Mirror Street – Ernst Auer and Erich Junger (Manuscripts)

The street is about 200m.There are five shop houses on the left.There are five shop houses on the right. The first unit on the left is a café.The first unit on the right is also a café. The first unit on the left is two-storey, red roof top and three windows, with the panel of first window open to the right. The blue paint on the façade has peeled to the shape of the American continent from the top of the middle window until the southern tip of Chile touches the signboard that reads ‘OCEAN CAFE’.The first unit on the right is two-storey, red roof top and three windows, with the panel of the first window open to the left. The blue paint on the façade has peeled to the shape of the American continent from the top of the middle window until the southern tip of Argentina touches the signboard which is only readable when it is reflected.Only twins are hired in these two cafes. But not any twins. For instance,The balding waiter in the café on the left side of the street parts whatever is left of his hair to the left and holds the tray with his right hand. The balding waiter from the opposite café parts whatever is left of his hair to the right and holds the tray with his left hand. But of course they both have front button shirts. They have tea-break at the same time, although the clock hung on the wall behind the service counter of the first unit on the right moves anti-clockwise. They sit right opposite each other, have the same snacks and tea. But without smoking break, as the tobacco company that had printed the cigarette box, in reversed,was disallowed any form of publicity, since two years ago.It is time consuming and expensive to keep both of them in the job. Finding symmetrical replacements exhausts the town mayor. But this duality is what that has been sustaining this one horse town. As a tourist attraction, the street is only active at night. But this has nothing to do with the crowd or the nature of the trade. It is the problem with the sun and the shadows.