H. M. is a 35 year old writer. As he very much enjoys to be the centre of attraction, he prefers flashy clothes: wide trousers, loose shirts and sandals, allowing a peek at his bare feet. No need to mention that he favours a corresponding hairstyle. Sometimes he ties his flaming red hair in a ponytail with a rubberband. Contrasting with this he prefers the colours black, white and yellow.

As one would expect, he is living alone. His parents died some time ago, leaving him as their only child. He does not care for friends or any other relationships and he hates pets because they require much too much of his precious time, which he demands completely for himself.

Living in a studio above the roofs, the only decorative interior in his sparsely furnitured rooms is an old painting, signed by "BOD", depicting a castle surrounded by a picturesque green landscape. At the lower border of the frame a brass-label reads "Liffey Castle". This painting is a gift from his now 90-year-old grandfather who still claims that he had once received it from an Irish fellow as a payment for that manīs gambling debts.

Inspired by BODīs painting and a poem by E. Moerike on Liffey Castle and a certain King Milesint (everybody knows King Milesint, isnīt that so?" he is now working on a novel set against the background of Irish history. He happily takes the recent letter enquiring into O`Donnelīs succession as a welcome opportunity eventually to travel to Ireland for some research - something he has put off for some time now. Maier is absolutely convinced: BOD means Brian O`Donnell!

1. Episode Heiner Maier