Activity

THEY COULDN’T SAY EXACTLY what had changed after the immediate urgency of the migration crisis passed. In many ways, life carried on as normal. They worked. They attended openings. They partied. They could still be captivated by the beauty of the sun shining down on the Fernsehturm, framed by a slo…

THE FUTURE APPEARED out of focus. They couldn’t imagine it being substantially different from their current life—so smooth and manicured—which itself made it seem rather abstract and unenticing. They had grown up in the shadow of the turbulent sixties and seventies; their grandparents had lived thr…

Despite almost crossing the threshold several times, in the end they always found themselves back in line for the coatroom. They would be tired and smelly, but their unease would fade the second they stepped out into the cool night air. If a taxi passed they might hail it. Otherwise they would walk…

THEIR LOVE grew deeper every day. They were lovers, partners, best friends. The connection they first felt at university had only strengthened over the course of their foreign adventure. Minor betrayals had been forgiven or left unsaid. Through the strains of everyday life, they had learned to rely…

That sense of instability manifested as a constant nervous energy. Every winter, every weekend, could be one person’s last and another’s first. It made Anna and Tom feel alive, fueled their curiosity and sense of adventure, and reinforced the impression that the city was inexhaustible. And yet thei…