The Fake Gun Becomes Real

Auerhaus

An episode of playful pretend violence crosses into a genuine police emergency and permanently changes how the friends understand their games.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

The Film and the Gun The Film and the Gun from "Auerhaus". The Film and the Gun An Idea in the Car After a documentary screening, Frieder finds a wooden pistol in the glove compartment of Harry’s Cadillac.

The Film and the Gun from "Auerhaus". The Film and the Gun An Idea in the Car After a documentary screening, Frieder finds a wooden pistol in the glove compartment of Harry’s Cadillac.

The Film and the Gun An Idea in the Car After a documentary screening, Frieder finds a wooden pistol in the glove compartment of Harry’s Cadillac. Harry has the car’s searchlight, and the group turns the drive into a game of aiming at imaginary enemies. Naming the Fears They pretend to shoot a general, a teacher, fear, sadness, and loneliness. Harry’s playful confidence makes the game feel like an attack on troubles that the friends cannot otherwise master.

The Traffic Light The Traffic Light from "Auerhaus". The Traffic Light Aiming at Police At a red light, Frieder points the wooden pistol at a police officer and Harry swings the roof searchlight onto him.

The Traffic Light from "Auerhaus". The Traffic Light Aiming at Police At a red light, Frieder points the wooden pistol at a police officer and Harry swings the roof searchlight onto him.

The Traffic Light Aiming at Police At a red light, Frieder points the wooden pistol at a police officer and Harry swings the roof searchlight onto him. For an instant the officer believes the threat is real. The Flight Harry drives away, and Frieder shouts pretend shots through the rear window. The officer responds with real gunfire, while the friends realize that their play has entered a world in which someone can die.

The Pursuit The Pursuit from "Auerhaus". The Pursuit Stopped at the Next Light Police pursue the Cadillac and stop it at another traffic signal.

The Pursuit Stopped at the Next Light Police pursue the Cadillac and stop it at another traffic signal. Officers surround the vehicle with weapons drawn, while Pauline asks whether life will now consist of being taken away morning and evening. A Narrow Survival The pistol is identified as an imitation, and the group is arrested temporarily for traffic offenses, displaying an imitation weapon, and public disorder. No one is physically injured, but the event’s fear is real.

The Newspaper Account The Newspaper Account from "Auerhaus". The Newspaper Account The Story in Print Höppner’s mother reads the local report aloud, recognizing the Cadillac and its rooftop searchlight.

The Newspaper Account from "Auerhaus". The Newspaper Account The Story in Print Höppner’s mother reads the local report aloud, recognizing the Cadillac and its rooftop searchlight.

The Newspaper Account The Story in Print Höppner’s mother reads the local report aloud, recognizing the Cadillac and its rooftop searchlight. The article describes the threat as an incident that could have ended in bloodshed. Private Knowledge Höppner denies that the group was involved, even as the details match exactly. He and Vera know the difference between an imitation pistol and a real one, and how little separated them from disaster.

The Blow

The Blow Confession Back at Auerhaus, Frieder admits that he had hoped the officer would shoot him. The admission changes the incident from reckless fun into a concealed suicide attempt involving everyone in the car. Anger as Care Höppner strikes Frieder and shouts that he should not pull his friends into an attempt to die. The violence is itself frightening, but it expresses a boundary the narrator can no longer leave unspoken.

winter, after the police raid

late that night at the Ensingen junction

minutes after the traffic-light threat

a few days after the pursuit

the same day as the newspaper account