"SHADOWS" ""Around us, all these hungry people." Branimir Johnny Stulic, "Into the Night"" "And?" "And?" "Just wait." "I've been waiting for years, Lucky." "I've spent my life waiting." "You are a doctor." "Demand a little respect." "Okay!" "Okay!" "Okay!" "I want water." "Son, did Daddy wake you up?" "Aron, son, what's wrong?" "Come here." "Here, son." "Do you see what you are doing to him?" "Stop it!" "Please!" "Light Mommy's cigarette." "ONE YEAR LATER" "Aron, where have you been, honey?" "What are you doing?" "Were you with grandpa on the balcony?" "What is grandpa doing?" "Reading the newspaper?" "Mmm, super!" "Lucky!" "Lazar!" "Daddy, I want to shave too." "Who wants to shave?" "Who wants to play with me?" "Did you eat today?" "Ok, here's your beard." "You look like Santa Claus now." "Where's the children's razor?" "Here is the children's razor." "Shave, shave, shave, shave..." "That's all, folks." "Daddy, record me, please." "You want me to tape you, son?" "Ok." "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Aron Perkov." "Daddy has a weenie." "Daddy has a weenie." "Daddy's little genius." " Please call me as soon as you arrive home." " All right, Mom." "Be careful, son." "Set the air conditioner at 23 degrees Celsius." " Daddy, you never buy me anything." " I do, son." "Your grandma doesn't." "See you in a week." "Lucky, take this box to my office." "Ok." "Ok, bye." "So, tomorrow back to work, Mr. Lazar." "I can't wait." "What can you do?" "You got to do what you got to do." " It's been a whole year." " What a wonderful job you have." "Not everyone can be a doctor-resident." "Such talent!" "I wanted to be a water expert." "Water... strange thing." "I imagine all water on earth was one big animal." "It died." " A medusa, or an octopus..." " You were so lucky." "A crash like that!" "Lucky?" "I have headaches, keep forgetting things..." "I was in a coma four days, clinically dead." "Mr. Lazar, God was watching over you." "It's good to be alive." "I don't know what to do with him." "Thank you for your help." "He's not a child." "I shouldn't have let him go alone." "He'll find his way." "He's going home." "He's still sick." "It's been year." "Let him breathe." "Gordana and the boy will join him next week." "I removed my make-up." "Turn it off now." "Blagojce, can you stop?" "What is it, Mr. Lazar?" "Night of the Dead." "All Saints' Day." "People hand out food for the souls of their dead." "God bless you." "May we gather only for good." "The Virgin begged God to take mercy on the souls." "Gods aid, "OK," let them out." "The souls walked about from Easter to All Saints' Day." "Yes, but..." "May they rest in peace." "Then it's time to return to the grave and to the next world back to their world." "Yes, but now it is time for them to go back to their graves, back to their world." "But, in the otherworld, they have nothing to eat." "So the living hand out food at their graves." "To help them, butt lure them to go back too." "There is plenty to eat and drink." "You know our folk." "There's enough for the dead, but some for the living too." "At least that's what they say." " No, no." "Let me carry it for you." " It's okay." "Don't worry." "But you're still recovering." "It's ok, Blagojce." "Mrs. Vera gave me specific instructions." "Wait, I forgot." "Mrs. Vera said you should take this." "Take it to her office." "Ok, goodbye." "Anatomy Research class." "Gluvovo village 1973." "Subjects Unknown." "What's up?" "DEATH NOTICE" ""Yirisi gu toss... shchonaistena teb."" "Today we expect the temperature to reach 106 Fahrenheit..." "Borce?" "Who's Borce?" " It's me!" " Come in." "I left home at 5:30 to be first in line." "Everyone jumps the line." "You give then an inch, they take a yard." "What do you take me for?" "Look what I got, Lazar." " Coma loot?" " Coma loot." "Yes." "Come over tonight, got us two nice girls." "Oh, shut up already!" "Do you think only you hurt?" "Allot to hold onto, front and rear." "High heels, plenty of makeup, all dolled-up." "Like New York transvestites?" "Hello, you're not clinically dead anymore!" "Forget that bogey-man wife of yours." "She'll be fine." "I'm a married man, Shishkin." "Yeah, yeah and I'm Kobe Bryant." " What is it?" " What is it?" "O.D. Heroin." "Smack, eh?" "What's with her?" "Nothin'." "She got ill." "She fell down, dude." "She going to die?" " Do you spike?" " You, no..." "If she dies my mom's going to kill me." ""Yeri... na teb."" "What the hell were you saying, Grandma?" "Macedonian Dialects." "Are you the next cleaning lady?" "When did you start working here?" "Yirisi gu toss... shchonaistena teb." "What are you saying, Ma'am?" "Yirisi... na teb?" ""Yirisi gu toss... shchonaistena teb."" "Gluvovo?" "Where are you from, Ma'am?" "Aren't you hot?" "Are you hungry?" "Come inside." "Wait." "Ma'am?" "Ma'am?" "Are you Professor Kokale?" "Next-door." "Excuse me, Professor Kokale?" "I'm sorry..." "So you are." "What else?" "Yes..." "Professor Kokale?" "What coincidence." "I am Kokale, too." "No, I'm not Kokale." "I'm Lazar." "Lazar Perkov." "Big deal." "No, sorry..." "I have this translation..." "I need help... this dialect..." "Where is Professor Kokale?" "At conference." "I'm his assistant." "And wife." "First assistant, then wife." "If that's your question." "I like experienced men." "Let me see." "What?" "Your translation." "Do you want help?" "I do." "Are you trying to give me your number?" "What are you saying, Ma'am?" "...introducing Aron Perkov" "Daddy has a weenie." "Sounds like a dialect from Skopje." "It should be an old women." "I recorded this old woman." "Never mind." "Thank you." "No, wait, Lazar Perkov." "Sit down, tell me." "This strange women in my building." "She speaks dialect." "She's crying, she's very old, she wants to tell me something." "She mentions my mother's village..." "with a wolf in front of my building." "A wolf?" "Was there a giraffe too?" "No giraffe, only wolf." "Did she scare you?" "If you came home, found someone sitting on your couch... speaking a strange language, crying... wouldn't you want to know what's he has to tell you?" "Where's the professor?" "At conference." "Why do you need a translation?" "None of your business." "When we're rude to old people, we feel guilty." "I don't feel guilty." "Everyone does." "I don't." "You know everything." "My grandmother used to say, "I know everything, except when I'll die."" "What happened?" "Too bad you didn't record the dialect." "I did record it..." "Have a nice day." "Okay, okay, okay, dear, okay..." "What's up, Laze?" "Nurse, everything on a crutch I want to see them here." " Is your mother back from her vacation?" " Not yet." "A dog bit me." "Damn dog, rot in hell!" "His sister's a police women." "She left her gun on the dresser." "The boy took it, put it in his pocket, and shot himself." "You move, farewell to arm." "Don't say we didn't warn you." "Hello?" "Hello, honey?" "What are you up to, hon'?" "I'm at the beach." "Where are you calling from?" "From work, can't find my cell." "Your folks left this morning." "It's too hot." "I can't sleep." "I have headaches again." "I keep losing things." "It's from your accident, sweetie." "Your mom said you'll be fine." "They have no frutti di mare again." " How's our boy?" " He's doing fine." "He just ate." "He won't get out of theater." "He's like you, a little fish." "My sweet little baby." "Can't wait to see you guys." "I'm taking you to Gino's forice cream." "Sweetie, the city's boiling." "We'll stay another week." "It's better for his asthma." "Let me talk to him." " Aron!" "Come to Mommy!" " No!" " Daddy wants to talk to you." " I don't want to." "I don't want to!" "I wouldn't, either." "I don't want to, I don't want to." "Sweetie, does your mom know Professor Kokale at Linguistics?" "Kokale?" "He's my father's cousin." "Why?" "I went to see him for a translation." "Do you know his wife?" "What do you need his wife for?" "Oh, nothing." "I don't know her." "What translation, then?" "Some dialect." "An old woman got into our place... a bum." "Home?" "Our apartment?" "What do you mean "got in"?" "Broke in?" "Just an old woman." "Is my jewelry there?" "Did you call the police?" "I threw her out." "The jewelry?" "It's there." "How did she get in?" "Did she steal anything?" "Nothing was missing." "She was crying." "Just tears streaming down." "She touched my cheek with her crooked fingers, scared me shitless." "Did you call the police?" "She cleaned our apartment." "Call Zdravko at the precinct." "There is no need, hon'." "The apartment is spotless." "Call right away." "Who knows how she broke in." "She might do it again." "Heaven help us." "Do not worry." "Consider the entire matter under control." "Yes, yes." "Sit down." "They are not the only pharmaceutical company in town." "This is not something one discusses over the phone." "My regards." "Goodbye." " Did you eat?" " Late." "Shall we go to The Watermill?" "I ate." "You can't take your medication on an empty stomach." "Mom, late!" "Director?" "Come in, come in." "This is from Trendafilov." "Who?" "You know, the patient from cardio." "Thank you." "What is this?" "Chocolates." "Take them home." "What's this?" "Your next bathroom fixtures." "Mom..." "Take it, take it." "Mom." "Do you want to tell me about it?" "About what?" "Who broke into the apartment?" "Who told you, Gordana?" "I took care of it." "The cleaning lady, very old, cleaned our place." "She wanted to eat something." "She's demented." "She was crying." "I should have paid her." "Paid her?" "Money grows on trees for you!" "You are driving me to my grave." "What bone is this?" "Mom, I'm not in school." "Of course you don't know." "You get everything on a silver platter." "It's small, but it looks like a fibula." "Well, is it a fibula or not?" "It could come from a baby." "How many ossification centers?" "Three." "Mom, enough!" "At what age does ossification commence?" "Well, plastic doesn't ossify, does it?" "You studied plastic." "Not like me." "But who helped me?" "I had to dig up my bones myself." "No one to help." "Let me help you." "Did it all myself just to study them, bleached the bones." "You all sucked on plastic pacifiers, studied on plastic bones." "Now fond plastic tits." "Never stop learning, honey." "Don't be like your colleagues." "Yes." "Yes." "Oh, minister!" "What an ice surprise!" "Consider the entire matter under control." "C'mon, honey, pickup." "Squeeze." "Squeeze as hard as you can." "That's all I can do." "Try this, please." "Come on." "Am I?" "We'll send you to a spa." "Don't worry." "You don't remember me, do you?" "Me?" "You were here yesterday?" "The day before?" "No, doctor." "I was your housemaid." "Bela, Bela, Isabela." "When Aron was born." "Sorry, Bela." "Don't worry, Lucky." "People don't remember me." "That's the kind of face I have." "Can't you see I'm busy?" "I told you to leave only your number." "My cell!" "That's where it was." "Well, good then." "Wait." "Waiting." "You can go." "Off to a spa." "Did anyone call?" "No." "Your mother." "Your wife." "Your mother." "Your wife..." "What did you do with the translation?" "The old woman?" "I think she wanted money." "Did you give her any?" "Yeah, right." "It doesn't grow on trees." "I made her a sandwich." "With ham and cheese." "Excuse me, Mrs. Kokale." "What is this?" "Nothing." "Take it off." "Ohh-la-laa!" "No, no." "I meant the scarf." "I see." "Does this hurt?" "And this?" "How did you get this?" "Love." "Who did this to you?" "No one." "I'll strangle him!" "Your husband hit you?" "Your husband?" "Will you bring her back?" "Will you bring her back?" "Will you bring her back?" "Nothing broken." "I know." "My bones are whole." "Three times a day." "You should report his." "Sugar." " Beg your pardon?" "You're so sweet." "You got so worried." " This is not the time..." " It's always the time." "There's no time tomorrow." "No time." "Nous." "If you can't find these..." "Wait, let me." "Thank you, doctor." "How are you going to live without me?" "Hello, police?" "I'll tell them you hit me." "Beg your pardon?" "I'll tell them you beat me." "Don't call them." "I'm embarrassed." "Three times two?" "Yes, times one." "Thanks." "Am I that pretty?" "Are you neighbor?" "Did you just move in?" "Fucking elevator!" "Rot in hell!" "May you fucking die alone, no one to shed a damn tear after you!" "Who's there?" "Ma'am?" "Wait." "I want to ask you..." "I want to pay you for cleaning my place." "Ma'am?" "Ma'am?" "Ma'am?" "Ma'am?" "...the son of the Deputy Minister, using his father's government-issued gun..." "Here you are." ""Yirisi gu toss... shchonaistena teb."" "The old woman I tried recording on my mobile?" "Well, now I wrote it down." "Please, help me." "It's Macedonian, but probably an old Aegean dialect." "No one speaks it anymore." "The people forced out, the houses burnt down." "What does it mean?" ""Return what's not yours." "Have respect."" "Return what?" "You should know best." "I haven't taken anything." "Your father, your grandfather, your son?" "What do I have to do with them?" "What should I return?" "What respect?" "You owe something." "You may not even know about it..." "but you should give it back." "Giveback what?" "Nobody's talking to me." "Do you love her?" "Well, she's my mother." "I meant your wife." "Yes." "That's nice." "It's nice to love." "And you?" "Do you love your husband?" "Of course." "She wants us to move to Canada..." "Manitoba." "It's cold there." "It's so easy being with you." "Where's the bruise?" "What's your wife going to say?" "Hello?" "Hello?" "Who is it?" "Who is it?" "We have cockroaches at home." "What?" "Bang me, huh?" "Bang me, huh?" "Bang me, huh?" "Tell me..." "What can I tell you, young man?" "I'm sorry." "So you are, young man." "What is it?" "Me?" "Yes?" "Professor Kokale?" "Funny, that's my name, too." "What?" "I meant, are you Professor Kokale?" "And you are?" "I..." "Lazar." "Like the one who rose from the dead?" "Perkov." "Lazar Perkov." "Are you related to Dr. Perkova?" "I'm her son." "You know her?" "No." "How can I help you?" "Are you looking for me?" "Actually, yes, the other day... with your wife, she was helping me up..." "A strange dialect, Professor." "What does this mean?" "Where did you get this?" "An old woman told me." "Perhaps she's back for what belongs to her." "What?" "It says..." ""Return what's not yours."" "You are Dr. Perkova's son?" "Yes." "And you beat your wife." "You've got the wrong office, Mr. Perkov." "Really?" "I saw the bruises." "That's odd." "My wife died three years ago." "Doctor, do you need anything?" "No, looking for X-rays." "That's where it was!" "Doris!" "Doris!" "Doris, come here, girl!" "Doris, come here, girl!" "Come on, come here, come!" "There's nothing there, see?" "Don't be scared, there's nothing there." "Come with us to the lakes, son." "Let's surprise your wife and boy." "Dad, what do you know about the Aegean Macedonians?" "You're lucky you were not in their shoes." "Exodus." "Who likes being forced out of his home with bayonet and napalm?" "Dad, have you stolen anything?" "Me?" "Or someone in our family?" "Ever?" "There's been stealing forever." "And more to come." "So, we were stealing too?" "Leave it alone." "Mind your life, mind your son." "Are you going to fix the world?" "What do we need to return?" "Nothing." "What are you doing, honey?" "I need these books." "You need seventh grade text books?" "You'll get your hands dirty." "Let go." "Where are you taking them?" "Home." "This is not home to you?" "Tell me if you find a better one, I'll move in too." "Have you no shame?" "I do everything for you, and this is what I get?" "Shame on you." "How are you, Sir?" "Spitting on my chin." "Beg your pardon?" "Like a dick in cold water, that's how I am neighbor." "Who is it?" " Can you keep it down, pal?" " He fell." " What fell?" " The neighbor fell down." "Get the kid outta there!" "Get a crowbar!" "A man fell down." "Down the elevator shaft!" "Don't break the door." "You seem fine, Lucky." "When did your mom and I scan you last?" "Two months ago." "You're right as rain." "Your mom and I looked and looked." "You know how she can be, a livewire." "Nothing escapes her." "Don't you worry." "You'll live to be 101." "You taking your medication?" "You getting laid?" "Why not?" "I'm no good, am I?" "Hello?" "Yes." "Yes, yes, it's great!" "Outta my way, fuckin' snot!" "What was that number again?" "Huh?" "What number?" "What do you need?" "Good afternoon!" "Is Blagojce home?" "Mr. Lazar, is that you?" "Sorry, I didn't recognize you." "Mome, take the boy." "Darko, get your grandpa." "I'm Paca, Blagojce's wife." "Come in." "Please, come in." "Grandpa, a man's here to see you." "Whitman?" "Shit!" "Welcome." "Here you go." "Do you put medicine on your burn?" "It's a birth mark." "I was born marked." " Looks like a burn to me." " It's not a burn." "My mother was telling me her brothers were shepherds." "They took a bag of grapes from somewhere." "Stole it." "Hung it on the door at home." "Mother was pregnant with me, big as a house!" "She didn't know their getting to do, took some of the grapes and ate them." "Maybe she didn't know they were stolen." "It doesn't matter, she still took them." "And then she touched her arm like this..." "It's red like grapes." "See?" "And here, half my breast, if you'd pardon me." "She says she never stole anything else." "Not even a plum." "That' show I was born, marked." "Marked." "Close the door." "The baby will get a chill." "Mr. Lazar..." "Welcome." "Grandpa's brave boy." "Shoot'em, sheriff!" "Leave the baby, alone, you old fart." "Children." "Great joy, Mr. Lazar." "Yes, great." "I wanted to see my son, too." "Blagojce, do we owe you anything?" "We're the ones who owe you." "Are you sure?" "Both my son and daughter-in-law are unemployed." "Me, too." "If it weren't for your mother, God bless her, bless her golden hand..." "Yeah, yeah..." "Do you believe in souls?" "We all have a soul, don't we?" "Only the animals have no soul." "But they feel pain, too, the poor things." "I mean, life after death, ghosts..." "Ghosts?" "No!" "Only in the movies." "We live in the 21 stcentury." "You got yourself a college degree." "A good degree, Mr. Lazar." "Then, again..." "The old folks say there are people who can't leave." "They died, but can't leave." "They really want to, the poor souls." "But something's in their way." "Some one's ruined it for them, Burnt their bridge." "Insulted them." " Their bridge?" " Yes, their bridge, their gate." "They can't return until the damage has been fixed." "The old folks say these poor souls suffer plenty." "They die over and over." "They die today." "Then die again tomorrow." "They can't go back to their world." "They're stuck here, with us." "Dying once hurts enough, let alone a hundred times over." "Can't anybody help them?" "Only if he figures out how himself." "See, the souls can't tell you anything." "Hell, the regular folk can't even see them." "Isn't that nonsense?" "Might be nonsense, but there are people who believe it." "Son, I bought you a cell phone." "You can call Daddy whenever you want." "Do you want me to give you cell phone?" " May I speak with Aron, please?" " Hello?" "Mom, did Uncle Gasouse to live in America?" "In America." "He came back with tail between his legs." "You think it's easy?" "They'll roll out the red carpet for you?" "Home, sweet home." "Sweet Macedonia." "You are so beautiful." "Come with me back to the city tomorrow." "Be careful." "Your mother may come in." "You be careful not to wake your son." "I love you, sweetie." "Beautiful." "Beautiful." "Water..." "Want some?" "Too early for me ." "That's what you keep saying all your life." "Then you realize it's become too late." "Dad?" "How do you manage?" "With mom." "Gordana..." "Your wife doesn't want to return with you?" "She doesn't." "I miss my son." "How do you do it?" "Look how beautiful." "What are you doing here?" "What now?" "Will you come in?" "Hey!" "Where are you going?" "You lied to me." " Very much." " Sugar?" "No." "Your grandmother?" "My grandmother." "She's very kind." "She looks like you." "She's soft like bread." "You've trapped different smells in every corner." "Every summer, I'd visit my grandfather in Kukush." "He had an upstairs veranda." "My cousins and I ran up and down the wooden stairs." ""You're shaking the stairs," he'd laugh." "At dusk, fireflies would come out." "Thirty, forty fireflies." "Like constellations." "Blinking and flying." "You walk and enter constellations." "You're inside constellations." "They're around you... below you, above you." "You move, and they move." "At my grandfather's it always smelled of linden." "The two most beautiful fragrances in the world." "It's worth being alive just for them." "Linden and roasted peppers." "You are so beautiful." "That's what you tell your wife too." "She is beautiful, too." "She is." "She really is." "But I don't know her." "She's distant." "I want to be with her, but she's not there." "Even when I am with her, she's not there." "She must love you." "I don't think she loves anyone." "Hope you enjoyed your coffee." "What are you doing to me?" "You feel so good." "You'll burn your peppers." "I'll roast new ones." "Menka?" "Do you want to know my name?" "No." "I knew you before I met you." "Menka?" "Menka?" "Menka, where did you go?" "Menka?" "Menka?" "Menka, where are you?" "Menka?" "Menka, talk to me!" "I'll be back soon." "I'm going to get you medicine." "Menka?" "I'll be back." "Taxi!" "Taxi!" "Taxi!" "Nurse." "Nurse!" "Ma'am!" "Call the chief resident!" "Did you hear me?" " Why, doctor?" "Did you hear me?" "Can I help you?" "Hello." "Where's the old woman?" " What old woman?" "My old woman." "There was no old woman." "You're all lying." "You stole her!" "Lucky, take it easy, dude." "And you..." "You get your daddy to take it easy." "His wife won't give him any." "What the fuck you want?" "Lam crazy, right?" "Very much." "Come." "Come." "Come." "Come." "It can't be easy." "Want some?" "What's going on?" "We are dying." "We're all dying." "Some more often than others." "Die-rise, die-rise..." "I'm sick of it." "What is she saying?" "She's from another time ." "You can't understand her." "She says, "Return me to Gluvovo, Return me my peace."" "Gluvovo?" "My mother's village?" "Let's go!" "You'll give us a lift?" "We don't need a lift, neighbor." "What do you need, then?" "You don't want to know." "You're lucky you're not in my shoes." "You think it feels good to walk around with nails in your heels?" "Spikes." "When I died... my brother nailed them into my heels." "So that I wouldn't rise, wouldn't come back." "Well, I did fucking comeback!" "And then your mother fixed us up." "We've been waiting 34 years for someone who can hear us." "Someone who has touched us." "Why me?" "Because no one else can see us." "You think I wouldn't rather chat with her?" "For her I don't exist, neighbor." "And it's not because I'm old." "Leave me alone!" "Had we left you alone after the crash, you wouldn't be alive now, you little snot." "What?" "What did you say?" "You remember the tunnel?" "The railroad gate?" "You were neither here nor there." "Won't shit nor get off the pot." "Daddy has a weenie." "You wanted to come back." "So you gave us your word." "That's why we helped you come back." "The car was going to squash you like a bug." "Well, now it's time to payback." "Payback what?" "You must figure it out yourself." "You should knowhow to show respect, you little shit." "Gerasim!" "If your mother didn't teach you how to show respect, I can't, either!" "You are from another time..." "You are insane." "Whose are these bones?" "Where is your wife?" "None of your business." "And your son?" "Good thing the apartment's in our name." "Whose bones are these?" "Give me the socks." "I want to know." "Nobody's." "An abandoned grave, not even a real one." "Aegeans, refugees, suicides." "It's their own fault." "And drowned." "A baby, not baptized..." "I gave them meaning, made them useful." "Not like you, you parasite." "You don't care about anyone." "You stole." "What?" "Whose graves have you defamed?" "Do you know the people?" "They want them back." "They want..." "You need help." "You have no respect." " Put the bones back." " You give them back!" "They aren't yours." " Give me back my keys." "No." " Give me back my keys." "Give me back my S.U.V." "Give me back my S.U.V." " Giveback the keys!" "No, Mom!" "Mom..." "Mom?" "Get out!" "Get out!" "And don't come back!" "My mother's village." "There they are, outside the cemetery." "Rejected, suicides." "Aegeans." "You gave us back our peace." "Come." "Come." "Thank you." "No!" "I have to." "Don't." "Then come with me." "Wait!" "Come." "You were never here anyway." "Smile now." "One day you'll be gone." "How are you going to live without me?" "How are you going to live without me?"