"The Pat Chey market." "You can buy everything there." "Many, many things." "I think about going later." "Very good." "But not at night." "When there's no people it's dangerous, very dangerous." "Wagter, my name is Wagter." "Egon Wagter." "W-A-G-T-E-R." "Yes, this is room 146." "Can you call me at half past nine?" "Half past ten, I mean." "I'm sorry." "Tonight." "So, ten thirty." "Yes, thank you." "You want my sister?" "Very nice." "No, no." "Thank you." "Nobody lives in Siberia anymore." "In Brazil there are forests." "Are you okay?" "I'm scared." "Yeah, me too." "I've never done anything like this before." "Me neither." "I saw you this afternoon." "Yeah, me too." "I saw you too." "Okay, let's get this over with." "No, there's a fault line on multiple layers of rock." "If one layer is much older than the other you call it a window." "And that's important and very special?" "Yes." "It depends of course." "You can find them in Belgium." "In South America and Africa you got a few very special ones." "What's the fun of it?" "It's just great." "Two layers next to each other, one is millions of years older... and you can actually touch it." "Well, never mind." "Egon?" "Axel." "What was in the salt cellars?" "Nothing." "I almost didn't recognize you." "How's your failing going?" "Three years of boarding school and now I'm in Amsterdam at De Grim." "This is René, this is Hildegonde." "De Grim?" "Debating society De Grim." "Do you go to university?" "Law school, freshman." "I'm a third year in geology." "14th year in psychology." "Master of Laws." "Last round." "A beer for this gentleman." "I really should go." "I've got a lab tomorrow at 9 am." "Stay a little longer." "We'll show you De Grim." "I really should go." "Promise me that you'll come tomorrow." "Okay?" "Alright." "Hey, René." "Thanks." "Do you know where Axel is?" "Upstairs in his room." "Yes?" "Axel?" "It's me." "Egon." "Egon, come in." "Egon, this is Judy." "Judy, this is Egon." "I've shown her my room." "Jesus, how can you study here?" "I admit it's quite hard." "Thanks." "A friend of yours?" "Axel?" "Yes." "Do you study law too?" "No, geology." "I met him while on holiday, long ago." "How old were you back then?" "14 or 15." "Was it nice?" "It was important for me." "We visited a cave in the Ardennes." "That's why I study geology now." "It's a long story." "Was he just as wild back then?" "He made me smoke my first joint." "He still supplies us with all we need." "What do you mean?" "He can get you anything, dope, pot, whatever." "You knew that, didn't you?" "No." "I remember in Belgium he sold a piece of pot for 500 guilders." "Maybe I'd better shut my mouth." "Come down." "Stop it." "Anyone else is coming?" "Come down immediately." "Come down." "I can't hear you." "Come down immediately." "I'm coming." "Why did you do that?" "I was up there looking for a sign 'forbidden to climb'." "Hi, I'm Axel van de Graaf." "Egon." "Marjoke." "We're gonna sit over there." "We're gonna put up the tents in couples." "Hey, we're together, okay?" "No thanks, I've never smoked." "Have a puff and you're done." "My parents will buy me a scooter when I'm 18 and never..." "If you don't tell it, they'll never know and you'll get your scooter." "Come on." "Put it in your mouth and take a puff." "Suck it, don't blow." "What does your father do?" "He's a hospital superintendent." "Where do you come from?" "Hilversum." "Ever fucked a woman?" "Fucked?" "No." "And you?" "With six women." "One of them was 32 years old." "She was the wife of a neurologist." "She was crazy, she wanted to blow me." "Really?" "How old are you then?" "15." "Go to sleep, people." "No." "No problem with some pot." "Pot?" "Hi, Egon." "Hey, Michiel." "Do you know where René is?" "No, haven't seen him for a while." "Me neither." "No one knows where he is." "Maybe he's studying." "Hey, Polak." "Hello, Axel." "You old gutter journalist." "Hasn't he been bragging that he's a journalist?" "Polak?" "Are you Michiel Polak from the Amsterdam Tribune?" "This is Michiel Polak from the Amsterdam Tribune." "He's got two ears and a newspaper." "A dangerous combination, Polak." "What does he mean?" "I think he's gonna subscribe to the Amsterdam Tribune." "Really?" "Are you gonna subscribe to the Amsterdam Tribune?" "Do you know where Hildegonde hangs out?" "At De Grim?" "No, I haven't seen her there for quite a while." "On a honeymoon with René?" "Keep this for me, will you?" "There's someone to see you." "It's late, but he says it's urgent." "Egon, are you doing things that can't stand the light of day?" "Studying, huh?" "He's keeping you awake turning the papers, isn't he?" "His cracking brains." "But I'll make sure he won't be a nuisance anymore." "You know Margriet, don't you?" "Yes, but where is Hildegonde?" "And René?" "I already asked you before." "Hildegonde?" "Damn, you're right." "Usually she comes." "But Margriet has the hots for you, did you know that?" "I didn't know." "Really?" "She never showed it." "She's a sizzler, isn't she?" "And a lot younger than those rocks of yours." "I thought she was after you." "I make sure you can fuck once in a while." "Like those two sisters in that tent." "Margriet has been nagging me into arranging a date with you." "When?" "At ten o'clock." "Today?" "Yes." "It's five to ten." "You better start shaving now." "Keep up with the rest, guys." "What a strange objects." "They look like salt cellars held upside down." "What's in those things?" "I'd like to know that too." "Start climbing then." "I suppose it's forbidden." "You want to know what's in it." "Well?" "Don't do it, Egon." "Don't do it, Egon." "It's empty." "There's nothing in it." "Is that all?" "You're sure?" "Empty your pockets." "Goodnight everyone." "Lights off." "Sweet dreams and see you tomorrow." "What are you gonna do?" "Shht." "I'm going away." "Where to?" "To Vera." "Now?" "What you're gonna do then?" "Fuck her." "Do you need some extra money?" "A 1000 guilders, very easy, risk-free." "A 1000 guilders?" "1200, especially for you." "How?" "Does it have something to do with René en Hildegonde?" "You're going abroad and you loan your passport to someone for a few days." "What's gonna happen with my passport?" "I don't know exactly." "Where do I have to go to?" "You'll hear that later." "If you don't want it, I'll do it myself." "I'm not sure." "I'll have to think about it." "That's not smart." "You have to grab every opportunity." "Don't be afraid." "Just relax and it'll work out fine." "Good luck, man." "You're looking good." "Do you call me?" "I will." "Hi." "What's up?" "What are you doing here?" "He didn't tell you?" "Axel arranged a date for us." "It's a bit weird, but also nice, I think." "Nice?" "Get lost, Axel told me he'd come." "That son of a bitch." "I'd better go then." "No way." "You can just as well stay now." "Bastard." "He's playing games with people:" "You go here, you go there." "You can go to jail in Hungary, you in Poland." "Dickhead." "Go to jail?" "Are you really that naive?" "The whole Grim knows about that." "I think Polak's writing an article about it." "That bastard." "He sends his own girlfriend to jail." "Is Hildegonde in jail?" "Sentenced to two years in Poland." "René to four years in East Germany." "He just offered me 1200 guilders to make a trip." "I have done it." "Twice." "For a thousand, by the way." "Hungary and Poland." "What did you have to do?" "Hand over my passport, so they could smuggle someone out of the country." "He assured me it was safe." "It isn't, obviously." "Goddamn." "You don't do that to your friends." "I've had it with him and De Grim." "Whatever." "But you're staying here tonight." "Come in." "Mr Wagter, I was rather impressed by your project... about the tectonics of Precambrian shields in South America." "You ever heard of Yaraima?" "The Yaraima shield." "On the border of Colombia and Peru, in the jungle." "That window has hardly been explored." "Our section is on good terms with South America." "I'm running ahead of things, Egon... but try to look up everything you can find about Yaraima in our library." "And follow a Spanish language course." "Can I help you?" "I thought I could find Peru here." "Peru is over there." "I'm going there, so..." "To those shelves?" "No, to Peru." "Me too." "What are you looking for?" "A book about the old Inca trails." "Are you going there?" "Yes, as a tour guide." "But I've been there before on my own." "So you travel a lot." "And you?" "I'm a geologist." "I don't travel a lot though." "But you're going to Peru." "Yes, probably." "I'm going to Yaraima." "A shield that hasn't really been explored yet." "Well..." "This is the section Peru." "Maybe we'll see each other there." "We've met each other here, haven't we?" "Guys." "Tonight I'd like to talk with you about sex." "Great idea." "Sex is natural and important..." "You can say that again." "Axel van de Graaf..." "You're at the age that you're discovering it all, each in his or her own way." "But let me tell you as an experienced man... there's one important fact:" "There is more than to fuck or not to fuck." "Jerk off." "You may not want to believe it... but a rowing trip on a shiny day... a hand that softly touches a cheek... a stroll through the park." "In the moonlight." "Those things can give you a kick." "It's things like that you'll remember the rest of your lives, not just the fucking." "That's the secret of real love." "Those hills you all went too this afternoon only have one top." "But everyone can find his own path to reach that top." "Well, okay." "We've known each other for almost two weeks now." "You know I'm a medical student." "I'd like to know what your plans are." "Wim, what do you want to be?" "Yeah, tell us." "I'm going to study hydraulic engineering in Delft." "I thought you wanted to be a beautician." "And you, Sjoerd?" "I want to be a surgeon." "Vera?" "Fashion designer." "Veterinarian." "Archeologist." "And Egon?" "Geologist." "And Axel, what do you want to be?" "A failure." "Congratulations." "There you have it." "It takes ages to become a professor." "And the oil companies?" "I rather discover something new." "Dads travel agency is also an option." "He is fluent in Spanish and he knows South America." "You've got it made with such a family." "Next year I'll be on an expedition to the Amazon rainforest, the Yaraima shield." "What was in the salt cellars?" "Nothing." "Congratulations." "This is Winnifred, this is Bianca." "This is my wife, Adrienne." "Hello." "Is she really your wife?" "How did you do that without my help?" "Back in the days I always had to help him." "I'm proud of you." "And now the next step, be a professor." "I want to have shared a tent with a professor." "Egon, can I talk to you for a moment?" "Come with me." "I have to tell you something." "I'd better tell you now, because I'm going to New York tomorrow." "This is maybe not the right moment... but Yaraima is off." "Excuse me?" "But..." "I'm terribly sorry." "It's all politics." "There's no money." "It's disastrous for geology." "How old are you?" "29." "Your time will come." "You're a great writer." "High schools are fond of PhD's." "You could teach geography." "I didn't know you knew Axel." "I didn't know that you knew him." "From a holiday long ago." "And you?" "I met him a few times in the city." "Did you enjoy it?" "I've slept with him once." "Really?" "At a party." "Totally ridiculous." "At a debating society that always had these strange parties." "Should I have kept my mouth shut?" "It was nothing." "He was a lousy lover." "That dickhead didn't even recognize me." "So I told him myself." "I said:" "Axel, do you remember we slept together?" "You said that on my PhD party." "I whispered it." "Do you know what he answered?" "'No, let's do it again.'" "You can't say something like that." "But he can." "Yes, he can." "You have so much he doesn't have." "A nice wife that loves you very much, for instance." "And who's very proud of you." "60 million years ago this part of South America was below sea level." "Two parts of the crust of the earth pushed each other upwards... like ice breaking up, up to 7000 meters." "That's how the Andes was formed." "So 100 million years ago you would've needed flippers up there." "Do we have to know this for the test?" "It's not in the book." "I'm so silly to think that you might find this interesting." "No, you don't have to know this." "Do as you see fit." "Overijssel has a continental climate." "It was a wonderful cave, wasn't it?" "That window." "I rather go blackberrying." "With whom are you going?" "Egon, why don't you go blackberrying with Vera?" "Okay?" "Do you want to go blackberrying?" "Come on." "Don't you have any blackberries?" "I was after two particular blackberries." "Can I have your attention, please?" "I want to put someone in the spotlight." "I don't even have a decent present." "But a bottle of wine is always nice." "Sure, what have I done to deserve this?" "This morning I received by mail the 3rd edition of 'Understanding Planet Earth'... by our geography colleague Egon Wagter." "Egon, it's not the Nobel Prize... but this school is very happy with teachers who write their own books." "O, I almost forgot." "Look, a bottle of wine, for my third edition." "Leenberg was very proud of me." "11.95 guilders." "Dear me." "The 3rd edition?" "Why haven't you told me that?" "It's not that important." "Wait." "...operating mainly from the Netherlands." "The relation with other assaults..." "Goddamn, that's Axel." "Confrontations in the drug world are getting more violent." "One of the two serious casualties, a 35 year old male from Holland..." "Maybe he'll die." "I almost hope so." "He's your friend." "That's what he says." "But it doesn't mean anything to him." "He's only doing his own thing." "Jesus Christ, a shooting." "Some people live faster than others." "Yes, and you should know." "Not funny." "Would you care if he died?" "Yes, I would." "Because of that one time?" "Don't start again." "It was nice and exciting, but meaningless." "I shouldn't have told you." "Meaningless?" "It meant a whole lot." "You did it cos he's more succesful than a 35 year old with a bottle of wine." "Axel just steals it, while it takes me three editions." "Let's go upstairs." "Let's fuck." "I'm not really in the mood." "Throw it against the wall, do something." "Lights out and for the penultimate time:" "sweet dreams." "See you tomorrow." "Let's go to Vera and Florrie." "You take Vera, I take Florrie." "But you have something going with Vera." "No, I saw you guys on that hill." "Didn't you notice?" "She likes you." "No, she likes you." "Come on, we bring along a bottle of wine." "No, don't." "Hey, come on." "Come on, let's change." "What is this?" "Are you out of your mind?" "Goddamned, we were trying to fuck here." "Piss off with that light." "Egon Wagter?" "Do you remember me?" "Yes, Polak." "That's a long time ago." "I want to talk to you." "About Axel van de Graaf." "Is he gonna die?" "Yes, probably." "I just want some anonymous background information." "Suppose my name gets in the paper." "Than they'll cut off your dick, put it in your mouth and dump you in the water." "I better pass then." "Axel is working internationally." "We're talking about hundreds of millions." "Perfectly organized." "A head of hashish, of coke, of brothels, of eliminations." "Eliminations?" "At least eight since 1983." "When was that in '83?" "In May." "Someone hit him with brass knuckles." "He still has a scar." "We went to Belgium around that time, if I remember correctly." "He had that wound then." "So you want background information about Axel." "Egon, what was in the salt cellars?" "Nothing." "Absolutely nothing." "I haven't seen you in ages." "Are you a professor yet?" "Assistent." "I was thinking about you, I'm on my way to the Ardennes." "For a research with freshmen." "I have to catch my train, I'm sorry." "I'll take you." "It's only five minutes by bike." "I mean to Belgium." "You ever heard something of Kees?" "Kees?" "Kees who?" "Our guide Kees of Davy Youth Travel." "'You're out of tune with Davy.' Do you remember his last name?" "What was it?" "I liked him." "And he was right." "Certainly not to disturb us with those girls?" "That it can be better to stroll through the park hand in hand... than to make love with a girl." "It was brave of him to tell that to a bunch of teenagers." "He had the hots for those girls." "Always yacking that his flashlight was broken." "What do you really do to earn a living?" "Business." "What kind of business?" "Jesus, Egon." "Come on." "You only think about yourself." "Who else should I think about?" "It's garbage, trash." "I help people to makes mistakes, but it's their own fault." "Vera and Florrie didn't really want it." "Then why did they do it?" "I didn't want it either." "You wanted that sheep Marjoke, while I let you fuck the hottest girl." "Why did you do it then?" "You dragged me along." "That's not an answer." "You did it yourself." "And I still regret it." "Why did you come to me at the station?" "You seemed like a nice guy." "We turned out friends, didn't we?" "You think I'm a son of bitch, but we're friends nevertheless." "You just needed someone to look up to you." "Maybe I look up to you." "Maybe I'd also like to cut rocks all day." "Only thinking about if they're a hundred million years old or a billion years." "Nothing." "You're out of tune with Davy." "I'll inform your parents about this." "Wait a minute." "You tell us two things." "One:" "I'm out of tune with Davy." "That's true." "Two:" "You're not gonna inform our parents." "That would be a mistake." "Then we'll tell Vera's parents that you couldn't keep your dirty hands of her." "It's not true." "But you sure would've liked it, Keessie." "We'll hear more from you." "Go away." "Hi, darling." "Dad wants to stop." "I know, and you're gonna take it over." "He wants you here too." "You could go ten times a year to South America." "That's not the way I want it." "Be honest with yourself." "And with me." "Axel van de Graaf shall never have shared a tent with a professor." "That's not possible anymore." "Are you the woman who says she loves Egon Wagter?" "Yes, I am." "Then you can't expect it from me." "I'm a geologist." "Even if I'll never be a professor, I'll still be a geologist." "Think about it." "A bus and tram card." "A large or a small one?" "The small one." "There you are." "Thanks." "Axel van de Graaf is a father again" "That'll be 11.25 guilders." "Or do you want that magazine too?" "No, thanks." "What do you think of our relation?" "I think we should talk." "Hi, Arthur." "Hi, Charlotte." "Hi, Mrs Nussbaum." "Hi, mum." "I thought you were going to Tuscon today." "The plane doesn't leave until tonight." "I felt like seeing you before I go." "Let's go somewhere." "My bike..." "We can put it in the back." "So why did you come?" "You never come to school." "Things are different every time." "I got you something." "A going away present." "Going away present?" "You're going to Tuscon every year, what's so special this time?" "This time I'm giving you a going away present." "I didn't know you could do that." "I almost forgot it myself." "Why don't you give it up, mum?" "Give up what?" "The shop." "The only customers I see in there are kids... who buy ten cents worth of nothing." "When I was a young girl, about 14..." "I was at a party." "There was this boy there." "A very annoying boy." "A real jerk." "I hated him." "He kept turning off all the lights." "We had to keep turning them on again." "He was trying to feel up the girls in the dark." "I was very well behaved." "My friends all did crazy things, but not me." "Maybe I would have liked to do something crazy... something that would just... change everything." "Change what?" "What are you talking about?" "Come on, let's go rowing." "Marcy, I gotta go." "I wanted to say goodbye." "Bye." "You get back Saturday?" "Sunday." "When do you want me to turn off the polishing machine?" "That's ready now, but I'll do it." "I wouldn't want you to get your hands dirty." "I wish you wouldn't go to Tucson." "It's a waste of time." "I've got a really good deal in the works." "Good enough to pay another weeks rent?" "Every minute longer is worth it." "Marcy, you're all washed up." "It's time to admit it." "Egon, what was in the salt cellars?" "Nothing." "It's going great with us." "Let's keep it that way." "I have an appointment." "Call me whenever you need me, okay?" "See ya." "An isolated and little known part of South America." "It has kept it's many secrets." "In the last half century at least five attempts... to reach the inner sanctuaries of the Yaraima shield have failed." "It remains one of the most impenetrable places on earth." "Now for the first time an American expedition... of cartographers, biologists and botanists... is preparing to explore and chart this mysterious part of the Yaraima shield." "Yaraima?" "I'm sorry, but I'm a historian." "The Yaraima shield." "On the border of Columbia and Peru." "They don't have a geologist yet." "I always wanted to go there." "That's great." "I can arrange a replacement." "You don't understand me." "I need a lot of money to buy me in." "Can I get more hours?" "I'm afraid chances are higher you'll be getting less hours." "Can't the school give me an advance?" "I wish I could help you... but the school isn't a bank where you can get a loan." "That's what they told me at the bank." "Yaraima." "I remember you were talking about that at De Grim." "It's unbelievable." "An area where almost no strangers set foot." "I could write a couple of articles." "I wish I could help you." "I'm sorry, but you're not a writer." "I've written a geography book." "It's already in it's twelfth edition." "I have to go there." "And Axel?" "Do you still see him?" "Yes, Egon here." "Axel, I hope I have the right number." "That's long ago." "Can you call me back?" "Thanks." "I'm going to Hotel Nobis please." "Can I have you something to drink?" "No, thanks." "Yes, a campari and orange please." "Listen, I'd like to speak to Axel." "Excuse me?" "I want to talk to Axel." "I have to talk to him." "I don't know what you're talking about." "Axel van de Graaf." "I'm sorry, but I must talk to him." "I'm not going to do this." "Come with me please." "Hey, Marjoke." "Look at that stone." "That's a nice one on top of our dam." "We're waiting for you." "We're going to the cave." "I'm not doing it." "I'm not doing it." "You call me after 25 years and ask me if I can help you... and now you tell me you're not doing it." "I'm too scared." "I can't do this kind of things." "How do you know what it is?" "You told me yourself." "You can only know what it is when you can feel what's it like." "Remember the Davy camp?" "You wanted to know what was in the salt cellars." "Thanks to whom did you find out?" "Thanks to you." "And now again." "Don't you wanna know what's in this salt cellar?" "It's too risky." "If it was too risky, I wouldn't let you do it." "What has your risk-free living brought for you so far?" "That you need a criminal like Axel van de G." "Someone you've been hating all of your life." "Do you want to go back to that tank town?" "To wonder the rest of your life how your life could have changed?" "I'll ask for the market vendor who has found them." "Where were their cars standing?" "Your friends car over there." "Acquaintance." "And his lovers car was over there." "Lover?" "I doubt that." "They haven't cleaned anything." "It'll fade away soon enough." "They even crawled to each other." "This is the Pat Chey market, isn't it?" "Don't go there at night, says my guidebook." "And those boys, they were over there?" "Yes." "They saw two unknown cars standing over here and seized their chance." "Did they find any drugs?" "They're not fond here of unproven drugs stories, Mr Polak." "That situation with Doornenbosch was already enough." "Egon Wagter is a friend of Axel van de Graaf." "It must've been an amoureus encounter." "Here?" "A friend of Axel van de Graaf and someone else with a Dutch passport?" "They have a beautiful saying here:" "The man and woman who are doomed to meet... will have day and night come together." "I'll get that guy." "Two of your fellow-countrymen." "Horrible, horrible." "He arrived here at six o'clock in the morning." "It's dangerous on this market." "He saw something." "He saw blood, a lot of blood." "And two things, he didn't know what it was." "Two people embracing each other in a lot of blood." "Horrible." "Two lovers in each others arms." "'Egon Wagter college friend Axel v.d.G.'" "What are you doing here?" "I'm here to scare you." "You've got guts." "Go ahead." "Ask me." "Off the record." "Okay." "Was Egon there for you?" "Yes." "And that woman too?" "It says that they were found in each others arms." "Did you make that up?" "It's true, I've seen the pictures." "It was quite hard to get them loose." "Egon was my oldest friend." "I didn't see him often, but I loved him." "He didn't like me though." "Tough luck." "You're the only acquaintance of his I still have contact with." "We don't have contact." "All those murder you accuse me of, isn't that contact?" "What you're writing here about La Roche:" "International drug lord Axel van de G started dealing drugs during that camp." "Isn't it international?" "Don't be funny." "What do you know about that?" "You've sold there a piece of pot for 500 guilders." "That's what Egon told me." "Look here." "It was this camp, we were 14 years old." "That's a bit old to start dealing." "I was selling drugs when I was 12." "When you're 14 you develop life-long ties." "Can I use this for the paper?" "You'll get it back undamaged." "Was that woman also working for you?" "I arrange everything down to the last detail." "You wrote that yourself." "But there weren't any risks, do you understand?" "But you can't foresee everything." "You ever had a bullet in your body?" "No, not today." "But I did." "Three." "Do you know what happens then?" "You're getting wise." "Do you know what wisdom is?" "Telling the truth by accident." "But I can't quote you?" "I quit." "You're quitting what?" "All those things you're writing about in your article." "I've gone too far with Egon." "But it was right, Michiel." "Dripstones are formed by water drops falling down." "We call those dripstones stalagmites and stalactites." "Every drop deposits a small amount of calcite... so that the stalagmites and stalactites gradually grow towards each other... until they form a pillar together." "This is the window of Hurennes." "The dark part is a basalt formation." "It's a hundred million years older." "You can touch it on the way out." "If you put your hand on it, you're bridging a hundred million years." "You can feel the time."