The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared

reply. He just continued to glare at them, while Allan turned the Pobeda round. And then he and Herbert set off southwards.
    Next stop North Korea.
     
    The border crossing between the Soviet Union and North Korea was an uncomplicated and quick affair. First, the Soviet border guards stood to attention and saluted, and then the North Koreans did the same. Without a word being exchanged, the barrier was lifted for the Soviet marshal (Herbert) and his aide (Allan). The most devoted of the two North Korean border guards could hardly keep his eyes dry when he thought of the personal commitment he was witnessing. Korea could not have a better friend than the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Presumably, the marshal was on his way to Wonsan to make sure that the supplies from Vladivostok had arrived safely.
    But this particular marshal was not thinking about the well-being of North Korea. It is not even certain he knew in which country he found himself. He was fully occupied with trying to fathom how you opened the car’s glove compartment.
     
    What Allan had gathered from the sailors in the harbour in Vladivostok was that the Korean War had come to a standstill, that the two parties were each back on their own side of the 38th parallel. When Herbert heard this news, he suggested that one way to pass from North to South would be to get up speed and jump over the border (as long as it wasn’t too wide). There was, of course, a risk that they would get shot when they were jumping, but really that wasn’t such a big deal.
    But it turned out – still with quite a way left to the border – that a full-scale war was already being waged around aboutthem. American planes circled in the air and seemed to be bombing everything they saw. Allan realised that a military-green, Russian staff car would probably be regarded as an excellent target, so he left the main road (without first asking his marshal for permission) and drove inland, on smaller roads with more chance of seeking shelter every time they heard the roar of an airplane above their heads.
    Allan continued in a south-easterly direction, while Herbert entertained him with a running commentary while he went through the marshal’s wallet, which he had found in an inner pocket of his uniform. It contained a tidy sum in roubles, but also information about what the marshal was called and some correspondence about activities in Vladivostok.
    ‘Maybe he was the one in charge of that train transport to the port,’ said Herbert.
    Allan praised Herbert for that thought, which he found wise, and Herbert blushed.
    ‘By the way, do you think you can memorize Marshal Kirill Afanasievich Meretskov’s name?’ asked Allan. ‘It would be useful.’
    ‘I am sure I can’t,’ said Herbert.
     
    When it started to get dark, Allan and Herbert turned into the yard of what looked like a well-to-do farm. The farmer, his wife and their two children stood to attention in front of the important guests and the fancy car. The aide (Allan) apologized in Russian as well as Chinese for arriving unannounced, but wondered if it was possible to get something to eat. They would of course pay for it, but that would have to be in roubles; they didn’t have anything else.
    The farmer and his wife hadn’t understood a word of what Allan had said. But the eldest son, aged about twelve, had studied Russian at school and he translated for his father. Afterwhich, it only took a few seconds before aide Allan and marshal Herbert were invited in to the family home.
     
    Fourteen hours later, Allan and Herbert were ready to continue on their way. First of all they had had dinner with the farmer, his wife and the children. They were served a chili and garlic flavoured pork dish with rice, and with it – hallelujah! – Korean vodka! Of course, the Korean vodka didn’t exactly taste like the Swedish sort, but after five years and three weeks of involuntary sobriety, it was more than okay.
    After the dinner, the marshal and his aide were both offered lodging. Marshal Herbert was given the big bedroom while mother and father slept with the children. Aide Allan found himself on the floor of the kitchen.
    When morning came, there was a breakfast of steamed vegetables, dried fruit and tea before the farmer filled the marshal’s car with some petrol he had in a barrel in the barn.
    Finally, the farmer refused to accept the bundle of roubles from the marshal, until the moment the marshal barked out, in