Prologue
My name is Carl Kester. I
am an ordinary person. I have no special talents save that I can fit into
almost any situation. But I suspect that many people are able to do that.
The first time I met
Petra Baird was near Narvik in northern Norway. It was in late winter or
very early spring in that part of the world. The snow was still rather
deep although during the daytime it had already begun to melt. Petra
Baird was a nurse on the staff of Dr. Pershing, a field surgeon.
Unfortunately I only knew her for about six weeks when our ways parted.
The next time I ran into
her was on a ship. Again we became friends. This time we stayed together
for several months. Yet once more fate pulled us apart. I had a
difficult time accepting the separation as at the time it seemed to be
permanent. Over the ensuing months and years, actually only about a year
and a half, I often thought of what might have been.
And then one day, quite
unexpectedly, we met once more. It was in a rather strange location, on
an abandoned farm, quite far away from civilization as we normally
understand the concept. We spent the next two years together. But let me
tell you in greater detail what has come to pass.
