They stayed in the wall for 15 days. Reports from the army stationed outside of Miller's Circle, confirmed the safety of the area. Additionally, the BBC announced the end of the conflict between the two nation(no names, just to be safe). Life was going back to normal, they said.
Kazimir's doubts weakened every morning he woke in peace. "This can't be fake." a rational side of him began to form. "Not with this much details." kept telling him, "Not with this much life."
The following day, military helicopters came to take them back to their homes. He and Ilona boarded one of them. They were flown to their Berlin, where their duplex was.
A week later, a doctor's appointment revealed the baby was a girl. For one week, their biggest problem was what to name her. They chose Berta.
His inner conflict reached its peak during Berta's birth. The emotions were undeniable. The reality of his daughter's arrival. Kazimir chose to surrender to what his eyes saw. chose to embrace the world where his daughter existed.
Years passed by. They left Berlin for a larger house that Ilona inherited. It was outside the city, in one of the few remaining green areas in Europe. The house became their new home. It was quiet. Servants mowed the grass, Kazimir planted trees, servants fed the cattle and kazimir painted the fence.
The world narrowed to the warmth of his wife's hand and the heartbeat of his child against his chest. His old doubts returned from time to time, whispering from the corners of his memory, but the Berta's laughter silenced them.
Two years later, they had another daughter: Ester, named after Kazimir's mother. He learned the weight of sleepless nights, the sound of children's feet hitting hardwood floors.
He cherished every moment of fatherhood. Graduations. Weddings. And eventually, grandchildren. Moments blurred together. Sometimes, he he'd stop in the middle of an ordinary afternoon and listen to them fight over something that wasn't much, but at the moment it was everything. How could this be false?
And years later, in the shade of a large olive tree, his family gathered around him. His wife, Ilona, their daughters, Berta and Ester, and their grandchildren. The rich air. The scent of grass and oil from the olives. Kazimir let himself believe it'd been wrong to doubt. This the truth. It had to be.
Until, in a single breath, they were gone.
The laughter. The children. The scent in the air. It all vanished. The park stretched into an endless plain of green grass with olive trees in repeating patterns.
Across the field, stood a black rock glowing violet. And then, it struck him. That old thought he fought long and buried deep, was right. it was all a dream.
He knew what to do. He closed his eyes.
2
When he opened his eyes his arms were still empty. No grandchildren. No family. All gone. He stood alone in the field. The grass was gray. The sky was dark with three gray spheres. Then, the olives around him withered. Their leaves fell and died before reaching the ground. Their branches sharpened into jagged knives.
This scene was not strange. It didn't frighten him before. But now he's an old man. Tired and worn years of peace, he no longer had the strengths to resist. Closing his eyes, he accepted to the inevitable.