Gifts of Heaven · Volume 1 · Chapter 42

The atrocity (a parable)

9th August 1840, 9:30 am

[1] I finally give you a little information concerning an atrocity that was committed here 30 years ago. But you shall do nothing about it.

[2] An owner of this property had a wife lawfully entrusted to him according to your legal system, with whom he lived for three years in discord, because of a whore more pleasing to him. He had a house in the city and was a citizen there; but because of his fornication, let his wife dwell here with a child.

[3] And since he had squandered his fortune by his licentious way of life, he wanted to seize the fortune of the woman or the wife, since the charming whore would no longer listen to him in his state of being impoverished because of her.

[4] So he came out one day and tormented his wife incessantly that she would give him her fortune.

[5] But since she did not want to do this, not even under any of the conditions he pretended, he believed that he could finally force such things out of her through maltreatment.

[6] It was just about this time of year and about the ninth hour in the evening when he began to maltreat her; but she fought back to the best of her ability. Since none of this helped, he took a rope, threw it around his wife's neck and strangled her, thinking that she would be forced by the fear of death to bequeath him her fortune. But she had made the firm decision to rather die in her pious simplicity of heart than to support him in his fornication. He therefore choked her until the middle of the night when she, surrendering herself to Me, breathed out her spirit in great pain.

[7] When he now saw that she was really dead, he was so terrified that he lost his consciousness for a while. But finally he made the smart decision out of fear of judgment: took the light, staple and shovel, made a pit five shoes deep, threw her into it as she was dressed, and buried her there, right under the wine press, the place where anyone could least get to. But to his acquaintances he lied and mournfully told them that he lost his wife.

[8] There were indeed also written investigations made here and there by the at that time very tepid courts only at his request; but the dead woman was certainly no longer to be located among the mortals. And this act was all the easier to conceal at that time because, as you say, in this country they anyway did not really know who was the master or the servant, or who was the cook or the waiter.

[9] Now there you also have this incident. However, as far as the names of these people are concerned, you should not care much about them; because in My book everything is recorded, and even the wing of a mosquito is not lost forever.

[10] Amen. I, the eternal wisdom. Amen.

Notabene. These lines contain great things; but they are hard to chew. Therefore spare your teeth – and do not rush at this nut – but wait a while until the teeth become strong. Amen. I the eternal Wisdom, Amen, Amen, Amen.