Dark Side (Turkey & Austria, present time)
'What a beautiful place', said Austria, as they stood in front of the Fatih Mosque in Istanbul. 'Thank you for showing it to me, Sadıq.'
Turkey was among the few countries Austria preferred calling by their given names, if only not to accidentally call him 'Ottoman Empire'. Their history of mutual warfare was long in the past, but, on a personal level, their relations had never been normal, whatever that word meant. They respected each other, but there always was some awkward tension, quite unlike the one between Austria and Switzerland. Some … reserve. If Austria was courteous in general, his manners when dealing with the masked man were extremely polite.
'I'm glad you appreciated it', said Turkey, who was no less polite towards Austria. 'I always enjoy showing the culture of my country to people who are genuinely interested.' He paused, apparently struggling with himself. 'But maybe there are … other aspects about this city … people should also know about. Will you allow me to show you … what isn't in the tourist guides?'
Austria simply nodded.
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They didn't have to walk for long. Soon, they were at a place where half of the houses had already been torn down, most of the others were warped and well beyond repair, but some still intact and beautiful.
'All of this will soon be destroyed', Turkey said. 'They're building a new neighbourhood here, mostly office buildings. The former inhabitants had to leave. They wouldn't be able to afford any of the new flats anyway.'
'This is sad', said Austria quietly. 'All those houses … They must be over a hundred years old.'
'Perhaps, after some decades, people will regret what gets destroyed here and at other places in this city', Turkey speculated. 'As for the konaks … the wooden houses which are already falling apart: It's something of a tradition here to save demolition costs by waiting until they're collapsing of their own accord … or by waiting until politicians and construction companies decide to tear down the whole neighbourhood.' He sighed. 'That's the way things are in this place. Do you still think Istanbul is beautiful, Roderich?'
'Yes', Austria said firmly. 'Your politicians should put more effort into preserving your cultural heritage for future generations, but the fact that they apparently don't doesn't make Istanbul less beautiful.' He smiled. 'Thank you for trusting me enough to show me even this side of your city.'
Under his mask, Turkey smiled back. Both countries had the impression that they now understood each other better.