"Hello..." "Ferrarotti ?" "Well, I was calling to tell you that" "I already know which poem to start the book with." "Good news, righ?" "OK, I'll read it out to you." ""Your freedom flies out to me"" ""I feel on my skin the rumour of your silent blood"." ""And I just stare at the debris of a gray city"" ""And now only the magic of your wounded wings..."" ""...are guiding me in this night of my own confusion."" "So Ferrarotti?" "I won't blush if you give me a compliment." "OK, I'll call you again some other time." "Wait...don't hang up." "Who is this?" "Leave her, Cat." "Gutierrez called." "There's another operation going on." "Fucking kids." "What's going on?" "Is this a prank?" "TELEPHONE LINES" "Hello, Ferrarotti?" "I have been waiting for your call for hours." "No, there's no "Ferrarotti" here." "Oh, it was you on the phone yesterday, right?" "Yes." "I think our telephone lines got mixed up." "It seems so." "I'm sorry for torturing you yesterday with my poetry." "I thought I was talking to someone else." "Yes, with Ferrarotti." "Yes, he's my...agent." "You didn't torture me." "Yes, he's my...agent." "You didn't torture me." "It was really very beautiful." "Do you like poetry?" "Yes." "I love reading." "And what do you like reading?" "Mmm, a little bit of everything." "Right now I'm reading something by Bradbury." "Bradbury..." "Right now I'm reading something by Bradbury." "Bradbury..." "Fahrenheit 451?" "Yes." "How did you guess?" "Pure luck." " Have you read it?" " Yes, more than once." ""You are Clarisse, the new neighbour!"" ""And you must be the firefighter"" ""Such a strange way to say it"" ""I would have guessed it with my eyes shut,..."" ""...you know, I'm not afraid of you at all."" ""Why should you be?"" ""Many people are afraid of firefighters"" ""But in the end, you're nothing but a man."" ""Do you ever read any of the books you burn?"" ""No, that's forbidden by law!"" ""Oh, of course."" ""You are dangerous...you think too much."" ""I hardly ever watch the video-wall, or go to the races..."" ""...or the theme parks;" "I have plenty of time for my deepest thoughts."" "OK, that's as far as my memory goes." "How can you possibly remember so many lines by heart?" "As I said, I read it several times." "What's your name?" "Vera." "And yours?" "Ariel." "Can you see the moon from where you are?" "Yes." "And the stars?" "Yes, that too." "What else can you see?" "Mmm..." "I see Bus 159 turning the corner," "Now driving right past my window." "The 159?" "Yes, why?" "No, nothing." "What else can you see?" "Across the street there's an old house..." "It has a stone heart on the façade." "A heart?" "Yes, a stone heart." "Are you there?" "Yes, yes, of course." "Why don't you tell me about something closer to you?" "Right where you are." "On the window frame there's a...a carved eye." "Dunno, I guess some tenant did it before I moved in." "With a knife, or something like that." "Enough with the prank." "Tell me where you live." "Why?" "It doesn't matter why, tell me where you live." "On Defensa Street." "What number?" "What do you want to know that for?" "It doesn't matter, tell me the number." "That is none of your business." "1150?" "What happened?" "Nothing." "I got scared and hang up." "And how did he know where you live?" "I think he must live on the same block." "He must have seen me walk into the building." "And if he's in the army?" "No, didn't I say he's a poet?" "Come sleep in my place tonight." "No." "Your parents don't like me very much." "It's your fault...discussing politics with them." "They say you're a red hippie." "Me a hippie?" "Yes, you." "Nothing will happen." "Don't worry." "Seriously, nothing will happen." "See you tomorrow at campus." "Bye." "Bye." "See you." "Hello." "It's like a sea, separating us." "And the sand under my feet, stretching under the ocean... to be stepped on by your warm feet." "That's beautiful" "I am sorry if my questioning bothered you yesterday." "Yes, a little." "Ariel was your name, right?" "My name's Ariel, I'm 25 years old, I'm a Taurus" "Each of us on either shore, looking at each other without seeing us." "My name's Ariel, I'm 25 years old, I'm a Taurus" "My name's Ariel, I'm 25 years old, I'm a Taurus" "A Taurus?" "Me too..." "I was born on May 7th." "Just 1 day after me." "What year?" "1960" "Judging by your voice I thought you were a lot younger." "Hey, how old did you think I was?" "I don't know, under 20." "Well, I'm 18...that's under 20." "For a second I thought you were born on 1960, that you were in your 30s." "I am from 1960." "Until 1978 that's 18 years." "'78?" "We're in '96." "Stop screwing around..." "What are those noises?" "Nothing, just the neighbors watching the World Cup game." "The World Cup?" "What game?" "Argentina-Peru." "Against Peru?" "The game we won 6-0?" "How should I know?" "It's not over yet." "The "Book of Gold"" "The book of what?" "Ariel?" "Is there a radio receiver around?" "Yes." "OK, turn it on, on the game, and let me listen in." "What?" "Go on, Vera, do it." "I'll explain in a minute." "There it is." "I can't hear a thing, Vera." "Pump it up and get the receiver closer to it." "It's 4 minutes into the second half." "Yes, yes, so?" "Listen to this:..." ""In a minute the miracle happens: first a combination..."" ""...between Luque and Kempes, and then..."" ""...a shot by Luque to mark the 4-0 advantage."" "Did you hear me?" "Yes, and I don't understand it." "That in 1 minute Luque will score a 4th goal." "(radio narrator describing the game:)" "...one more goal and we'll make it to the finals moving the ball forward, go Argentina, ..." "Luque pushes on, passes the ball to Kempes,  ...back to Luque and GOAL GOAL GOAL !" "GOAL FOR ARGENTINA !" "Vera?" "I have a surprise for you." "(indistinct voices naming missing people's names)" "VERA MACHI" " Detained and missing 23-6-78 18 years-old" "Hello." "Vera...you have to leave." "They'll abduct you." "Hold on Ariel." "What's going on?" "Don't say another word." "Take your things and go!" "Hold on Ariel." "What's going on?" "Don't say another word." "Take your things and go!" "Go, Vera." "They'll take you away." "Go, now." "I'm serious." "What are you doing?" "What do you want?" "Come, you little bitch!" "Vera, go...go, go." "Get out of there, Vera!" "Go!" "Shut up, kid." "Let her go you son of a bitch!" "Let her go!" "Let her go!" "Sometimes I dream, and the dreams tell me about you." "About you, and your sad eyes." "And about what your eyes saw." "And I can only make a thousand promises" "About what they will never get to see."