"THE TRAUMATIC ENCOUNTER" "What's in your box?" "None of your business." "Don't you want to say?" "You won't tell anyone?" "Cross my heart and hope to die, Stick a needle in my eye." "It's my box of secrets." "Do you want it?" "If you want it, you can have it." " But your secrets?" " Now, they'll be our secrets." "Mando." "Mando." "Is she your mum?" "Don't you want to go with her?" "Mando's a funny name." "What's your name?" "Loup." "Loup's a funny name!" "Mando!" " What's up?" "Not going in?" " Chapuiseau's there." "What about him?" "I don't want to see him." "He's nuts." "He always picks on me." " Why?" " No idea." "He just needs a punch-bag." "So?" "Smack him in the face." "Even if he fights back," " that'll be the end of it." " I don't like violence." " You're chicken." " Easy for you to say." "Scum like him deserve to die." "It's simple." "So what do we do?" "We could go to the cinema." "We said we'd see "Eight and a Half"." "It's on at two o'clock." "You're skipping class, now?" "A well brought-up boy like you?" " You're a pain in the ass." " I love you too." "Girls don't really feature in this story." "Just two boys." "But that didn't make things any easier." "There was no stupid rivalry between us, but something else that tore us apart in the end." "Something that had always been there but which no one could have predicted." "You can never tell if it's real or imagined." "Very Cartesian of you!" " Did you like the music, at least?" " Now, that was Italian." " What's Italian?" " Hello, Mrs Mancini." "The music in the Fellini film we just watched." "Didn't you have classes?" "Come on, Loup." "You can help." "What are you making?" "Ragoût." "Can you slice the tomatoes?" "Yep." "Do you miss Italy, Mrs Mancini?" "How many times must I tell you?" "My name's Enza." "Yes, of course I miss Italy." "It's my country." "It always will be." "Still, you must have been in Paris for 20 years." "17, actually." "But what can you do?" "Even after all that time, we're still in exile." "Well, we say we're in exile." "And you say we're immigrants." "I don't think Mando feels particularly Italian." "Armando's different." "He was born here." "For him, Italy is just the family holiday, every August." "He likes his cousins, but still, he's a little Parisian, like you." "Do you ever regret it?" " What?" " Leaving Italy." "Never." "It was the right choice." "We had to leave." "You took your time." "Were you roped into working?" "Or did she make you read the Bible, to absolve you of all our sins?" "You've committed too many to absolve!" "Or did you talk about the Parc Monceau, the deckchair ladies, balloon sellers, games of cowboys..." "You both love nostalgia." "Unlike you, of course!" "Anyway, I was wondering..." "Where's your box of secrets?" "Where do you keep it?" "Forget that." "Look what I've dug out." " "Haunted Houses"?" " Seriously." "After "Phantom of the Opera", I think it's appropriate." "And not far from here, there's a place you can do the ouija board." "Why don't we go?" "Waiting hours for a cupboard to move, or for a table to fly up the stairs..." "Are you serious?" "Do I look like I'm joking?" "Okay." "When do we go?" "You're sure?" "You won't drop out at the last minute?" " Why would I?" " It's happened before." "No need to talk about it." "You think it'll be full of old, crazy actresses?" "I think it's going to be amazing." "Talking of amazing, let's see "Eight and a Half" again." "Don't you agree?" "It's a film about depression, even madness." "Not at all." "It's a joyous film, full of confusion." "It's almost fantastical." "When he sees his mother and father beside their own tomb..." "It's amazing." "It means that the dead are never truly dead." "Look." "Too gaudy, you think?" "No, it's perfect." "Are you going to an awards ceremony?" "Gaby." " I didn't know you were coming." " Catherine's made you a cold dinner." "You can eat in the kitchen." " Are you going out?" " Yes, to a charity gala." " What's the worthy cause?" " Oh, don't be dull." "I don't know." "You've forgotten." "I'm no good at remembering details." " Details!" " Anyway, how does Mummy look?" " Isn't Dad going with you?" "He's just hopped in a car to the airport." "You know, business." "Why do I get the sense my father's always on his way to the airport?" "Because he always is, my darling!" "I have homework to do." "You're right." "Studying is important." "Catherine!" " Yes?" " Come with me." "She looks hideous." "Excellent bridge player." "She could at least pretend to look after me." "That's unfair." "She's too busy." "All dressed up by 10am, hair and nails done." "And all those appointments." " Did you bring my papers?" " I forgot." "See?" "You can bring them tomorrow." "Pour me a little vodka." "Thanks." "Want some?" "No." "Finish my cigarette?" "Stop it." "Gaby was four times my age, but I saw her as a childhood friend." "She brought me along on her nights out, and told me about her infallible betting system." "In short, she taught me to live, and live well." "I'd like to thank our medium, who was a great support to me after my husband died, and who literally saved my life." "My husband René was cremated." "Since he loved to read, I had his urn made in the shape of a book." "I keep it by my bed, so I can speak to him at night." "Every day, when I got into my taxi, I'd put the urn on the front seat." "What a deadly ride!" "I wanted to share everything with him." "A year ago, the trouble started." "Knocking on the walls, objects moving." "The urn fell off the bedside table, and René's ashes split all over the bed." "I took my vacuum, fitted a new bag inside, and cleaned René up." "Can you imagine how I felt?" "Soon after that, I got ill." "I couldn't eat, so I consulted our medium, who immediately suspected a supernatural force was at work." "As the trouble was based around my bed, he suggested I slice open my mattress and look for a harmful object." "Do you know what I found?" "A piece of wood, like a coffin in miniature." "Probably the result of me spilling René's ashes." "My husband's spirit wanted us to be together." "This is a reminder to us of the extreme vigilance we must keep at all times, against the powers of darkness." " This is not as good as it gets." " I guess." "How about we go to the cemetery?" "After all, that's where the dead people are." "Of course!" "The cemetery." "I'm surprised we never thought of it before." "Well?" "Goodness, what an ugly scarf." "It's not." "You don't know how to dress, but you're still handsome." "I see you're out of breath." "You know I don't care that you're late." "The main thing is that you came." "Want a drink?" "I won't say no." "You "won't say no"?" "Shall I pour you a sneaky vodka?" "I'd prefer water, if you have it." "Of course I do, but it's not right that a boy your age can't appreciate vodka." "How old are you, now?" "I'm nearly 16." "My God, I've practically known you since the womb." "Doesn't time fly!" "I never notice time passing." " Gaby?" " Yes?" "Have you read all those?" " Read what?" " All the Série Noire novels." "Of course I have." "They're not just there to look pretty." "They're the only books I kept when I sold off my bookshop." "Good." "Now, hurry up." "I'm starving." "Here." " Don't forget my bag." " Yep." "And my cigarettes." "And the key." "Henri." "What's going on, today?" "We've been here for half an hour, and still no menu." "I'm Robert, Madame." "And you only arrived five minutes ago." "All right, Henri." "But you haven't brought my crusts." " Right away." " Crusts?" "Crusts, bread-ends." "I can't stand the soft part." "I only like extremities." " Are you hinting at something?" " Not at all." "Why?" "Something I should understand?" "Burn the candle at both ends?" "Never compromise," " always be radical?" " No, no." "I just like crusts, that's all." "Thanks, Henri." "Don't forget my three coffees." "We haven't ordered." "Madame Gaby only drinks her coffee cold." "See?" "Henri has a good memory." "Yours is like a goldfish." "This isn't the first time we've had lunch together, and you forget I take three coffees in a row." "So, my little Loup, what have you done?" " I went to a séance, with Mando." " How was it?" "A bit gloomy." "Gloomy?" "How awful." "Life is so full of dramatic, fascinating things!" "Gloominess is just boredom." "What about your friend..." "Mando?" "He was disappointed but he liked talking to the dead." " What a strange boy." " He's my friend." " You have strange friends." " Yeah, both of you." "There." "Have you decided?" "Yes." "For my guest, the sole meunière." "You'll see, it's good for the brain." "And I'll have the pot-au-feu with three marrow bones, lots of salt, gherkins, and hot mustard." "Don't like it?" " See that guy, over there?" " Yes." "I can't live without him." "See you tomorrow, at noon?" " That's what we said." " Great, see you tomorrow." "Who's that girl?" " I'll tell you later." " Sure." "I never had a brother." "But I had Mando, instead." "Sometimes, I think he was more than a brother." "He was my twin." "A braver, darker twin." "As luck would have it, we were put in the same class." "And then, from time to time I'd remember my real family, and that was another story." "So... you think this trip is a good idea?" "What?" "The trip to England." " Of course." "It'll do him good." " But, really!" "That town." "People say it's very decadent." ""That town"?" "London." "Even if that's true, it'll make a man of him." "Are you serious?" "He's at the right age." "I think it may be a good thing that you're hardly ever here, and that you rarely see him, if you're going to put strange ideas in his head." "He doesn't need me for that." "He keeps excellent company." "How do you know what company he keeps?" "Excuse me, Gaby." "Do you know them?" "Darling, even if I did, and this company was cause for concern, do you think I'd tell you?" "I really don't understand your relationship with my son." "I think you don't understand your son, full stop." "Why are you and I even friends?" "Because we were, once, and it's difficult to change one's habits." "And because I'm useful to you." "Thanks to me, you needn't feel guilty." "He's not coming." "Sorry about last night." "I told you, it's fine." " Were you waiting all evening?" " We got confused." "We mixed up the cinemas." "These things happen." "I didn't wait." "I was only there half an hour and I got home." "So?" "What's that supposed to prove?" "You think that's a measure of friendship, the time you're willing to wait?" "You don't measure it." "You give it, Loup." "That's all." "How come you always forgive me?" "God, it's freezing." "Want one?" "Drink at the Balto?" " Evening." " Two coffees, please." "How can she swing from love to contempt, the second she gets in the convertible?" "Because Piccoli makes her get in the car." "It's like he's sold her to the producer." "She feels she's being treated like a prostitute." "I think she's a spoilt child who only thinks of herself." "And he makes her do something she doesn't want to do." "So she takes revenge." "No, it's really about being a woman." "It says something" " about femininity." " Or she's gone mad." " Mad?" " She has a screw loose, right from the start, and then, out it comes, out of the blue." "Anyway, Piccoli knows straight away he's made a mistake, but still..." ""straight away" is too late." "It's irreversible." "Don't you find that powerful?" "Yeah, but it's also terrible." "He makes one tiny mistake, and he can never make amends." "Are you still seeing that girl?" "What girl?" "Are you kidding?" "Is she hiding in your box of secrets?" "Loup, I have no secrets from you." "I gave you that box." "I won't take it back." " Beautiful, isn't she?" " The most beautiful." "She's more than that." "She's tough, vicious..." "And strange, in a childlike way." "Can't you see it?" " What?" " The other photo." "There." "Her eyes." " What about them?" " They're sad." "Yes, but... she's smiling here." "Yes..." "You're still too young to see that you can smile, and still be torn apart by sadness." "If you ask me, she'll either end up like Marilyn, or she'll send everyone packing, and run away from the limelight." "Okay." " Do you like the limelight?" " I'm not a star." "I'm not sure when things started to go awry." "Maybe there was no moment." "Perhaps, instead, it happened so slowly that nobody noticed it." "All I know is that Mando had changed." "I should have paid more attention to his solitude, and his rages." "Loup's been waiting for over an hour." "Were we meeting up?" "It wasn't confirmed." "I can come back." " No, it's always good you're here." " We have geography homework." "Where were you?" "The cemetery." " The cemetery?" "Which one?" " Père-Lachaise." "But none of our family" " are buried there." " So what?" "At least you felt Our Lord's presence." " You never go to church any more." " Stop this Jesus dogshit!" "I forbid you to speak like that." "He's the son of God." "He suffered for us." "He died for us." "You and your suffering, what a joke." ""He died for us"?" "At least he died for something!" "Nobody else does." "If anyone could be sure of eternal life, it was him." "Knowing that when you die," " it's hardly sacrifice!" " Stop it." " He's trying to annoy me." " How long did he suffer?" "Three days?" "Twenty lashes?" "A crown of thorns." "Crucifixion." "Now, those nails must have been painful." "But how can that compare to what happened at Auschwitz?" "They used their skin to make curtains!" " Used their fat for soap!" " You're confused." "No, Mother." "I'm thinking of true suffering." "Of the dead who deserve to be remembered." "But that's clearly beyond you." "Come on, Loup." "It smells like church in here." "Go." "Don't worry about me." " Are you sure?" " I'm sure." "How could you do that?" "There are things about her you don't know." "Go on, I'm listening." "What's she done that's so ugly?" "What is it, Mando?" "Was it me?" "Did I say something?" " Did you fight with Marianne?" " What's Marianne got to do with it?" "We never watch romances." "Thrillers and horror films are much better." "I love being scared." "Scared?" "You?" "You're just pretending." "You like me to put my hands over your eyes at the worst part." "Romances are good at your age." "Are you in love?" "Have you got a girlfriend?" "Stop it." "It would be better than going out every evening, with a lady who's even older than your mother." "Actually, Mando's going to introduce me to his soulmate." "Take a good look, she might be a vampire." " Hi, Ladies." " Is that how you greet my friends?" " He's been badly brought up." " Whose fault is that?" "Your aunt Nine is dead." "And you think that's a good way to tell me?" "Well, it's the truth." "Her heart gave in." "When did it happen?" "Yesterday." "She'd just been taken into hospital." "You should go there." "Aren't you coming too?" "We weren't talking." "Don't you remember?" " And my father?" " In Switzerland." "He can't just fly back." "What shall I play?" "Gaby, you were here?" "Yes, Loup." "I was waiting for you by myself." "Did you hear about Aunt Nine?" " Yes." " Come on, darling." "Thanks for coming." "I didn't want to be alone." " Excuse me, is this the 'A' Wing?" " Yes, it is." "I didn't disturb you, did I?" "No, I was with Marianne." "It doesn't matter." " She'll hate me." " Not at all." "And I wouldn't miss this for the world: my first dead body." "She's my aunt, Mando." "I'm not being disrespectful." "Far from it." "It's strange." "She had no husband, no children." "She hardly saw my parents." "I was the last person she phoned." "And when she called, she said she could feel death getting closer." "I didn't believe her, of course." "The only thing I could think to say was," ""Bet you a bottle of champagne that you don't die"." " You know what she said?" " "Bet you I do"?" " Yeah." "She won." " She deserves a drink." "I forgot her coral necklace." "It dies if you don't wear it." "Do you think it'll match the colour of her corpse?" "Now it's your turn." "If you'd like to follow me, she's ready." " Her nephew." " Thanks." " So, you're the doctor of the dead?" " Yes, that's me." "I think that's a wonderful title." "Really, our job is to make the dead speak." "I think this is my favourite tomb, because of "Dorian Gray"." "One of the greatest fantasies ever, don't you think?" "You just want to see if the angel's been emasculated again." "It's odd that vandals cut his thing off so often." "Who'd do that?" "Ever since you told me, I wondered if it was you." "I imagine you sneaking in at night, with a chisel." "They lock the gates at night." "Sometimes I wonder if it's to keep visitors out, or to keep the dead in!" "Only you would think up something like that." "This is Berthe." "Berthe Flanchet." "Born in 1813, died in 1842." " I found her the other day." " What's special about her?" "I liked her statue." "She has great buttocks." " Perfect, isn't she?" " Yeah." " Can I ask you a question?" " Always." "Why do you like the dead?" "I can talk to them more easily than the living." "Are you writing?" "What do you mean?" "A novel, or a diary?" " How did you know?" " I could tell." "It helps you sort through the good and the bad." "A diary is just the good parts." "Look at these two." "Twins." "Born the same day, died one day apart." "Can you imagine!" "They must have said goodbye to their wives, promised to come back, sworn that nothing would happen, they'd look after each other." "Then Maurice was killed." "The promise was broken." "And all Marcel could do, was die, in his turn." "You think?" "I like to think they were inseparable to the end." " Don't flirt with my girlfriend!" " I'm not flirting." "She's in love." "He's quite secretive." "You know him so well." "What's the mark on his wrist?" "He won't tell me." "Just because I'm a girl, I wouldn't understand?" " I broke my wrist, skiing." " Oh, really?" "When?" " In Italy, ages ago." " Can you ski?" "There's a lot of things I can do, that you have no idea about." "So, you're going to Normandy?" "My parents have a house in Trouville." "You could come, Loup." "Can he come with us?" "That's nice, but I don't think I can come." "Why not?" "Gaby's ill." "I promised to stay with her." " Who's Gaby?" " A pain in the ass." "And an old one, too!" "Is that sensible, smoking?" "Not at all." "It's very stupid." "And the vodka?" "The doctor said you should ease off." "My doctor hates vodka." "He prefers white wine." "He only drinks Sancerre." "But he certainly likes chocolate." " Here, have one." " Yes, this one." "You know the first thing I said to you?" " No, when was it?" " You came into my bedroom." "I must have been... five." "I told you I hated all my mother's friends." "Except you." "Excellent taste, even then." "You know what I called them?" "And I still do." ""The Dead"." "Playing bridge, with their bright red lipstick, covered in make-up, gobbling down their cake." "They disgusted me!" "Their furs stank of death, too." "Interesting!" "And what did you say to me?" "That you were the opposite." "That you were Life." "I think you've changed since then." "You're not afraid of death." "All that reading, those books about ghosts." "The trips to Père-Lachaise." "It's true." "I'm not sure why." "Probably Mando's influence." "I follow him." "I like doing it." " Pass the vodka." " Okay, but you shouldn't." ""As the first ray of sunlight hit the window pane," ""nothing remained of the two of them." ""No clothes, no warmth." ""Just the faintest outline on the floor," ""the remains of a life." ""Thus ends the terrible tale of Despéra." ""Who knows whether today," ""among the attendants who haunt" ""the tunnels of Quai de la Râpée," ""there is still someone who remembers her?"" "Wow." "You'd been keeping your cards close." " You like it?" " Like it?" "It's fantastic." "Why didn't you mention it before?" "I wanted you to confess first." "You extracted my confession." "But that's no bad thing." "It's great that writing brings us together," " like everything else." " Do you find it dark?" "No way." "Gaby thinks we're morbid." "Then she can shove it!" " Don't talk about her that way." " What would she be without you?" "Who'd care enough," " to go and see her?" " Are you jealous?" "I have a right to dislike old people." "And her need to celebrate life the whole time." "It's indecent," " from someone that old." " I forgot you prefer the dead." "No, Loup." "I prefer you." "How's my little Loup?" "You're so patient." "That's why I like you." "What's it like outside?" "It's arctic out there." "Right, I can't wear a jacket." "I'll need a thicker coat." "What is it?" "Are you sulking?" " Are you sad?" " I fell out with Mando." "That's okay, then." "You'll soon make it up." "It's never happened before." "You've never argued?" "What was it about?" "It doesn't matter." "You won't tell me?" "Fine." "Now listen, sweetheart, help me get ready to leave." " We're going for lunch." " What?" "Yes!" "It'll take your mind off it." "Then we'll play cards." " Why?" " To gamble my pension." "You don't draw a pension." " I'm joking." " You can't burn money like this." "I've lost a lot, but always won it back." "I was rich, once." "Very rich." "And the day I can't afford to play cards, bye bye!" "I'm not there, yet." "Since we're playing cards," "I'll take my red fox-fur." "It's always brought me luck." "Have a vodka to pick you up." "I'll go and do my hair." "Card." "Banco." "Mrs Mancini." "Did I wake you?" " Loup?" " Is Mando home?" "Where are you?" "In a phone box downstairs." "Can I come up?" "Come in." "You look awful." "Come through, I'll make you a coffee." "So you're smoking, now?" "You smell of tobacco." " And alcohol." "Were you drinking?" " I was with my friend Gaby." "We were in a gambling hole all night." "I took her back, but I didn't want to go home, so I walked." "You mother will be worried out of her mind." "I doubt it." "She probably hasn't noticed." "Don't kid yourself." "Mothers know everything, even if you're hiding it." "Especially so!" "Isn't Mando up yet?" "He's not here." "He went out early." " Do you know where he went?" " He never tells me." "I suppose he's at the cemetery." "You know, he didn't go to Trouville in the end." "He ditched Marianne at the last minute." " Had you been arguing?" " Yes, sort of." "That's no good." "You're his friend, Loup." " His only friend." " I know." "But sometimes his friendship scares me." "He seems to idealise everything." "You need to take care of him." "It scares me," " when he gets like that." " Like what?" "Sometimes, he gets a screw loose." "You must have noticed." "Yes." "It's true he can be strange." "But he was always strange." "That's why we love him." "Yes, you're right." "That's why we love him." "Your mother said I'd find you here." "Really?" "I wasn't sure if you'd be with Berthe, or the two brothers." "See?" "I chose the two brothers." "I came to bring them flowers." " You like these two?" " They remind me of us." " Except we're alive, Mando." " Alive?" " How about we go to the cinema?" " Yeah, just you and me." "Good idea!" "What do you want to see?" ""The Murderer Knows the Score" looks quite good." "What is it?" "Tell me." "I've seen it." " Really?" "When?" " About two weeks ago." " You never said." " I don't tell you everything." "Did you see it with her?" "The old hag?" " What?" " Don't lie." "You can't do it." "Yes, I saw it with her." "Mando, come back!" "I wanted to see you." "To see what you looked like." "Are you Mando?" "Can I come in?" "Please, be my guest." "Come in, Mando." "Make yourself comfortable." "Sit down, you're giving me vertigo." "What time is it?" "I got home very late, last night." "I don't know what you're doing with Loup." "Excuse me?" "I said, "I don't know what you're doing with Loup."" "I heard you." "Shouldn't you be spending time with people your own age?" "I'd like to, but all my old friends are dead." "And I can't stand stupid kids." "I'd like you to leave Loup alone." "You want Loup all to yourself?" "You're the type who expects exclusive friendship." "I'm happy to share." "And I like my friends to decide for themselves." "You're disgusting." "Is it my taste for life that disgusts you?" "I should never have come." "On the contrary." "Mando." "Look at me." "Has anyone told you you look like Rimbaud?" "Don't let your passions devour you." "Come in!" "You know the way." "Come in!" "You know the way." "Hello, Gaby." "It's my little Loup." " All right?" " Hello, darling." "I thought it would be Mando." "He came by just now." " Mando came here?" " He was very dramatic, mysterious, frantic." "What did he want?" "I think he wanted to accuse me, of being a bad influence on you." "Now, don't you think he looks like Rimbaud?" "If you ask me, he's been reading too many books about Rimbaud's life." " I'm sorry." " Don't be." "I'd wanted to meet him, ever since you first mentioned him." "He's very passionate." "Passion is dangerous." "Listen, I'm serious." "Be careful of it." "Do you want some tea?" " I'm going." " Calm down, first." "I'll talk to him." " Do you know where he is?" " Yes, I know." " But you'll be back?" " I'll be back." "See you soon." "Won't you sit down?" "What did you tell Gaby?" "The old hag squealed?" "Can't hold her tongue?" "That's not the problem." " Why did you make a scene?" " I didn't." " Why don't you sit?" " What's happening to you?" "Have a beer." "Am I permitted to have other friends than you?" "Did you see Marianne?" "Don't change the subject!" "I'm not changing the subject." "Quite the opposite." "You remember what I said?" ""She might be my soulmate"." "Remember?" " So what?" " I've just left her." "I said I never wanted to see her again." "And you know why?" "No." "Tell me." "She bad-mouthed you." "We were talking, and your name came up." "She said she was sick to death of hearing about you." "So I told her." "Get out." "My soulmate." "You know what, Mando?" "You're insane." "Forget it, I give up." "After that, Mando and I drifted apart." "For the first time in our lives, we weren't together, no longer inseparable." "He wasn't the centre of my world." "He kept to himself, and I heard nothing from him." "I wasn't even sure if he missed me." "I strove to get by without him, but didn't always succeed." "However, I continued to see Gaby who was still living life at top-speed, offering eccentric advice, and making anyone who overheard our conversations blush." "Alas, overindulgence in vodka and cigarettes took its toll and after a stroke, she was taken to hospital." "But she eventually recovered from this set-back, more determined to live well than ever." "The day she got out, she booked a table at Le Dôme." "Thanks for meeting me here, my darling." " My Gaby!" " I'm glad I came." "They've done all sorts of tests, and the results are excellent." "I feel in great shape." "All I want to do is have a nice glass of vodka, and I'll buy you a glass of milk, okay?" "I'd prefer a Coke." " Really?" " Yes." "Oh, how debauched!" "As for Enza, she went to church three times a week, to pray for her son's salvation." "But were the gods listening?" "My mother kept up her mundane feuds, while her friends looked ever more like the dead." "Could you also bring us a few cakes, canapés and some fruit?" "As for my father..." "Well, true to form, he persisted in jumping into cars and driving far, far away." "Time passed, and life went on." "Eventually, Mando and I became friends again, but things were never quite the same." "The autumn that we turned 18, we enrolled at the Sorbonne." "Little did we know about the revelations that lay in store, for him and for me." "In a word, he would discover Marx and I would discover Freud." "Initially, it was a good pairing." "The general assembly settled this, no need to mull it over." "We have to implement the plans, or there'll be chaos." "Chaos is what we need, it scares them." "Organised chaos." "But for democracy we must respect the popular vote." "Mando?" "We can't sit on this." " Did you prepare the leaflets?" " Yes." "I'll make more tomorrow." "And distribution?" "I'll get help from Alfred and Dominique." "A strike is inevitable." "Take care of the pickets." "I'll deal with it." "He's weird." "So, do you have anything to say about our movement?" "Looking for a master?" "You'll get one." "I want no God, and no master." "Listen, young man," "I was at the Living Theatre last night, and they went all the way." "Perhaps they had more in the pants department!" "Fine." "Now we've had our bit of fun, let's move on to serious matters." "Psychosis, my friends." "Let's talk about psychosis." "You should have seen it!" "He flipped them like a coin." "And his opinions turn everything on its head." "Honestly, Loup, it sounds like he's your guru." " You've signed up to a sect." " Don't exaggerate." "It feels like I've crossed a threshold of knowledge." "Your lecturer... is a psychopomp." "A what?" "Don't you remember your classical studies?" "What happened to all the mythology you learnt?" "A psychopomp is the mediator." "He carries you to the other side." " The guider of souls, if you like." " Professor Psychopomp!" "It suits him." "I'm going to work with a group of students," " on placement at Sainte-Anne." " I don't understand you." "History's being made as we speak, and you turn your back?" "There won't be a revolution." "If there is, it'll fail, like every revolution does." " What about 1789?" " The people were angry." " Are they on your side?" " They will be." "The true revolution, Mando, is psychoanalysis." "I wish you'd been there, you would have loved it." "Didn't it feel like an interrogation?" "Not at all." "And where was it?" "In a hall at the Sainte-Anne hospital." "It was mostly psychiatrists and psychoanalysts, in the audience." "I sat at the front, so I could see everything." "The professor came in, with his jacket over one shoulder." "That's very nonchalant and elegant." "Yeah." "A pale young man stood next to him." " The patient?" " Exactly." "He and the professor talked casually, as if they were sitting on a park bench, and we, the audience, weren't even there." "They came onto the platform, the professor thanked the patient for taking part in the exercise, and they began." "An hour of questions and answers." "An hour." "And it wasn't boring?" "Not at all, but nothing happened." "I knew it." "The guy spoke about conflicts with his peers." "It was coherent, structured, well-argued." "And as the conversation drew to a close, he let something slip." "Just one tiny word, that made the professor jump." " What word?" " "Creaturate"." " That's not a word." " Precisely." "After the patient left, the professor told us that the emergence of a word like that in logical discourse, a new word that rings out like a gunshot..." " A gunshot?" " That's what he said." "It reveals the patient's delirium, carefully hidden until that point." "Don't you think that's rather a hasty judgement?" "The professor claims madness doesn't reveal itself immediately." "A mental disorder can often go completely unnoticed." "I'm sure your professor's right." "Have you mentioned this anecdote to your friend Mando." "What does he think?" "Now, I see." " What?" " Why you never brought me here." "You always wanted to go to your place." "You were trying to hide your real life." "So now you know." "What?" "That Monsieur is such a bourgeois?" "Knowing it is different to seeing it." "I'm not going to renounce my upbringing." "Why not?" "Have you flown the nest, yet?" "Have you left Mummy's house?" "No, but I'm seriously thinking about it." " There's this community..." " You're not serious!" "Our future lies in contempt for material wealth." "All these paintings and candlesticks, your gilt ornaments and silver." "It's slavery, an illusion." "So, I'm a slave to my upbringing?" "I'm a dirty reactionary?" "Some people have nothing." "And all this it's obscene." "Fine, stand up for the oppressed." "But stop this posturing." "Believe me, this world will crumble." "It can't go on like this." "What would you have instead?" "You shouldn't laugh." "It's no laughing matter." "But there's no need for you to take it all as a tragedy." "This place is unbelievable." "It brings back so many memories." "Back in the New Wave period, my lover was... a professor at the Sorbonne." "He taught philosophy." "He was married, so we'd meet up and fuck in a nearby hotel." "And when he had some free time, we'd go to the cinema, and see... black and white American films, and that's when we both discovered..." ""Nosferatu the Vampyr"." "Why don't you stop me recounting my life story?" "I'm enjoying it." "No, I hate it." "Tell me about you." "So, what how's your friend Mando?" "Mando didn't share my enthusiasm in following my professor's footsteps." "The truth I was searching for didn't interest him." "Professor Psychopomp opened my eyes to new ideas." "I realised that I had to escape from this increasingly tyrannical friendship." "I still went along with our adolescent whims, but I let our ritual meetings become less frequent." "I limited our time together." "And when we met, I tried to bring him round." "The more I tried, the more he resisted." "I don't have your thirst for knowledge." "Why would I want to see the internal organs of a girl I was dating?" "That's a revolting image." "Do you imagine that stuff?" "Aren't you fed up with ghosts?" "Stop presuming I only care about the dead." "My revolutionaries are very much alive." "You could join our student committee." " Things are happening." " I told you, no." "I know the truth, Loup." "The truth is... you don't want to do things together any more." "I have things to do with other people." "Then go and do them." "Forget about me." "Say hi to professor Psychopomp for me." "It's Gaby." "# ...and in her hair, the flowers of my youth" "# No more walks in the woods, Now that the leaves are falling" "# I'll watch my worries blossom While waiting for the spring" "# But spring will never come And if my heart's a-tremble" "# It's only 'cause the nights Are slowly drawing in" "# No more walks in the woods With you and I together" "# My youth has packed its bags It's walking out behind you" "# If only you could see" "# How similar you both are" "# But you will never know" "# No, you will never know" "Gaby." "Gaby, it's me." "The doctor said you have to drink." "You should eat, too." "It's been four days." "Darling..." "Let's be honest with each other." "I want you to promise two things." "First," "I want to die here, in my bedroom." "In my bed." "No hospitals." "Promise?" "I promise." "Second promise." "I want you to be here, when I go." "But not in my room." "I want to die alone." "And I want it to be you, who closes my eyes." "You know, like when we went to the cinema," "to see scary films," "I pretended to be afraid... so I could feel your hands on my face." "Promise?" "I promise." "My little Loup." "Darling." "Now, go and take a shower." "Thanks." "I wish you'd take my advice." "You can't watch her all day and all night." "Look at you, you're exhausted." "The Aid Association for the Dying are really good." " Okay, I'll call them." " I can do it for you." " I know a very capable nurse." " Thank you, Doctor." " Good bye." " Good bye." "Gaby." "Medicine." "I'm Mrs Sileski." "Hello." "You can put your bag here." "You can call me Anna." "Don't be scared." "She's either ordering a coffee, or hailing a taxi!" "Do you mind if I make a few preparations?" "Go ahead." "I hope I'm not offending your beliefs or hers by doing this, but..." "it's of great help to me." "Can I offer you something to drink?" "Orange juice, water?" "I'd prefer vodka, if you have it." "I'm Polish." "Then, we can drink to the next life." "You were saying?" "My mother died when I was eight." "But the strangest part wasn't..." "her sudden, unexpected death." "No, what was..." "What was most unsettling was that I was lying beside her in bed when her heart gave in." "I expect that's why I'm doing this job." "I like to be with people as they pass on, to ward off my sense of powerlessness." "In fact, I feel as if I've been given a mission." "To be the angel of death, helping those who pass on alone." "Don't worry, she doesn't need us yet." " The Madonna is watching her." " I'll just go and look." "My dear Loup." "What a business." "Go." "Go!" "You promised." "It's over." " And you didn't wake me?" " You were sleeping so well." "I closed her eyes." "Now she's sleeping, too." "Forever." "You closed her eyes?" "But my promise!" " What promise?" " Did she say anything?" "She briefly woke from her coma." "She opened her eyes, looked at me for a long time, and then she went." "It was over." "There are two things to do." "Call a doctor, to confirm the death." "And if you'd like her to remain here until the coffin comes, you should call for an embalmer." "One more thing." "Did she have specific wishes for her funeral?" "She wanted to be cremated, and for her ashes to be scattered until nothing remains." "Very well." "Don't forget to call" "The Purifying Flame." "They'll take care of everything." "What do I owe you?" "We usually ask for a small donation, for services rendered to the dead and their family." "You can send a cheque to the AAM." "The amount is at your discretion." "No need to see me out, I know the way." "Don't be sad, my little Loup." "I'm your first death, but there'll be others." "You'll see." "The pain will go, but the memory will remain." "It's a beautiful thing." "I know this is not a good time to write to you." "I heard Gaby had died, and I'm truly sorry for your loss." "There's no right time to lose someone, and that's the whole point." "The sad truth is, we're perpetually fated to lose those we love." "Loup, you and I were inseparable, but we're not any more." "I thought it wouldn't happen, yet somehow, it has." "No use in calling, I won't answer." "It's over." "I feel like we've been cut apart by a scalpel." "Like a surgeon would do, separating Siamese twins." "They say that sometimes, only one twin survives, owing their survival to the loss of the other." "Let's try to both survive." "Oh, isn't it pretty!" "Happy birthday." "21 years old." "Look at my son, all grown up." "Now, you're allowed to do whatever you like." "You think he's waited till now for that?" "21..." "Seems like yesterday." "Please don't chip in, "the day before yesterday", it's hard enough already." "You look as young as ever." "Mr Loup, you're wanted on the telephone." "Excuse me." " Loup." " Coming." "Mando, is that you?" ""Right now"?" "I'm in the middle of my birthday party." "Why don't you come over?" "Wait." "Tell me what's happened." "Okay, I'm coming." "Where?" "Fine." "See you in a minute." "What'll you have?" "The same." "I didn't think..." "After your letter last autumn," "I didn't think you'd call me again." "What's going on?" "Loup, I'm going to die tomorrow." "Are you sick?" "My comrades and I were preparing for revolution, but now I've been given another mission." "The changes began happening about a month ago." "It all began with my forehead." "Look." "The skin's transparent." "Next..." "It reached my left hand." "The skin's become loose." "It doesn't even look human." "This is a kind of death." "A creature is taking possession of me." "Every night, he makes me his double." "It's so beautiful." "Recently, the process has accelerated." "My visitor is impatient." "He won't wait." "It'll happen tomorrow." "Tomorrow." "I'll become his double." "I wanted you to hear it first." "Do you remember our pact?" "Our pact?" "The one we made in Père-Lachaise." "A long time ago." "What did we say?" "The first of us to pass on gives a sign to the other." "Tonight, I've come to give you the sign." "I came to say good bye." "Mando, can I ask you something?" "Can you ask your visitor to wait, a little longer?" "I want to understand what's happening." "And for that, I need some time." "Will he let us have it?" "For old time's sake?" "I'll ask him... to wait a while." "I promise." "Excuse me." "Professor, can I talk to you?" "I have a conference in ten minutes, so be concise." "The other day you said, "One doesn't become psychotic, one is born so."" "You also said, "Madness is not a matter of will."" "And you said that the appearance of symptoms was the result of "a traumatic encounter"." "What's that?" "For someone who's had no previous trouble, it could be that they've become a father, or been put in a position of responsibility." "For others, it might be a break-up in their personal life." "You know, not all stools have four legs." "Some stand up perfectly well with three." "But then, if they lose one, things start to go badly." "Were you this third leg, which suddenly gave way?" "You were a barrier to someone's madness, and now you've stopped?" "Is that it?" "Yes." " What should I do?" " Stick by him, whatever the cost." "Make him speak, to get everything out, and most of all, listen." "Listen, with all your might." "Until you can't go on." "You must receive his story." "To save a psychotic, one must become his scribe." "Stick by him." "Become his scribe." "Thank you, Professor." "Loup!" "Come in." "It's been so long." "Please, help me." "I don't recognise him anymore." "He doesn't want to eat." "I don't think he ever sleeps." "Since he came home, he hasn't left his room." "He talks to himself." "There's always a light under his door." "I suggested he went to the doctor, but he wouldn't hear of it." "He said he wouldn't fall for that again." "You know how stubborn he can be." "And his words... such terrible words." "I can't even repeat them to you." "I'll go in." "I like your drawings." "It's Fertility." "It came as a vision." "It's all guided by my creature." "Do you remember all the nights we spent together?" "Looking for answers." "God, the Infinite, all that." "We had no chance." "We shouldn't think with our brain." "That's the real obstacle." "Reason is the enemy." "You understand?" "My dear Loup, it sounds like things aren't going well, darling." "Mando." "Of course it's Mando." "It always was Mando." "And it always will be Mando." "You're joined, you can't help it." "He says he's going to die." "It happens to us all, you know." "Why aren't you here?" "Why are you gone, when I need you so badly?" "I'm here." "I'm here, and you know it." "Can you order me three coffees, please?" "Life here is unbearable." "His madness is too much for me." "I'm always worried that he'll do it again." " Do what again?" " Like in Italy." " What about Italy?" " Didn't he tell you?" "I thought you told each other everything." "You must remember, that winter, at Christmas time." "On the train platform, when he saw you weren't coming." "He was so brave." "You know him." "He gritted his teeth." "He said it didn't matter." "He'd have fun without you." "But still, he was very pale when he got on the train." "Two days later, we received a call." "They asked us to come and fetch him." "Armando was hurt." " His broken wrist." " If only that was all." "An arm can heal." "But not a mind." "He'd become incoherent." "They were scared he'd do something stupid." "They locked him in a room, while we came to fetch him." "We came as fast as we could." "We arrived the next day, but it was too late." "Why?" "I'm not sure I should be telling you this." "It's so old." "You have to tell me, now." "Well, he'd opened his bedroom window," "and jumped out." "Whether it was to escape or to end it all, we never knew." "That's how he got his fracture." "We had no idea what to do." "Marcello had a childhood friend who worked in a psychiatric clinic." "We took him there." "They asked him dozens of questions, but... he never answered." "They put him on medicine." "That helped." "But he said he didn't want to tell anyone." "Not even you." " What did the psychiatrist say?" " He said it was an episode a confusional episode." "Very rare at that age." "Loup, what is it?" " It's all my fault." " What do you mean?" "I'm the one who sent him mad." " Not at all." " Don't you see?" "I thought I was his soul-mate, but in fact I was his traumatic encounter." "It was me!" " Is it now?" " It's me, Loup." "Let me show you something." "It's my diary." "It's all there." "You could have written it." "It's us." "Our life." " Keep it." "You'll need it." " I haven't written in it for ages." "You have to stop sometime." "I'll read it, I promise." "You don't have to." "It's just so that you remember how beautiful our youth was." "It's all in there." "In those exercise books." "And now, we've reached the end of something." "We need to conclude it somehow." "To free ourselves." "What kind of conclusion?" "I'm not a murderer, Loup, but I wonder if your death might be necessary for my metamorphosis." "You're joking." " Stop it!" " Of course I'm crazy." "I'm completely mad." "That's what you think!" " Stop it, seriously!" " It's not a game." " You know it." " I can't breathe." "Tomorrow I'll kill myself." "I promise." "Like those twins in the cemetery, from the Great War." "Loup, it's over." "He's gone." " How did it happen?" " He threw himself from the window." "He died instantly." "My sister and I will take him back to Italy." "Back to the family tomb." "Loup?" "Yes?" "Why couldn't we stop him?" "Girls don't really feature in this story." "Just two boys, but that didn't make things any easier." "There was no stupid rivalry between us, but something else that tore us apart in the end." "Something that had been there from the beginning, but which no one could have predicted." "Today, my life meanders aimlessly in solitude, surrounded by past ghosts." "They carry heavy chains, shackling me to their memory." "I see them in every shadow I pass." "I can't bring myself to erase their phone numbers, and make them disappear all over again." "In the evening, I wander round Montparnasse, looking up at Gaby's windows." "But the lights are never on." "At least once a week," "I look for Mando in the alleys of Père-Lachaise." "Over time, I've come to realise that the dead are a part of me, and how wonderful that is." "SUBTITLES:" "RED BEE MEDIA FRANCE"