The Perfectionist

Chapter Four

We find it appropriate at this time to dwell further on our new characters, and offer extended descriptions of their natures. There were twenty-five monks altogether in the monastery, each of a different age and level in his life. It seemed to Dieter that he, along with three other monks, was the youngest of the milieu, as the majority of them were already well advanced in age. The abbot of the monastery, Brother Alphonse, despite his old age, physical weakness, limp, and permanently gaunt stature, was a very vital man indeed, and was to be seen everywhere and at all times: fixing things, giving orders for something to be done, receiving visitors and beggars, coordinating the masses, guiding the choirs, sending letters, etc. When Brother Pieter had communicated to him, the night of Dieter's arrival, that Dieter had preferred the job of a monastery librarian, he assented immediately, remarking in passing that the library has long since been lacking in a keeper, and that he was confident that ''the new novice'' would fulfill the role well.

Brother Pieter Klauser, on the other hand, was one of the oldest monks in the monastery, and had joined the monastery shortly after the abbott himself many years back. He was a devoted monk and priest, observed all laws with the most cautious dedication, and was well known by the monks to be an excellent leader, both in secular and in religious matters. He fulfilled the role with unparalleled skill, which induced the monks, after some discussion, to grant him the role of the ''receiver of the novices'': his occupation for many years before Dieter had joined. He was, in essence, a comedic and vivacious soul, whose purpose in life was to laugh heartily and cause others to laugh heartily as well. He had a peculiar propensity, and considered it his utmost duty above all else, to fade the darkness with which one may have been afflicted with humour; and he earnestly rejoiced whenever they chuckled or gave a smile at his jokes. It became a habit among the monks to believe, when they heard someone or other laughing in another room, that it was Brother Pieter's doing, and it was his joke that had caused the laughter. One's mind could always be at rest concerning him, as he never allowed his temperament, which was always elevated, active, and good-natured, to spoil. In short, he was never cross nor upset, and held a constant smile on his face, one of a contagious effect, so that it produced a smile on others' countenances as well. He was to spend a great deal of time with Dieter, and, through the procession of time, was to become his closest friend.

Brother Johann Böhm, Dieter's cell-mate, was a profound, elysian soul, who could not be described in two or three adjectives but with observation of his behaviour, which, during each interaction, would unravel a morsel of the many different regions of his soul. He was a very regular youth, with dark hair and dark, genial eyes, and stimulated no immediate interest or curiosity from his outside environment. However, his altruistic nature for the unfortunates, and truthfully for the whole of mankind, which he was known to express even in his childhood years, set him apart from others, and made him ''the favorite monk'' among the beggars. They would often expect him to come out to them, and, in the cases when he did, they would consider themselves the most fortunate souls on the earth, and enjoy his presence as much as they could. He would often spend the long evening hours sitting with them on the steps of the back gate, listening intently to their sorrowful stories, or sharing his meals with them, or cradling their children, or lightening up their dejected spirits with whatever story or anecdote he could recall. He possessed an unusual, unswerving empathy towards the woes of others, a trait which often caused him to weep bitter tears over the unhappy histories he had heard, and agonize over them as if it was himself who had been so afflicted...

Brother Johann met Dieter the evening of his arrival, in their cell, and was excited out of his wits, ecstatic that someone with the same experiences as he had come to live with him. Brother Johann joined the monks after the war, he told Dieter, in order to save himself, to repent for his ''war crimes'' and release the ensnaring guilt that so bitterly oppressed him at the time. He departed from his two elder brothers and his old, frail parents, and established himself into the monastery out of a desire for feeling the Lord's love, which he had always known to be quick, infinite, and enduring. Once he had felt that the Lord's forgiveness had been granted, he had finally been softened from his sickly, disordered state, and felt that the road of peace had swiftly and easily stretched out directly before him. When Dieter expressed that he had also resorted to God after the war, and thus had been led to a monastery, Brother Johann became quite hysterical with his happiness, and, turning to Brother Pieter, who had been in the room, leaning on the table with his arms folded, he took his hand and kissed it royally, as if he was a king. Brother Pieter burst out laughing.
''Thank you, Brother Pieter,'' he exclaimed, ''For bringing my twin brother to me!''
''My, what a spectacular fellow you are, Johann! Ha-ha-ha! Cease, my loyal subject, I need not thy praise.''
''Oh, Dieter (was it?), you have not the slightest idea of my troubles,'' Brother Johann continued, turning again to Dieter, ''I was as oppressed as a slave. How long I have wished for someone who had also gone to the war. I am the only one here who went. Well, Brother Karl went as well, Karl Schreiber, though he doesn't care an ounce for it, and shrugs his shoulders whenever I bring up the topic. It's as if it was some strange dream he once had, as there is no effect whatsoever on his countenance when he remembers it! I could have no beneficial relief from him, but praise be to God! here is someone who is the same as me. Truly, I cannot thank God enough, my person cannot maintain the gratitude I hold!''
''I'm sorry that you had to be so unfortunate so as to be deprived of a friend in the same situation,'' Dieter replied.
''Oh, I was not deprived of them, though all my other war friends in Wurzburg simply laughed when I declared that I would join the monks, and none would agree to join with me. And my dear brothers, veterans as well, had refused too. And with my limited communication to them, I could have no effective alleviation for a long time, there was no one with the same experiences as myself, and I was forced to bear how much ever I could.''
''He was sent to you, Johann,'' Brother Pieter remarked, ''But we are late, you see, the bells have already rung. Come now, then, you two, we mustn't miss evening mass.''