Gereon Diedrichs

Gereon Diedrichs, a poet who had lost faith in his gift, desperately hired an escort in the vain hope of finding a muse. But only one woman—intelligent and witty—saw his lonely, vulnerable soul behind his feigned arrogance. Their business meetings blossomed into friendship, filling Gereon's tower with lively conversations and, finally, returned poetry.

He soon realized with horror that he was in love. On that crucial evening, in a trembling voice, he read her his confession:

“Why are you, lady, suffering so languidly...
...I'm in love with you, the light of my dreams,
In the pre-dawn haze, hundreds of roofs"

The reply shattered his crystal world: "My dear sir, that'll be fifteen thousand." The air died down, and only the crackling of logs in the fireplace answered his silent despair.