himself next to Schmidt as she climbed , careful not to ascend too quickly and leave her and a glorious deal behind . Over a head taller , it was not difficult for Chalk to drizzle his honeyed words into her ear . He prised open the doors of her perception with his visions of a United Europe , returning her to a youthful fantasy . As he spoke Schmidt could not help but dream of a fourth Reich . A tough nut to crack , Chalk was already gorging himself on the kernel . Finally , the stairs flattened out into a white , clinical corridor . Cool air was pressed out of vents in the plaster board ceiling to cool the important persons passing underneath . The climb , already difficult owing to the physique of the climbers , was made no easier by the three-course dinners weighing down their stomachs , or by the suits prohibiting the flow of air to their pasty skin . The relish of these elder statesmen was acutely visible as they stepped under the wafting drafts fanning down on their bald heads .
At the end of the corridor , the core of the European Union opened up , filled suddenly with the erythrocytic leaders and their entourages . Cameras clicked , cameramen crawled , reporters thrust microphones , the flashing light mimicking the beating of a frantic heart . They would do anything for a good picture and Chalk knew it ; ever the performer he thrust forward his jawline , so it cut the light , every inch the general , the vanguard of a new age . God , the papers loved that , and so did the voters . Chalk , once a soldier , now a politician , ever the star of the show , would do anything for votes , the currency of power .
The warm mahogany relaxed under Chalk ’ s palms as he stretched out over the table , evident in his superiority over these other talking-shop leaders . All eyes were on him . All he had to do was obtain the signatures of those around the table for his deal , and his years of hard work would be finished . Flamboyantly he signed the paper with the gold nib of his embossed Mont Blanc , CC , digging the metal into the soft , rich paper . He stood , document in hand , to pass it around the table . To those of the leaders who were more reluctant to sign , Chalk spoke in hushed , smooth , fluent tones - ‘ Estonia will need never fear the Russian threat again ’, ‘ Polish steel will be the envy of the world ’ - and soon enough they too were happy signatories of the ‘ Modern EU charter ’. No one had time to read any , let alone all , of it .
In just under an hour , the talks were finalised , finished , deliciously complete . Chalk smiled his smooth smile at the cameras lying in wait for him outside . Two years of
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