{"id":158,"date":"2021-05-01T15:30:04","date_gmt":"2021-05-01T13:30:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.toktali.com\/blog\/2008\/06\/25\/red-phantoms-madhouse\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T12:37:56","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T10:37:56","slug":"red-phantoms-madhouse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.toktali.com\/blog\/red-phantoms-madhouse\/","title":{"rendered":"Red phantoms-3"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Feeling distantly curious about the car, I had no any thought it could concern me. However, my eyes were fixed at the fire escape staircase leading on the roof of the building. I regretted being disobedient to Red Mistress. Moreover, my instincts told me I was in danger after talk with her.
\nStruggling with imperative to escape, I \u0441asked myself:
\n– What I am afraid of? Did I damage school property, steel money from the common safe or did I murder, harm or gave public insult to somebody? Why I must run and crawl like beast, seized with panic, if I know I am pure and innocent?
\nThree men in white gowns who appeared at the doors to interrupt my inner dispute. And without further explanations one of them – with sleeves turned up high above massive black-haired arms- told I must attend sort of psychological consultation instantly and drive there in ambulance car. The air this hospital attendant had did not give chance to resist or question. Escorted along corridors and downstairs I felt myself unreal. We crossed the yard, and before door of van closed behind me, I caught glimpse of yak chignon that flashed between curtains in one of school windows.
\nThe car was moving on high speed toward secluded suburban areas of town, passed big park and arrived at barbwire-fenced territory.
\nStock of buildings looked like prison there, but dazzling whiteness of walls suggested idea of public health institution.
\nThe moment I stepped out there, I felt impulse to run. As if knowing that, one of the men sized my arm and pushed me in direction of steel reception door with peephole.
\nA group of hospital convicts in motley robes accompanied by four male guardians appeared in prospect of alee. Perhaps women were returning to their wards from nearby workshops. Some of them looked self-absorbed, some listless and sedated. One woman in striped nightgown was talking in full voice to herself. Other one had rather short almost mini communal robe exposing her fat legs, with blood oozing between them at white socks.
\nThe sky became suddenly dark, as if disastrous storm was coming from the north. The flock of crows with loud caw left asylum in the crones of poplars and flew away.
\nMaroon rays of sunset were shining through ruined segments of the wall. Gusts of wind thrust tree branches against barbed wire.<\/p>\n

The piercing shrieks, that were hardly human, came one after the other from upper heavily barred window and froze in the air.<\/p>\n

Rote Phantome<\/strong><\/p>\n

Translated by Werner Braun<\/p>\n

Ich hatte ein fremdes und sonderbares Gef\u00fchl bei der Ankunft dieser Ambulanz, ohne aber jeden bewussten Gedanken daran, dass dieser Besuch irgendwie mich betreffen k\u00f6nnte. Trotzdem suchten meine Augen sofort nach der Feuerleiter, die auf das Dach des Geb\u00e4udes f\u00fchrte.<\/p>\n

Nun bedauerte ich, mich gegen\u00fcber der Roten Herrin so unf\u00fcgsam gezeigt zu haben. Au\u00dferdem f\u00fchlte ich instinktiv, dass ich seit dem Gespr\u00e4ch mit ihr in Gefahr war.
\nIch begann die M\u00f6glichkeit der Flucht in Erw\u00e4gung zu ziehen, aber sagte schlie\u00dflich zu mir selbst:
\n– Wovor f\u00fcrchte ich mich? Habe ich etwa Schuleigentum zerst\u00f6rt? Habe ich Geld aus der Kasse gestohlen? Habe ich jemand ermordet, verletzt oder \u00f6ffentlich blo\u00dfgestellt? Warum soll ich rennen und fl\u00fcchten wie ein gehetztes Wild? Ich f\u00fchle mich doch rein und unschuldig.<\/p>\n

Drei M\u00e4nner in wei\u00dfen Kitteln erschien in der T\u00fcr und unterbrachen meine innere Zwiesprache. Ohne genauere Erkl\u00e4rung teilte mir einer von ihnen mit, dass ich mich auf der Stelle einer psychologischen Untersuchung zu unterziehen h\u00e4tte und dass ich von der Ambulanz an den Ort dieser Untersuchung gebracht werden w\u00fcrde. Er hatte seine Hemds\u00e4rmel aufgekrempelt und lie\u00df seine kr\u00e4ftigen, dicht und schwarz behaarten Arme sehen. Das ganze Auftreten dieser Krankenpfleger lie\u00df klar darauf schlie\u00dfen, dass ich an Fragen oder gar Widerstand gar keinen Gedanken verschwenden sollte.
\nIch f\u00fchlte mich abseits der Realit\u00e4t, als ich durch die G\u00e4nge und Treppen der Schule eskortiert wurde.
\nWir \u00fcberquerten den Hof und bevor sich die T\u00fcre des Ambulanzwagens hinter mir schlo\u00df, erhaschte ich noch den Blick auf eine Yak-Frisur, die sich kurz zwischen den Vorh\u00e4ngen in einem der Schulfenster zeigte.<\/p>\n

Mit hoher Geschwindigkeit fuhr der Wagen durch abgelegene Vorst\u00e4dte, vorbei an einem ausgedehnten Park und hielt schlie\u00dflich auf einem mit Stacheldraht eingez\u00e4unten Gel\u00e4nde.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Feeling distantly curious about the car, I had no any thought it could concern me. However, my eyes were fixed at the fire escape staircase leading on the roof of the building. I regretted being disobedient to Red Mistress. Moreover, my instincts told me I was in danger after talk with her. Struggling with imperative […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14322,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[456],"tags":[49,1246,40,50,38,1301],"class_list":["post-158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soviet-empire","tag-communism","tag-kpoe","tag-kyrgyzstan","tag-social-issues","tag-soviet-union","tag-tremor"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toktali.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toktali.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toktali.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toktali.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toktali.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=158"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.toktali.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toktali.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14322"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toktali.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toktali.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toktali.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}