We, the Drowned - Carsten Jensen [118]
On the morning of July 19, the sculptor Johannes Simonsen arrived on the postal service steamer from Svendborg to inspect the boulder. He declared it fit for the purpose, made a series of drafts, and before he returned to Svendborg left instructions for cleaning off the moss and algae. The stone was dusted with chloride of lime and then washed with hydrochloric acid diluted in water. We dug a hole two meters deep for the base and filled it with concrete. At the beginning of August the plinth and iron fencing were cast. The stone was set in place in the middle of that same month. Albert Madsen himself joined in the work, together with several other committee members.
The day it was set on its plinth, six torpedo ships entered the bay. Like the ships in the harbor, they were garlanded in bunting and they'd hoisted their flags. The wharf was soon teeming with spectators. It was the first time that warships had called at Marstal, and even Albert's committee stopped its work to walk down to Dampskibsbroen to take a look. That same evening, a festive gathering for the officers from the warships had been arranged at Hotel Ærø, and Albert attended the dinner. The sight of the narrow steel-gray hulls at Dampskibsbroen earlier had filled him with a strange unease, and now he succumbed to a dizzy spell similar to the one he'd experienced the first time he studied the boulder in the sea. He spent the entire meal in an odd state of absent-mindedness, which several of those present commented on, attributing his distraction to the huge pressure he was under during the final phase of the memorial's erection. There were moments during the dinner when he felt that the whole evening was taking place at sea. The tables seemed to be floating on the water, with the chairs bobbing around them on the waves. He saw black shadows dart across the blue-gray depths beneath him.
He was called back to reality by a voice addressing him directly. It was the commander of the six torpedo boats, Gustav Carstensen, who wanted to present his compliments.
"I heard about the memorial stone. I heard you're in charge of it and that you mobilized the whole town to put it in place. Well, the young have the energy. It's just a question of coordinating it. As a captain, you know more than most about the importance of discipline."
"I believe in balance between forces, and I believe in fellowship," Albert said.
"Fellowship is certainly important," the commander responded, looking pensively into the distance. Albert's remark had clearly provided him with a cue to proceed with his own thoughts on the matter. "But fellowship must be created. That's why we need a great cause that people can rally round. Right now, people think only about themselves. We haven't had a war to unite and focus our young people for several generations. A war's what we need."
Albert looked at him, his eyes still unfocused from the dizziness.
"But many perish in war, don't they?"
"Well, obviously, that's the price of it."
A note of hesitation had entered the commander's voice. He gave Albert a searching look. It was as if he hadn't noticed the person he was talking to until now, and was wondering if he'd been wrong about him.
"And anyway, the dead will have a grave and a headstone, won't they?" Albert continued, regardless.
"Of course, of course, that goes without saying."
It was now clear to Carstensen that the conversation had taken a wrong turn.
"Go visit the cemetery