Kannst du deutsch: Andrew's Quest for Answers

“Kannst du deutsch,” said the man.

“Ja, Ich spreche Deutsch” Andrew replied. “Ich bin Amerikanische.”

The stranger shook his head, “No…I mean, can you understand German?” His voice was raspy and deep with a thick accent. He seemed to be searching for words that he hadn't used in a long time. “Nicht die Sprache…can you understand the language of German?”

Andrew looked at him strangely. “What do you mean by language? Isn't it just a bunch of dumb sounds together? The words don't have any meaning, they're just sounds we make with our mouths. I understand English better than German.”

The man looked at Andrew with confusion and frustration, as if he had expected something more from him. They were sitting in a booth at the local diner, awkwardly staring at each other over coffee. The sun was starting to rise and the sky was turning pink.

“Can you read my mind?” the man asked abruptly, shifting in his seat towards Andrew. “Are you telepathic?”

Andrew shrugged his shoulders, “Well there's no such thing as telepathy…and even if there is, how could I tell you? We don't speak the same language so how would I know what your thoughts are?”

“But do you hear anything in your head when I think about something? Does anything feel different when I am thinking about something then when I'm not thinking about something? Do my thoughts feel louder or quieter than any other sound around us? Do they sound like static or like music? How do they feel? Can you explain what they feel like to me?”

Andrew stared blankly at him for a moment then took another sip of coffee before looking back into the eyes of this strange man who had invaded his life on this otherwise average day. He wasn't sure whether he should answer his questions or if he should just call the cops. He pushed his cup away from himself just slightly and sighed impatiently. “Look man, why are you asking me all these questions anyway? Are you some kind of crazy person or something? Why did you come here and ask me if I could understand German and ask me if I'm telepathic? Who are you anyways? What the hell do you want from me! What does this have to do with anything else that's happening in my life right now!? What kind of sick joke is this!?” Andrew started to get angry as he watched the stranger take one long hard gaze at him before slowly leaning back into his seat again and sighing deeply as well.