IN THE STREET
NARRATOR:
Harry Walkott is trapped. In the Black Forest. In time. He is having to experience the same day over and over again, Wednesday April 31st. And it's a day which doesn't even exist. But ever since a crazy man called Heinz told him that women are to blame for everything, Harry has a theory.
HARRY:
Now it's clear: Julia is to blame!
NARRATOR:
Julia ist schuld?
HARRY:
Ja.
NARRATOR:
Your girlfriend Julia? Where do you get that idea?
HARRY:
The text message of course: 'Schönen Tag noch!' That's her curse!
NARRATOR:
Ein Fluch?
HARRY:
Ja.
NARRATOR:
No, that's not a curse. That's a wish, Harry.
HARRY:
Doesn't matter: Julia has put a spell on me!
PEDESTRIAN:
Halt! Es ist rot!
HARRY:
Wie bitte?
PEDESTRIAN:
Es ist rot!
DRIVER:
Blödmann!
HARRY:
Wie bitte?
DRIVER:
Pass auf! Mach die Augen auf!
HARRY:
Shut up!
NARRATOR:
Harry, he's right. Look where you're going and keep your eyes open: Two commands.
HARRY:
Shut up!
NARRATOR:
Halt die Klappe! That's a command, even if it isn't very friendly!
HARRY:
This grammar is killing me!
AT THE MARKET
VENDOR:
Äpfel, Birnen, Kirschen! Lecker, lecker, lecker!
NARRATOR:
Harry, schau, ein Obststand! You haven't had breakfast yet.
HARRY:
What?
NARRATOR:
Schau! That's also a command. The verb schauen, to look, du schaust, you look. For the imperative in the singular, you just take off the -st, and you get schau.
HARRY:
So what?
NARRATOR:
Schau, ein Obststand.
VENDOR:
Äpfel, Birnen, Kirschen! Lecker, lecker, lecker. Komm!
HARRY:
Apples, pears, cherries. Hm, I am a bit hungry.
VENDOR:
Komm! Probier!
NARRATOR:
He wants you to come and try. And he calls you du, so he uses the singular imperative!
HARRY:
And why does he call me du?
NARRATOR:
The Germans are correct about a lot of things, but, as you see, not about everything. Some people say du to people of their own age.
HARRY:
Their own age? I am far younger.
VENDOR:
Äpfel, Birnen, Kirschen! Probier!
HARRY:
Einen Apfel bitte!
VENDOR:
Nimm einen!
NARRATOR:
nimm from nehmen. He's asking you to choose the best apple.
VENDOR:
Nimm einen!
HARRY:
Der Apfel ist schön!
VENDOR:
Das macht 50 Cent.
HARRY:
50 Cent? Hier, bitte!
VENDOR:
Danke und auf Wiedersehen.
HARRY:
Lecker! Lecker! Hmm …
NARRATOR:
Now out with it. Why on earth do you think that Julia has put a spell on you?
HARRY:
Yesterday, on April 30th …
NARRATOR:
You were both touring on the bikes, and then?
HARRY:
Almost as soon as we got to the hotel Julia started to get on my nerves ...
IN THE HOTEL ROOM
WEATHER FORECASTER:
Das Zentrum des Unwetters befindet sich über Niederangelbach im Schwarzwald.
JULIA:
Heute ist Walpurgisnacht!
HARRY:
Today is what?
JULIA:
Wal-pur-gis-nacht! Hexenfest! Da gehen wir hin! Komm!
HARRY:
Walpurgis Night! Witches' Sabbath? I'm dead tired. Forget about it.
JULIA:
Komm schon!
HARRY:
I'd rather watch television.
JULIA:
Bitte schau nicht fern, komm! Guck jetzt nicht Fernsehen!
HARRY:
No, I mean it.
JULIA:
Sei nicht so! Steh auf!
HARRY:
No, I'm not getting up.
JULIA:
Bitte geh mit mir zur Walpurgisnacht!
HARRY:
No, I'm not. Hey, what's going on?
JULIA:
Du gehst mit mir zur Walpurgisnacht! Komm jetzt!
IN THE STREET
HARRY:
And so, that's how we ended up spending the evening.
NARRATOR:
The Witches' Sabbath is celebrated in many places in Germany. On the night before May 1st, people welcome the spring and drive out the 'evil' with fire. There's a parallel tradition, which goes back centuries, that, on this night, the witches are especially active. So this 'Dance into May', as the night is also called, is often a witches' celebration with people dressing up and dancing. So, did you go with her?
HARRY:
Julia is an expert in the imperative. I didn't have much choice.
NARRATOR:
And? How was it?
HARRY:
It was spooky.
AT THE SITE OF THE PARTY IN THE FOREST
HARRY:
There were these huge fires burning everywhere. Then these women were dressed in costumes jumping wildly through the fire riding on brooms. They wore these ugly masks with long noses and warts.
WOMEN:
'… Mach Sieben und Acht, dann ist's vollbracht: …'
HARRY:
And they recited strange incantations.
WOMEN:
'… Und Neun ist Eins, und Zehn ist keins. Das ist das Hexeneinmaleins!'
IN THE STREET
HARRY:
They were real witches! And Julia is one of them!
NARRATOR:
'Das Hexeneinmaleins', Witches' counting song, is not an incantation. It comes from 'Faust' by Goethe, Germany's greatest poet. Goethe is one of the most famous authors in world literature.
HARRY:
It's all the same to me what they call it in Germany.
NARRATOR:
I can't believe it. Harry "rational" Walkott believes in witches. Hey where are you off to?
HARRY:
I'm going to the place where they had the party. I'm going to find out about these witches!