Tunnels

for help. Of course, King John the third of Poland was most likely on his way with an army to free them, to push back the sea of red flags and golden crescents. But King John hadn't arrived, and they weren't sure much longer they could hold out against an army of nearly one hundred thousand warriors. The siege of the city had been going on for two months now, 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 was all too real and present. It hung over them like a dark cloud in fact, 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 patient. 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 they 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 long quiet nights when the bakers thought they heard something odd. It was almost like the sound 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 of Poland arrived and the city launched its counter attack 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 right along with everyone else. So they got to work crafting a special treat one

that would mark their victory over the Turks. What they created was something new and different, a pastry designed to mimic the central icon of their enemies flag. They called it the kip Fell, which meant crescent in German. It was a smash hit too, so much so that it's still around today, although we know it by a different name. Entirely the Croissant. Henry worked on the same ship as his brother Sam, because that's what older brothers do, right. They walked a little ahead and hold the door open

for the people they love. And boy did Sam love Henry. They were young. Sam was twenty three, just three years older than Henry, and they were adventurous. They had managed to get work on a ship, and Sam had worked his way up to steersman. Their work took them all over and they had a lot of fun meeting new people and learning new things, but there were also moments of trouble. One of their co workers was a man named Brown, and Brown apparently had a checkered past as

a troublemaker. In the course of their daily work, Henry discovered that Brown didn't care for him much, but he did his best to avoid the man, which he did until one day while Sam was at the helm guiding the ship. That was when Brown lost control and punched young Henry. And that wasn't a good idea. Not only did Sam love his brother, but he was protective of him.

When he heard of what happened, Sam walked away from the helm and left the ship on its own, located Brown, and then laid him out cold with a powerful punch. It solved one problem, but it created another. Sam and Brown couldn't stay on the same ship any longer, so when the ship docked for the night in the same town as Sam's older sister, he left the crew and spent the night in town. I imagine they had dinner that evening, caught up on everything that had already happened

since they last spoke, and maybe shared some laughs. Eventually, though, Sam went to bed, and when he did, he fell into a dark, tense dream. In it, he was standing in the living room downstairs. All of the furniture had been pushed out of the way, and in the middle of the room was a coffin resting on a pair of chairs. The coffin was the sort that's been covered in a sheet of glossy metal, and the top half was open for viewing. So Sam crept closer. Inside he

found his brother, Henry. He looked peaceful, and a small bouquet of white flowers rested on his chest. At the center of that white bouquet was a single red flower, red like blood. Sam awoke in a panic. He rushed to his sister's room, shook her awake, and then told her what he had seen. It was just a dream. She told him it was nothing to worry about, but of course dreams like that don't go away easily or quickly.

The following day, Sam watched as the ship he had worked on for so long with his brother pulled out of port. He boarded a different one a short time later and followed Henry's ship from a distance. The plan was to wait until the captain could find a replacement for Brown, and then it would be safe for Sam to rejoin Henry on the ship. Except that never happened. On June, and explosion rocked the lead ship and two fifty passengers and crew were instantly killed. One of the survivors, however,

was young Henry. He had been thrown high into the air by the explosion and then landed in the wall are far from the ship, but he was brave, and even though he was injured and horribly burned, he swam back to save others. By the time sam ship arrived, Henry had been found and removed to a hospital for

emergency care. His lungs had been scorched by the steam and his body was broken to pieces inside, but he had saved so many others, and as a result, a number of crew had gathered to hold vigil around him as he slowly died before their eyes. And that's the scene Sam walked in on when he finally arrived. When Sam showed up the next day for the crew funeral, he walked into a large room filled with a dozen pale, wooden coffins, all except one. In the middle of the room,

resting on two chairs was a metal coffin. Inside it, Sam found Henry. It turns out so many crew members thought of Henry as a hero that they all pitched in and upgraded his coffin. As Sam's it over his brother's body. People milled in and out of the rows of coffins, paying their respect. It was a somber moment, and the air was heavy with pain and grief. But in the middle of that, an elderly woman stepped through

the crowd and approached Henry's coffin. Then she placed a bouquet of white flowers on his chest and walked away. Sam glanced at them. Sure enough, right in the middle of the white flowers was a single red one red like blood. The experience altered Sam's life completely. He wouldn't be content to work as a steersman for much longer. Instead, he wanted to leave his mark on the world, to

create something beautiful by telling stories, and he did. I can't help but wonder if the loss of his brother fueled that lifetime of writing that he left behind for future generations to enjoy, writings that included reflections of his time on the ship with his brother dressed up in fictional characters. Of course, yes, that loss was painful, but it helped to create a man now known as a

legend of American literature. Sam you see, was Samuel Clemens, but most of us would more easily recognize his pen name, Mark Twain. I hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, or learn more about the show by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. The show was created by me Aaron Manky

in partnership with how Stuff Works. I make another award winning show called Lore, which is a podcast book series and television show, and you can learn all about it over at the World of lore dot com. And until next time, stay curious.