I  times Gustav Ungerland o me tion rack doom McInnes and ask ails about icle in tried to locate its aut o go on ter receiving my letter, tor of t Journal of Myty replied t o for on to t not. y, tment said McInnes  in ter, and left no fortempts at contacting Brian Ungerland proved equally frustrating. I couldnt very er tess for information about er asking around toold me t Brian  Fort Sill, Oklaudying o blohere were no Ungerlands in our local phone book.

    Fortunately, ots. tess alked me into going back to sco begin in January. Sold tentive and affectionate. e celebrated registering for classes by splurging on dinner and Cmas sy. Arm in arm, oment Store, miniature animatronic scenes played out in an endless loop. Santa and  ters circled atop an icy mirror for all eternity. e stopped and lingered before one display—a , proud parents kissing under tletoe. Our oed on and tic bliss.

    quot;Isnt t adorable? Look at  s to ;

    quot;Sure, if t as t one.quot;

    e strolled by tag bunco a stand selling  ce. e boug on a cold park benc;You do like c you?quot;

    quot;C t;

    quot;But  you  a son to take camping or a girl to call your o;

    quot;Call my o belong to ot;

    quot;Youre a very literal person sometimes.quot;

    quot;I dont t;

    quot;No, you dont. Most people pick up on subtleties, but you operate in anot;

    But I kne kno beneat. Or a misery t urn on me and expose my secret. Yet tesss  of me desired to unpack t, to tell  Gustav Ungerland and my fugitive life in t. But so mucime  at times I doubted t existence. All of my poime ago  y of t as real as t? Maybe I  trut kno I do remember t nigion of great tomless foreboding.

    tess cing across a makes ice rink. S a fog of steam into t;Ive aled a baby of my o;

    For once, I understood rying to tell me. itars, I asked o marry me.

    e ed until ter and  tized as an infant. Standing at tar, I felt almost ed ty for a ing joy for Mr. and Mrs. ed t  tinue of cing to take me a to forget my past, to dismiss t t I was a fraud.

    At tion, my mot to greet us, and t only paid for ty but even made us a gift of a oget t afternoon it range to see algia for my fating, for oer to ry for a year, and ro  fall, and tomers ill flock in for drinks and pop music. Jimmy Cummings took my old job beers were growing up.

    Mary and Elizabet test boyfriends, a couple of long-o tion, and at ter of ty, Uncle Cest sc;t merely going to move out of ties; to be moving as far ating on a gold mine in ty.quot;

    My moto   and rested his hand on her hip.

    quot;  trouble up in tional Guard,  t   c;

    S  I flincess squeezed my arm to prevent me from saying hinking.

    quot;Country living. Moderately priced, safe and secure, perfect for young couples looking to start a family.quot; As if on cue, ared rig tesss belly. Already they were full of hope.

    Feigning innocence, Elizabet; you two, Uncle C;

    tess squeezed my bottom, and I let out a tiny epped up to speak. quot;I   to live up t;

    quot;Of course not, Jimmy,quot; Mary said. quot;After all you  t;

    quot;t; old ty. quot;Did you  ttle girls t?quot;

    ts began to drift off in pairs and start neions. Since ation for tiresome repetitions of tory, exaggerating details until it became a tall tale. o anoto be dismissed as merely anotoryteller, desperate for attention. quot;No really,quot; o t;I  six or seven, I o tore in t and smas. ts. Man, to man. Put toget place I found Oscar? Maybe t your mind around t. Like a ribe of rip, man.quot;

    Elizabetaring at me ;

    quot;Cant confirm or deny a rumor,quot; ;and I didnt actually see t I dont o. Did you knoook em ao ason, DC, and t labs, so tudy t;

    I turned to Oscar, ening to Jimmy. quot;Are you sure you  tending bar for you, Oscar? Seems like ting ttle a bit too muc;

    Jimmy came rigo my face and said sotto voce, quot;Knorouble ion. But tter freakin believe it.quot;

    During t to Germany, dreams of cerrupted ess and I landed in damp and overcast Frankfurt,  expectations for our ed adventure, excitement, and romance. traveling tros, orbikes. I , but all I kneten on a cocktail napkin: Gustav Ungerland, 1859, Eger.

    Immediately bey, y black elep of tbarains by t ted city, neeel and concrete skyscrapers rising from tunate enougo y guarding against Eastern Europe rating in Vietnam. Strung-out runaableroget out of place bethe junkies.

    On Sunday rolled over to tadt t ly bombed out by t time on our trip, t and sunny, and ime street fair. On tival, tess rode a zebra and I a griffin; ter luncrolling quartet played a song for us. As if t niginy room became a cozy paradise.

    quot;t,quot; s;ogetoday.quot;

    I sat up and lit a Camel. quot;I omorroo ourselves. Just to talk about uff Id like to do t mig be interesting to you, so I  up a bit earlier and go out, and Id be back, probably, by time you ional Library. You o tears.quot;

    quot;Cool out, ; S;t sounds perfect. Im getting a little tired of spending every minute toget;

    It took all morning to find t train, t streets, and to tsco find torical atlas and terations and border c about by ies’ Reicag to t t kno I mil anyone in Reference t own.

    quot;Do you kno; s;if it is East Germany?quot;

    I looked at my c ernoon. t 5:00 P.M., and a furious neing for me.

    S;Acs a river, not a to; Sed to a dot t read C;to called Eger no isnt in Germany. Its in Czec; Slas to find anot;Boo  to say I muc; Smiling, sed ;But wo names. Eger is C;

    quot;So,  to Czec;

    quot;Unless you  papers, you dont.quot; Sment. quot;So, tell me, ant about C;

    quot;Im looking for my fat; I said. quot;Gustav Ungerland.quot; ted from  t;Ungerland. as  to t;

    quot;No, no. ere Cat is. ted to America in t century.quot;

    quot;You migry t in.quot; S;t;

    e old me o cross t being detected. Making my o Mendelssorasse late t evening, I reory to explain my long absence. tess en, and I slid into bed beside art, the pillow.

    quot;Im sorry,quot; I said. quot;Lost in t;

    Lit by t;Id like to get out of ty and see tryside. Go ars. Meet some real Germans.quot;

    quot;I kno; I les and dark s sneak across and discover all ts.quot;