"My name is Lurdes Santis, I'm 23 years old and until recently I was a normal person." "What I mean is, I did the same things as everybody else." "I had a job caring for children and old people, and in my free time I'd meet up with friends for a few beers and some conversation." "Sometimes I'd hook up with Carlos for a little action, no strings attached." "What I mean is, we had a casual thing." "Carlos was a nice guy and I liked him." "He was a fellow student of mine." "Then there's the school." "That's what mattered most to me." "What I liked most." "The Visual Arts School." "I was in my third year and I had everything figured out." "At least I thought so, until very recently." "But now..." "I don't know anymore." "What I mean is, things don't make sense anymore." "I even have trouble understanding what happened." "Excuse me." "Is this the road to Obaba?" "How much further?" "87 bends." "Thanks." "One." "Two." "I don't know why I started counting." "What I mean is," "I'd never done it before." "I had no idea counting things was a custom in Obaba." "I found that out later." "And 87." "Good evening." "Could you tell me where the hostel is?" "Miguel, turn that music down!" "What did you say?" "I'm looking for the hostel." "Well, go straight down..." "All right, hold on." " Miguel, take her to the hostel." " It's okay." "I can find it myself." "It's no trouble at all." "I could do without the music." "She loves riding in cars." "Sometimes we ride my motorcycle, but it's not the same." " Don't you love riding in cars?" " No." "What do you mean?" "You always said you did." "I do." "But not this one." "Okay, okay." "He had big, black eyes." "And a daughter as well, of course." "It was my first thought." "I don't like messy situations." "Got any music?" "I'm turning it off." "I turned it off." "It's over there." "THE LIZARD HOSTEL" "What is it?" "Nothing." "Ismael." "Take good care of her for a few days." "Yes, it'll be a few days." " Can I still get a bite?" " In the bar." "My first night in Obaba and I got lost three times." "But I met the hostel owner, a lizard and a music freak." "Very few people live on the hillside." "Most live down below." "Across the river." "With that thing you'd better not say what it's for." "Tell them it's a survey, that'll work." "Good morning." "He can't hear you!" "He's deaf." "What do you want?" "It's his right ear." "And he's a bit..." "I'm his sister." "My name's Begoña." "And you?" "Lurdes." " I'm doing a survey about..." " You're not staying at the hostel..." "Yes." "Get out of there right away." "Why?" "Don't trust Ismael, he's a bad man." "He did this to Tomas." "Tomas was the smartest boy in the whole school." "And look at him now." "Ismael did that to him." "Out of pure envy." "He put a lizard in his head." " A lizard?" " Yes." "How could he do that?" "Through his ear." "They eat the brain inside." "It's their favorite food." "They eat your brain and you go stupid." "As kids they warned us never to sleep in the grass because a lizard would get in your head." "Ismael stuck one in my brother's ear out of envy." "And he has the nerve to hang that photo up for everyone to see!" "Which photo?" "Which photo do you think!" "The one they took of us all the day Tomas went deaf." "The girl in the middle is the teacher?" "The prettiest Obaba's ever had." "Which one is you?" "This one." "And Tomas?" "The boy in front of me." "And next to me that's Esteban, the German's son." " May I?" " Of course." "We were inseparable." "I was the troublemaker of the three." "Tomas was smart and Esteban was sensible." "You like lizards, huh?" "What do you mean?" "I mean, the name of the hostel." "And the other night on the road." "Why were you holding a lizard?" "I like setting them loose in the guestrooms." "Be careful now." "There's a species that can hurt your brain and make you stupid." "Back then we were so poor we didn't even have a school." "We'd meet the schoolteacher here, across from the hostel." "We'd stand in two lines, girls in one and boys in the other, by age." "Then we'd march up the stairs, behind her, counting the steps." "One, two, three..." "All the way up to the landing." "Why did you count them, Merche?" "The schoolteacher always counted everything." "She said it was fun and it helped you keep a clear head." "These three were the last ones." "And this was the classroom." "You can see what it was like." "And since we had no materials, the schoolteacher made up examples for us so we wouldn't forget." "All right, Merche." "THE SCHOOLTEACHER" "Imagine you're writing a letter to your best friend in the whole world." "Imagine you wrote it eleven days ago and you wait a week without getting a reply." "How many days have passed since you heard from him?" "Eighteen." "And if another two weeks go by and then another eight?" "How much time has passed since you last heard from your best friend?" "That's no best friend." "He's a jerk." " A friend would never do that." " Ismael, Begoña!" "Her exercises were so believable we ended up hating this unknown friend who never answered letters." "I told you, Miss." "You need not come here." "I'll bring your mail to you." "It's no trouble." "It's a distraction." "How many steps are there from your house to the school?" "547." "And from here to mine, 743." "1,290 steps in all." "How about that." "You have a letter." "It has an official seal on it." "Antonio!" "Tell her where you got the tattoo." "Quiet." "The inspector has answered our request." "He says he'll come next Tuesday to have a look at the school and hear us out." "I want each of you to prepare what you want to say to him." "And to celebrate, we'll go on an excursion." "Bury your troubles at the bottom of the bag and be happy." "Always be glad, never be sad." "No!" " Bury your troubles..." " Miss!" "Miss!" " My sister fell in the river!" " What?" " She fell in the river." " Where?" "Where!" "We were playing and she fell in." "Marga!" "Get your parents." "Quick!" "Marga!" "Come on." "Marga!" "Over here!" "I'll tell him... that the desks are broken and we have no colored chalk." "Very good." "Manuel, what will you say?" "The windows are broken and it's cold." "Tomas?" "We need maps of Asia and Africa." "Very good." "You can read or draw for a while." "The inspector has not kept his promise." "What should we do now?" "Lucas?" "Kick his ass." "That won't fix our problems here at the school." "Esteban?" " Send him another letter." " Exactly." "That's what we'll do." "We'll write again tomorrow." "You can go." "See you tomorrow, Miss." "Goodbye, Miss." "See you tomorrow." "Goodbye, Miss." " Where are you going, Antonio?" " I'll show you!" "Forget about it!" " We believe you!" " I'll do it!" "539, 540, 541, 542," "543, 544, 545..." " Hi, Manuel." " Good morning." "Don't stand out in the cold." "Come in, it's okay." "How about a glass of milk?" "You want a smoke?" "I don't smoke." "And you shouldn't either." " You're too young." " I'm turning 17 next month." "Really?" "Have a seat." "The stove works, right?" "I think so." "We haven't been cold so far." "At what age did you start school?" "When I was eleven." "I was a shepherd before that." "Now I'm a hand at the Mugat farm." "I'm doing much better." "I'd better go and light the stove." "Yeah, I'll give you the key." "Handwriting for the younger ones." "Copy this into your books." "For the older ones, arithmetic." "Open your books to page 27 if you have them." "A man had six horses." "He sold three for 1,500 pesetas each." "Another two for 1,300 pesetas a head." "The last one broke his leg and had to be sold for meat." "Question: if he made 7,300 in the end, how much did the butcher give him?" "Ismael." "How much did the butcher give him, Manuel?" "Manuel?" "We don't eat horsemeat around here, Miss." "Quiet." "Manuel may not be good at math, but he's the best at lighting the stove." "Who knows the answer?" " 200 pesetas." " Very good, Tomas." "Show us on the board how you did it." "You must be happy to get so much mail." "It's from my family." "Tomorrow's my birthday." "Happy birthday." "Have a nice Sunday." "Manuel, what are you doing here?" "Come in." " I'm worried, Miss." " Have you had dinner?" "Not yet." "Then have dinner here." "I won't take no for an answer." "It's my birthday." "Let's hope you have a lot more." "Twenty-five." "I'm twenty-five." "I've decided from now on" "I'm going to change." "I'm going to stop being so uptight." "I'll even smoke with you after dinner." "Go on, sit down." "So why are you worried?" "I won't be able to go to school next week and I'm worried about the stove." "Who's going to light it?" "The valve is tricky..." "Don't worry about that." "I'll light it myself." "All right?" "Now eat." " You want some more sherry?" " Yes, ma'am." "Don't call me ma'am." "Forget that I'm your teacher." "And give me a cigarette." "How's your new boss?" "He likes drinking." "He drinks like a fish." "I've been up since 5 this morning, but he's not a bad man." "Have you got any brothers?" "Two." "They went to America when our folks died." "I want to go too." "It's almost Christmas." "Know any carols?" "I remember one my mom used to sing." "It's late." "I should go." "In this weather?" "It's pouring outside." "You see that old bed?" "When it's cold, I sleep out here." "You can sleep there." "Don't be silly." "Go on, lie down." "I'll get you a blanket." "Oh, Manuel." "You fell asleep with your clothes on..." "Good morning, Miss." "I heard someone saw him." "You're making it up." "You're just jealous because she pays more attention to him." "It's true." "He was seen leaving her house this morning." " Who was?" " Manuel." "Ismael, Begoña, get in line." "You can go up now." "Good afternoon." "345," "346, 347," " 348..." " Schoolteacher!" "Come play with us!" "Yeah, we want to show you how to have fun!" "Come down, you won't regret it!" "What's wrong?" "Don't you like young kids anymore?" "Come with us, we're kids too!" "360, 361, 362, 363..." "Schoolteacher, open up!" "It's me, the guy with the ship tattooed on his arm!" "Open the door, woman!" "Good morning." "What lies have you been telling?" "What?" "Telling lies, me?" "This is your last day." "Someone else can light the stove." "Why?" "You know very well." "I've been working all week." "I just got back." "I know nothing about it." "I don't care." "It's cold." " Miss, the stove isn't lit." " Sit down and be quiet." "NO BUTCHER WOULD PAY FOR A LAME HORSE" "Manuel won't be coming anymore." "We need someone to light the stove." "Me, me, me!" "Sit down." " There are three letters for you." " Three?" "They must have got held up in the mail somehow." "They've got the street and number but they're missing the town." "You know nothing happened the other day." "I've come here to give people a reason to gossip." "He's gone." "Who?" "He says I haven't written, that he hasn't received word from me." "He's left for America to make a life for himself." "Well, I won't be leaving." "My boss offered me the cabin in the mountains." "The following week, the schoolteacher disappeared." "She just left, without saying anything." "We all thought she'd left with her friend who sent the letters." "But then we heard she was in the mountains, on the Mugat farm, with Manuel." "The schoolteacher, Manuel and their granddaughter." "Thank you very much." "Tell Miguel I'm at the hostel." "Looks just like her father." "She isn't Miguel's." "She isn't?" "We have two other daughters." "They don't live here but they visit on weekends." "She's the eldest's." "17, 18, 19..." "Ismael." "What's with the lizard in the photo?" "I wanted to ruin the photo by scaring someone into moving." "Tomas's sister says you put a lizard in his ear and that's why he went deaf." "They told you that too?" "You can't believe that." "She's nuts." "You yourself said certain lizards could make you stupid." "How could a girl like you believe that stuff?" "COKE MINE" "Why did you insist on coming here?" "Personal reasons." "Who kept the mine going?" "A German engineer named Werfell." "People didn't like him." "Actually, they hated him." "Why?" "It's not uncommon in Obaba." "People dislike you simply because you're different." "I know it firsthand." "Envy." "Someone brings them every week." "52 times a year." "I guess his family liked him then, right?" "No." "He has no family here." "Then who brings the flowers?" "You're about to find out." "Have you got a boyfriend?" "Just a good friend." " And you?" " Me too." "You too, what?" "I have friends who are girls." "Nothing more." "You want to see the German's house later?" "Look." "Here she comes." "Your mother?" "She's never told me why." "When I ask she says there are things in life you never forget." "She brings flowers every Saturday." "It's getting harder for me." "I used to do it in 575 steps." "Now it takes me 719." "My mom has a key to the house so I made a copy." "To bring your girlfriends, right?" "It's just as the engineer left it." "His son took only the books." "I didn't think you'd be so interested in the house." "You won't find anything that fits you." "There were never any women here." "Yes, it isn't a pleasant smell." "It's like a little hospital." "They're dying out." "From the insecticides, or they get run over..." "Satisfied?" "The one I picked up the other night was in bad shape." "He might not survive." "We've even founded a society to protect them." "Guess who helps me take care of them." "He does all the work." "I pay him so that he feels useful." "Trust me, I remember exactly where you were standing." "Tomas, come on." "Get in place for the photo." "Let's see how many of us are here." " Marina Olmedo." " Here." " Ismael Echarte." " Present." " Esteban Werfell." " Absent." "Merche Munarriz." "Yes." "Marga Pellot." "Absent." " Lucas Pellot." " Absent as well." "Absent, absent..." "Good morning, Lucas." "THE PELLOT BROTHERS" "Congratulations." "Your big day has arrived." "Thank you, Marga." "I'm finished making deliveries from now on." "No more putting up with Mrs. Herrera or Mrs. Urman." "Those hags are a thing of the past." "TURTLE ISLAND" "Marga." "Today's the first day of our new life." "Watch this." "Miss." "Send me a taxi in half an hour." "28 Alsania Street." "Thank you very much." "Well?" "How did I do?" "You must be careful, Lucas." "Don't worry." "How was it again?" "Destiny favors those who show bravery, remember?" "I'm brave." "Here, wait here." "Okay." "Miss, I want a whole new wardrobe." "The best you've got." "Underwear, socks, shoes, everything." "And a light suit for summer, preferably a light color." "Are you sure you want a summer suit?" "It's November." "It's always summer on Turtle Island." "One moment." "Why did you say that, Lucas?" "You have to be careful." "You won't be home free for another 24 hours." "She'll call the police." "Lucas, do something." " Who are you calling?" " The stockroom." "Our summer clothes are in the basement." "Look, Marga." "Lucas Pellot." "Stop admiring yourself." "You're being conspicuous." "Okay, you're right, you're right." "But you know how careful I usually am." "When did I reserve the plane ticket for tonight?" "Six months ago." "Six months!" "That's pretty careful, right?" " Okay, right." " That's what I'm saying." "Which is the best restaurant in town?" " Le Petit Relais." " Take me there." "Let's go." "Young man." "What is your name?" " Marcel, sir." " Marcel." "Très bien, très bien." "Today's a special occasion." "What would you recommend?" "The savarín is excellent, sir." "A funny name for a fish, isn't it?" "I'm afraid it's meat, sir." "It is, however, a funny name." "If I may, it's right there, sir." " Fine, I'll have the savarín." " Savarín." "You're making a fool of yourself." "Know what Marcel will say once inside the kitchen?" "He'll tell his co-workers you're a liar, some ordinary jerk pretending to be rich." "An appetizer, sir?" "Crêpes de roquefort." "And to drink?" "How about a white Bordeaux?" "Yes, very nice." "A white Bordeaux." "And bring me a telephone." "You're still acting poor, Lucas." "Can't you act any other way?" "You'll never fool anyone." "You're rich but you think as if you're poor." " Will you ever change?" " Shut up, Marga!" "Here you are." "Thank you, Marcel." "Lola, pass me the boss." "Where I am doesn't concern you." "Put him on." "What's that?" "Tell him I won't be in today, or tomorrow, or in 30 years!" "The wine is excellent." "Bring another bottle." "Right away, sir." "The check, please." "Marcel, Marcel." "Bring me the check." "I want to go home." "I'll bring it right over." "It's always summer on Turtle Island." "The check." "Keep the change, Marcel." "Thank you." "I'll see you out." "Say something." "He'll think you're drunk." "Sorry I didn't give the savarín its due." "But in a couple hours..." "Shut up, Lucas!" "You'll ruin everything!" "The boy will call a taxi." "Merci beaucoup, Marcel." "Careful, Lucas, you're drunk!" "Thanks, Marga." "TURTLE ISLAND" "It's still warm, Marga." "Who is it?" "Paradise Supermarkets." " Lucas, we didn't order anything..." " Inside." "Pass me the bank manager." "It's his wife." "Mr. Canovas, I'm calling from your house." "Antonio." " Antonio." " Did you hear her?" "Shut up and listen to me!" "I have your wife and daughter." "You must love at least your daughter." "I want you here in one hour with 20 million pesetas in used bills, like the ones at the window." "Don't say a word to anybody." "I almost forgot to tell you." "I'm holding a rifle." "Bring the money here in an hour and nothing will happen." "I had to kill them, Marga." "They knew who I was." "I had to be prudent, like you always say." "Get up, you'll fall asleep!" "I'm sleepy." "The flight doesn't leave for another 5 hours." "You'll have plenty of time to rest, you fool." "Don't insult me." "Are you deaf?" "Get your ass up right now or I'll kick you out of bed!" "Don't you dare hit me." "Remember what happened at the river?" "Of course I remember." "You pushed me and I fell in." "It was your fault." "Why did you kick me?" "Because you were jealous, that's why." "Brothers and sisters shouldn't fight." "You're not my brother anymore." "You pushed me in the river." "You're a criminal, a murderer." "That's what you are, though you..." "Lucas and Marga with their classmates." "Then make it the 12th." "No problem." "All right." "Goodbye." "Where does insanity come from?" "Or hate?" "From the same place as reason and everything else." "From inside us." "When they arrested him he went blank." "At the trial he insisted his sister wasn't dead, that he spoke to her." "He ended up in an asylum." "He's still there." "He was one of the first to leave Obaba." "There were 284 families back then." "Now there's less than 70." "Nobody wants to stay here." "Don't you want to leave Obaba?" "Leave?" "No, why?" "I'm just fine here." "I have everything I need." "The people I love are here." "Why look for something else?" "I think you can live anywhere, if you're happy on the inside." "I saw you this morning with them, like nothing's happened." "Plenty has happened." "Plenty." "And it's all Ismael's fault." "Why didn't you tell me he and Tomas take care" " of the lizards?" " That's a lie!" "Everything he told you is a lie!" "There is no animal society." "Did you see any plaque with a society's name on it?" "Of course not." "Not on the door, not anywhere." "Because it's a lie." "He uses Tomas because there's nothing left for the lizards to eat." "That's the reason, the only reason!" "Ismael?" "Ismael?" "Hey, Ismael!" "Ismael, open the door!" "Ismael!" "I learned what fear was that night." "Real fear." "Not of some real danger." "No, another type of fear." "An irrational fear." "What I mean is," "I knew those animals were harmless and nothing would happen to me." "Yes, I knew that." "But the fear wouldn't go away." "What I mean is," "I don't know why I felt it." "But it grew until it took over my body." "That's when it struck me to turn on the camera." "What I mean is," "I did it so I wouldn't feel alone, so I'd have some sound to keep me company, even just the tape rolling." "Didn't get any sleep, did we?" "Why does Tomas's sister hate you so much?" "She's a well of bitterness." "She hates everyone." "Coffee?" "Yes." "And prepare my bill." "I asked you to choose a place over the weekend and tape anything worth recording." "Now we need to edit those images to give them meaning." "Whatever meaning you deem appropriate." "Keep in mind that reality is not unique, nor transparent, but multiple and complex, depending on who sees it and from where." "That is the exercise." "Make sense of the images you've recorded." "Balzac once said that life doesn't create perfect stories, but a novelist can." "And so can all of you." "See you tomorrow." "Well?" "How did it go?" "Fine." " Did you find the mine?" " What?" "Oh, yeah." "And I saw the German's house." "Oh, yeah?" "Where does your uncle live?" "Why?" "You know I hardly know him." "Just tell me where he lives." "Lurdes, the agency wants to know if you can babysit tonight." "No." "Hello?" "No, she can't." " Esteban Werfell?" " Yes." "Your nephew Carlos sent me." "May I speak with you" " for a moment?" " Come in." "My father was born in Hamburg, Germany." "He was an engineer." "He was sent to Obaba to run the mine." "He met my mother there." "They fell in love and moved in together two months later." "Without the approval of the Church, of course." "Back then what my parents did was considered unacceptable." "And to the people in Obaba, rather than the fruit of love, I was the fruit of sin." "THE GERMAN'S SON" "Esteban!" "Is it true your mom will sleep with anyone?" "Don Moises said she wears no panties." "You know why she died so young?" "Thank you, Maribel." "Father, why can't I go in the church?" "We don't belong there." "But all my friends go in, and also their parents." "I've never set foot in one." "I never will, and neither will you." "Look, Esteban." "I know it's not easy to get along with these people, but you have to be strong." "Some day we'll move to Hamburg and things will be different." "Will I study at the same schools" " as you?" " If you want." "Son," "I don't mind you having your head in the clouds." "My concern is that they're always the same clouds." "Esteban!" "Isn't it early for a movie?" "I don't know." "We want you to come to the church with us." "Are you crazy?" "You know" "I'm not allowed." "Otherwise we'll be late again to the movie like every Sunday." "Besides, 153 bends on a bike to miss half the movie doesn't make any sense." " Did that priest send you?" " No." "Tell your father to let you." "Yeah, tell him." "You ask him." "I wouldn't dare." "Mr. Werfell." "Can Esteban come to church with us for vespers?" "You don't need faith for that." "He can go if he wants to." "Esteban's going to church!" "Esteban's going to church!" "Esteban's going to church!" "Let's go in." "It's dark in here." "Lower your voice." "Esteban, you have to cross yourself." "I don't know how." "Give me your hand." "What's that?" "The flame of faith." "It never goes out." "When they light a new one they use the flame from the last one." "Come on, Esteban." " Yes, Maria." " It's all right." " There, there." " Maria..." "I'll find you, Maria." "Maria..." "Come on, you blacked out, that's all." "Ismael, take him outside." "He needs some fresh air." "You'd better skip the movie." "I'll stay with him, Father." "Just in case." "You didn't see her face?" "Just her nose and mouth." "She was behind the candle, covered by the flame." "But I understood what she said." "What did she say?" "To go and find her." "Her name is Maria Vockel and she lives in Hamburg, on Johanneshof Street, number two." " She gave you her address?" " Yeah." "She was very pretty." "But you didn't see her." "Besides, no one's prettier than Merche." "That would be impossible." "She's working in the bar." "Let's go see her." "Okay." "At least you can see yours." "I'll never get to see mine." "Then go to Hamburg." "Isn't your father from there?" "Yeah, but I don't think we'll ever go back." "His friend Steiner wrote him and said times are bad, that mines were closing." "That's probably why he let me go to church." "She was there, behind the candle." "I really saw her, Father." "You think Maria Vockel really exists?" "There's only one way to find out." "Write to that address." "Write her?" "You'll have to write in German." "Do you still remember what I taught you?" "A little." "I'll help you." "Come on." "Obaba..." "No shoving." "Esteban!" " What's this?" " Maria Vockel, Hamburg." " Maria Vockel?" " Yes." "Ask me if you need help reading it." "Come on." ""Dear Esteban." "We shouldn't fear things we can't understand, especially things as beautiful as what you've written me." "Something similar happened to me that same Sunday." "There was a blackout that night and I lit a candle." "What happened next was like a dream." "Did you experience the same thing?" "I hope so..."" "None of that girly stuff?" " She's probably ugly." " Give me that!" " Hello." " Hello." "No movie today?" "No." "I don't feel like it." "Father..." "How do you say:" ""with lots of bends"?" "Nothing for you, Miss." " It's from a girl in Hamburg." " Yes?" "What does she say?" "What life is like there, what she likes, the books she reads..." "It's so different from here." "I'm sure she likes hearing about Obaba." "The grass is always greener..." "Not much ever happens here, so I make stuff up." "Where were you?" "Around." "You should have seen me." "I beat him by at least six bends." "Didn't I?" "What?" "Oh, right." "Are you coming tomorrow?" "Yes." "Here they come, don't look." "Coming to the movie?" "I'll ride with you." "Get off, you can't ride with me." "This bike is reserved for Merche." "You're stupid." "Stupid and cocky." "And you're a shrimp." "Shrimp, you're a shrimp." "Begoña, you can ride with me." "If you go with them, you're dumber than I thought." "I'll ride with you." "Tomas, what's your sister's problem?" "Huh?" "I think she likes you." "Dear Maria." "The cold has arrived in Obaba and soon it will snow." "Does it snow in Hamburg?" "Around here, the only news is what happened yesterday." "Remember that schoolteacher?" "The one that ran off with Manuel?" "What everyone said would happen finally did." "The priest finally got them thrown off the Mugat farm." "Don't worry, as long as I'm running the mine," "Manuel's job is safe." " I promise." " Thank you." "Stop by the office tomorrow." " I will, Mr. Werfell." " Thank you for everything." "Thank you, Mr. Werfell." "Imagine a train leaves Obaba for Hamburg at 73 kilometers an hour," "and another train leaves Hamburg for Obaba at 97 kilometers an hour..." "If the distance between the two is 1,970 kilometers, where will the trains meet?" "Hamburg has three train stations." "It does?" "The oldest is in Dammtor." "I know Hamburg as if I had lived there." "Go on." "She's giving me private lessons twice a week." "My father wants me to prepare for exams." "Your father is after the schoolteacher." "The lessons are an excuse to see her." "Maybe she prefers you." "She does like them young..." "Stop that, boys." "Stop it." "There's no fighting in here." "Take it outside." "Father." " I fell off my bike." " How?" "I just fell." "Were you alone or with your friends?" "Alone." "And they're not my friends anymore." "I broke it off." "Are you sure this week there's no letter for me either?" "I told you, just this package for your dad." "Esteban, come on." "If your best friend in the whole world doesn't answer your letters, what should you do?" "Wait." "How long?" "Until you forget them." "What if I can't?" "Then you have to keep waiting." "The schoolteacher was right." "Though at the time I had no idea how right she was." "The following year my father sent me away to school." "Later I went to university and by the time I finished, the cream-colored envelopes were just another fantasy of my teens." "I never wrote to her or heard from her again." "How's my nephew doing?" "Oh, fine." "He sends his best." "I wasn't married to his aunt long either." "In any case, my father wasn't very smart and neither was I." "Why do you say that?" "What I mean is, your father was an engineer and you're a professor with prestige, right?" "What good is prestige?" "Intelligent people can adapt to any situation." "But we were unable to adapt to Obaba." "Have you kept any letters?" "I burned them all in a tantrum." "But I couldn't bring myself to destroy this." "You don't even know I'm here." "Sorry." " I didn't hear you come in." " I noticed." "We were supposed to meet at eight." "Huh?" "We were supposed to meet at eight." "Oh, right." "What's wrong with you?" "Nothing." "I don't like it." "Why?" "What?" "Why don't you like it?" "I don't know." "What I mean is," "I don't know." "The worst part is not knowing if it's of any use." "I need your help with something." "I told you, he's totally unresponsive." "We know, it's just for a moment." "To give him a gift from his parents." "Lucas, you have a visit." "You see?" "It's hopeless." "You made the trip for nothing." "Can we stay a second?" "Just for a moment." "What I mean is, we'll be brief." "All right." "Look, Lucas." "Ismael." "Tomas." "Esteban." "Remember, Lucas?" "The school." "Obaba." "The hostel." "Lucas, the school, remember?" "Merche..." "Remember Merche?" "The schoolteacher." "And look." "Your sister," "Marga." "Remember your sister?" "Marga." "Keep taping!" "Carlos, keep taping." "Keep it rolling." "Damn, you're the one who should be in there." "What were you trying to do?" "I had to come." "I needed to." "What for?" "What I mean is, the story needs an ending." "Have you got one now?" "I don't know." "What I mean is..." "Stop saying that all the time!" ""What I mean is, what I mean is."" "Can't you say anything else?" "You've been acting obsessed for days now." "You're inattentive, you blow everyone off..." "What's the matter?" "What's going on?" "What?" "Are you going deaf too?" "Deaf?" "Of course, the tape!" "Shit, shit, shit!" "Have you noticed any pain?" "Did you have an accident?" "Why do you ask?" "Your left eardrum is punctured." "Well, do you think..." "Excuse me." "Where are you going?" "How could I explain?" "I didn't even understand it." "I was afraid and I was having more trouble doing things." "I could see my family and friends were worried." "I didn't want them to, so I made a decision." "What I mean is, I was brave and I took action." "I went back to Obaba." "I had to complete my school project." "That was my goal." "Carlos and I convinced his uncle to let me stay at the house." "I agreed to look after it." "And here I am." "People tell me their stories every day." "I've decided to tell mine as well, and to tape them." "You can't catch a fish without getting wet." "What I mean is," "I'm a part of Obaba now." "Because after..." "Good morning." "There's a letter for Esteban Werfell." "Will you take it for him?" "Thank you." "Of course I remember Maria Vockel and her letters." "This isn't the first these last few years." "Two others came before the engineer died." "He had nowhere to put them so he asked me to keep them with this." "He hid this when Esteban told him about the church to protect him from the truth." "I hear better on this side." "That's where the girl's name came from." "The address was Steiner's, his engineer friend in Hamburg." "Esteban must have seen it on a letter." "His father wrote him and convinced him to play along." "The engineer became Maria Vockel." "Through her he taught Esteban his language, customs and tastes." "But, if it was all fake..." "Who sent these letters?" "The engineer didn't know or wouldn't tell me." "He just said to only give them to Esteban if he came back to Obaba." "Which ones do you want?" "This one and this one." "The green and the blue." "How much is that?" "3,80." "This all happened 3 months ago." "And I'm still here." "Carlos told me his uncle had gone to Hamburg." "I think he's looking for work there." "I have 107 tapes recorded and 34 families." "All with their own stories, to be told another time." "What I mean is," "I'm not trying to make sense of my tapes anymore." "Someday the sense will come." "My name is Amaia, I'm 9 years old, and my favorite thing to do is go with Grandpa and my dog Toby to our corn fields in the valley." "When we get there, Grandpa takes out his tape measure and he measures the corn." "Then he takes out his notebook and he says with a smile," ""Amaia, we can rest assured." "The corn has grown and that means that the world is still alive."" "That makes me laugh, I don't know why, and Toby starts jumping and barking when he sees us." "Because Toby's a smart dog." "My hearing has improved." "What I mean is, I'm used to hearing less." "Miguel picks me up after work on his motorcycle and we count the bends on the road until sunset." "Sometimes he spends the night with me." "My family and friends don't understand why I'm here." "How can I explain it?" "Like Miguel said, why move somewhere else?" "You can live anywhere if you're happy on the inside." "And I'm happy here."