"ARCIBEL'S GAME" "Come here!" "I said come here!" "MIRANDA REPUBLIC" "Freedom!" "MIRANDA CITY" "Put a full stop right there." "I'm not stopping the press for an article on chess." ""The black king is smothered by white pawns and only a miracle could make him survive a kingdom which will end when this game, suspended in Managua,continues,.." "...and which is followed in Miranda with feeling and excitement."" ""Feeling and excitement." No way." "Feeling and hope." "You can write a short story if you feel like it, Arcibel." "We are journalists here, not poets." "Excuse me, sir." "Your photos." "The president and the Grand Prix winning horse." "Not bad por someone who claims to have cancer." "Poor cancer then." "Is the article on the horse ready?" "Yes." "The chess article goes under the horse one." "Titled: "A Cornered Black King"." "Signed:" "Arcibel Alegría." "On to the linotype and then to press." "Quickly." "Come on, lady, this is a newspaper." "Yes, sir." "Listen, lady." "Yes?" "Just a second, please." "What's your Zodiac sign?" "Aquarius." "Alright, thanks." "Hurry up." "I guess the horoscope and the crossword puzzle are ready." "Yes, sir." "Well then in tomorrow's horoscope I want the following under Aquarius:..." ""Handsome elder man will make you a proposal you must accept straight away."" "¿ Aquarius?" "Under Aquarius." "And in Scorpio I want you to write: "let your husband go out and have fun with his friends." "He needs a break."" "See you tomorrow." "Bye, Arcibel." "Bye." "Popcorn!" "Popcorn!" "Popcorn!" "Popcorn!" "Give me one." "Thanks." "Popcorn!" "Have you brought money?" "No, I get paid next week." "ThenI'm sorry." "You'll see Rosalinda when you can support her." "I guess that'll never happen, so forget about her." "Rosalinda's also my daughter." "For you, she was just a satisfactory lay." "So... no money, no daughter." "Can you spare some change?" "Do you want us to warm you?" "The two of us for $10, just one of us for $5." "No, thanks." "Do you think we're kids?" "Don't get it wrong, we're whores!" "Don't give yourself up for some fucking popcorn!" "Thanks." "Miranda Republic, better known as the paradise country, is going through a terrific time now it has its own popcorn packing plant." "General Hilario Abalorios, president and founding father, and US ambassador, Mr. Charles Foster Wood, were at the opening." "This starts a new era of progress in our beloved country enabling us to export thousands tons of that precious product." ""El Mundo"." "Thanks." "A MAGNANIMOUS ACT" "Hello, Don Pocho." "Hi." "A BLACK KING CORNERED" "You say the article that was supposed to be in the sports section..." "...ended up in the front page?" "Yes." "Read it and you'll seeI'm only referring to a chess game." ""Only a miracle can save the black king."" "This refers to chess?" "Yes, it's simple." "Reconstruct the game and you'll see the black king is cornered by the pawns." "I got no time for chess games." ""...followed in Miranda with feeling and hope."" "Can a chess game bring hope?" "Are we talking about chess?" "I only comment upon what I see in the game." "Stop talking about chess!" "Do you think we're all fools?" "You use a chess game to give your opinion on the president." "Tell me, Alegría, what do you think about our president?" "He's a great person, I have nothing against him." "I'm not a politician, I only write about chess." "And you insist on chess..." "Then why when they told you he might have cancer you said:..." ""Poor cancer, then."" "Just a comment..." "A mocking comment, I must admit, but..." "You mock too much, Alegría." "You play chess, you play jokes on people..." "You don't give your ex wife money to support your kid." "Tell me." "¿ Are you a Communist?" "If the left wing of your opponent were strengenth, what would happen?" "Answer me!" "What would happen?" "You'd be left without a job." "What?" "Your game would be over." "Do you like your room?" "The rules are simple." "You just do as I say." "If you try to escape, I kill you." "Understood?" "Yes." "Yes, sir!" "Yes, sir." "If you need anything, just ring the bell." "The made will come right away." "Bring your can and wait here." "Let's go." "Welcome,I'm Dr. Palacios." "Arcibel Alegría." "Did you get my message yesterday?" "Yes." "You'll have to learn the knock language, it's easy." "I'll have enough time." "And I'll have time to teach." "How are things out there?" "Is the opposition growing?" "Things are moving on?" "I don't know." "I'm a journalist." "I see." "What newspaper?" ""El Mundo"." "Yes." "Are they all political prisoners?" "Yes, but don't be fooled." "There are differences between them." "For instance, look at those two... glum, melancholic." "They are Marxists-Leninists, pro-Soviet." "Perhaps they got glum trying to find coherence between the writings of Marx, the wishes of Lenin and the actions of Stalin." "Difficult, right?" "What are those laughing at?" "They live in a world of fantasy." "They can clearly see the revolution, but can't perceive reality." "Trotskists." "But look at those others." "See the difference with the previous ones." "Their eyes shine." "They look absolutely sure." "Those are Socialists." "And what are you, Palacios?" "A Socialist." "Of course." "And slightly sectarian as you can see." "That one looks as if he was praying." "He is." "He's dangerous, don't talk to him." "He confesses to the priest." "They're beating him." "Yes." "We are also monotheists, in a way." "We don't want strange Gods in our social struggle, alright?" "And what are you?" "Come on!" "We have to work, come on." "This is Mr. Arcibel, he's new here, and he is..." "They call me Rengo." "I was briefing Arcibel about the various ideological trends of our pals here." "Are you also a Socialist?" "Yes, and something else: revolutionary." "Rengo is a man of action." "Watch out with him." "Direct action." "Why are you here, Arcibel?" "For playing chess." "Three times they said he was killed but he comes back over and over again and imperialism shudders." "Why?" "Because Americans only have movie heroes." "Just look at Vietnam." "The Chinese are beating them." "It's just a matter of time." "Rengo, let me have him for a moment." "Excuse me, but are you a real chess player?" "Because nobody plays chess well here in Miranda." "Well, nobody played chess well." "Hand me one." "Actually, I write about chess in the newspaper." "You wrote." "And how good is your game?" "Remember when the great American master, Wilson, came?" "Of course." "Playing simultaneously with 20 other players we came to a tie." "Holy shit!" "Then you must be something!" "Would you play with me?" "Yes, of course." "Excuse my anxiety, but would you play a game tonight?" "I don't have a chessboard." "I'll lend you one of mine." "Take it as a present." "Turn it over." "Open the box." "What do you think?" "They're beautiful." "Did you do them?" "Yes." "Put it away!" "Hand me one." "So... shall we play tonight?" "I won't be very bright." "I didn't sleep last night." "Don't worry.It's always the same at the beginning." "Tonight it'll be the same." "So you might well play a match with me." "What do you say?" "I'm sorry, but it's not always like that." "And then, after a few days of apparent apathy, you'll go into pure rage and then deep depression." "It's not easy being here, Arcibel." "It's very painful." "Do you believe in God?" "No." "Well, much better." "Some fall into mythical delirium and embarrasing attitudes." "Well, shall we play a game then?" "The knock language is easy." "Each piece has a number of knocks." "Pawns 1 , bishops 2, horses 3, towers 4, queen 5 and king 6." "I said it would rain." "Don't complain, Rengo." "You lost a leg but you got a barometer." "Rengo's leg never fails." "What happened to him?" "One night he put a bomb in a building." "He had only walked a few meters when he saw a kid sitting next to the bomb." "He returned to scare him away, he shouted, but nothing happened." "So all he could do was to kick it and, well the bomb exploded." "He fell to the ground and was arrested right there." "And the boy?" "I never saw him again." "He wasn't there, or probably never was." "A shrink'd say Rengo attempted against himself." "You can't do what you don't want to do." "I never liked bombs, but what could I do?" "Yes, it was a mistake." "I admit it." "The second mistake was taking Palacios as my attorney." "I was to go to jail, but he had to start talking in court." "But we gave that fucking judge some lesson, didn't we?" "Holy shit!" "That leg hurts." "He's close by, in Bolivia." "Yes, he frees Bolivia, Argentina, Brasil, Peru and then comes here." "Why not?" "Being Argentine he may be arrogant, but he's not Genghis Kan." "Slow down, Rengo, nobody's interested in Miranda." "Alegría,..." "..." "Babieca, Rodríguez!" "Shit!" "Visits!" "My old woman!" "I'll have to listen to my wife's complaints." "Palacios!" "You'll meet her one day." "Fernández, Atan...!" "Babieca, Donato." "Name?" "Alegría." "Booth 4." "Valeria." "Yes." "And this one?" "Franca." "This is Franca." "How's everybody home?" "Everybody's fine, son." "Stop bringing me food, the guards keep it." "And if you can't come, don't." "Guard, do you think this can be my brother?" "Are you Moisés Alegría?" "No, Arcibel Alegría." "They made a mistake." "Back to the yard." "You're like me, nobody visits you." "That means you haven't been a good person out there." "What did you do to get no visits?" "Don't know how they call me?" "No." "Judas." "I was in a resistance group." "One day the soldiers took my family away." "So I just reported myself and gave my mates away." "And what happened?" "They were all killed, of course." "But there's a God and he knows how to punish." "Before that, they had killed my wife and child." "Now I'm like Judas." "Judas at least had the good sense to hang himself." "That's easy." "I don't believe in God, in Heaven or anything." "This is hell and I like to get beaten." "You're not mad, you pretend to be mad." "What did you do to be here?" "Nothing." "You must've done something." "No." "Yes, something!" "I told you I did nothing." "Nothing, believe me!" "I did nothing, nothing!" "Welcome to prison." "Can you hear me, Arcibel?" "Don't think." "Just rest." "Don't think, rest." "It'll be good for you." "Are you alright?" "Soap." "How are you feeling?" "Strange." "I was getting worried." "You were floating for 2 weeks." "You seemed to be a visitor." "It was probably my fault for that chess game thing." "Now that I know where I am, I'm not feeling better either." "Now you know it's hopeless, so that's it then and you have to plan your future, right?" "I propose a chess tournament, 500 games." "To the best of 500 and then another 500 for return match." "A thousand games!" "Yes, right." "I wish we could find another player, but it's you and me." "Alright, I'm in." "I like that." "Do you like to play roulette, Dr.?" "What roulette?" "Don't bet soaps if you don't have any!" "Fuck, I can't get it!" "Deduct 5 sopas from José." "A pair of socks on 17." "Every time 0 comes out we win more." "Like in every roulette." "Let's see." "The book for you, the soaps and socks for you and the cigarettes for me." "And the T-shirt?" "No, it's mine." "We should split it with our mates." "We will, the soaps, the book, but the T-shirt's mine." "9 seconds." "Shit!" "I knew sooner or later it'd happen." "When did he find out?" "A few months ago, but..." "..." "Rengo couldn't believe it." "Poor Rengo." "Stop it, Rengo!" "Bastards!" "Bastards!" "They killed him!" "Bastards!" "Motherfuckers!" "He was a man like anybody else." "An exceptional man, but just a man." "Once I dreamt he'd come to this prison to liberate us." "And now what I got left, Palacios, what?" "Come on!" "Come on, man." "CHE GUEVARA DIED" "Anything new?" "Yes, this one came in." "It's got pictures of a man sitting on the floor like a beggar." "It must be some Chinese exercise." "You know what?" "I'm glad to see you this way, calm." "It's got some blank pages." "Not all of them." "These are the books they donate for inmates." ""The art of meditating in front of the wall."" "You got thousands of walls here." "Did you hear the shooting this morning?" "Yes." "It looks like they gave up on keeping political prisoners." ""Latin American World Chess Champion."" "Capablanca." "A few shots will save them the cost of supporting us." "And from talking to us." "Next thing, they'll execute us." "That'd be funny." "After all these years, a couple of shots and that's it." ""He who loves stars and measures them..." "...caresses them with his eyes."" "Astronomer." "Shit!" "ln our case, it'd be more of an act of pity than a punishment." "These concepts are mine!" "They must be stealing them!" "They always do this to political prisoners." "Andreosi, Diminuto, Pérez, Carballo, Alegría." "Alegría?" "That's another Alegría, Arata." "A big black guy." "Hete it says they came to see Arcibel Alegría." "There must be some other Arcibel Alegría." "No." "Come!" "Arata!" "What about Palacios?" "1 4 is "surveyor"." "Thanks." "I wrote it." "I'm Rosalinda your daughter." "Will you come back to see me..." "...or are you here just to condemn me?" "No, of course I'll be back." "All this time I thought you were dead." "Dead?" "I wad told my father died in a plane crash with the National Basketball Team." "I'd watch basketball whenever I could." "I'd tell people my dad was dead." "But you know what?" "I suspected something." "A month ago I sent my resume to "El Mundo" looking for a job." "Mr. Florido wrote back to me." "When he knew I was your daughter he asked about you." "How's Arcibel?" "He died." "How did he die?" "His plane crashed, and the sharks..." "Where was he going?" "To Miami, with the NBT." "So you never met him?" "I was a little kid when he died but I know he worked here and I want to be a journalist like him." "What do you want to write about?" "Basketball." "But he wouldn't let me do that." "Women shouldn't write about sports which involve balls." "So I started with the horoscope and crossword puzzles..." "...and 2 necrological articles." "No comments on chess." "I guess not." "Right?" "No." "How did you find out I was here?" "When I started going to the editorial room, I visited their file to read your articles." "A BLACK KING CORNERED" "This is all there is?" "And the basketball articles?" "Don Antonio?" "Yes?" "The crossword puzzle girl wants articles on Arcibel Alegría." "That's it." "That was the last one." "Then he went to jail for stealing a chess pawn." "For stealing a pawn?" "Look, it's this one." "I know." "Florido felt guilty and told me everything." "I promise I'll do my best to get you out of here." "No, Rosalinda." "They put me in jail by mistake and keep me here because they won't admit it." "You couldn't ask them to admit their mistake." "Promise you won't do anything." "But..." "Promise." "Your mother knows you're here?" "No." "At the time of the accident we moved to Santa Clara." "She said the weather was good for the health." "Now I see she was lying." "When I finished school I came here to work." "Do you have children?" "No, I'm not even married." "Boyfriend?" "No." "You should have one..." "and quickly." "What's the hurry, dad?" ""Your laugh makes me free, and puts wings on me." Miguel Hernández." "All dead." "It's not a game." "Come on, clock me." "You're impossible!" "I don't lose hope." "Not only he's older, he's also fatter." "Instead of 6, he lasts 20 seconds." ""A beautiful and unforgettable day full of nice suprises." "Your soul is running here and there and it wants to rest of so much movement thinking that those who love you are always with you."" "Since my daughter's writing the horoscope, Libra brings the best predictions." "My daughter told me again the old man has cancer." "It must be the same one he had 20 years ago." "Cancer suits him." "How did I do?" "You're getting slower." "You'd be faster if you just rolled." "Fuck you!" "My daughter says that if the old man falls, we'll be freed." "You should read the newspaper from the front page." "The old man himself is going to free us." "Gral." "Abalorios will Call Open Elections." "Who's winning for you?" "This is Miranda State Radio." ""ln an exemplary procedure with 75% of the votes General Hilario Abalorios, the father of our country, ...won the election." "Here in Miranda we are going back to democracy." "Palacios?" "Palacios, are you OK?" "Arata!" "Come here, Arata!" "What is it, man!" "Palacios does not answer!" "He did his time." "Danese, Daniel." "González, Anselmo." "Viñas Rey, Eduardo." "Don't worry, I'll be back!" "Babieca, Rigoberto." "Babieca, Rigoberto!" "Is that your name?" "I'm afraid so." "Come on, Rengo, you're leaving." "I'm staying!" "You may laugh, but I'm not leaving this place." "I was here because they wanted, and now I want to stay." "I fought for a revolution, not for this fucking democracy!" "Calm down, I understand, but things have changed for all." "It's not like you think." "We're reconstructing a new Miranda." "And we also need former revolutionaries." "A new Miranda with the same old man?" "That's how it is." "What did you expect?" "After all, this is Latin America." ""Former" my ass!" "I'm still a revolutionary!" "A revolutionary!" "Arcibel, you can't leave under an amnesty." "Either there was a mistake, or they forgot you." "Looks like chess players continue to be dangerous." "Let go, fucking faggots!" "Let go, motherfuckers!" "But it's a mistake, and you know it." "My father never should've been in jail, much less now." "You can't pardon someone who is not listed as a convict." "He's been in jail for 16 years for no reason and now you..." "...won't let him go because he's not listed?" "I understand, but according to the law, there's no convict named Arcibel Alegría." "First we should prove he exists and then check if his case was political or not." "See?" "It's the law, and we must learn to abide by it." "So may be my father doesn't exist, so neither do I." "I gave him a good shiner." "You have to be free, dad." "Don't get upset, girl." "I'm really well here." "Don't you want to be out with me?" "Yes." "It would have been great if it happened from the beginning." "But now, I don't know." "Are you afraid to go out into reality?" "This is very unfair." "But that's the way it is." "If I could do anything for you, but things are even worse now." "Look at Rengo." "He's indicted for 3 murders just for punching at someone." "3 murders?" "Yes." "And these are democrats..." "Don't be naive." "Before, the only responsible was old man Abalorios, but now that we're all equals, nobody's to blame, but we're all guilty." "Your case is shameful." "Don't worry, Arata." "I don't." "I admire your spirit, Arcibel." "I wouldn't be so calm in your place." "What's this?" "No more political prisoners, but plenty of common ones." "More and more coming in every day." "They say the TV is to blame..." "there's no respect." "But don't worry, I'll get you a harmless one." "If he could only play chess." "I can't promise that." "Well, have a nice sleep." "Arata." "You forgot to lock the door." "Ah, yes." "Let me go!" "Let go, you bastards!" "Bastards!" "Chickens!" "One at the time, you chickens!" "One at the time, pussies!" "Son of a bitch!" "It's the best I can do, a drug-addict." "I wouldn't give you someone who killed his parents." "This one only killed a cop in a shootout." "Stop it!" "Bastard!" "I fucked your mother's ass!" "Let's go, boys." "That's enough." "Come on." "I don't think he plays chess." "I'll kill you, fucking old man!" "I'll kill you!" "You won't solve a thing doing that." "But you could try some crying." "See that black man over there?" "His name is Pepe and he's my cell mate." "He sold cocaine at a school for girls and shot his partner for love." "He carved his body and threw the pieces all over the city." "Can he play chess?" "I don't think so." "And at night he cries like a baby." "He's very clean and tidy." "And he's a faggot." "He's all the time "Carlos here and Carlos there."" "He carved him." "How do you know?" "Well, he says "Carlos here, Carlos there..."" "Mine has been crying for a week." "He never leaves the cell, he hardly eats." "Arata says he's going to die." "You can smoke my cigarettes, if you want." "Who's that?" "My daughter." "I see you're better." "Why are you here?" "A bad move in a senseless country." "I got here as a political prisoner and now I'm a common one." "Perhaps in time I might be elected Miss." "Miranda." "And why are you here?" "Because I got caught." "Next time, they'll have to kill me first." "You like talking about death." "Isn't this like being dead?" "I don't know." "I was never dead before." "But when you're dead, you stop being yourself, and I want to continue being who I am." "How long have you been here?" "Twenty years." "Twenty years?" "And when are you getting out?" "I guess I never will." "Besides, getting out..." "I have no one except my daughter outside." "At least you have your daughter." "You don't have a mother and father?" "No." "What's your name?" "They used to call me Hueso, but since I got here they call me Pablo." "Pablo Abalorios." "What're you laughing at?" "You got our president's name." "After all, he's the father of the country." "How should I call you, Hueso or Pablo?" "Pablo is a real name, right?" "Call me Pablo." "Alright." "What's your name?" "Arcibel Alegría." "Alegría?" "What joy can you feel after being so long in prison?" "My life is like a practical joke." "At least he's good with numbers." "Something's going on in Miranda if they're putting TV sets..." "...even in jail." "Yes, they must be cheap." "THE BERLIN WALL FALLS DOWN" "Look, they're demolishing the Berlin Wall." "Which side is demolishing it?" "What do you think?" "Those are Communists invading Europe and then the world." "I knew that fucking democracy wouldn't work." "I knew it." "I can't figure it out." "Easy... easy." "Think." "Look." "We have an "a", what if we add this?" "What does it say?" "A... te." "All together." "Ate." "Good." "Let's make it longer now." "Let's see." "And now what?" "Da... te..." "Date." "What's the date today?" "Perfect... now write "what's the date today" in your book." "Can I write it tomorrow?" "I'm tired now." "No, you must learn to read and write as naturally as you breathe, and nobody gets tired of breathing..." "...or they die." "Nobody dies for not knowing to read or write." "Those who can't read or write think they are alive but they are half dead." "Believe me." "I AM PABLO." "MY MOTHER LEFT." "ARATA IS AN ASSHOLE." "Popcorn, horse." "Coal, tower." "Meal, bishop." "Relax." "Pepe, you'll be king." "No way, you know I'm a queen." "Calm down." "It's like having a daughter." "He cleans better than a woman and he's always in love." "You get used to everything." "At least you got a man." "He's a good boy." "He's already learnt to write a few phrases." "Look, look." "What's up?" "Look what he's got for you." "Happy birthday, mate." "Happy birthday, professor." "Do you want to play a game?" "I hope your stay here only lasts a few more years, professor." "Here." "He got the chessboard wrong." "Pretend it's OK." "Shall I start?" "Aníbal." "Here." "That was the most stupid checkmate in the world!" "Didn't you see the lady attacking?" "Don't get upset!" "You know I'm not good at chess." "And why don't we put..." "...the pawns behind the king?" "Why are you sorry for the pawns?" "This is a battle and you never put the powerful up front." "If they fall, the game's over!" "They don't go up front..." "...'cause they're cowards." "This is not about courage but intelligence." "Let's see..." "In chess, you're the king and you use your forces to protect yourself and attack." "You feel sorry for your pawns?" "This is war, Pablo!" "Phony, but war!" "You were never in a gunfight, right?" "No." "That's the difference" "Your war is a game." "A fight is not a battle and a shootout is not a war!" "Forget it, you'll never grasp the beauty in this game." "And nobody in Miranda ever will." "That's why we have this country." "Don't get upset, Arcibel." "I'm not mad at you." "I'm trying to find out which game best suits this fucking country." "Go to sleep." "Are you sitting in front of the wall again?" "Yes, I need to calm down." "What do you get out of it?" "I don't know." "It's good for me." "The book says you calm down and one day you're enlighted." "The Japanese call it to reach the "satori"." "What happens when you reach the "sartor"?" "No idea." "The book had many blank pages." "Now sleep and leave me alone." "What is it, did you get this "sartor"?" "No, I got an idea to make you understand." "...about the weekend." "Saturday's OK for you?" "Here are the caps." "So Arcibel wants to invent a game?" "Alright, take them to him." "Here." "Watch out, don't step on it." "What do you think?" "What do you see?" "I looks like an animal." "Don't you know the shape of Miranda?" "I know it has water and mountains everywhere..." "...and that people have different accents in different places." "OK." "These points are some of the main cities." "San Luis, Santa Clara, Ligelia and the capital city, Miranda City." "These cards are situations, you'll see." "With all this, we're going to play war." "I don't get it." "It's easy." "Sit down." "You'll have your forces and I'll have mine." "These bottons and caps represent platoons and batallions and we'll have to use dice." "Random is terrible, but sometimes necessary." "What do I have to do?" "I'm too old to attack." "And I'm getting stiffer and stiffer so you have to form your own guerrilla army and beat me." "This pawn represents the old man." "You must come all the way here and overthrow him." "Do you like it?" "In San... ta..." "Let me." "ln Santa Rosa a storm has ruined the whole corn crop." "The town has no food." "If you want to win the Santa Rosarino's back, ...you must feed them with 200 points." "What does corn have to do with war?" "You'll be the commander." "War is made not only with bullets but also with food." "You'll have to learn to read." "Otherwise, I could tell you as I please and beat you always." "As we play I'll explain each part." "And as we go I might be adding new rules." "Shall we?" "I knew it." "Only one word did this to me." "No!" "If you use all your forces to attack a bigger army, then you'll always lose." "You'll never win overnight." "Play slower." "We have all the time in the world for this game." "Yes, all the time." "And if we didn't have all the time?" "You never thought of escaping from this dump?" "What is it with this guy?" "He's dumber than Arata." "Come with me, I'll show you something." "Come, come." "One, two, three, four, five, six." "One, two, three, four, five, six." "Let's go." "Apart from the lousy food we get here, that's the one thing that never changed here." "Move it!" "I played 3 numbers." "Hang on, Torres." "The easiest part is opening the lock and the toughest's crossing each door in 6 seconds." "You'd have to beinvisible so that the guy with the cart and the guy at the gate don't see you." "I'll make myself invisible." "Retreat." "Rengo's been filling your head?" "Yes, he told me to bite and run like the Commander did." "But the Commander lost." "For example, you'll expect me to keep on attacking to hit me and run." "But if I simply surround your area and wait for you to starve to death, in the end I beat you." "You won't attack me?" "No, what for?" "Rengo can shove his guerrilla warfare tactics up his ass." "Alegría." "What happened?" "Mum died." "She had heart problems and I asked her to leave school but she went on and fell sick." "Can you believe her pupils' spelling mistakes made her sick?" "She was a very zealous woman and very intolerant." "I won't deny it, but I loved her, she was my mum." "I also loved her and I love her because she gave me a beauty like you." "When did they put those glasses?" "Which?" "Those dividing you from the visitors." "They were always there." "Poor thing, her mother died." "Was she your wife?" "Yes, but she was the best woman as Rosalinda's mother." "What are you doing?" "Teach me not to think." "It's not true you don't think about anything." "You think but only about what is more important." "Do you think about your daughter?" "That's the most important, so I try not to think about her." "I don't understand." "Me neither." "But the point is not to think with your head because that will torment you." "So I think about the wall." "I go through the wall and keep going through walls." "You're slightly crazy, right?" "No." "My body is completely crazy." "That's what keeps me alive." "Teach me to be crazy like you." "THE GULF WAR CONTINUES" "This is like going to war with Flash Gordon." "I want to see them when they have to fight in the desert." "That'll be tough." "Why would they fight in the desert if they have already beaten them on TV?" "Shall we add missiles on to our game?" "That's it, I beat you, Arcibel." "The old man is more likely to have a missile than you are." "But missiles are good if the enemy is far from the attacker." "Otherwise you hit yourself." "Yes." "I've been thinking we could start playing again,..." "...but with new rules." "Which ones?" "This time my forces would be in the mountains, you come and surround me." "And then?" "I have an advantage, I decide when to start and I have time to arm 5 spots." "For example Ligelia, Santa Rosa, San Luis, Miranda City, and the 5th spot is a secret." "And I blow them up whenever I feel like it." "And I got you running around." "Not a bad idea." "It's a very good idea." "I think I can beat you." "Try it." "I mean it." "I think I can beat you even if you have missiles." "Then try it." "Try it." "Well, it's over." "I have nothing left to do." "Yes, it's over, Arcibel." "It was good playing with you." "But we'll play again." "Yes, maybe." "Let's go!" "You did a lot for me, Arcibel." "No, I did it just not to get bored." "When you get out, try to leave the country." "No, I'm going to stay." "And where will you go?" "I'll ask your daughter to help me." "Don't you dare." "Promise you won't go to her." "I can't lie to you, professor." "But she has nothing to do with this." "Let her decide." "Goodbye, Arcibel." "And thanks for everything." "Fucking shit!" "Let me help you." "What is it?" "Can you believe it?" "I forgot the key." "Never mind, I'll open it." "There are new uniforms?" "Yes, they got in today." "Excuse me." "Today is my day off, and my girlfriend's waiting." "Excuse me, can you take me?" "Yes, get on." "Fucking pig!" "MIRANDA JAIL" "How did your mate escape?" "I don't know." "He said he was going to the bathroom..." "...and I never saw him again." "What is this?" "A game." "A game?" "He had your permission to play games?" "It's a chees game Arcibel invented for us Mirandinos." "He had your permission?" "His conduct has..." "Games are over in this prison, is thay clear, Arata?" "And you'll tell me the hard way what you wouldn't the easy way." "You throw away years of good conduct just for a bastard." "I can't believe it, I thought you were an intelligent man." "I've given you many things, and this is how you pay me back?" "Here." "At least tell me how the fuck this guy escaped." "He turned invisible." "No... no!" "Rosalinda, I'm Pablo, Arcibel's cell mate!" "I escaped a few hours ago!" "I'm the one who completed your crossword puzzles." "I used the socks you gave him." "I'm everything your father taught me to be." "ENOUGH!" "What, was I elected Miss." "Miranda?" "So you are Arcibel Alegría." "I'm Colonel Ezequiel Abalorios." "Related to the old man?" "No, just a coincidence." "You'll also ask how Pablo escaped?" "No, what I want to know is, what is all this?" "ARCIBEL'S GAME" "And what is this?" "It's got to do with a game I invented to fight boredom." "And which you passed on to Pablo Abalorios." "ln the beginning I set some rules but he added his own changes." "Very interesting changes." "So much so the goverment is being challenged." "Pablo is doing all this?" "The shots and bombs?" "Let's get to the point." "I want you to teach me Arcibel's Game." "What makes you think I will teach you?" "Because you have a daughter and if you cooperate with us, she'll have a life." "Otherwise, you won't feel like playing any more." "She's got nothing to do with this." "That's none of my business." "I tell you the facts and you decide." "What do you want me to do?" "Reconstruct the game and teach me how to play it." "How do I know you'll leave her alone?" "You teach me how to play and I'll see that the agreement is honored." "I'll teach you but I'll ask something else." "You are in no position to ask." "Yes, one more thing." "I challenge you to play it, just you and me." "Try with the smaller one." "Yes, that's it." ""The government carries out a killing of civilians that reaches the world public opinion." "US withdraws their support to the government which loses 1000 points." "Of course, we are the bad guys and you are the good ones." ""The guerrilla army carries out a killing of civilians that reaches the world public opinion."" "The guerrilla failed." "You see... it's even." "Why does one lose 1000 points and the other loses the game?" "If those who want to change everything act like those who want nothing changed, they'd better stop playing." "Alright." "Shall we play?" "Yes, but we won't start here in the mountains, but at a hypothetical position, let's say here in San Luis." "Pablo is about to take San Luis?" "I didn't say that!" "Don't put words in my mouth." "Come on, set your pieces." "You first, I have to surprise you." "You'd better withdraw, otherwise the supplies will be mine." "You're about to lose anyway, but it's the first time." "When you get the catch of it, you'll do better." "Shut up!" "You are talking to an Army colonel trained in the US!" "All this cardboard shit has got nothing to do with the outside reality!" "Colonel I haven't seen the paper in years." "Let me read it." "Just the last pages." "You don't need to know more." "Thanks." ""There is nothing sadder than oblivion." "And it is little things that bring you relief." "Remember that just like the flower queen makes us gayer, she's also thinking about you." "Better times are coming."" "My little girl." "The dove was mistaken was mistaken." "Trying to go north, it went south." "The animal is going to attack Santa Clara!" "He attacked Santa Clara, fucking old man!" "He attacked Santa Clara!" "He leveled the city while we leveled Ligelia!" "You beat me, fucking old man!" "You knew he would attack." "It was a possibility, but very remote." "But what you didn't plan was that Pablo'd die in the attack." "That is not true." "I know that is not true." "You peolpe always think you know everything." "But Pablo died, he's very dead!" "He died?" "Yes, he died in combat." "There you have your hero!" "This fucking country didn't have a single hero!" "So now you have your own." "He'd always put pawns behind the king." "And he was right." "Or who do you think caused all this?" "You..." "All the dead Ligelia destroyed, it's all your doing!" "No, Colonel, I just invented a game." "You invented this fucking reality." "It's not a game, you thought everything out!" "It's a game!" "It's just a game!" "A game!" "Alright, it's a game." "Right now there are 100 guards watching you." "Two assault vehicles in the street and me all this time trying to discover what is locked inside your head just because of a game of cards, dice and all this crap for this game!" "Pablo started something like clubs in the shanty towns." "There he gathered the street kids." "Do you know what he taught them first?" "To sit like you are sitting and play." "And they didn't call it Zen but "This is how Arcibel sits when... he wants to think about nothing and thinks about everything."" "The intelligence reports talked about a religious sect." "Pablo, of course, didn't exist in our files." "They started with the poor." "Then with college students." "They gathered like clubs to sit and play." ""Let them, they'll just kill themselves", said my boss." "But then one day hexagons started to appear painted on the walls and when we least expected it, they started playing the game." "Alright, "conventional guerrilla warfare", we thought." "But not, it was uncanny." "There was someone masterminding everything." "And when we found out that a prisoner escaped from here had gotten these ideas from you, it was too late." "I knew it was late." "You can't imagine what it is to see a 16 year old kid who hasn't said a word, who only has a few hours to live, his body a charred wreck, smile and make an overwhelming effort to sit down like you are sitting now and when he does, he feels he's made it." "All this, you don't know it, but it is true." "One day one of them told me:" ""Arcibel made us good men because he taught us to face life with dignity."" "If they knew for you they're only pieces on a board." "And it all started with a newspaper article." "See, Arcibel?" "The mistakes of the old man's bureaucrats came true." ""The dove was mistaken." "It was mistaken." "Trying to go north, it went south."" "Of course, your daughter!" "The crossword puzzles!" "Come here!" "I said come here!" "You beat me, old man." "You beat me." "See, Arcibel I took the wrong card." "Colonel, we have to withdraw, there's no time left." "Fall back towards the port and take command, Sergeant." "Good luck." "I won't deny Miranda was a piece of shit but it was the country a few of us had." "As to what will come, I don't doubt it will be as bad as the previous shit." "I don't believe in ideologies." "Much less in games." "The old man just escaped!" "Miranda is free!" "Arcibel, Arcibel, come." "Save me, Arcibel, they'll kill me." "I always treated you well." "Easy, man." "I've got family." "Give me your clothes." "I don't have any other." "Give me your clothes or I'll kill you." "Freedom!" "Freedom!" "Freedom!" "Freedom!" "Comrades!" "Let's free Arcibel, our master and the father of the Miranda Revolution!" "Arcibel!" "Arcibel!" "Arcibel!" "Arcibel!" "Arcibel!" "Arcibel!" "Arcibel!" "Arcibel!" "How touching." "Arcibel." "I told you." "I told you the Commander would come to free us." "I told you." "Let's go, Rigo." "Arcibel!" "Arcibel!" "Dad, this is your grandchild Pablo." "Let's go." "I feel like walking around Miranda." "Arcibel!" "Arcibel!" "Long live Commander Pablo!" "Long live Arcibel!" "Arcibel!" "Arcibel!"