"It's hard to explain." "It's hard to explain myself." "But I never tell lies." "Everything I say is true, even when I don't say a thing." "Someone always has to die first before anything happens." "Otherwise life just goes on as if there's no problem." "No." "Someone always has to die first." "And then everyone suddenly wakes up." "But it's too late then." "That's why someone had to die." "Every morning I play my game from 5:45 till 6:33." "Always." "I've now reached level 80." "If you don't know what that means, it's just... high." "It means you're strong, respected in the world." "Hundreds of thousands of people online." "But for more than a year," "I've only been playing with her." "REMEMBER, PRINCESS MAY BE A MAN IN REAL LIFE" "YOU ARE YOU" "GLAD YOU ARE YOU TOO" "In games you can be whoever and whatever you like." "Here you can only be one person... the jerk you see in the mirror." "I have to teach him everything." "For example, I have to teach him to laugh." "People like that." "To "give them a smile," as they say, which means smiling when really there's nothing to smile about." "That's how you create your own avatar." "20 seconds for my hands... and 15 for my hair." "You're as strong as your weapons and tools." "My heart rate meter, for example, to keep track of my heart, as they say, for when I get nervous." "Not that it makes me less nervous, but now I can see exactly how nervous I am." "My mother." "Now she's going to say," " "Good morning, Ben. "" " Good morning, Ben." "People say that whether it's a good morning or not." ""Good morning, Mom. "" "People never say, "Bad morning. "" "Did you sleep well, son?" ""Really well, Mom." "It's nice of you to ask." "Thank you. "" "Have you seen my troll, Ben?" "My brother Jonas." "He's still small." "I have to be his big brother and all." "Trolls don't have horses." "But somehow I never seem to know how to." "Calm down, Ben." "Calm down." "Easy now, Ben." "Okay?" "Don't take any of it to heart." ""I won't, Mom. "" "I won't, Mom." "I won't take heart." "Won't take it to heart." "You are allowed to take heart, son." "Use your head, don't get worked up." "Give me a kiss." "Go on." "I've also got a weapon for fighting noise... other noise, but nicer." "Nicer noise." "I've got to use my head." "Think ahead and think a-heart." "Be prepared, be forewarned." "Forewarned is forearmed." "It's all a matter of planning, of strategy." "I can't say I was taken totally by surprise, but... it just proved that... that everything that'd happened up till now wasn't right." "Before you do something like that, things must be... it simply proved to me that things had just gone too far." "Way too far." "People are strange." "They talk and talk and talk." "And they drink each other's saliva." "All I can do is watch and copy them, imitate them." "Everything I'll never learn." "Because there was always something the matter... with me and with my hand." "Throw it to someone." "This is getting out of hand!" " Wrong." " What's wrong with you?" "I'm the man who's always wrong, but no one could tell me exactly how to be right." "Hi, you faggots!" "Pat's got a new girlfriend." "Sit down, darling." "Not bad, eh?" "When an old girl's in heat, sparks can fly." "Do you know what your hand in her knickers feels like?" "I don't want to know." "Have you ever given a horse a lump of sugar?" "Bogaert and Desmet." "I'm their best friend." "At least, that's what they say." "Oh, there's Benny, our best friend." "Our alien from Pluto." "Living proof that man descended from mussels." " Mussels?" " Hi, Benny-Boy." "The man from Mars!" "Hi!" "Whitney Houston for Benny-Boy." "Over." "Come in, Benny-boy, over." "Over, Benny-Boy." "Do you read me?" "Hey, Benny-Boy." "Masturbation makes you deaf!" "Is anyone home?" "Deaf." "Why did they always come up with that?" "If I sat there playing quietly, they thought my ears weren't working." "The doctor said I could hear perfectly well but I didn't listen." "He doesn't listen." "Then they thought there was something wrong with my eyes." "Can you see what those letters are?" " Yes." " Yes." "Can you tell me what those are?" "Yes." "The idea is that you tell me what the letters are." "C" " O-H-Z-V, S" " Z-N-D-C," "V" " K-C-N-R, K" " C-R-H-N," "V" " O-R-K, R" " H-S-O-N, K-S-V-R-H." "He always looked away as a baby." "He never looked at me." "He always looked through me." "Think of them as a computer that is configured differently." "They see everything." "They see every leaf extremely clearly, but they don't see the tree." "They literally can't see the wood for the trees." "The big picture..." "that's what it's all about." "You have to try to see the big picture and see that they don't see you." " Look where you're walking." " Retard." "Look where you're walking." "Retard." "Whitney Houston for Benny-Boy... we have a problem." "For Benny-Boy, the man from Mars." "There are a couple every year." "Always on their own in the playground." "It breaks my heart to see them, but what can you do?" "You can't nanny them." "You can't hold their hand." "Not now, that's for sure." "I wanted my son to go to an ordinary school." "My wife... my ex-wife... and I sometimes argued about it." "But he was much smarter than some of the other kids there." "10 times smarter." "An understandable question." "Where is God?" "Where is He?" "Where is this man with His long grey beard?" "With all the wars, the poverty and the injustice... where is God?" "People asked themselves the same question in Jesus's time." "Jesus was hanging there on the cross and they said, "Jesus, why don't you do something?" "If your dad is boss of the universe, if you can raise someone from the dead, it's child's play for you." "Click clack and you're free. "" "Jesus, himself, wondered too." "What does the New Testament say?" "At the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice," ""My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?"" "At that moment Jesus himself wonders that too." "He is so humiliated, dispirited, disheartened, that Jesus himself doubts God." "He lets go." "In fact, Jesus commits suicide." "Until he rises from the dead." "Until the resurrection." "And so God..." "God damn it, Bogaert!" "Leave Ben alone!" "It's not the first time I've had to tell you this!" "You're going to be in trouble!" "Ben's just different from you, from the below-average members of the class." "Fortunately for him, if you ask me!" "But you obviously find it very difficult to accept that someone is different." "Or is there something you want to share with us?" "Maybe your thoughts on the text you no doubt studied in detail last night?" " Yeah, okay." " Right." "We're dying of curiosity." "Does anyone know what Jesus said when they took him down from the cross?" ""Hey!" "My feet first!"" "That joke's grown really long whiskers." "My God, why hast Thou forsaken me?" "I ask myself the same question numerous times a day." "Whoa whoa whoa!" "Hey!" "Calm down!" "Take it easy." "Don't let them push you around, Ben." "Keep your cool." "Kids like him don't stand a chance." "They're easy prey." "They once stuck a bandage over his mouth and told him the headmaster had said they had to." "He walked round all day with the bandage over his mouth." "He always brought a packed lunch with him, but he never managed to eat it." "But what are you supposed to do?" "What we always do..." "too little." "Nothing." "Here's our favorite boy." "Well, Benny-Boy?" "Our Boy Jesus." "Leave him alone, guys." "Fuck off, Freddy faggot." "It can't be easy, being different, eh, Benny-Boy?" "Whoa!" "Better than average, eh?" "In fact, we should look up to you." "You're the man!" "Calm down." "Don't get worked up." "Don't get worked up." "Just stay calm." "Smile." "They said to keep on smiling." "Then it'll stop." "They'll stop." "Movie time!" "Action." "Faggot!" "Loser!" "Faggot!" "Loser!" "Look at me, son." "If you don't tell me, how am I supposed to know, Vertriest?" "Well, well!" "Look who's here." "My favorite clients." " The 10th visit is free." " Do you know why you're here?" " I don't know." " You really have no idea?" "Is it a quiz?" "Do you think it's funny, Desmet?" "To be honest, I don't think it's the least bit funny." "Apparently you have been... how shall I put it?" " Bullying Vertriest." "We teased him, we didn't bully him." "We do it to each other too." "But a normal person realizes it's only in fun, sir." "We try to treat him normally, but normality doesn't come easy for him." "We're not the ones throwing chairs through windows, sir." "It's not easy for us either." "That'll do." "Save the act for the playground!" "As for you... now's the time to open your mouth." "Go on." "Go on, say something." "Tell me what those two clowns did." "But it's easy with hindsight." "Well, easier." "That's to say... you feel like an old campaigner after the war's been lost." "I can't remember how many times I went to all these schools." "Always the same old story." "At this school we try to prepare the pupils for the harsh realities of life." "Sometimes we succeed and sometimes we don't." "About the glass..." "The headmaster said they would let it be..." "Thank you." "...if I let them have another look at me." "I hope we don't meet again soon." "So do I." "And you'll let us know what the doctor decides, whether he'll stay at this school?" "Yes." "Come on, Ben." "Your camera, Ben." "Take a look at it." "Seriously, look at it!" "Come on, Ben." "It can't go on like this, Ben." "It just can't." "They come up with a theory about my personality, my character." "But they don't even know me, and they make me sound like a monster." "And I wonder..." "MARTIAN STRIPS" "Well, son, are you okay?" "Is something wrong?" "Do you want to tell me something?" "No." "You've got a message." "Oh, it's from that girl Scarlite." "When are we going to see her in real life?" "Or doesn't that happen these days?" "I'll leave you to chat, or whatever you call it." "Good night, sleep tight." "Why do they say "sleep tight"?" "How do you sleep tight?" "But she was waiting." "For me." "For me, Ben X. Ben X." "She was waiting... for me." "NOT WELL" "I'M DEAD" "I'M DEAD TIRED" "REVIVE YOU TWO-BIT HERO" "ARE YOU MAD?" "It's nice weather." "Let's go to the hospital again, eh, Ben?" "Let's go and see the doctor." "Tell them everything again." "Dr. Meyvaert will be pleased to see us." "What is everything?" "I wasn't normal." " I was special." " You're special." "They all said so." "Your son is hypersensitive." "He's just sensitive." "Emotionally dysfunctional." "A light form of psychosis." "Just a bit stressed." "Like his mom?" "Let me give you this." "We can always take a closer look." ""Take a closer look. " Closer to what?" "WAITING ROOM There's always a camera... that sees everything." "Who's mad and who isn't." "Sir." "It's a waste of time." "Just a waste of time." "You've got to face up to it, Bob." "It can't go on like this." "We need help." "The kid has no business being here." "None." "None whatsoever." "I don't want to lose my mind!" "You won't lose anything." "They said, "Just let yourself go. "" "But they wouldn't let me go." "A new line." "Suddenly they knew what it was." "I had a bad brain." "Asperger's Syndrome." "It's a form of autism." "That's what they discovered." "I've got autism." "Or autism has got me." "The man had spent 12 years studying, but hadn't learned to leave his nose alone." "It's not easy." "And it won't get any easier." "But you have to remember that Ben isn't feeble-minded." "On the contrary, he's very strong." "You could almost say strong-minded." "He talks and talks and talks, the man who understands me." "He has extraordinary perception." "In fact, he's an extraordinary boy who, every day, fights to be ordinary." "The question is, should we help him to dispel the illusion that he can live like a normal boy?" "I've heard that his grades are good." " Yes." "Yes." " Excellent even." "So why would we take him out of that school?" "Because he's being bullied to death." "That's why." "Right." "That happens." "It shouldn't, but it does." "At some point, they stick a label on you." "Autism." "Do you see?" "But that word... to me, my child was simply my child." "To me, Ben was Ben." "They're volcanoes." "They're walking volcanoes." "We don't know when they'll erupt." "Time bombs living undercover in our world." "And the reaction often happens much later than the cause." "We'll just carry on like before." "We can do it." "We won't let them get to us." "Then my fingers told her everything." "But she said, "No endgame without me. "" "COME" "Come." "END = BEGINNING" "The princess of letters on the other side of the land... who is always by my side when things get out of hand." "Who knows me without knowing my name." "Who could put me back together again." "Who could make me sleep tight." "She said, "Well, man, where's your plan?"" "The one-word plan." ""Let me help you," she said..." ""to rise above it all." "To rise above yourself. "" "Calm down, Ben." "Calm down." "What's wrong with you today?" "Got your phone?" "Call me if necessary." "Don't take any of it to heart." "Give me a kiss." "And don't get worked up." "What exactly happened that day?" "Who can say?" "I only knew that he..." "I knew how my son felt by the way he slammed the door in the morning." "It wasn't a bad door that morning." "At least that's what I thought." "HEY MARTIAN, HE WHO TALKS IS GETTING IT" "Me, the Martian." "I'd be getting it." "Getting it." "Getting it." "But getting what?" "I was always getting it." "Always." "Ben?" "Did you see it?" "Did you see what I filmed?" "Yes." "Right..." "I didn't know you were such a Holy Joe!" "Are you okay, son?" "You know you can tell me if something's wrong." "Is there a problem?" " No." " Okay." "What the hell do you think you're doing?" "Did you think that was funny?" " Yes, I thought it was pretty funny." " Am I laughing?" "Maybe you haven't got a sense of humor, sir." "Don't start, Bogaert." "Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa." " You're playing with..." " Fire!" "Yes, you're playing with fire." "Can't you take a joke, sir?" "You should defend yourself, son." "Arm yourself against it." "Arm yourself." "Arm myself." "A death cross." "Its costs 350 gold in Archlord." ""If only we'd known," they say." ""If only we'd known. "" "What would they have done?" "You see it coming every year." "You see it coming." "Every evening you pray to God that it'll turn out okay." "And usually it does." "But I guess... this time we forgot to pray." "You only know how things turn out." "And we know that now." "I know one thing." "The school will never be the same again." "Hi." "Uh..." "Ben X." "I don't know you in real life, but I still know you really well." "I just want to say that what counts in-game counts in real life too." "You can't play an endgame without your healer, and that's me." "I'm worried about you." "Tomorrow I'll catch a train that gets to where you live at 10:22." "I know you'll be there." "You've never failed to keep an appointment, so... see you tomorrow." " Hi, Martian!" " Hi, Benny-Boy." "Hey, pal, you're so tense." "Let's exchange ideas." "If you have any in that retarded head." "The bus." "My bus." "My always-there bus that drives off." "It's nice here amongst the trees." "Shall we sit on a bench next to each other?" "Beardman told you not to get worked up." "And he's right." "Heart rate: 94." "What's that?" " That's some watch!" " You're spoiled." "Let me see!" "Don't get aggressive!" "Not like last time!" " Take it easy." " You know what'll happen." " We're friends." " You know what'll happen." "Take it easy, Desmet." "We're all friends here." "Jesus, you're really nuts." " Relax." " Call me if necessary." " Yes, Mom." " We're friends, aren't we?" " Hey, what's that?" "Hey!" " What's that?" "A Nokia 3250." "Christ!" "What have you got that for?" "You can't talk, so how can you use a phone?" " We should have it." " It's to text his mommy." "To send text messages?" "Let's see." "Here, look at this." "An MMS from..." "Who's that?" " Frankenstein's got a girlfriend!" " Scarlite." "She's called Scarlite." "Let's see." "Who's that?" "Who is it?" "He's got a girlfriend." " Hey, she's not bad!" " Definitely isn't!" "I just want to say that what counts in-game counts in real life too." "You can't play an endgame without your healer." "Your healer?" "Is she your healer?" "Dealer more likely!" "Incredible!" "Tomorrow I'll catch a train that gets to where you live at 10:22." "Tomorrow at 10:22, at the station, on the platform." "We'll be there too, eh, Desmet?" "We've got to see this!" "We can't miss out on our best friend's first date!" "True or not true?" "Telephone." "Telephone, Benny." " She's phoning him!" " It's Mommy!" "Hello, Mommy." "I'm in the park with my friends." "Leave a message after the beep." "Bye." "Bye, Mommy." "Oops, mailbox." "Let me know where you are, okay?" "Don't you mind being stalked, Benny-boy?" "Always having to listen to bullshit from your mother?" "I'll keep your phone, eh, Benny-Boy?" "What do you think?" " Easy!" "Easy with the crucifix!" " You are mad after all!" "Hey, Benny, telephone." "It's Mommy." "Aren't you going to answer it?" "It's Mommy." "She'll come and get you." "Come on, Ben." "Answer your phone." "My buddy Benny-Boy." "You crazy Martian!" "We're not taking you with us again!" "And to think we had a present for you as well." "Look, this is only for our best friends." "It's a little pill that has a big effect." "It's called a Superman." "Superman." "Open your mouth." "There's a smiley on it, for people like you who never laugh." "Want it?" "Some water to wash it down." "You'll feel just like Superman!" "There!" "Now swallow." "The first one's free because you're our friend." "It'll do you good." "You won't be so aggressive any more." "Here." "So you know what time it is when you go whining to the fatmaster." "I don't believe this!" "Jesus Christ!" "I don't believe it!" "Phone me, please." "What's that, Mom?" "Nothing, son." "It's nothing." "Let's go and look for Ben." "Damn it." "God damn it!" "Damn!" "Damn me!" "Where are you?" "Where are you?" "Feel." "Feel me, Ben." "Ben." "You have to learn to feel if you want to learn to feel good." "Ben!" "What's up, son?" "What happened?" "Are you okay?" "Just look at you!" "Is everything okay?" "What's the matter?" "What's the matter with you, Ben?" "That'll do, son." "It's nothing, Mom." "That's what people always say, it's nothing." "I'm healed, Mom." "I'm really healed." "Completely healed." "Your big brother is Superman!" "Calm down, Ben, please!" "That's enough!" "There's water coming out of your eyes, Mom." "Water is coming out of your eyes but I know what it is." "Salt and moisture." "Salt and moisture!" "People say I don't understand because I don't understand feelings, but I do." "I know what they are." "Do you remember when I was little" "I tried to push those tears back into your eyes?" "It was just because I didn't want you to be sad." "It's all right, Mom." "People always say it's all right and they ask," ""Is everything all right?"" "And then you reply, "Yes, yes!" ""Yes, everything's all right." "Everything is right." "Everything's going right. "" "Everything's all right." "Everything's going right." " I'm not crazy." " No!" " Just a bit difficult." " Calm down, Ben." "Yes, I'm a different cult." "But I'm training myself." "I'm training, training, training." "I'm in bits." "But I've been reborn, like in video games." " You always get a new life." " Come on, son." "Let's go home." "Come on, son." "That's it." "And then it was over." "I was over." "Eyes open again, head shut once more." "Ben." "What's that, Ben?" "Why didn't you tell me?" " Ben..." " Then it was time for truthfulness." "Shamefulness, painfulness." "Who did that?" "Tell me, Ben." "Everything can be destroyed so easily." "Why couldn't I just be destroyed too?" "Stop it, Ben." "Stop it!" "Jonas!" "Jonas." "Then I saw that jerk standing there again." "And I attacked him." "I'd heard it before, the calling of night falling." "Going right to the end of pain." "How beautiful!" "Blood flowing from a vein." "A bit later my father came round." "My dad, who also never knows what to say." "So I usually understand him that way." "She'd come too." "Sabine, his girlfriend, as he'd always say." "Who always asked how I was holding up." "How are you holding up?" " It can't go on like this." " No, Sabine." "It can't go on like this." "But still, it will have to." "It will have to." "It's not the first time and it won't be the last." "Come on, Sabine." "Leave it." "It's okay, leave it." "Look after him." "The endgame." "The end, the end, the end, the end." "The end, the end, the end." "The end, the end, the end, the end." "The endgame." "Heart rate: 55." "Under 13 and you're dead." "42 to go." "Then you've done it." "You're finished." "42 heartbeats less and you arrive." "Where there's death, there's life." "You can't play an endgame without your healer and that's me." "Tomorrow I'll catch a train that gets to where you live at 10:22." " And I know you'll be there..." " 9:36." "Got to go to the station." "I've got to go to the station." "Calm down." "Calm down, Ben." "GONE OUT DON'T WORRY" "I'll keep your phone." "The station." "The station." "10:22, at the station on the platform." "We'll be there." "We've got to see." "I can't be late." "She shouldn't have to wait." "She who doesn't know what I look like, who I am." "That I'm not there." "But them..." "I knew I'd find her." "I'd smell her, like the dog I am." "There she was." "She'd come." "She'd really come." "For real!" "She was waiting for me." "She was sending a text message." "Probably to me." "To me about whom she can only fantasize, whom she doesn't recognize." "To me who is here with a phone that's disappeared." "Then everything happened so quickly, as they say." "But everything always happens too quickly for me." "She left." "Because she couldn't see the invisible me." "But what my head couldn't do, my legs were able to." "There's the train." "A spaceship that has come to collect us from a barren planet." "Courage is everything." "Doing what you thought you couldn't do." "Her scent was enough." "The scent of a season that had yet to be invented on a continent still to be discovered, but that I could smell miles from the coast." "With her perfect neck turned towards me, she was dreaming up a landscape." "I imagined how I'd place my lips there, staking my claim." "My claim to liberation." "Just sitting here in the warmth from her body, briefly, everything was perfect." "This is a passenger announcement:" "We are about to arrive in Brussels." "Are you okay?" "I had to say something." "Anything." "But the only thing I say is nothing." "All I can do is leave." "And she left." "She just left." "And I just had to leave too." "I was scared stiff." "A mother feels these things." "A hundred times a second I thought," ""Don't let him do anything stupid." "Please don't let him do anything stupid. "" "I remember he once asked me," ""How many reasons does someone need to commit suicide?"" "I asked him what he meant by how many." "He said, "How many?" "Two, five, 10?"" "That's what he was thinking about." "He wanted to know if he had enough." "The endgame." "My plan." "The one-word plan." "Murder." "The murder of myself." "Catch the train." "To nowhere." "There is one advantage to killing yourself." "You never have to look far for your victim." "You don't even do it yourself, the train does it for you." "What was his motive?" "A locomotive." "If you think it's all over quickly, you're wrong." "Even if you're lucky enough to be decapitated immediately, apparently your head remains conscious for another 13 to 15 seconds." "So you can imagine that what goes through your mind isn't pleasant." "Seeing bits of your body flying in all directions." "They say that just before you die... your life flashes before your eyes like a film." "So?" "Did you see anything?" " But who..." " Who pushed you?" "Me, of course." "Who else, blockhead?" "You?" "Does he have any distinguishing scars or birthmarks?" "Scars?" "It was already broken, wasn't it?" "Did you notice anything out of the ordinary?" "I don't get it, Ben." "Honestly." "Ben." "Are you the man who escaped from the dungeon of Silancium?" "Who crossed Windrill Desert alone with me?" "Who fought Bailor?" "Who crossed the swamps of Ondekon with me?" "Who conquered Zerdin?" "You're level 80, for God's sake." "And that's your endgame?" "You just throw yourself under a train?" "Was that your plan?" "Just click on exit and log out." ""Gone out." "Don't worry. "" "That's good news, isn't it?" "It means he's gone out for a bit and you don't have to worry." "My son doesn't just go out for a bit on a Saturday morning." "He's not able to." "Besides, look." "I found this." "I don't know if you know, Ben, but... in real life dying is fairly definite." "You can't change your mind." "You can die as much as you like." "But not for real." "That's not the way we play, Ben." "You're level 80." "Do you want to quit this world, Ben?" "Go on then, go." "But if you want revenge, take revenge." "Otherwise you're exactly what they say you are, a loser." "Play to win, Ben." "Everything's a matter of planning, of strategy." "Don't you just love Fanta?" "I'm really happy... that you're you." "We'll file a missing person's report and circulate his description nationally." "What about this?" "What are you going to do about this?" "I'll inform our social services unit." "They're familiar with things like that, unfortunately." "Ben!" ""I just wanted to go away," he said." ""But I didn't dare die because I didn't know what that was. "" "Was that your big plan?" "Ben?" "How are we going to do it?" "Take poison?" "No." "Imagine if you took poison and then changed your mind." "You'd have to call the Poison Center." ""Hello?"" "The people at the Poison Center get lots of phone calls like that." "That's for idiots." "Or you could hang yourself." "That's cool." "Apparently you die with a huge erection." "But then you shit yourself." "That's not cool being found like that, eh?" "Ben." "Do you know what else they always find under the fingernails of someone who's hung themselves?" "Little bits of rope and skin." "Do you know why?" "Because they always desperately try to get the rope off their neck." "But they can't." "The chair's too far away and they can't reach it." "You think it's exciting, huh, Ben?" "Dying." "Then everything is solved in one fell swoop." "Ben is solved in one fell swoop." "Aren't you going to take one last look to see if there's another solution?" "Take one last look around." "You need to be more creative, damn you!" "Shut up, beautiful." "You are so beautiful." ""Assemble a guild," she said." ""Like in Archlord. "" "It was her idea." "Some quests are too big for two." ""You have to help me," he said." "So we helped him." "We knew everyone would say that you can't do that." "But that's more or less why I did it." "Smoking's forbidden here, Sabrina." "My name's Sabine." "You should be grateful for not being able to smoke." "Yeah, I'm really grateful." "You'll live half a day longer." "You're not serious, right?" "You're not really going to do this!" "You know you can't!" "I can't do it!" "Sabine, you don't have to do anything." "You insisted on coming." "I don't care whether you come or not but if you think it's easy for us, you're wrong." "Look." "The sea." "The end of the world." "You know what they say, Ben?" "Every end is a beginning." "Anyone want anything to eat?" "Ben?" " Sabine?" " No, thanks." "Don't you feel very well, Sabine?" "Not really, no." "Is this how you want it to be, Ben?" "Right." "Ben, uh..." "I'II..." "Ben!" "Ben!" "I have to put my back into it." "Everything is a matter of thinking ahead." "And thinking a-heart." "Everything is a matter of willpower." "Courage is everything." "Ultimately doing the thing that you can't do." "If you die in a game then you're just out of the game for a while and you have to go and look for your body." "All they found of me was a tape." "And I had gone." "These are particularly disturbing images that once again remind us that one Flemish youngster takes his or her life every week." "In a recent study, 10% of Flemish youngsters between 15 and 18 say that they have attempted suicide at some point." "A very worrying figure." "And now the sports." "At the Indian Wells tournament..." "Everyone here today, members of the family, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, girls and boys... we've all come together today to say goodbye to a very special young man who was taken from us so suddenly" "and tragically." "Ben's life was never easy." "His condition made things very difficult for him." "Maybe we only realize now, when it's too late, that he battled against his handicap, if you can call it that, that was much worse than we could've imagined." "We never really had any real contact with him and won't be able to now." "Today all we can do is accept that some things are just too heavy to bear." "That is why..." "Hello." "Thank you for coming." "I too have come to an end, as they say." "Come to an end." "I died of myself." "Fellow men and un-fellow men... my fight is over." "At the end of your life, they say a film of your life flashes before your eyes." "Here are a few scenes that may interest you." "Go on, Ben." "Now, the endgame." "She called it dying creatively." "Suicide without the dying." "Dying without quitting." "Or quitting without dying." "I had to learn everything." "But I'd forgotten the most important thing." "Learning to lie." "To deceive." "Someone had to die first." "Otherwise you wouldn't have come." "Not for a boy." "You can't keep on begging and asking..." "You're so angry, Mommy." "And asking again and again that something be done to put a stop to it." "That they'd finally stop tormenting my son and making his life... sorry, but it's true... making his life so impossible." "His autism is his problem, but it's not a problem to him." "The others are the problem." "The others." "They have to learn to leave my kid alone." "Ben just wanted to quit." "Now he has." "Fortunately, he's still alive." "He's alive." "In his own world, maybe, but he's alive." "He's alive!" "He's living his life." "She said," ""It's high time to become who you are. "" "Just let it happen, Ben." "Don't be scared." "If you want to learn to feel good, you have to learn to feel." "Stroke him." "I've never been what they call happy." "But I've never been this kind of happy." "Beautiful, no?" "You don't have to talk to animals." "Do you dare sit on it, you two-bit hero?" "As soon as people see a horse, they want to sit on it." "But has anyone ever heard a horse ask for that?" "Do you?" "If a horse could choose..." "Yes, well..." "D AY ONE" "Hi." "This is Niels." "Did I wake you up?" "I just thought I'd let you know it's all on the disk." "I thought I'd start making a print out." "Oh, about 4 o' clock." "Yeah, I'll do that." "Yes, I'll start right now." "THE COP AND THE WHORE A FILMANU" "A what?" "A "filmmanu"!" "Listen, you know what..." "It just stopped dead." "I think you ought to come over here." "Take me to Store Kongensgade." "If you keep driving like this you'll soon owe me money." "Arizona?" "What did you say?" "I can hardly hear you." "Yes." "No, no." "Don't worry about it." "When are you coming home?" "OK, I'll make a dinner on Saturday." "Right." "Great." "No, no!" "I'll make something special." "It's for you, Lars." "Lars just came in." "See you on Saturday." "It's Claes in Arizona." "Is this the film consultant?" "How nice." "We just finished it." "We're making a print out now." "We assume you're going to pick it up on Saturday." "No problem finishing it on schedule." "Oh, about 200 pages." "215 or 216." "We'll probably cut it down a little." "Compress it somewhat." "A few cuts here and there." "Anything can happen." "Have a good trip and we'll see you on Saturday." "Great, Claes." "Niels sends his regards." "Great." "Bye now." "I checked the disk." "There's nothing left!" "Not much for him to pick up." "Damn!" " What's Claes doing over there?" " He bought a windbreaker." " Another one!" " He's got a windbreaker fetish." "THE COP AND THE WHORE" "How the hell did we start this story?" "Was the whore in it from..." "Was she in the opening?" "I really can't remember how it started." "I vaguely remember the ending." "The middle is foggy, but the beginning..." "Actually..." "I didn't really like "The Cop and the Whore"." "It had its good moments." "Name one!" "I'd like it if we... wrote something more dynamic." "A coincidence due to fate can be so sinister and fantastic in character" "that one is tempted to draw apparently logical, but actually unfounded, conclusions." "During the course of 5 days the "Epidemic" manuscript was created and written down in and around this apartment." "That an actual epidemic was approaching during those 5 days, and that its awful outbreak and script completion coincided, is one of those inexplicable coincidences." ""Fathers left their children." "Wives left husbands, brother left brother." "For the disease attacked both through breathing and sight." "Thus they all died." "No one would bury them at any price." "Family members dragged their dead to open graves without benefit of clergy, eulogy or tolling of bells." "Throughout Siena mass graves were filled with victims." "I, Agnolo di Tura, called "The Fat One"." "buried my 5 children with my own hands." "Some were covered with such a thin layer of dirt that dogs dug up their bodies and fed on them." "This describes the atmosphere." "There were no funerals nor processions." "Priests said mass and bells tolled only for the rich." "Such ceremony was then forbidden in many places, as were bells, for it was thought the constant tolling would cause even greater anguish and perhaps greater sickness." "For purely religious reasons, as a form of protection from evil spirits, crosses were marked on doors to guard those inside." "Later, a cross came to mean that a house was infected." "Thus people were warned off." "The 1348 plague saw harsher methods employed." "When the first victims were found outside Milan," "Archbishop Bernabo Visconti ordered that all plague-infected houses be sealed with bricks." "With the family inside, of course." "Thus the plague spared Milan." "Three families were bricked in and died of plague and hunger." "So, Milan escaped the plague because it isolated itself from other plague-ridden cities?" "Yes, but it was hit much harder when the next plague struck." "CERTIFICATE OF DEATH E. MESMER, PHYSICIAN." "The archives stored here under these arches are Denmark's memory." "Let's see if we can find anything of interest to you." "Perhaps you wouldn't expect to find these walls here." "That's saltpetre coming out of them." "It comes from the wall itself, probably because the ground is so damp." "In the old days, before we understood the problem some of the staff were afraid to come down here, particularly in the dark, because of the strange sounds, pops, when the saltpetre cracked off more plaster." "It's a kind of wall disease." "Look at me when I'm talking to you, Dr. Mesmer." " Swine." " Apostate." " Traitor." " Renegade." " Creep." " Quisling." "I hold here your application, Dr. Mesmer." "You have applied for permission to terminate your research here at the hospital." "I understand that you wish to undertake medical practice in the infected areas outside the city, knowing full well that the Academy of Doctors has decided that no treatment can be given for this disease." "Damn it, Mesmer!" "I could never give you permission to leave for those areas." "It's quite impossible." "You know that well." "I beseech you for the very last time to reconsider your attitude." "Dr. Mesmer is ashamed of being a doctor, I would say." "Let's call him an idealist." "The disease doesn't frighten Dr. Mesmer." "Which medicament lies hidden in his doctor's bag?" " What has he in mind to prescribe?" " Aspirin and rest." "You haven't a chance, Mesmer." "You wouldn't be able to stay alive out there for one single day." "The air is infected." "And the soil." "And the water." "Early one morning you leave the protected walls of our city." "Your courage has brought you this far, Dr. Mesmer." "The world lies open." "But the closer you get to the infected areas, it seems as if the elements turn against you." "It may start with a light cough, but quickly, and without mercy, the respiratory organs are disabled by the infected air." "The bacteria in the soil penetrate the skin and the flesh by mere contact." "And the water you drink will destroy you from inside." "Let me make you an offer, Dr. Mesmer." "As you probably know," "I am chairman of the crisis commission, which was established in the early days of the epidemic as advisories to the government." "Confidentially, I can tell you that the government has just decided to resign." "Partly due to the acuteness of the situation, partly in acknowledgement of its own mismanagement." "In short," "His Majesty has requested that I form a provisional government." "This envelope, Dr. Mesmer, contains the cabinet list, which will be presented to His Majesty this very afternoon." "This list features exclusively names attached to this faculty." "All members with incontestable medical qualifications." "This list also contains your name, Doctor M.." "Prime Minister, Professor Ulrich, Neurology." "Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Oswald, Obstetrics." "Minister of Finance, Professor Geit, Gynaecology." "Minister of Justice, Dr. Horst, Orthopaedics." "Minister of the Interior, Professor Rosenberg, Surgery." "Minister of Transport, Dr. Janis, Urology." "Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Dr. Magnus, Psychiatry." "Minister of Education, Prof. Stendbeck, Anaesthetics." "Minister of ecclesiastical Affairs, Dr. Linderman, Pathology." "As you may have noticed, Mesmer," "I have, among others, admitted a Ministry of cultural Affairs, which gives me an opportunity to offer you an appointment as minister without portfolio." "You underestimate the danger of this disease," "Dr. Mesmer." "Would you please call in Dr. Magnus." "I know Epidemiology is your field, Dr. Mesmer." "I take it, therefore, that you have come across the mysterious phenomenon commonly known as "King Rat"." "A bundle of 3 or 4 rats, who have had their tails so helplessly entangled, that consequentially they have starved to death." "In the Great Plague years, finding of King Rats always gave warning of the coming of the disease." "Just before the Black Death in London in 1348, a King Rat was found that consisted of no less than 5 rats." "If you please, Dr. Mesmer, this discovery was made in the cellar under the University on the night between Friday and Saturday. 7 rats." "Dr. Mesmer!" "If you leave these premises to carry out your plans, it is my duty to inform you that by such action you will excommunicate yourself from the Doctors' Syndicate." "From this moment on, you'll be numbered among the patients." "Haven't you heard about the fortifications around the city?" "They've walled the doors and windows in the outskirts of the city." "You won't be able to overcome these obstacles." "I bought a goose to pickle." "D AY TWO "THE LINE"" "Then I'll boil it and bake it." "I also bought some truffles." "I don't know how I'll use them just yet." "I've also got a fish to pickle." "It's all for the Saturday dinner." "Niels!" "I understand you've settled on bubonic plague." "Nice boil!" ""And no matter how hard and firm the boil might seem it could rupture unexpectedly to the victim's surprise and spill forth a two-coloured puss." "It was startling that the colours didn't mix and came out together but separated by God's will, without compounding into a third colour"." "It seems to me I've seen that in a tube of toothpaste." "I don't know if you can still get it." "It's called "signal"." "It was just like ordinary white toothpaste but there were thin red stripes in it too." "So you got a two-colour stripe when you squeezed the tube." "So you got a two-colour stripe when you squeezed the tube." "Can our boils work like that?" "Yeah, why not?" "The weather report for the second day of screenwriting promised north-easterly winds and the first frost of winter." "Many blamed the weather for the wave of neck aches that came." "Others thought they had influenza symptoms." "Headaches were nothing new for the authors." "They often came in the wake of ideas." "One detail I'd like to include is that after leaving the city, which should burn behind him..." "I really think it ought to." "After he leaves the city, that's when the disease starts to spread, because he brings it with him in his doctor's bag." "OK, let's start." "Shall we call it "In the City"?" " Or just "City"?" - "In Town"." "Yeah!" ""In Town"." "And about here, I think we ought to have" ""Fortification"." "That will be hard to read." ""Fortification"." "And here we'll work our way out to the countryside." "What else is there?" "Oh, yeah." "About here, about two thirds of the way." "Here we need some drama." "Please write "drama" over there." "It's just that that's when the audience will think about leaving." " So, we've got to..." " Put in some drama!" "And this is right here." "The "Wag"." ""Wag Tann"." " If you don't mind." " No." "What does it mean?" "Well, this bacteria that's moving closer, which we refer to constantly, ought to be accompanied by strains of Wagner." "The overture to Tannhauser." "He's an idealist." "So if we write "ideal" in the beginning, that's not a bad idea." "Right, let's write "ideal"." "We also ought to write "Revelation" here." "Just "Rev. " will do, maybe." "So, this basically boils down to the young idealist who leaves the fortified city, which is sealed because of the suspicion of the disease that has spread nearby." "We can refer to the painted crosses we talked about, and people are imagining illnesses." "But the first real victim of the disease ought to be the far-sighted nurse, don't you think?" "Clearly the doctor is somehow spreading the disease." "Without him and his idealism there would be no problem at all." "An arrow." "The revelation leads to some religious ending." "Don't you think it's about time for a small beer?" "Oh, I think we could handle a beer." "A film ought to be like a pebble in your shoe." " Cheers!" " Cheers." "Kruff is here." "Ask him what kind of wine to drink on Saturday." "He knows a lot about wine." "Some people can't drink wine without a candle on the table." "Some people can't live without a candle especially when they drink good wine!" "I'm not one of them." "It should have been decanted to let it breathe." "The bouquet is fantastic." "Yes." "Very fine indeed." " It's also very precise." " Yes." "It's a wine from..." "Marquis d'Angerville." "It may be a Clos des Ducs." "There are snails in it!" "Oh, it's leaking." "It's usually difficult to pour from a bottle like this." "Well, doesn't look like it this time." "It's hard to see where the sediment is sitting, though." "Now, if one chose one like this as the red wine for the main course..." "One's better off than if one chose it as a white wine!" "One's better off than if one chose it as a white wine!" "Yes, of course." "It would have to be a great deal older for that." "Superb wine!" " A shame some was wasted." " You've got a point there." "Well, if we had a white and then drank this, what white would you choose." "I suppose..." "Well, there are two choices." "Either a Puligny-Montrachet or a Mersault-Santenots." "D'Angerville also makes Mersault-Santenots." "So, everything's kept in the family, so to speak." "This Volnay Clos des Ducs is better than it looks." "I'm very interested in epidemic diseases." "Wasn't there a plague that attacked the grapevine in France" "a few centuries ago?" "In some cases an Auslese can be attacked by noble rot." "Dr. Thanisch's widow..." "She was once married to a doctor." "He grew great wines!" "I was once told by a waiter at Lasserre in Paris..." "He told me something." "A long time ago there had been a plague of some kind in Bordeaux." "It didn't strike the bottled wines, as it were, but the grapes on the vine." "It wasn't really a plague..." "It was a kind of vine pest." "Phylloxera." "I think the scientific name was "Phylloxera vastatrix"" "But it devastated French wine production for years, right?" "Yes, Philloxera is the pest of all pests in that regard." "D AY THREE "GERMANY"" "What are you doing?" "We're taking a trip to Germany." "I thought you'd be writing." "One, two, three, four, five, six," "seven, eight, nine, ten." "We're driving through some of the worst areas in Europe." "Or perhaps the most interesting." "All of Europe's industry is here in big splotches on the map." "We'll drive through Dortmund and Essen." "Then Duisburg, Krefeld." "Krefeld." "Neuss, Dusseldorf." "We'll also be going through Remscheid, Solingen and Leverkusen." "There's the headquarters of Bayer Chemicals." "From there we'll head towards Cologne." "Our friend Mesmer is on his way out to the disease-ravaged Europe." "I think it's time for him to meet somebody." "I think I'd like to suggest that our friend here" "meets a theologian." "We've discussed the length of various forms of education." "The fact that... study for specific occupations has become very short" "in a society where one can plan only a few hours ahead because the disease spreads at record speed." "Let's suppose that this theologian has an education that took, say, an hour and a half." "This gives us the opportunity to make fun of religion and of the educational system too." "That way we can get a little humour into the tragedy." "Something else... during the plague people died in a matter of hours and were buried quickly." "In the rush, some were buried alive." "It might be a good idea if Mesmer's girlfriend, the nurse, met this fate." "That would fit in with Mesmer's mission." "On the third day the bacteria was incubated in the soil." "The city could be divided into zones, according to the degree of infection." "Modern transportation helped the bacteria to spread quickly." "In a matter of hours, the germs reach new parts of the globe." "Niels!" ""signal Plus"." ""ideal for prevention"." ""Clinically tested"." "Thanks." "Now we'll reveal everything." "The secret!" "It's rather firm." "I'll make an incision here." " Tough tube!" " I'll make an incision here." "Very tough indeed." "Maybe that's part of the secret." "And we open it up here and we can now see that there are no stripes inside." "The white stuff is down here and the red's down here." "How do they combine?" "Looks like a nozzle." "You've got a nozzle in which the white stuff pulls the red stuff along with it out through the opening." "Yes!" " And that's the story of "signal"." " "Plus"." " Hello." " Hello." "Come in." "Cheers." "So, what are you doing in Cologne?" "Well, we're writing a script." "Here?" "No, we're just here for a short time." "But how are you?" " My mother just died." " I'm very sorry." "She told me things she'd never told me before." "What things?" "About the hospital, the day I was born." "She told me the roof collapsed." "In the evening she was in the hospital and they were collecting all the babies back into a different room, which my mother could see from her room through a glass wall." "Then she told me she saw a brick wall coming down, and the nurse wanted to protect the babies and jumped over it." "She was hit and there was a blood stream out of her head." "So, my mother was completely left in this corner, no way of getting out." "She was thinking, she told me, and she started scratching with her hands to make a hole in the wall." "And then she waved and people helped her to get out." "And then she waved and people helped her to get out." "Then she got out and she... told me that she was pressing me very strong to her." "She was in the hospital in Richard Wagner Strasse." "She was trying to get away, but everything was burning because it was the second English bombing of Cologne." "As an experiment they were using for the first time phosphor bombs." "Everything was burning and she was just getting away from all this." "She found herself all of a sudden at this... you know the lake?" "It's at the end of Richard Wagner Strasse." "Yeah, I know where it is." "And if you go right to the end, there's this water place." "And she got close to this, and she told me then that she heard first the noises, people screaming, and she saw a lot of people under the water." "They were instinctively going under the water, because of this phosphor that was burning their skins." "They were, you know, getting their head out to breathe." "And then... my mother told me a terrible thing." "She saw one hand sticking out of the water." "She was very close and could see the hand and she said it was only flesh, because all the skin was burned off." "And she didn't tell me all my life." "She waited until just before dying to tell me the story." "Here we are." "This is the area." "And of course all those houses were burning, and also on this side." "You can't see from here very well." "Let's go over there, we can see it better." "This is the place where hundreds and hundreds of people were standing in the water." "All those people screaming in this lake." "They were not Nazis." "My mother was not a Nazi." "I think I know what to call the disease." "I'm still not quite used to being a priest." "You know, in half a day you're a dentist." "It takes a whole day to become an airline pilot" "and in two you're a priest." "I studied for two days." "They gave me this book and told me I was a priest." "I opened the book." "It was goddamn Latin." "I told them:" "this book is goddamn Latin." "They told me I was a Catholic priest." "What the hell." "A week ago some 20 people tried to flee the D.I.N. disease by going to sea." "They built an artificial island with a couple of houses on it." "A few fields for crops." "Everything they needed." "But the island wasn't really constructed to overcome a storm." "Yesterday, I was told someone found a fragment of the wreck." "Wouldn't you call this a good opportunity to perform a ritual?" "Yes, over there." "The ceremony will begin." "Your passport, please." "Thank you." "D AY FOUR "THE HOSPITAL"" " Where's Niels?" " He's at the hospital." "Did he forget to tell you?" "But I don't think... he'll be long." "He made the appointment ages ago." " What's the matter with him?" " Don't ask me!" " You don't know what's wrong?" " I'm afraid not." " Is it his head or his legs?" " His head, I'm afraid!" "Things were still quiet at the hospital on the fourth day." "The daily routine was still functioning smoothly." "Nothing was amiss yet." "What's wrong?" "I had some small growths that itched and got bigger." "I've had them some time." "I had to have them removed." "It had been arranged for today." "I'd completely forgotten." "I don't particularly like being sliced open." "I fainted when I saw the scalpel." "He cut really deep." "Well, if you feel up to writing something..." "OK." "I've certainly got the time." "I've certainly got the time." " What about the inspiration?" " Oh, yes." "Indeed." "Thanks." "I told Palle we were writing a horror story." "He said you were welcome to go down and visit him." "He's down in pathology, if you're interested." "That's a nice offer..." "Are you squeamish about dissections?" "Don't you want to go?" "I'm not too sure." "I think it'd be very interesting, but unfortunately I can't go." "I just can't go, Niels." "It's not for me... no." "Take the lift to the basement." "There's a shuttle train." "Get on and ask for "Pathology"." "Gown, cap and mask" "It's in there on the left." "There aren't any apparent symptoms." "No bodily functions impaired." "We only recently noticed glandular tissue changes, primarily in younger subjects." "The first case was the day before yesterday." "12 cases yesterday." "We've also had a few today with these tissue changes." "We call it "granula"." "I think I'll examine the lymph nodes in the groin, or here in the back of the sterno cleido." "If this is another case, we ought to find something." "We don't usually carry out autopsies with masks and gloves, but this is a new phenomenon." "Its nature is unknown, so we have to take precautions." "I'll make an incision here." "Thank you." "Hold right here." "Look at this." "Two nodules the size of a pea." "Maybe even a bit smaller." "These are the largest we've found up to now." "See, it's quite soft." "There you go!" "They tell me the idiot doctors set the city on fire." "How about that, Mesmer?" "Caused quite a panic, they said." "The first believed D.I.N. victims were found within the city limits." "So the doctors set the infected areas on fire." "They know something about fire." "It's started spreading, Mesmer." "They tell me the fire has jumped from the cathedral to the University." "And from the University to the museum," "which the idiot doctors took over for administrative purposes." "Now organ boys have fled to the library." "It's silly, Mesmer." "To close the city and start playing with fire." "I guess the library is on fire too." "What the hell!" "All a nigger needs are loose shoes, tight pussies and a warm place to shit!" "D AY FIVE - "THE DINNER"" "The authors had done what they could on the last day." "They had invented an incurable disease, described its spread and based their work on the suffering of others." "The deed was done." "I saw a movie, "The King of Marvin Gardens"." "It took place in Atlantic City." "Seems an exciting place." "So I thought I would... get someone to write a book for me." "I'd like to see Atlantic City, but I can't afford the trip." "I don't really want to go, but I'd like to know something about it." "Through knowledge by description." "Descriptions from others who lived there." "Or something like that." "I wanted to write about America in a way similar to Kafka's." "His uncle had supplied information about it." "But I'd do it by information I received by letter." "So I chose a limited area, Atlantic City, found out the names of the local papers and wrote to them." "In my letters I pretended I was a 16-year-old and got appropriate answers." "Most of them were from 13- to 16-year-old girls." "I got a whole load of letters." "I got a whole load of letters." "So many girls." "About 70." "I answered all of them and used teenage handwriting." "I kept copies of my letters." ""I was happy to receive your letter." "Thanks very much!"" ""I'd better start telling a little about myself. "" "Then I asked her..." ""I would also like to know what kind of candy you've got in your city. "" "And got a detailed description of a Hershey bar." "But you had to stop writing at a certain point, didn't you?" "Yeah, I'd got to the point where I couldn't continue." "It was too much after they'd described their carpets 17 times." ""Dear, Niels." "How's everything been with you?" "I really missed receiving a letter from you and I thought the reason was that either my letter to you or yours to me never arrived." "I sure hope that's the reason, because I want to continue corresponding with you." "I hope there wasn't some kind of problem in your family which made you not write me back." "I have quite a lot to tell you and hope to receive a letter from you very shortly." "Your friend, Lisa"." "I didn't write to her long." "She was slower than the others." "In her first letter she said she was coming to Copenhagen in about two weeks." "She found my phone number and called." "I met her at her hotel." "She was touring Europe with her aunt." "She was 14, but looked 25!" "She even had a little black moustache." "And I had to sit there and... they asked me questions as if I was 16." "So I had to act like a 16-year-old." "Tell them about my school, my homework and all that." "It was a little embarrassing." "It wasn't much fun." "We sat in the lobby on this hotel furniture right next to the guy who gives out the keys." "As we talked the aunt watched us like a hawk." "I styled my hair so I'd look younger." "But maybe I'd gone too far, so I said:" ""I must be getting home." ""I have some homework to do!"" "This is a recording of my voice." "I just thought I'd like to talk to you for a while." "I'm listening to the radio in my room." "It's a bit loud, I'll turn it down a little." "I really like writing to you." "Because it gives me something to do and look forward to." "I don't know, It's nice to learn about people who are different from you, because when you're born some place and you live there all your life, you don't get exposed to a lot of different kinds of people or places." "So, the only way to do that is going there or get them to come here, or writing back and forth." "And, since my father won't let me come over there in the near future," "I'll keep writing." "But one day, when I'm in Europe, I'II look you up." "Then you'll see what I look like, 'cause those pictures are no good." "You don't look like what I thought you'd look like." "No, you do not look like what I thought you'd look like." "Let me see, how did I picture you?" "First of all, you look older than you are." "How old are you?" "I remember I sent you that article..." "You look older than that." "You look about 20, 21." "Are you goddamn talkin' to me?" "Well, oh." "I just didn't think you'd look like that." "I didn't know what you looked like." "Here I am here sitting on the floor." "My mother's calling me... asking me about something I didn't do." "She can go right ahead, I never do anything wrong." "If you want you can tape right on this one and send it back to me." "You don't have to keep this, you can erase right over my voice." "It's not going to be worth anything." " Hi, Claus." "Come in." " Thanks." "We're sitting in there." " Can I take your windbreaker?" " No, thanks." "I'll keep it on." "Let's start with some champagne." "a Salon blanc de blanc." " Cured coalfish." " What did you say?" " Cured coalfish!" " Sounds great." "Well cheers!" "And welcome home." " Cheers!" " Thanks." "Terrific, hey?" "You know, it's not a script in the traditional sense." "It's the written result of a year and a half's work." " Er... yes..." " Twelve pages?" "Well, consider it... the technical description of the plot." "The skeleton of the film?" "We were thinking of presenting the film in a less traditional way." " We planned a surprise." " What sort of surprise?" "We've invited some people over." "They'll help us put the script in the right perspective." "Well, I'm not against that." "Let me just say that we've invested a lot of money in this and I've invested a lot of trust in you guys." "And there's a board of directors running the film industry in this little country!" "Their rule is you've got to have a script of at least 150 pages." "How is it?" "I think it's great." "Nothing better than fresh truffles..." "Their scent fills a home." "Yeah, great flavour." "I'm crazy about truffles." "They've got to be fresh, mind you." "There are several varieties." "There are sinners who put them in tins." " Then they become inedible." " Don't exaggerate." " They lose their taste." " That is true." "Well." "Let me tell you something about the film "Epidemic"." "Or rather, let me explain the ending." "Our hero Mesmer, after travelling in the infected environment is entrenched in this underground cave." "Niels thinks he ought to make a mosaic down there, but that's just a detail." "After everyone else around him dies, he hides in a cave to avoid infection." "That's when he discovers he's the disease carrier." "He breaks out of the cave by crawling a long steep passage and comes up, kneels down and thanks God for the life which once had been." "He crawls out of a cave and thanks God?" "Yes." "That's pathetic!" "I was expecting a little more action!" "A classic tragedy where all the main characters eventually die." ""God almighty, I'm dying!" Know what I mean?" "People do die, but not on the screen." "You'd rather have a bloodbath?" "A 12-page script with this kind of finale!" "I'm worried." "I was expecting something different." "Well in films, Danish films in particular, that's what fate has forced me to work with, there are lots of stories" "where people don't die, or fewer people die than ought to die." "And there are fewer screams and not as much blood as one would like." "Things just ebb away, don't they?" "As if an evening fog rolled in and everything just faded away." "We're waiting for our guests." " Why didn't you tell me?" " It was a surprise." "In "The Plague", Camus writes about a bookkeeper, a great artist who tried to write a book." "For decades he writes the same lines about a horse coming down a boulevard." "He never got any further." "I think you ought to open it." "This is Gitte and Svend Hamann." "This is Lars, and this is Claus from the Film Institute." "This is Suzanne." "Please, sit down." " Sit down here." " Thanks." " Coffee?" " No, thanks." "May we start?" "Gitte, just relax and listen." "Please, be quiet." "It must be quiet when we start." "No talking or moving, OK?" "Gitte, relax and look at me." "Just relax." "You're closing your eyes." "You will hear everything I'm saying to you." "Concentrate on my voice." "Think about sleeping." "You will fall asleep now." "Just think about sleeping." "Slump in the chair." "Just slump down." "Your head is getting heavy." "Now sleep." "Sleep." "You are sleeping deeper and deeper." "Deeper and deeper." "You are now sleeping deeper." "You are in deep sleep." "You feel fine." "You relax." "All unpleasant noise disappears." "All unpleasant noise disappears." "You hear everything I say to you but can't hear what I'm saying to the others." "You only hear what I say to you." "Now you are in a deep sleep." "A deep, deep, sleep." "Now listen to me and concentrate." "You have read the words." "Go into the film." "Go into "Epidemic"." "I'm walking down the street." "What do you see?" "There are people." "They look terrible." "They're..." "They're screaming." "They're screaming loudly!" "They... cry out!" "What are they crying out?" "They scream." "For God's help, I think." "They cry for help." "They're afraid." "And there are rats." "Rats with very long tails." "Tails longer than their bodies." "Everyone walks on their own, no one wants to talk." "They're afraid of each other." "Scared of infection and death." "They're in terrible suffering." "It... it hurts me." "On some of the houses large crosses are painted." "Because illness has reached them." "There may be dead people inside." "Go in the house!" "She's covered with boils..." "She's lying there... staring." "The children begin to whine softly." "They're so terribly frightened." "Are there other sick people in the house?" "The husband jumps up." "He starts removing the children's clothes." "They look even worse..." "They're almost black." "There are people across the street." "They are sick." "The carriage..." "That man is throwing people off." "20, 30, 40..." "I can't count." "Just throwing them off." "There are holes everywhere." "Full of children!" "Human bodies." "They're dying on the streets." "They lie everywhere and they die!" "We all fall down!" "We all fall down!" "After five dark, anxious years the sun breaks through." "The Dakota bringing home Queen Wilhelmina lands in a free country." "It is a stirring moment as the door opens." "Resolute and confident, the Queen sets foot on Dutch soil." "After a warm welcome by civilian and military authorities Her Majesty leaves the airport." "A jubilant nation greets its Sovereign Queen." "Her triumphant return to The Hague." "Highlight of these first weeks of liberation." "Without pomp, accompanied by a single aid Her Majesty passes the cheering crowds." "Noordeinde Palace awaits her at the end of the route." "Once more flying the Dutch flag." "Children greet her with flowers." "As Queen Wilhelmina arrives at her palace the realization that the House of Orange is home again fills the hearts of the Dutch people with joy." "SOLDIER OF ORANGE" "In you go freshers!" "Inside, you sods!" "Come with me!" "Up you go!" "Go on!" " My name is Jack Ten Brink, sir." " Your name's Dickhead, get it?" " What is it?" " Dickhead, sir." "What do you think of Hitler?" "Filthy exhibitionist!" "He builds good motorways." "Are you for or against the sod?" "Hitler's a bloody bastard." "Let him go!" "Piss off!" "May I introduce myself?" "Jack Ten Brink." "You might know the name." "My father's on the Council." "Two more shirkers." "I'm Jack Ten Brink." " Alex." " Eric." " Were they hard on you?" " I've been here a while." "Someone made me say Hitler is a bastard." " Must have been a Jew." " Can we stay here this long?" "They have three weeks." "Enough time for a game of cards." "Freshmen to the dining room!" "On your butts!" " Jesus, dinner time!" " The Council." "Everybody rise!" "Down on the floor!" "On your belly, prick to the floor!" "And stay down." "Sit, sit, sit." "Everybody!" "And eat, eat, eat!" "Bring them here." "Filthy shirkers!" "You lot are in for it!" " Shirking, were you?" " No, sir." " Perhaps you'd rather go home?" " I'd like to stay, sir." " Would you?" " Yes, sir." "Sing for us." "Hum along." "Off key!" "And again." "Off key." "Again." "Mr. President, this is a grave matter." "He's bleeding." "Hi, Eric." "Can you drink this yet?" "Of course." "Hi, Esther." "I'll stay put if you don't mind." "Eight stitches." " Unbelievable." " What happened?" "It's a long story." " We were..." " Not now, Eric." " We're off to pla y tennis." " No." "Tell us." "Well, it was the first evening..." " Hello, ma'am." " Good morning." "...puts it on my head and starts hitting it." "Wham, wham and I kept singing." "Eric, you have a visitor." "The President." "Don't get up, Lanshof." "Your head after all." "Just a few stitches." "Telling your young friends about university life?" " Well..." " I'd like a chat with you, Lanshof." "Please sit down, sir." "You were off!" "Are you coming?" "My apologies for last night." "It was uncalled for." "It was nothing..." "It was my fault." "Is that beer?" "Would you like some?" "I intend to look after you." "There's a vacant room at my place." "Want it?" "Yes, thank you." "Your health, Lanshof." "Your health, sir." " Call me Gus in the future." " Right, sir." "Prick." "Thanks." " Good, I'll copy them." " You should attend lectures." "Mr. Particular." "You sound like my mother." " I missed you today." " I was boxing." " Eric's at home." " I don't blame him." "Shall we go up for a drink?" "Let's surprise him." "On my shoulders." "Nico?" "Or are you afraid?" "No." "Come along with us." "How's the sherry?" "Disgusting." " I've got something stronger." " Nice." "Give us a hand." "Alex!" "Pull!" " Gus might like a drink too." " Call him, will you?" "Gus!" "Who's slinking about?" "Professor Ten Brink." "I don't slink." "I was at Professor Teilders." "A prelim." "I passed!" "A present from my old man." " That's a good one." " A Leica." "German." "Excellent make." " Want some?" " No, coffee." "I'm in training." "I'll order some." " One coffee!" " Hello, chaps." " A drink?" " Please, one." "Take my chair." " How's your lo ve life?" " I can't keep the landlady off me." " Good looking?" " A figure..." "One coffee." "For this gentleman, Greta." "We'll take a photo." "Move closer together." "I'm going to Germany for a few weeks." "Like to come?" "No way." "Trainloads of Jews arrive here every day." " I don't like swimming upstream." " Cut it out, will you?" "Don't move." "Sit still." "Watch the birdie." "It's coming!" "As the nun said to the bishop." "Glass, glass!" "Four, three two, one..." "Your health!" " Eric's good." " You're better." " Yes, at tennis." " You should've played." "Guard duty." "Shut up!" "Gus is a poor loser." "War!" " Jesus, war." " Oh, the English..." "We'll be neutral, as usual." "Don't be so damn stupid." " What's with him?" " He's a Jew." " I never noticed." " Prick." " What was the score?" " Deuce." "Come on, Nico." "Turn off the radio, Robby." "Pencil!" "Look, he can write." "May 9th 1940." "What's the time?" " How's the army?" " A lot of wimps." "We could beat the Papuans." "Nothing will happen." "Do you mind?" "Yes." "A spot of war would be quite exciting." "Gentlemen, it's time." "Robby!" "We must be off." "Nico will take us to the station." "Mr. Particular." "Coming with us?" "She wants to stay." "We'll get her home." "Right, Eric?" " No problem." " Well, Es?" "I'd like to stay a while." "We'll show you out." "See you next week." "Let's get going, Robby!" "Off we go!" "Bye, darling." "Why aren't you in the army?" "Bad eyes." "Everything's fuzzy at a distance." "But close up I see everything, perfectly." "Robby and I are getting engaged next year." "Congratulations." " Lucky devil." " Who?" "Both of you." "Want to dance?" "Airplanes." "Are they yours?" "We don't have that many." "Jerries." "Going to England." "Stop!" "What do you want?" " We've come to volunteer." " You must be mad!" " The y're Jerries in disguise." " We're Dutch." "Have them say 'sch'." "Germans can't pronounce it." "Scheveningen." "Scheveningen!" "Schele, schoonmoeder, Scheveningen." "Let them through." "Eric, here." "We've come to volunteer." "Come back in ten days." "Officials!" "We want to help." "Come back in ten days." "Ten days is quite reasonable." " It'll be over by then!" " The last war lasted 4 years." "Come back in ten days." "Come on." "Come on, Eric." " See you in ten days!" " Or sooner!" "Been to a party, have you?" "Yes, a party." "With schnapps and women?" "Let's pay and go." "A tip even." "Decent of them." "A fifteen minute rest!" "Lieutenant." " My folks live here, may I visit them?" " Go ahead." "Come in." " You can shoot the lot of them." " The damn traitors." "Dirty fascist." " Hello, Mother." " Hello, Son." "Bunch of idiots." "Just because your mother's German." "Stupid." "Stupid!" "They think they can defeat Germany." "They'll pay when we get out." "The lot of them." "And how." " You don't have it so bad." " We'll see." "Did you hear about the Queen?" "She fled to England." "And you have to fight." "German paratroopers!" "Behind those wooden shacks." " What's up?" " Paratroopers." "Look, there." "Check it out." "Cover us." "Wounded." "Jesus, what are you up to?" "There's a war on." "So what?" "April fool!" "That's Dirk." "There's a madhouse nearby." "I fooled you!" "April fool!" "Attention!" "Salute!" "What's going on?" "False alarm about paratroopers, General." "The war is o ver." "Rotterdam's been flattened." "Thousands of casualties." "We've surrendered." "Surrendered..." " But it just started." " It's over." "The politicians and collaborators betrayed us." "But it's not our fa ult." "Holland can be proud of its army." "Men, I thank you!" "Now what?" "Line up!" "In position." "Put it down." "In the water." "Go!" "Come back, that's dangerous." "Do you want some more sand?" " Jerry slut." " Mommy's boy." "You're attracting attention." "It's free." "There's Eric." "Outboard motor." "Gasoline." "Put some in." " The forecast?" " Calm sea." "Good, or I'll puke my guts out." "Sure stinks." "Hope the Jerries don't smell it." "Screw it on tight." "Stand still." "Hey, bastards!" "Fine little boat." "Sherry from Pa, cheese from my mother for the trip." " Got the charts?" " Couldn't get them." "You said you would." "There's only one England and it's there." "No, it's there." "Why aren't you coming?" "Someone's got to do the dirty work here." "You're just afraid." "Let's lea ve it at that then." "Your health." "Celebrating something?" "Alex!" " How about a swim?" " Good idea." "Haven't seen much of you lately." "At home." "My parents have had a tough time." "Who hasn't?" "Call in some time." "Alex, I like you, but visiting your parents is a bit much." "I'll see you around." "That's all we needed." " The dirty fascist." " Alex is a fine fellow." " I smell petrol." " What time do we lea ve?" "The beach will be deserted in an hour." "I n two da ys we'll be in London." "Knock on wood." " It's a sturdy boat." " One leak and you've had it." "What can go wrong?" "The petrol!" "Let's get out of here!" "Hello, Robby." "How about that Robby?" "Hangs the wash for his mother." "You'll ask the English to come and get me?" " Is that it?" " I n code." " Really?" " Yes!" "I can hardly signal:" "'Will London come for Mr. Lanshof?" "'" "Isn't it dangerous?" "If I keep it brief the Jerries can't locate it." "We hope." " A potentiometer." " Want to measure my potency?" "Good morning." "I'll make contact." " How do the y know it's you?" " I use a code." "I always begin with L-O-V-E." "Love." "Guess why." "Go!" "She's on to something." "It stopped." " Well?" " You can go." " As a courier." " Meaning?" "Getting stuff from my group across." "That's fantastic." "When?" "I'll let you know." "I magine, me helping you!" "Not a big area." "Next time he transmits he hangs." "You seem to be very happy." "Did you tell Eric about our engagement?" "That's why you're called LOVE." " It's a tennis term." " What are you talking about?" "It's the best news I've heard in years." "Let me know." "UNIVERSITY EXCLUDES JEWS Read Volk en Vaderland." "Volk en Vaderland!" "Hey, look..." "UNIVERSITY EXCLUDES JEWS" "Read Volk en Vaderland!" " Here, we'll give you a hand." " Thanks, I can manage." "We're here to help one another." "We've got nothing against Jews." "That's fine, thank you." "No, we're not finished." "Do you have accident insurance?" "You shouldn't have got in our way." "Just an accident..." "Send the bill to Hitler." "What are you staring at?" "It was an accident." "Cheer up." "It could happen to anyone." "Get those things out of the water." " I suppose you're a Jew too?" " Yes!" "I'll kill you, you bastard." "I'll kill you." "Don't be so stupid!" "I nside!" "You'll get yourself in trouble." " I won't let them do it." " Go out the back way." "All the Jewish professors have to leave the university." "Yes, I heard." "First the professors, then the students." "All the Jews will be in the Polish salt mines soon." "Student boxing champ and nowhere to go." "You can go to England instead of me." "How?" "When?" "You'll hear from me." "Robby's expecting me." "What's John doing here?" "He's taking my place." "What kind of madness is this?" "Robby, the Jerries don't like Jews." "I could've sent Esther." "Yes, you could have." "Come on, we can't stay here." "There it is." "To the boat!" "We'll meet again." " I n London." " Hurry up!" "See that you get this to London." "Jerries!" "Robby!" "I'm stiff from the long trip." "The young one first." "Come along." " Good morning." " Morning." " I'm sure you'd like some coffee." " Smells good." "Uncuff him." " Here you are." " Thank you." "Would you like a cup too?" "You seem surprised." "We've pro vided for you." "Sugar?" "Don't I get anything with it?" "With your second cup." "Egyptian cigarettes but quite good." "Take one, please." "I suppose you were e xpecting English ones this morning." "Mr. Weinberg, you realize we want some information from you." "I know nothing." "I was going to England to fight." "The war is o ver." " Not for me." " Yes, it is." "People died today." "Remain silent and more will die." "I don't know any of them." "Too bad." "Then I'll see if those papers are dry yet." "Up!" "The English don't send planes for no reason." "Who or what did they come for?" "I know nothing." "You know nothing, do you?" "You're tough, aren't you?" "Boxer's muscles." "Turn him round." "Do you have muscles on your kidneys?" "Enough, Breitner!" "We don't work like that." "Have you gone mad?" "My dear boy, I'm sorry." "Sit down." "Drink the rest of your coffee." "Drink." "Just tell me what you know." "Today's affair didn't happen by accident." "I wonder who let the cat out of the bag." "The information could only have come from London." "Van der Zanden." "Do you know this person?" "Van der Zanden..." "He's our contact in London." "That's not true." "It's an open secret." "It's all for nothing, anyway." "I suggest you talk." "Talk!" "That's your trick." "Butter up a person and then beat him." "I know nothing." "Breitner will continue working on your case." "Speak up!" "Who was there?" "Tell me their names!" "I don't know, I don't know." "Sorry about that." "Tell me what happened." "We tried to get John over to England, by plane." "The big time." " But it went wrong, totally." " What a pity." "They got John." "LONDON BOMBING RESUMES" "If he talks, I'll hang." "Amateurs." "Smirking, well-fed prick." "I'll hang." "So you come to me?" "Gus, I need a place to hide." "Catch." "Key to my front door." "Stay as long as you like." "RUSSIAN FRONT COLLAPSES" "His lordship." "Prick." "You'll be safe at my place." "Hello." "Any around?" "Up there." "It's teeming with them." "They're migrating." "A beautiful sight." "I'll try to get a bit closer." "Bye." "Is that him?" " And he's not after the birds." " Thanks." "My money." "You're a good patriot." " Is that all?" " It's the rate." "Well, if it's the rate..." "Two beers." "You look pleased with yourself." "Will you take these to Nico?" "Sure." "Photos of German bunkers." "What are you up to?" "Be more careful." "Scared?" "Your health." "Your health." "Let me go!" "Too late!" "Take them away." "Let me go!" "It's nothing to do with me." " They must have followed me." " Nonsense." " Shit." "Why me?" " Risky business." "I hope I don't talk." " Try to escape." " How?" "No talking." "Stop!" "'The traitor is Van der Zanden in London'" "Come with me." "On toilet paper!" " You're Lanshof?" " Yes." "'Yes, sir. '" "I'll be courteous when you are." "Did you write this?" "Yes, sir." "What did you write it with?" "With shit, sir." "You must be mad." "This is no wa y to apply for release." "Perhaps I didn't have a pencil." "Next time I'll have you shot." "You may go." "Where?" "Home." " You can't just let him go." " I'm not." "He'll be followed." "Bait?" "A lure." "Exactly." "He might try to get in touch with the resistance." " Then you'll have new guests." " We have the space." "Here, or in the dunes." "I'll leave it to you, Obersturmfuhrer." "Goodbye." "Hello." "Come in." "Let me take your coat." " It's a wonder you're home." " That's for sure." "I stopped by a few times, but you were always out." " I'm back now." " Yes, so I see." "Sit down." "It's a bit of a mess." "I was working." " Tea?" " No, I don't have much time." "No need." "Robby is back." "Has he been away?" "You know quite well." "He told me about the plane." "We can stop pretending now." "Yes." "Where is he?" "In The Hague." "He wants to talk to you." "Come here." "See that man?" "He tails me wherever I go." "Security Police." " Robby wants to see you." " I mpossible." "They'd grab him too." "Alex!" "A friend of yours?" "Yes, and so what?" "Bloody bastards." "And they call themselves Dutchmen." "How have you been?" "It was touch and go." "That vet had quite a go at me on the kitchen table." "Decent chap, though." "My transmitter is operating again." "Join us, Eric." "John is dead." "I've lost the taste for it." "You're scared." "We were betrayed by someone called Van der Zanden." " How do you know?" " John told me." "And he's in London." "We have to pass that on, Eric." "Go ahead." " You really disappoint me." " Too bad." " I'm being watched." " Probably." "I'm a threat to e veryone." "We'll decide that." "I'll decide for myself." "Did you see Robby?" "Then we can open the curtains again." "Fine." "That chap must be wondering..." "Let him." "Exciting?" "It's a boy's book." "I'll be off then." "The curtains were a good idea." "The things you think of." "Here, your shoes." "Are you sure about this?" "I want it to happen." "Sir..." "Do you know where Victoria Street is?" "If you turn left there you come to a square then you turn right..." "Come along." "Good day." "My compliments." "It wasn't easy to find you." " What do you mean?" " Your transmitter." "It's on the garden shed there, isn't it?" " Do you smoke?" " No." "Do you mind if I do?" "Thank you." "I have a proposition." "Would you work for us in the future?" "No!" "Look." "Your fiancé I believe?" "I saw her at Lanshof's." "She looks Jewish." "Jewish." "She'll go to a Polish labor camp." "Not so good for the health." "Many people die there." "Let's go." "Won't you reconsider working for us?" "Graduated?" "Yes." "Congratulations, Eric!" "You're the first from our year." " I thought it would be you." " I can't get finished." "Better hurry." "The university is closing." "Damn Jerries." "I've heard some odd stories about you." "The resistance?" "All over and done with." "I'm happy to hear it, Eric." "We must consider the future." "Let's go for a drink." "Degrees will count again after the war." "There's Robby's fiancé!" "How nice." "I graduated!" "Congratulations." "Flowers for you." "Come for a drink with us." "Wait for me." "There they are." "Two gins." "One with lemon." "So, a lawyer..." "What are your plans?" " Take a holiday." " On the Riviera." "That's impossible with the war on." "Jack, you're so wonderfully naive." " Where are you going?" " To the bathroom." "Nico." "They're after you." "You're telling me." "Still want to go to England?" "Are you joking?" "There's a Swiss ship sailing tomorrow." "They'll take you." "Is it safe?" "It's a chance." "Nice of you." "You're putting us in danger." "Here are your papers." "Your name's Jean de Kuyper." "Here." "Shake it." "We didn't rent this bathroom." "I'm disappearing for a bit." "We've got visitors." " Your Gestapo." " This might take a while." "Have another drink." " Real Dutch gin." " Prewar." "Lt. Thelen, Security Police." "Polzer, ship's captain." "Two gentlemen from the Greek navy." " A drink?" " No." "You've taken on a Dutch crew." "We'd like to investigate." "They're not here yet." "But you're sailing in half an hour." "That's right." "In 28 minutes." "You can't sail until we've seen the entire crew." "That's for us to decide." " Where are they?" " One moment." "Come with me." "There." "Cordon it all off." "Man both ends of the gangway!" "Nobody goes aboard!" "Attention!" " This is an investigation." " Jerries!" "Stop!" "That will do." "Murderers!" "A net, lads." "Before he falls!" "Hello, Captain." "Hello, Mr. Snooper." "You're drunk." "Blind drunk." "What did he say?" "You're drunk!" "Right!" "When do we sail, guv?" "Nobody comes aboard!" "What?" "Nobody?" "Nobody!" "We're not allowed on board!" "Back to the pub!" "Lower away!" "Get away from my car!" "Get out of it!" "Filthy pigs!" "That will do." "Have them come aboard at once." "No, I'm fully authorized to have them locked up." "They're having a row." "The navy will decide this, Herr Lieutenant." "Let them board." "Come aboard!" "Form two lines!" "Music!" "Attention!" "Salute!" "You're sober?" "To the stokehold." "We must put to sea before they change their minds." "Ready, sir." "Eric." "We're on our way." "Gus." "Well, I'll be..." "We're on our way!" " How did you get here?" " Nico." "And you?" "Me too." "Mr. Particular." "I ntermission" " Bloody awful here." " It won't take long." "The only English I know is 'fuck you'." "Hi, love." " We're going to fly, with the RAF." " Are you crazy?" " And you?" " The army." "More peaceful." "If you get a nice uniform..." "Mr. Lanshof?" "Congratulations." "A daring bit of work, your escape." "Not really." "We could get a ship." "Not so modest." "You're one of 50 49 to make it over from Holland alive." "Come straight to the Queen when you've finished here." "We cherish our freedom fighters." "I'll arrange the audience." "Ask for General Van de Zanden." "You'd better give that to me." "Come along." "You've read too many thrillers." "I can manage from here on." "But you lack training." "Next time better." "That would certainly please the Germans." "Eric!" "Come and join us." " What's going on?" " We'll ha ve a cup of tea and then we'll have a chat." "Aren't you Mr. Lanshof?" "You may take off your coat and sit down." "I'll take this." "No, that's where Her Majesty sits." " Odd way to come in." " He couldn't find the front door." "That's a nice uniform..." " I'm starving." " Eat, Willem." "Ma'am, what do I call her?" "You call her 'Your Majesty'." " Is it 'Her' or 'Your'?" " 'Your'." "It's 'Your'." " No smoking in her presence." " I hear she's strict." " Not overly." " There she is." "I bid you welcome." "You are my link with Holland." "Your Majesty, may I present:" "Will Dostgaarde Gus Le Jeune..." "Your Majesty." "...and Eric Lanshof." "Mr. Lanshof." "Your Majesty." "Won't you sit down?" "No, my guests first." "Do tell me, what is the situation at home?" "Home?" "Which home?" "Her Majesty means the situation in the Netherlands." "Not good." "The Jerries are stripping us bare, Her Majesty." " Those German bandits!" " I mean, Your Majesty." "But when the war is over what must we do about the fascists?" "Don't you worry about those shitheads." "Mr. Van der Zanden, what does that mean, shitheads?" "It's a term, Your Majesty, expressing how we feel about traitors." "Right, Mr. Lanshof?" " Who said I was a traitor?" " John shortly before he was killed." "And then they simply let you go?" "I don't see the connection." "It's simple." "The Germans wanted you to believe it and then pass the word around." "What would they gain by that?" "I am head of intelligence and I'm Her Majesty's secretary." "They would love the Dutch people to think I was a traitor." "They did a good job trying." " How's the army?" " The dregs!" " I've got something else for you." " What?" "A trip." "Where to?" "To Holland." "No!" " How did you manage that?" " I didn't, she did." "I thought someone was lying in wait for me with a gun." "Don't go totally bonkers." " Still seeing her?" " None of your business." "Yes." " Any progress?" " None of your business." "No." "Forget about her." "Shit, I want to sleep with her while I still can." "Cold feet?" "For Holland?" "None of your business." "We consider your presence in London to be of the utmost importance." "Yes?" "Mr. Lanshof, come on through." "Do you smoke?" "Thank you." " And you perhaps?" " No, thank you." "I don't smoke." "Let's go for a stroll, I find that very enjoyable." "You're returning to Holland, aren't you?" "Yes, Your Majesty." "I want you to bring several people back with you." "Isn't that dangerous?" "Our future leaders are in Holland, in the resistance." "I want them to be here." "They, at least, are of the people." "Gentility belongs to the past." "Things will be different after the war." "The true nobles are the resistance fighters." "Don't you agree?" "Mr. Lanshof?" "You're absolutely right, Your Majesty." "I hadn't looked at it that way." "True nobles..." "Is there anything else, Your Majesty?" "I wish you success." "Idiot, the Queen's got a front row view." "Here, put your mind to this instead of neuken." "Stop showing off, you'll be shitting your pants." "I'm not even wearing pants." "Here." "A matchbox to keep it in." "That stuff smells disgusting." "It's enough to make you puke." "...to make you puke." "We've stopped." "Come." "Throw some over me." "Your health." "Gus." "Be careful." "GERMANY WINNING ON ALL FRONTS" "Filthy Jew" "Good Morning." "I'd like birth announcement cards for my daughter." "What's her name?" "Wilhelmina Juliana Bernardina." "Come." "They're waiting for you." " Is this address safe?" " We'd not be here if it wasn't." "You're a Red, aren't you?" "I remember seeing you in the House." "Hardly a pleasant experience." "Possibly." "I don't recognize you at all." "Gentlemen, please..." "I can't be part of this." "I refuse." "You've pledged yourself to Her Majesty." "I promised the Germans I would take no action." "General, the Queen has asked you to be her adviser for the postwar democracy." "Wilhelmina and democracy, a belated vocation." "Or rather, she's always been a little touched." "Religion." "This is her chance to play Christ, to save the world." "Count me out." "What an odious way of saying that you're scared." "If I were 20, I'd take ex ception to that." "Gentlemen..." "Perhaps you have doubts about the new democracy too?" "New democracy?" "We've never had democracy." "When do we leave?" "You'll hear from me." "Fine." "Could we get ca ught?" "If they get me and not you, tell the Queen what the socialists want after the war." "I'll warn them." "Goddamn it!" "Waterproof." "Stone dead." "Nothing." "How can I tell London when we're coming?" "They only confirm receipt." "Instructions will come tomorrow." " Anything else I can do for you?" " No, thank you." "I can do more than just transmit." "We'll phone if we need you, okay?" "Fine." "See you tomorrow then." "Well?" "I don't know their plans." "They're not talking." "Bad show." "They'd be on to me if I asked." "You're not trying hard enough." "Which of Esther's jackets would this go best with?" "I'd love to see you against the wall." "You'd be right next to me." "Goddamn it!" "Idiot!" "A present for your fiancé." "Might be the last time." "Who's that jerk?" "A friend from the resistance." "If that's one of your friends..." "Darling, we can't always choose our friends." "This device uses zinc coins only" "Damn it..." "An odd uniform." " U-boat, I think." " Or a destroyer." "Stop." "Get off." "The German Army claims this bicycle." "Filthy, goddamn Jerry." "Right, beach huts at 11 pm." "You're going to England?" "Police." "On your feet." "They're dead." "Damn." "That was close." "We've got to get out of here." "To the car." " What about me?" " You need a place to hide." " Where?" " I'll fix it." " Fix it?" "I just shot two Nazis!" " Scared?" "Yes!" "Do I have to stay and wait for them?" "Don't leave me here." "I want to go with you." "I object." "I decide who comes." "It's only my opinion." "He's coming!" "I'll answer for him." " He'll need tails." " There are some in the garage." "Let it ring." "They're gone." "After them." "If things go wrong, don't let them take me alive." "This'll do the trick." "Cyanide." "After them." "It worked." "No answer?" "Where's Robby?" "I don't know." "He comes and goes." "But you're engaged." "He's always busy with his transmitter." "A permanent place is too risky, he says." "Don't you wear a star?" "Forged papers, from Robby." "And the liquor, the chocolate..." "From Robby too?" "A man from Robby's group brings it." "We can't even get those things in London." "Robby's in the resistance." "They can get anything." "Do you believe that?" "I have to go to my parents' place and get my tails." "Are you going to a party?" "Yes... you could call it that." "Lord, where are you going?" " The lion's den!" " Don't worry." "If anything goes wrong I'll shoot." "Robby, shut up." "Papers, please." "Thank you." "My compliments." "An excellent forgery." "They're the real thing." "Mr. Particular." "Phone headquarters." "We'll cordon off the area." "Ah, this messy tomato sauce." "Have the cleaning bill sent to Berlin." "The Fuhrer will gladly pay." "You there, get out of the way." "We're going to party." "I'll join you." "Come on in." "Nice and warm." "Oh, you're a heavy one." "Everything is arranged." "We're here." "Stay with us." "Come on, let's go inside." "All right, I will." "It saddens me to see you among all these fascists bunker-builders." "Oh, it's war." "And it's a nice party." "I heard you were abroad." "Bullshit." "I heard you were in London." "No, I'm right here." "As you can see." "It's a shame we're not fighting on the same side." "A shame." "A few years from now the Germans and English will both be fighting the communists." "I doubt it." "We won't see it." "We won't make it through the war." " I'll see if he's down there yet." " All right." "To London, old spy." "Are you spying for the Germans in London?" "Will you bring back some nylons for me?" "What a lovely brooch!" "The Iron Cross!" " How'd you earn that?" " I blew up a Russian tank." " Here, you earned it." " Piss off." "Spying is a lot riskier..." "It's mine." "Give it back, dammit!" " It's not a toy!" " Iron Cross, Iron Cross!" "Gus!" "It's running like clockwork." "No." "We're in trouble." "What trouble?" "We've been betrayed, by Robby." "No." "He's with me." " He's coming." " Robby's working for them!" "Jesus Christ." " Where is he?" " Up there with the others." "Wait for me." "Filthy bastard!" "Stay where you are!" "Nobody move!" " Run to the beach!" " You are surrounded!" "If you move, we'll shoot!" "Stay where you are!" "Don't move!" "We're opening fire!" "Split up!" "I deeply regret what has happened." "Mr. Van der Zanden?" "Your Majesty?" "We shall not repeat this." "Thank you very much for your efforts." "That'll never get there." "So what?" "Bread?" "Bread?" "Hungry?" "We're going." "We have to go." "Bye." "'Love from Alex. ' Your mascot." "He'll get a bomb on his head tonight." "I'm not that much of a bloody fool." "Will you shut your bloody mouth?" "He's waking the dead." "Open up." "We won't hear from him again." "Nuremberg." "These Jerries are good shots." "They're not drinking this Christmas." " How much longer?" " 15 seconds." "Cheers." "Bomb doors open?" " Bomb doors open." " Christmas present ready?" " Count down." " 10, 9, 8, 7 6, 5, 4, 3 2, 1." "Bombs away." "And back home." "Her Majesty wants you as her aide." "Long live the Queen!" "No, thank you, Captain." "This, I would prefer to do alone." "Couldn't you have accidentally dropped a bomb on that palace?" "Well?" "It's short." "It'll grow again." "A present from our liberated compatriots." "Understandable." "I've no hard feelings." "I survived." " You did too." " Yes, that's true." "But, you're a hero." "What will you do?" "Work in the garden." "Clean up the mess." "Jack!" "Good Lord, Eric!" "Come in!" "You look absolutely marvelous." "Medals!" "How did you get them?" "Did some flying, dropped some bombs." "We scraped through." "Don't ask me how." "Would you like a drink?" "I have a nice wine for special occasions." "...universities closed." "I took prelims behind closed doors." "Risky business." "You had to take care." "We'll simply start where we left off five years ago." "Here you are." "What are your plans?" "I don't know." "To the future." "Your health."