The story begins with a picture of a grave lying in a German cemetery in Romania. It holds two names: Emil Muler and Xaver Sumer. Both soldiers, with deaths listed a year apart.
Why were they buried in a single grave?
This question kicks off the story that has captivated Twitter users since the end of November. The photo and subsequent saga were originally posted in Spanish by Guillem Clua, but a rough English translation has circulated since.
\u201cThe other day I promised you that I would explain the mystery that lies behind this tombstone in which two soldiers of the Austro Empire who fought and died in the First World War... and who were buried together. Thread goes.\u201d— ; (@;) 1544217372
Clua’s quest to discover why these soldiers were buried together first takes him out of the cemetery and to Sighisoara’s City History Museum. There, he says, he finds photos of the Muler family, including one with Emily, his brother Adolf, and a friend named Hermann.
\u201cThe only thing I find out about him is that he went to the Hill school with his big brother. They both come out here with a friend. Emil's the right.\u201d— ; (@;) 1544218838
He speaks to a few people, but hits a dead end, so he goes over to a nearby restaurant for lunch. It’s there he spots a painting with a familiar name…
\u201chttps://t.co/9VeNrvdoDs\u201d— ; (@;) 1544240478
“In the lower left corner, the painter has signed his name,” the rough translation of Clua’s tweets reads. “First I think that my eyes deceive me, but there it says clearly ‘X Sunyer.’”
Not quite Sumer, but close. Though it’s the title of the painting that truly captivates him: “Emil’s Room.”
Obviously the only thing to do after that is wander around Sighisoara until he’s found the building from the painting. And he does.
What follows is an entrancing tale of forbidden love, betrayal, heartbreak, and redemption that you're better off reading yourself. Even the language barrier won’t stop it from tugging at your heartstrings.
\u201cI've finally put a face on the two soldiers. I put his photographs next to each other. The gaze of both of them is riveted on mine. And through space and time, it seems to me to see in them a common supplication: "Tell our story or we will never exist."\u201d— ; (@;) 1544329270
The story has already inspired fan art, fan-made movie trailers, and thousands of shares on social media.
Due to its popularity, Clua ultimately released a statement explaining the tale was one he wove himself. But the photos? The cemetery? Every story starts somewhere, and Clua says the photos are real. The grave is real, and there are an Emil and a Xaver who share an eternal resting spot.
And maybe Clua didn't tell their real story, but... maybe he did. Or maybe he told the story of two other soldiers who fell in love, or two other schoolboys, or another painter and another boy whose father would never approve.
It's surely someone's story, and as Clua said, "it depends on you not to die again."
\u201cI breathe deeply. \nI contemplate the tombstone. \nI read their names over and over again.\nEmil and Xaver.\nXaver and Emil.\u201d— ; (@;) 1544414055
\u201c"Your story has been told."\u201d— ; (@;) 1544414564
