IN THE HOTEL ROOM

NARRATOR:
There are some people for whom fate keeps particular surprises - a kind of 'special treatment.' Harry Walkott is one of those people. Yesterday, he didn't only find himself abandoned by his girlfriend in the Black Forest vacation paradise, he also got struck by lightning and very nearly killed. And now this morning …

WEATHER FORECASTER:
Guten Morgen, heute ist Mittwoch, der 31. April, sieben Uhr, zuerst das Wetter.

HARRY:
Oh, no! Seven o'clock!

NARRATOR:
Did she just say Mittwoch? Wednesday was yesterday!

HARRY:
I don't care! Oh, I feel like the troops of hell had marched all over me.

NARRATOR:
That's no surprise! You were struck by lightning, Harry. Most people don't survive that.

HARRY:
Oh, that! That was just a dream.

NARRATOR:
Are you sure?

HARRY:
Oh, another text message from Julia? 'Schönen Tag noch!'

NARRATOR:
That's exactly what she wrote yesterday!

HARRY:
She can't think of anything new to say? Oh anyway, where is she?

NARRATOR:
Do you miss her?

HARRY:
Do I miss her? No! I'm going to buy myself a paper.

IN THE HOTEL FOYER

HOTELIER:
Ah, willkommen! Guten Morgen!

HARRY:
Äh … Guten Morgen!

HOTELIER:
Ich heiße Thomas Strobel. Wie heißen Sie?

HARRY:
Ich heiße Harry Walkott.

NARRATOR:
Didn't we have the same conversation yesterday?

HARRY:
Hm, perhaps he's not feeling well?

NARRATOR:
Well, ask him then: How are you doing? Wie geht es Ihnen?

HARRY:
Okay. Wie geht es Ihnen?

HOTELIER:
Oh danke, gut! Wie geht es Ihnen?

HARRY:
Gut, danke!

NARRATOR:
That's it!

HOTELIER:
Woher kommen Sie?

HARRY:
Where I come from? From my room.

HOTELIER:
Woher? Woher kommen Sie, Herr Walkott?

NARRATOR:
He means what country. You can say: Ich komme aus … I come from …

HARRY:
Ich komme aus Traponia. Oh, beautiful Traponia. But enough of that; I need a paper!

HOTELIER:
Herr Walkott, das Frühstück ist fertig!

NARRATOR:
Yummy, breakfast is ready!

HARRY:
What? Oh, yes, das Frühstück was breakfast. Nein danke! I just need a newspaper.

IN FRONT OF THE HOTEL

NARRATOR:
A lovely day! Just like yesterday.

TAXI DRIVER:
Taxi? Brauchen Sie ein Taxi?

HARRY:
No! Nein!

NARRATOR:
And look who's coming!

HARRY:
The crazy guy!

HEINZ:
Die Welt ist verrückt! Das Ende ist nah!

NARRATOR:
He's saying ...

HARRY:
... that the world is crazy and the end is nigh. Yes, yes, yes. I know, I know, I know.

NARRATOR:
Exactly. Die Welt ist verrückt. And do you know something? He's right! He was right yesterday, he's right today, and he'll be right again tomorrow. Harry, I almost believe that your day is repeating itself.

HARRY:
Rubbish!

AT THE KIOSK

MRS MÜLLER:
Guten Morgen!

SHOP ASSISTANT:
Guten Morgen, Frau Müller! Wie geht es Ihnen?

MRS MÜLLER:
Mir geht es gut, danke. Wie geht es Ihnen?

SHOP ASSISTANT:
Danke, auch gut. Es ist heiß heute!

MRS MÜLLER:
Ja, es gibt heute ein Gewitter.

HARRY:
Entschuldigung!

SHOP ASSISTANT:
Ja, bitte?

HARRY:
Traponian News, bitte!

SHOP ASSISTANT:
Oh, es tut mir leid, alle Zeitungen sind weg!

HARRY:
What kind of a kiosk is this? They haven't got any newspapers today either!

NARRATOR:
Are you surprised? I'm not.

HARRY:
The world is ganging up against me.

NARRATOR:
Harry, you're like a little, stubborn child. Your day is …

HARRY:
A day cannot repeat itself. If you were right, there'd have been an accident now with a taxi.

NARRATOR:
And? What have you got to say now?

HARRY:
I just don't believe it!

TAXI DRIVER: (DIALECT)
Das darf doch nicht wahr sein. Oh nein! Das Taxi! Nein, nein, nein! Die Katze, die Katze ist schuld!

SHOP ASSISTANT:
Die Katze? Der Fahrer ist schuld! Der Fahrer ist schuld!

HARRY:
What are they talking about there?

NARRATOR:
Well, they don't know who's to blame: der Fahrer – die Katze – das Taxi.

HARRY:
What?

NARRATOR:
The driver, the cat, the taxi. Der Fahrer, die Katze, das Taxi. der, die, das are the three definite articles.

HARRY:
I know! der, die, das… and I always have to learn them with every noun. der, die, das, der, die, das, der, die, das …

HARRY AND NARRATOR:
der, die, das … der, die, das …

NARRATOR:
der, die, das ...

HARRY:
Oh, stop it!

NARRATOR:
der, die, das ...

HARRY:
I'm not talking about that. Doesn't anyone notice: Everything is being repeated?

NARRATOR:
You're obviously the only one who remembers it all. Perhaps it's got something to do with the lightning

HARRY:
Lightning! Oh rubbish! Everything repeating itself? This here is a ... a déjà-vu or a nightmare! Do you know what? I'm going back to the hotel, I'm going to lie down, and I'm going to wait until I wake up!

NARRATOR:
Oh Harry, you're putting your head in the sand. But that's the way he is. He's just a lovable little ignoramus!