Cabinet of Curiosities by Aaron Mahnke

Author:Aaron Mahnke
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group

BAFFLING

ORIGINS

TUNNELS

They were surrounded, and had been for months. The Ottoman Empire had been spreading westward for decades, and by 1683 it had arrived on the doorstep of Vienna, capital of the Holy Roman Empire. If the city fell, the dam would burst, and the Ottomans would roll through like a wave.

They had sent for help, of course. King John III of Poland was most likely on his way with an army to free them, to push back that sea of red flags and golden crescents. But King John hadn’t arrived, and they weren’t sure how much longer they could hold on against an army of nearly a hundred thousand warriors.

The siege of the city had been going on for two months, and you have to wonder if the people of Vienna ever felt relief from that overwhelming sense of anxiety. They were in danger and at risk, and the thought that the Turks might breach the walls and kill them all was real and present. It hung over them like a dark cloud.

But the real danger wasn’t above them, it was beneath the walls themselves. You see, the Turks had been using their time outside the city to dig tunnels. Rather than continue to launch themselves headlong into solid, sturdy walls, they had decided going under them would be more productive. So while the people of Vienna were waiting for help, their enemy was creeping up slowly beneath them.

During the day, the soldiers inside the city watched and waited. They were observant and careful and plentiful. But at night, there were fewer eyes on the enemy army, and that’s when the Turkish diggers did most of their work. They could make a bit more noise, and had the cover of darkness to hide their movements in and out of the tunnels.

Another group of people who worked through the night were the bakers in the city. If the people were going to have fresh bread each morning, that meant long nights of grinding, kneading, and baking it. And it was during one of those quiet nights when the bakers thought they heard something odd. It was almost like the sounds of digging, but it seemed to be coming from nearby, which was impossible.

And then it clicked. The digging was coming from beneath the building they were in, beneath the very city itself. They rushed out and alerted the soldiers on duty, and the warning was sounded throughout Vienna. When they routed the Turkish diggers and examined the tunnels, they were shocked to discover at least ten large explosive devices, just waiting to be detonated.

Somehow, against all odds, they had discovered their enemy’s plan before it was too late, and put a stop to the invasion. Soon after, King John arrived, and the city launched its counterattack against the Ottomans. And they won. They won the battle, and in the coming years, they put an end to the westward expansion of that red and yellow crescent flag.

Those bakers were heroes, but they were also relieved citizens, and they wanted to celebrate along with everyone else.

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