„The jeweler reached the upper end of the ascending route through the forest. He could see the entrance to the Lamprechtsofen in a clearing. Because it was high summer, the sun was still shining vigorously on this eve. Too bad, d’Utrecht thought. It was a first disappointment, because he had hoped for a dazzling mouth in the rock face. Instead, he walked leisurely toward a pale shadow in the mountain.
D’Utrecht found a flurry of activity behind the entrance to the cave, with whispering voices and squealing laughter echoing under a small dome of rock. This was obviously the new gathering place for visitors. It was to be the starting point for guided tours into the longest cave on the continent. At least that’s what a man in a mining outfit said, who was already giving a lecture to a small group of women, men and children.
D’Utrecht was not aware of being late. Such a thing didn’t happen to him. Unsettled, he fingered his pocket watch from his vest, settled the monocle that dangled from a chain between the ancestral folds around his right eye, and checked the time. As expected, he was by no means late.
Of course he wasn’t.“
(an Oranges story)