When a matter has been under review for a very long time, it can happen, even before enquiries are completed, that suddenly, at a quite unexpected stage that cannot be identified afterwards, a decision is reached at lightning speed which settles the whole affair, more often than not quite properly, but still in an arbitrary way. It is as if the administrative apparatus could no longer bear the strain of years of aggravation caused by the same matter, in itself perhaps insignificant, and had taken the decision of its own accord without involving the officials. Of course, no miracle has occurred, and certainly some official will have written the decision, or else made an unwritten decision; but at all events no one - at least none of us, and not even anyone from the authorities - can say which official has made the decision, and for what reasons. Only the bureaus of control establish this much later, but we aren't told, and in any case hardly anyone would be interested any longer.

The Castle by Franz Kafka