The Truth has served where people lost their lives.

The lie of the truth is smaller than when the sea has carried it.

The lie sails in the holy place,

where Elisabeth meets Christ

and is replaced by him.

 

The riddle  (written by Jana, Mascha, Emely and Erica, class 8e)

 

Next afternoon, Carl is on his way to the confirmation lessons in the church St. Nicolai, when he gets a message from Duff.

"Carl, I need you help and your supermind! Solve the riddle!"

Carl's mind turns to the riddle again and again. During the lesson he is in his own world and thinks. After the lesson pastor Tagmann comes to him and asks: "What was going on with you? And where is Duff?"

"She is ill", he lies. "And I could need your help. I want to solve a riddle, but I can't." He shows the small piece of paper with the riddle to the pastor.

"My dear Carl, I'm very sorry, but a have a very important meeting. But remember: Everything what you do, do with God. Because then he will help you in the shape of Christ." After that he turns to smoke. But Carl doesn't notice it. He looks around in the church again and reads the riddle for the umpteenth time.

 

                The Truth has served where people lost their lives.

                The lie of the Truth is smaller than when the sea has carried her.

                The lie sails in the holy place,

                 where Elisabeth meets Christ

                and is replaced by him.

 

"I think the truth and the lie are synonyms for something. I have to find out for what to solve the riddle. And I know that Christ and the holy place mean a church. 'Where others lost their lives' probably hints to a tragedy - or a war."

 

When he leaves the church, deep in thoughts, he nearly crashes into his classmate Isabell, who is whispering to another girl, as always. Isabell is a real gossip monger. If you want that everyone knows your secrets, you just have to tell her. Carl doesn't like her very much. But to be polite he greets her and walks on. Isabell makes him think about thruth and lies again.

"The riddle said that the lie is smaller than the truth", he thinks."And if I interpret this correctly, the truth was carried over the sea.What would swim on the sea? Perhaps a ship. But a ship isn't very small."

 

In the night he lies and his bed and can't sleep, because he thinks about these words again and again: "Ship, church, lie and truth..."

 

His mobile phone rings. Duff has added a new message: "Just two days left until new moon."

 

Now he can't sleep even less.

He lies in the dark and repeats the riddle again. He nearly knows the lines by heart now. "The Truth serves where people... No, the Truth has served..." Suddenly he has an idea.The first lines are about the truth and they are written in the past! "That must mean that the truth was in the past, but now, in the present, it doesn't exist any more and the lie has replaced the truth. And now?"

 

In his head images swirl around. Churches and ships, true ships, false ships, a true church, a false one with blue wheels and a fork instead of a cross. He has fallen asleep and he is dreaming.