. So he slowly turned around and squatted down beside her again. "Please, promise me." Daniel was silent. "Daniel..." "Alright..." he said in a voice that sounded as if he'd been forced. "Alright, I promise you, Margaret." "Thank you," the woman whispered. "Mommy, are you going somewhere?" The question caught them off guard, but Margaret almost immediately found an answer for her daughter. "No, dear, don't..." Margaret didn't finish. Something seemed to stop her. "Margaret?" Daniel called out anxiously. Margaret Halle held her daughter's hand tightly and, slowly closing her eyes and exhaling for the last time, her grip completely loosened. "Margaret!" ---

Present day.

Daniel sat by the room, dejected, reliving events with his eyes closed, when suddenly a woman ran up to him, sat on the adjacent chair, and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Daniel... Daniel, what happened?" the woman asked with a hint of concern. Daniel remained in the same position and didn't look at the woman, recognizing her by her voice. "Judith was in a major accident..." the man said in a desperate voice. "Now she's lying in there fighting for her life..." The woman looked at the door to the room and felt as if she'd been doused with cold water. "Judith," Victoria whispered softly, "my dear girl... How did this happen?" "This is all my fault," Daniel suddenly said in a loud tone. Victoria looked at her husband, not understanding why he was blaming himself. "I gave Margaret my word that I would take care of her daughter, that nothing would happen to her, that I would always protect her... And what's the result?.." "Don't say that, Daniel, don't blame yourself... You couldn't have known beforehand." "But I should have!" the man looked angrily at his wife, eyes wet. "I shouldn't have let her go. At least not alone." "Don't get me wrong," Victoria began, "but Judith isn't a ten-year-old child. She's twenty-six. She's an adult, and we have no right to restrict her. She has the right to go wherever she wants, do whatever she wants, and she's not at all obligated to inform anyone." Daniel understood that Victoria was right, that Judith was no longer a child but an adult. But on the other hand, couldn't she see the outcome of all this? If he hadn't let Judith go alone, she wouldn't be lying in the hospital now, and that's precisely why the man was beside himself. "And besides, you know her character. She wouldn't have liked that either, even if she wouldn't tell you directly." Daniel remained silent. He couldn't think of a reply and simply looked away. "I'm sorry if I hurt you, but it's true. I'm also hurting for her, and I also understand you perfectly. But you're not to blame for anything, and Judith was meant to go to Italy." To this, Daniel also had no answer. He was completely confused: on one hand, he understood that Victoria was right, but on the other hand, his conscience tormented him for failing to keep his promise to his late sister, and he also worried about Judith... "What if her condition worsens?" Despite the doctor's words that Judith was not in serious danger, the overly worried uncle still thought the worst. Or rather, he couldn't get rid of such thoughts. "Don't even think about it!" Victoria said with slightly raised voice. "Our girl will be fine." A nurse hurried out of the room and ran to find the doctor. Seeing her, the couple grew worried. Daniel automatically jumped up to ask what had happened, but the nurse was already gone. "W-what happened? Why did she run out?!" "Calm down, Daniel," the woman said, trying to soothe him, though she herself was nearly frantic with worry. The man immediately opened the door to Judith's room to look inside, but he was stopped. "No, no! Entry is forbidden!" the doctor shouted, pulled Daniel aside, and entered the room with the nurse. "God... I'll never forgive myself if..." Daniel didn't finish as the doctor came back out of the room. "The patient has regained consciousness and is asking for Daniel..." A smile finally appeared on Daniel's face. "She regained consciousness?.." he repeated. "That's me," the patient's uncle said impatiently. "I'm Daniel — her uncle." "You may go in to see her, but only for five minutes. Only one person." "O-okay... Thank you, Doctor." Daniel immediately entered the room. Victoria felt a little hurt that she wasn't allowed to see Judith, as she was also eager to see her. But the woman simply sat on a chair and waited for her husband to come out. --- Judith lay still, looking around, when her gaze caught a familiar figure. "Uncle..." Daniel approached her slowly, barely holding back tears. He didn't want to upset his niece further, which was the only reason he kept himself from crying, even though the whole scene made him want to. He finally approached and sat on the chair beside the bed. "Judith... How are you? How do you feel?" "My whole body aches, my head hurts a little... The rest is fine... I think..." "How did this happen? If I had known, I would never have let you go on that ill-fated trip... Because of me..." Judith interrupted him, saying: "Don't blame yourself, Uncle... It happened. Nothing can be done about it." An awkward silence fell, broken by Judith herself. "Where is... Auntie?" "She's in the hallway. She wanted to come in too, but the doctor only allowed one person in." "Call her. Let her come in." "But if the doctor..." "Nothing bad will happen, Uncle. Call Auntie." Daniel, hesitating slightly, called his wife. Victoria entered, standing still as she looked at Judith. The woman was overcome with emotion at the sight of her. She approached her and sat down. "My dear, how are you?" "Don't worry, Auntie. I'll live." Victoria smiled, but the smile was strained. "You scared us very much." "You have nothing to worry about, Uncle and Aunt. See, I'm alive..." Silence fell again, which Judith herself once more broke. Her voice became noticeably anxious, as if she feared hearing the worst. "Where are... the girls?" Daniel and Victoria exchanged glances. This question caught the man off guard because, unlike him, Victoria didn't know the condition of Judith's friends, so she became curious too and awaited his answer. "Where are they?" Judith repeated her question. "Uncle, do you know something? Tell me." The man hesitated. He didn't know how to break the news to a patient who had just regained consciousness. He was afraid the news would negatively affect his already weak niece. Daniel stared desperately at the floor, and Victoria noticed. She suspected that the girls were in much worse shape than Judith. Judith, watching her uncle's expression, also began to suspect but wanted to know for sure. "Uncle, don't be silent if you know. Or call the doctor, I'll ask him... Where are Portia, Kat, and Ann? What happened to them?" Judith tried to keep her composure, but with each second, it became harder and harder. "Judith, please," Daniel began carefully, "you're still weak, and you shouldn't..." "Uncle, don't stall!" the girl interrupted him. "Portia is unconscious right now, but the doctors promise she will recover and live..." "What about Kat and Ann? What happened to them?" Here Daniel fell silent again. "Uncle!" "Judith, calm down," Victoria interjected. "You're weak as it is. You shouldn't get upset." "I want to know what happened to Ann and Kat." Daniel cast aside all doubts, gathered himself, and said in one sentence: "The others died before arriving at the hospital..." Victoria's mouth fell open slightly in surprise, though she had expected such an answer. Judith froze, staring at her uncle, unable to believe what he had just said. "What?.." the girl whispered quietly. "I'm very sorry, Judith. You had wonderful friends, but... unfortunately, fate decided otherwise for them..." "That can't be..." Judith whispered, tears welling in her eyes. Victoria sighed and exhaled, then stood up and addressed her husband: "Daniel, I think we should leave Judith. She needs rest." No one responded to her words, as if she had only thought them to herself. "Daniel," she addressed the man again. "Yes, yes... you're right, Victoria..." Daniel stood up and, before leaving, looked at his niece. "I'm truly sorry, Judith. I really didn't want to tell you this right now..." he hesitated, not knowing how to continue. "We're always here and always ready to help you, Judith," Victoria said. "Stay strong. You need to gather your strength... We'll come see you again." Victoria, and then Daniel, turned and left the room. Judith looked at the ceiling. There were tears in her eyes, but along with the bitterness and pain, anger mingled. "You're right, Auntie. I really do need to gather my strength to punish those responsible..." From this moment on, Judith's life changes drastically. If only she knew what lay ahead... The husband and wife stood in the hallway outside Judith's room, unable to believe everything that was happening. "I can't believe all this. Like a bolt from the blue." "I shouldn't have told her about her friends," Daniel muttered. Victoria slightly rolled her eyes and placed her hand on her husband's shoulder. "You're blaming yourself again. Daniel, you're not to blame for anything. You couldn't have predicted everything. It's fate, and no one can change it." Daniel took a deep breath. "You're tired. Let's go. I booked a hotel room. It's nearby. We need to rest a bit and collect ourselves." "I can't leave Judith here alone." "No one's leaving her. Get some rest and then come back. Look at yourself, you don't even look like yourself. Please, don't upset Judith even more with your tired appearance. Let's go." Victoria and Daniel left. The man looked back, glanced at the door to Judith's room, and left. ---

Night. An old damp basement.

Water dripped irritatingly from a rusty leaky pipe into a forming puddle. It smelled of dampness and some other unpleasant odor. A man sat on a chair, rocking on it, smoking a cigarette contentedly, flicking ash onto the floor each time. He was talking to someone on the phone. "The job is done." A male voice came from the other end of the line. "Excellent. We move to the next step. The game is just beginning. It will be interesting." A quiet, treacherous laugh came from the other end. The man took a drag and inhaled the smoke into his lungs. Exhaling, he asked, "What is the next step?" "Don't rush, my friend, don't rush. Everything in its time. Your son, Leon, would certainly be proud of you." At this name, the man stopped rocking on the creaking chair. "He who took my son from me will deeply regret it." "Certainly, my friend. Certainly." After a short pause, the interlocutor continued: "Alright, if anything happens, I'll definitely call you. Stay in touch." Short beeps sounded. The connection was broken. The man threw his half-smoked cigarette on the floor and ruthlessly crushed it. The cigarette mixed with the damp soil. The man took out a photograph of a young soldier, whose face was smudged. After looking at the photo for a moment, the man put it back where he had taken it. "Everyone involved in this will be punished." After these words, the man slammed his fist on an old wooden table, which nearly fell apart.