I fell in love with you there and then! How lucky I was to meet you that morning!” Marcus: “It’s no use asking Otto to describe anyone. You might as well ask a lamp what it sees; it will say, Everything looks so bright.” Munin showed Otto the map he kept in his pocket in a crumpled brown envelope. The envelope was Munin’s most precious secret, and he presented it to Otto with reverence. It was a map of the Jewish ghetto, with strange markings and hundreds of little Stars of David scattered haphazardly along the streets. Otto supposed they marked secret arms caches in the ghetto. Munin talked nonstop, and Otto gazed in wonder at the extinguished cigarette with a life of its own on his upper lip. Suddenly the Jew glanced sideways suspiciously, and whispered into Otto’s ear, “They’re all dying.” And then he slid over to the edge of the bench, locked his mouth shut, and was silent. Otto, it should be noted, understood at once that Munin was not just referring to the Jews in the ghetto. A few moments later Munin slid back to Otto conspiratorially and whispered that he was going away. Munin: “You will see, Pani. And sons of light will fly high. I will take off. The world will hear of it. Not even the Wright brothers dreamed of such a thing. Or the Montgolfier brothers, inventors of the balloon, or even Daedalus and Icarus in the mythology of the Greeks who desecrated our Temple! Now you see, sir, how adept I am in these matters! I did not overlook a single book!” There and then, Otto invited Munin enchanted with his blend of crudity and erudidon—to come work at the zoo. Munin gaped at him in surprise, smiled, and said, “All my life, Pani, I have dreamed of wiping up the caca of a lion.” They shook hands, but not till they were about to part did the sensitive Otto darc ask the meaning of the number Munin had mentioned earlier. The Jew looked at him in amazement, even disappointment, because he had been certain that Otto understood right away. Then he began to smile—Otto:”Such a broad smile, it spread over both sides of his face”-andexplained simply, “Why, one thousand one hundred and twenty-six emissions, better known as orgasms, of course, what did you suppose?” Otto blushed to the roots of his hair, looked down at his shoes and up at the sky, and finally dared to ask in a whisper if Mr. Munin had slept with so very many women. Munin laughed his foul laugh again, and jeered: “Coitus? Is that so remarkable? The great rabbi, nu, I forget which one … aha, yes! Rabbi Dov Ber says in Gates of the Path that the passions must be refined and sanctified. And then as from an evil love man’s heart will turn to the love of Godliness, so that he will not crave the sparks of forbidden fire but only God, of course. Any schoolboy can know women, your honor, whereas I, ‘controlled’ myself!”
The second encounter with Munin took place when Fried stood despairingly at the window of Otto’s pavilion [see under: HEART, REVIVAL OF THE CHILDREN OF THE] and saw the peculiar Minotaur—half sheep, half man—crossing the path. Fried pursued him, limping furiously on his cane past the crocodile pool, took a secret bypath, and collided head-on with the terrible creature. Munin collected himself and zipped his trousers over the bird-cage lining of cloth and belts and buckles. The big ewe took off with a mournful bleat (Munin: “The bleating of bitter disappointment”), and Fried, spitting hellstone and fire, rose heavily from the grass, raised his hand like an angry prophet, demanding an explanation. In self-defense Munin claimed, “What is there to explain? You have to hurry! Time is running out and there is much to do, Pan Doctor, and there are no women here, except for Mrs. Hannah [see under: ZEITRIN], who obviously belongs to God, and Frau Doctor Paula, who belongs to your honor.” Fried: “How dare you, hooligan, utter the lady’s name?!” Munin: “Forgive me, but I always tell the truth. And now the total is one thousand one hundred and thirty-eight. All recorded! Perhaps the doctor would care to see my receipts? Every deed is registered, you see, and there is also a map. Yes, you can rest assured, Pan Doctor, that Yedidya Munin never betrays his art!” Fried, who had a vague recollection of Otto mentioning some other number, a lower one, almost choked with rage when he thought with revulsion of the old satyr’s exploits in his zoo. Fried: “But please explain, why?” Munin: “Why? In order to control myself. What, Pan Otto has told the doctor nothing at all?” “No!” “Ah!! And I thought you knew everything, sir! That you were here among us to preside over the faithful execution of our art! So this is why you are so angry! Yousimply do not know the story, sir!! I will tell you something quite explicit, as we say, we Jews, that is: I will tell you all. Because there is no shame in it. It is all for the sake of heaven. And it is very simple, for I, your honor, weigh approximately sixty kilos, or even a bit less, because there is not much food here, begging your pardon for allowing me to point this out, but—” “What does your weight have to do with what you did to the ewe?!” “Ah yes … the ewe … a darling creature … Listen: you see, each time I … nu … you are a doctor, sir, and have probably heard many such things, no?” Fried: “Du yassni choleria, do you want to drive me mad? What am I supposed to have heard?” “Na na na, that isn’t nice, Doctor. More anger, more grief … Ha! Ha! A joke, sir … And the sperm, your honor surely knows that sperm, a drop of
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