Onderwêreld deur Fanie Viljoen | Log File: Die berge in en om my | English Summary | Onderwereld

 

Onderwêreld deur Fanie Viljoen

Log File: Die berge in en om my

Greg is worried about Nicole since their last conversation. He calls her cell to no avail but follows up by calling the house phone. Nicole’s mother answers, telling him that Nicole is asleep. After some light pleading, Greg convinces Nicole’s mother to awaken her. He feels relieved when she answers the phone. Eckhardt suggests that he and Greg go to the mountains, using horses that they can borrow from the stables. They ask the chefs to pack lunches for them before heading out to the stables. Greg packs his cell phone in his bag despite the high chance that there will not be any reception on the mountain. He thinks he might call Nicole later.

On the way up the mountain, Eckhardt explains the concept of “brute forcing” to Greg. It involves using a program to attempt random character combinations to eventually crack a password. They arrive at a small rock and a nearby rock wall, Greg finds ancient paintings of an eland. Eckhardt explains that they were symbolic of a witchdoctor’s ability to enter the spirit world. They eat lunch at a nearby rock. Eckhardt is taken aback by the beauty, saying that he wants to spend his father’s money on building a house in the area. Greg tells him that he would have to survive the winter first, but Eckhardt is keen to finally have an opportunity to build a snowman. They have a conversation about seasons in South Africa as compared to American movies and the weather in Europe. They agree that South African summers beat all the others and Greg expresses pride for the country despite the “stories of crime and corruption that the newspapers feed the public every single day”.

Greg says that the things that happen in South Africa can happen anywhere and that none of the people he knows have been victims of violent crime. He asks Eckhardt, but he ignores Greg for a while before saying, “You’re right, they’re exaggerating everything. We live in Alice’s Wonderland.” At that moment, Greg sees his brother in Eckhardt, thinking that it is as if Eckhardt has sadness hidden under his skin, like John in his final days. He tells Eckhardt that he reminds him of his brother and Eckhardt tells him that he did not know that Greg had a brother. Greg explains what happened and when Eckhardt asks him why John did what he did, Greg tells him that he can only speculate because there was no suicide note, but he believes that his father’s heavy expectations are what drove John. Eckhardt asks if Greg is expected to step up to fill the void left by his older brother and Greg explains feeling that after his brother’s death, his father simply turned his attention to Greg, expecting him to perform in the same ways.

Greg notes how he has only known Eckhardt a few months, but he has opened up to him about something that Nicole, whom he has known for two years, still knows very little. Greg says that if he could, he would be reborn into a different family, live in an average neighbourhood, and achieve average grades. Eckhardt comments that average people get nowhere, which is like how Greg’s father would think, but Eckhardt thinks that hacking taught him to think further than anybody else to gain the upper hand. They decide to head back, calling on their horses with loud whistles that echo in the mountains. Greg screams his nickname at the top of his lungs, listening for the mountains’ response, and Eckhardt does the same with his nickname.

SummariesKeroshan PillayComment