"IN A REMOTE BRAZILIAN PROVINCE IN 1893" "A TEENAGE GIRL BEGAN TO KEEP A DIARY." "BRAZIL HAD JUST RECENTLY ABOLISHED" "SLAVERY AND BECOME A REPUBLIC." "DIAMANTINA, CENTER OF ONE OF THE WORLD'S RICHEST DIAMOND FIELDS" "HAD FALLEN ON HARD TIMES." "AT THE END OF THE 19TH CENTURY, THE MINES WERE EXHAUSTED." "SOME FOREIGNERS WHO HAD COME TO SEEK FORTUNE" "DECIDED TO STAY." "Once a group of girls was about to take First Communion... just as you are doing today." "At the moment they received... the body and blood of Jesus... one girl fell to the floor." "Dead... and blasted!" "The priest explained that God had taken her... because she was the purest." "All the others envied the little angel but then... who do you think they saw?" "The Devil... dragging the nasty little sinner behind the altar!" "You know why?" "Because she hadn't made a full and honest confession!" ""DIARY OF A PROVINCIAL GIRL"" "BASED ON THE DIARY OF HELENA MORLEY" "Go, go, go!" "I'm going to win!" "I'm going to win!" "Go, go!" "I'm going to win!" "I won!" "I won!" "I won!" "Cheaters!" " Cheaters?" "Who?" "What?" " You and grandma!" " You called my grandma a cheater?" " Our grandma!" "Helena won!" "Helena won!" "I'm sure I was wearing my brooch..." " Carolina, what a notion..." " Really, Carolina." "That brooch isn't right for the countryside." "Haven't you anything more appropriate?" "Indeed!" "In England women would never..." " Please, Madge!" "Don't start!" "Your brother's enough for me." ""In England this... in England that..."" "Bela, search really well." "Mrs. Teodora won't like a bit!" "Mother!" "It was stuck in your hair." " Good thing you didn't lose it." " When I took off the apron..." "It'll be mine someday, right?" "What was that?" " Uncle Geraldo..." " Who else if not your brother, Carolina?" "Naturally." "He's the only man among us." "Does anyone see another?" " Just one?" " But a big one!" "It's not enough for everyone." " Savages!" " Daddy!" "I missed you so much!" "Luisinha!" "Look what I brought you." "Daddy!" "How beautiful!" "Kind of small, aren't they?" "Yes, but there are big ones around, I'm sure of it!" "Let's show your grandma." "Everyone says the mines here have become depleted." "But Daddy doesn't think so." "And he's one of the few who still dream of diamonds." "Have some, cousin?" "How sweet of you, cousin." "You shouldn't have." "What are they?" "Corn cakes!" "I made them." "Cakes that come from mud, to mud must return!" "Mother... mother!" " No." " Arinda... help me clean this dress!" "I don't want to." " Keep quiet, Naná, let me..." " Mother, look what she did!" "You did that out of jealousy, you envious little brat!" "That hurts." "I hope so, that serves you right." "Bad seed!" " Get off me." " Let her go, laiá!" "Geraldo, look at what Helena did to Naná!" "Again?" "It's no use." "They're cousins, but with a different upbringing." " It's better to keep one's distance!" " You'll be punished for this, girl." "No one can punish me but my father." "Daddy?" " No lunch!" " She has to eat, Geraldo." "You'll eat afterwards, later on..." "Grandma..." "So, Geraldo, why not come into business with me?" "No, no, Alexandre." "I will not dig in the ground for something I didn't put there." "I like to be able to see what I have and take care of it." "You never take risks, do you?" "Lunch is ready." "Let's leave this for later." "May I take my husband?" "Oh!" "Good!" " I was starving!" " You went too far." "Naná makes me sick." "Naná offering her little mud-cakes, like a polite girl..." "I think God punishes polite people." " You're the black sheep of the family." " You're the black one!" "I'm black, but I'm not one of the family and neither a sheep." "Why won't you come with us?" "It's long since you've been home." "I'll strike it rich soon." "Geraldo has offered you work in town so many times." " You'd be near your family." " It's just for awhile, laiá..." "If dreaming makes you feel better." "Well, I left my men at work." "Not that I don't trust them, but diamonds are diamonds." "And niggers are niggers!" "Put that down!" "Now!" "No son of mine carries wood... like any backyard picaninny!" "Hand it to Renato to carry!" "Not Renato, laiá!" "Arinda, carry the wood!" "I'll be damned!" "Mother dislikes it when others see us working." "But my father doesn't mind." "He says it's only in Brazil that people look down on work." "There are no Blacks in England and white people do all the work." "Here in Diamantina, anything's an excuse for a party even a long illness." "When I make a sick-call, I have a great time!" "It's time for the priest." "God, give me strength." "If Vieira dies I want to go with him!" "Come on, Margarida, be brave." "Vieira has been sick for a month but on the verge of death, just a week." "Every time someone breaks down, it's a helter-skelter." "A friend of mine even found a boyfriend there." "Glorinha is my most intrepid friend." "Today she just had to get herself in trouble." "Now I'll have to entertain myself." "I'm home!" "I was just at Vieira's house." "The way you act, you'll never get married... you speckled-egg face!" ""A woman and a hen Shouldn't go out walking." "A hen gets eaten." "A woman sets folks talking"." "Mother always recited that to us... and boys came from all over to woo me... because I was known as a modest home-bird." "But, mother... you weren't known for being a home-bird." "You were known for being rich for the diamonds your father found." "And how could a home-bird be known... if no one ever saw her?" ""Journey to the Centre of the Earth"." ""Flashes of the lamp light crosses in all directions." "I'm travelling within a hollow diamond... where light is fractured into a thousand rays... revealing the hidden riches in the earth... treasures buried by ancient earthquakes..."" ""The courageous Professor Lidenbrok crossed oceans and jungles... confronted Indians and wild beasts to get to Diamantina... and meet Helena Morley." "He went to the centre of the earth searching for the hollow diamond."" " Helena!" "Helena!" " Helena?" " Miss Lidenbrok, if you please." "Where were you, you nuts?" "At the centre of the earth!" "Inside a hollow diamond!" "Helena Morley, your composition?" "I'm working on it, Prof. Teodomiro." "What about this book?" "Jules Verne was faster and wrote it before me." "Starting today, Morley... you will hand in weekly compositions." "They can be letters, essays... even adventures." "So long as they're written by you." "For the rest of you... monthly compositions will do." "Let's hope Helena makes it back from the centre of the earth... in time for the final exams." " I liked my book so much!" " Be patient, he'll return it." " But when is he going to return it?" " What else can you do?" "Helena!" "It's for you." "A book of compositions." "All you have to do is copy them." "Compositions already written?" "Excuse me." "He's reading my book, Glorinha." "Another lost soul in the centre of the earth." " He always smells so good." " Don't I know it?" "Don't I know it?" "To drink water, but found none" "I found only Nadir Who in itororó stayed" "Oh, Nadir, oh, Nadirzinha" "Come play ring-a-rosy" "Or you will dance alone" "Alone I will not dance Not now nor never" "Because I have Helena To be my dancing partner" "Such a tooth ache!" "But I rather feel the pain than see Dr. Guilherme." "He's the worst dentist in the world." ""Open up your little mouth so I can see your little teeth"." " He makes my skin crawl." " Want to hear something worse?" "There's a man in my family who likes to hold my hand in his." "It's revolting, gives me the creeps... it's like touching a lizard's belly." "How disgusting." "Like a toad in your bed." "A man in your family?" "Who?" "I can't say." "Talking about family..." "Your grandmother never gets tired of waiting for you at the window..." "A boyfriend wouldn't be so faithful..." "I love grandma's country estate." "It's always lively, full of people." "Very different from our house." " How was your day today?" " As usual." " Arinda, where's my grandma?" " Upstairs." "When I first got married..." "I didn't let your grandfather near me on my wedding night." "Really, grandma?" "I was just a girl, and he was rather a brute." " Do you know what he did?" " What?" "He left me untouched and travelled away." "He sent me such lovely letters... that after awhile I began to like him." "He wrote you letters?" "What happened then?" "One day he came back from the travels and I threw myself into his arms." "How lovely!" "And were the two of you happy?" "Well, after awhile these things cool off." " But mother and father?" " That's not normal." "Generosa is right." "It's better not to count on that." "Your mother was the only one who chose her husband." " She was lucky." " Batista had already died." "And I wasn't able to control Carolina." "Isn't that right, Generosa?" "Yes, Mrs. Teodora." "If I don't meet the right boy, I won't marry." "The way you're headstrong..." "I'd better start asking Our Lady for help right now." "Geraldo?" "Has something happened?" "I heard my godson was ill... and decided to pay a visit." "Renato!" "Come look who is here." "How are you, boy?" "What a surprise, Geraldo." "Come inside." "Helena!" "Children!" "Your uncle Geraldo is here, come wash your hands." "I'll bet these coins... will help him get better quick." "Oh, Geraldo." "You shouldn't have." "I'll take them, godfather." "Now he'll really get better... to spend the money and trap birds... the only things he likes to do." "The money I spend is the money I earn by myself." " Where's Alexandre?" " At the mines." "Has he sent any word?" "Not yet." "Alexandre is a dreamer, Carolina." "He's chasing the impossible." "Daddy knows what he's doing." " He thinks it won't be long now." " He ought to know:" "The diamonds are all gone." "Diamantina ought to be called "Gravel Pit"." "Well, I'll be off now." "Hit the road before dark." "I enjoyed the visit." "Miracle!" "What a miracle!" "There'll be a party in Heaven!" "The rich brother visited the poor sister!" "Renato had to get sick to get a present from his godfather." "Miracle!" "Miracle!" "Miracle!" "Helena, get inside!" "Inside, both of you!" "I ought to stuff a boiled egg in your mouth... for you to stop being such a chatterbox." "I'll be damned!" "What I said about uncle Geraldo is the truth." "My mother's family is always talking about Heaven and Hell... but they fight with me when I tell the truth." "Here are the new parasols!" "My father's family is very different." "They're Protestant." "And want me to behave like an English girl." "Beautiful!" "Aren't they?" "Ok, come on." "Hurry up." "How can someone you like also annoy you?" "My aunt Madge is the strangest case." "She's my godmother." "Just like grandma, she thinks I have lots of good qualities." "She never gives up:" "She's determined to make me an English girl." "She says that Diamantina is full of uneducated people... who spit on the ground, scratch their heads... and interrupt others when they're talking." "There!" "Protected from the sun." "Bid your freckles goodbye!" "Show your school-chums the ivory handle." "It came from England." "Why have I so little luck in life?" "I believe that's the reason aunt Madge likes me so much." "Look what the British girl has got now!" " It must be raining in England." " Does she know where England is?" "I'll have the composition book on my desk tomorrow." "You'll pay for this!" "Me?" "Professor, it's Mercedinha's!" "Helena didn't want..." "Did I make her take it?" "She copied because she wanted to." "Why did you copy, Helena?" "Because I can't write." " You mean you're too lazy to try." " I'll show you "lazy"." "You haven't answered." "Why did you cheat?" "I was too busy." "Really?" "Doing what?" " Lots of things..." " Making up castles." "Too many castles." "She has time for nothing else!" "What kind of castles?" "Castles in the air." "Stories out of her own head." "Good for her." "Life is dull without our castles." "Helena, bring me one castle!" "Impossible!" "Why?" "They don't exist." "If you write them down, they do." "If I had that notebook..." "I'd write an adventure as good as Jules Verne's." "Maybe I could sell my chicken... and Renato's chicken too." "Think I'd make enough to buy it, Glorinha?" " Look, Helena!" " What?" "Wake up..." "English Doctor!" " Get your skeleton shaking high!" " Get off of my grandfather!" "Is it my fault your grandfather's buried in the middle of the street?" "Liar!" "He's not buried there." "No?" "Where then?" "Not in the cemetery, that's for sure." "Or is he in a castle?" ""One castle, bring me one castle"." "He's in England, in an English cemetery." "The Protestant is here." "Right under my feet." "Let's see if he protests now!" " Get off of my grandfather!" " Get off of her grandfather!" "Out!" "It's too much money, mother." "I'll be damned!" "Carolina takes advantage of you." "To help my own daughter I have to give explanations to my own son?" "Your father will pay me for this!" "Helena?" " Another fight?" " What happened?" "Did they hit you?" "If I don't look out for you..." "Alexandre and Carolina would take all you got." "What's mine is my children's too." "It's not fair that Carolina and the children should suffer." "It's not fair for Alexandre to waste your money... in worn out mines!" "Helena!" "Come here, dear!" "Helena!" "I'm convinced that if grandma managed her own money... we wouldn't be in such bad circumstances." "Helena." "Helena, come down." "Come down from there." "Come down." "What has God got against me?" "Don't say that... not even in jest." "God will punish you." "He already has." "Skinny, freckle-faced, poor... my grandfather buried in the street!" "Everyone walks over him." "Oh, that again?" "Let me tell you something:" "Your grandfather was a very respected doctor." "So why isn't he buried in the cemetery like everyone else?" "When he died..." "Diamantina's most important men... had all the churches ring their bells..." "All the churches?" "You swear?" "I won't swear to it." "Pay attention." "Men of the best families in their best suit... with carnations in their lapels." "And canes?" "Had they canes?" "Canes!" "And dress coats." "All of them." "Elegant, serious and sad. they climbed the church towers and made the bells ring..." "The bells rang so loudly that on the other side of the mountains... all over Minas Gerais, you could hear the bells..." "I'm impatient, rebellious, sassy, disobedient... and everything else they say about me." "My little sister Luisinha is an angel, though." "I don't understand how she can be so sweet." "But each of us is born the way God wanted us to be." "That's how it is." "I'm going to write down what I did to her... and I'm not ashamed, since only the paper will know." "Luisinha..." " I had a great idea." " Yeah?" "Next week it's my birthday." "Generosa said that if I scratch together some money... she'll make me a special dinner." "I thought that if you gave me the money you've saved..." " But it's my money!" " I know." "Listen." "If instead of buying a new dress... you gave me 50 mil réis..." "I can give a party and invite 20 friends." "That would be 20 presents!" "Ten for you and ten for me!" "Ten presents?" " And have you got twenty friends?" " Of course I do!" "There's Glorinha, Matilde and Clara and Dayse, Marcia, Marjorie..." " Alright!" "Alright!" " Well, you got all twenty." " It was a great party." "We even had turkey!" "After this, no one can beat me." "Let's split the gifts." "Let's start with the cookies." "Tomorrow we'll split the rest." "Okay." "One for you, one for me... one for you and one for me... one for you and one for me." "Helena!" "Where are my presents?" "Okay, I'll give you a bar of soap and a pair of socks." "But you promised to split them with me!" "I know, but now I feel that..." "I just can't give them up." "But you promised!" "I broke the deal." "But I don't feel bad because I need those things more than she does." "And Daddy always says the quiet ones are the worst." "Please repeat it to yourself." "Grandma thinks aunt Madge's lessons in etiquette are very important." "She thinks they'll be useful for my future." "It's not enough "to want" to do something." "You have to know "how" to do it." "Let's go to home economics." "God provides for everyone, except for the spendthrift." "Economy is discipline." "If I take just one match... it may fail." "Two matches also may fail." "But three is impossible." "That's why I always leave the maid three." "It's the right amount." "To the table little miss." "It was delicious!" "Thank you, aunt Madge." "One should never push one's plate forward after eating." "One should wait for the maid to remove it." "What maid?" "I'm the one who clears the table and put the dishes in the sink." "Helena, it won't always be that way!" "I'll have forgotten by then." "Elbows never!" "Forearms perhaps." "One should rest only one's wrists on the table." "Ritinha is a notorious chicken-thief in Cavalhada... and she makes my life hell." "The way she talks...!" "I used to tremble in fear when I was little." "Let's dance around this circle To and afro and back again" "The diamond ring you gave me Was just glass, broke into pieces" "She wouldn't let me play with my coloured friends." "Don't play with these girls." "You ain't the kind of girl to play with them." "Your mother may not care, but I do." "Out, out, out!" "Get inside." "Mother likes her and says we should never judge anyone." "But I've grown clever, and now I don't obey her like I used to." "Excuse me, Mrs. Carolina." "Come inside, Ritinha." " How are things, Helena?" " Okay." "I was passing by and decided to pay a visit." "You did well." " What are you fixing, Helena?" " Cucumbers." "Want some?" "Good Lord, no." "I don't eat them." "Mrs. Carolina, how can you let this girl eat cucumbers?" "Are they bad for you?" "Helena always eats two cucumbers in the morning." "They're awfully poisonous!" "Just brushing the hem of your skirt on them is bad for you." "I felt like asking..." ""And stealing chickens isn't bad?"" "Are you listening?" "I've always eaten them." "And I'm quite alive." "Because you're young and strong." "But they're corroding you inside." " You see?" "Didn't I say so?" " You never said anything." "Now I'll have to eat cucumbers on the sly." "That's all I needed." "I already reason better than anyone in mother's family." "Anything you tell them, they'll believe." "And forever." "I wonder if other cities have so many lunatics as Diamantina..." "Arinda and I tried to count them all." "Chichi Bombom is convinced that she's French." "Crazy Tony swears he's in the lmperial Guard." "Carlota the Pistol thinks she's being stalked... by someone that no one else can see." "And Father Filipe..." "Well, Father Filipe is the worst of them all." "I'll hit you with my stick!" "He stalks the streets carrying a bag on his hunchback... to take away bad-mannered girls!" "He goes door to door asking for alms." "He beats the bag and cries:" ""Sing, sing, my bag or I'll beat you with my bat!"" "The way I suffered as a child, terrified of Hell... and of the mad stories the black women told us..." "I wouldn't wish it on anybody." "I think I don't love God." "I only remember Him when I'm in trouble." "I only like to pray... when I'm sad or when there's thunder." "Sometimes I think I'll never go to Heaven." "Then I lose all hope." "We haven't prayed for grandpa nor for our relatives in Purgatory." "Quite right, Naná." "They've been in Purgatory so long... they must be used to it by now!" "There's no need to pray." "Don't say that!" "No one gets used to Purgatory." "Naná is right." "Naná is a fraud." "She only said that to butter you up." "Because of her, I had to listen to the whole Passion of Christ... and pray an entire rosary." "Naná is very devout, thanks to the Nun's School... which would do you a lot of good!" " Naná is a fraud!" " Helena, how dare you!" "You're worse, you're not even Catholic." "Mother says none of you are Catholic, especially not your father!" "Grandma, is it true that Diamantina was once surrounded by walls?" "Yes." "Years ago, the imperial army closed off the city... to stop the traffic in diamonds." "It was forbidden to mine for diamonds." "When they came to our house..." "I hid our diamonds inside the lace cushion..." "I was making and just sat there making lace." "They took a look around, and went away." "Generosa says they should build new walls... and put all the city nuts inside them." "Well, it's an idea." "But we'd have to start with Generosa herself... who's got more than a couple of loose screws." "I'm grandma's favorite." " Everybody knows it." " Helena, go eat in the kitchen." " And many don't like it." " But why, son?" "I need to talk with you." " I can't listen?" " No." "You can't." " But why?" " Because it's about her father." " What's happened with Alexandre?" " The usual, mother, debts." "You don't need to humiliate Helena." "Someone has to educate her." "Carolina has her head in the air..." "Alexandre's never there and you do everything she wants." " She's just a girl." " That's where you're mistaken." "My mother never lets me go to a Carnival dance." "But Glorinha told me about it... and I imagined the rest." "She wore a mask, disguised her voice... and flirted all night long with her own father... till he was absolutely smitten by her." "The next day, he wouldn't even eat." "He sat out in the garden, staring at nothing." "Glorinha had a grand time." "She should be locked up with the rest of Diamantina's lunatics." "I just can't get over this story till today." "Carijó!" "Mother, have you seen my speckled hen?" " No." "It's not in the coop?" " No." "Someone might've left the gate open." "The gate was closed." "It was stolen!" "If she thinks she can get away with this, she's seriously mistaken!" "For the love of God, think about what you're doing!" "Helena!" "Did anyone see my speckled hen?" "It's gone!" " I didn't see anything." "Did you?" " No." "If my chicken has been stolen..." "I will place a curse on the thief!" "And besides burning in Hell, the thief... will suffer here on Earth!" "Is all this nonsense meant for me?" "It's meant to the thief that stole my hen." "If the description fits..." "I have no idea what you're talking about!" "I won't rest till I catch the good-for-nothing that did this to me." "And when I catch him, he'll get a beating he won't forget!" "Oh, God..." "If she thinks she can rob my chicken... and cook it to the sergeant... she's utterly mistaken." "I'll knock that demon's lights out!" "Shouting like that just makes you even more horrible, speckled egg!" " Shut up, Renato." " Speckled egg!" "I've always thought I was ugly." "Renato says I look like a speckled egg because of my freckles." "As a child, I felt really ugly on a Republic Day parade... when an officer came to grandma's asking for a girl... to stand for "Minas Gerais"." "I am Minas Gerais." "The most important of them all!" "The most important and surely the most beautiful!" "Lovely, lovely, lovely!" "Laiá, do you really find Naná so lovely... or you just say that to hurt Helena's feelings?" "I hadn't noticed Helena was here." "Naná got prettier and prettier... and I got sadder and sadder." "Stand up!" "It's a party for fools." "A girl belonging to the English race could never be part of it." "Republic is for the riff-raff." "Decent people don't want that." "They know your father is a Monarchist, not a turn-coat." "He would never let a daughter of his... make a fool of herself with a bunch of idiots." "Now get up... and run to Motta's Emporium and order yourself a new pair of boots!" "Your grandmother is rich." "She can afford to give you a pair of patent leather boots." "Just don't tell your uncle Geraldo, okay?" "You deserve the very best." "They're so soft!" "It's like walking on clouds!" "Bela was a companion to me since the day I was born." "The most beautiful Negro of grandma's country estate." "Bela was so happy the day she married Marciano." "Like a gem in a pig's nose." "He's so ugly it's almost sad." "But the bride is beautiful." "You've married a good, honest, hard-working man." "I hold Marciano in great esteem." "I wish you happiness." "Grandma always complains that abolition... set everyone free except her... who was left with a house full of old slaves, women and babies." "That's why she likes to marry them off." "She even pays for the party." "It is falling down, hon It is falling down, hon" "Up from the sky it falls on earth" " Helena!" " Hey, it is falling down, hon" "It is falling down, hon It is falling down, hon" "What happened to Bela later on made me so sad." "Marciano!" "Bela's suitors would kill or be killed for her." "Honorio and Marciano were the most passionate." "Honorio never accepted that she chose Marciano." "Bela?" "My God, it's Bela!" "She's still breathing..." "What kind of curse is this, God?" "Do you think she'll wake up, Marciano?" "Honorio has put a spell on her." "He said if Bela couldn't be his... she wouldn't be anyone's... even if he had to go to the depths of Hell to make it so." "I'll be damned!" "I didn't deserve this angel." "God gave her to me... and took her away again." "They say the suffering of death is the soul struggling to leave the body." "But how could Bela's soul have slipped away with no pain?" "I asked Grandma and she told me:" ""All this is a mystery"." "There's no sign of breathing." "Everyone thinks Bela is dead." "I begged grandma to leave her be one more night." "But grandma wouldn't listen." "I think they buried Bela alive." "Prof. Teodomiro looked so handsome the other day." "Good-Iooking men just cause trouble." "The way my cousin suffers with her husband!" "Who told her to marry that know-nothing?" "Speaking of marriage... my brother wants to know if you liked the poem he's sent you?" "No." "You can tell him his writing is poor." "He wrote with passion, because he likes you." "Matilde, I don't want a boyfriend." "Please, leave me be." "You're going to wind up a spinster." "Suppose I don't get married, so what?" "Don't worry so much about me." ""Marriages and shrouds are made in Heaven"." "Helena's proud, she wants someone special, not just anybody." "So my brother is "just anybody"?" " No." " No, Matilde." "Your brother is not "just anybody"." "Because not just anybody can write as bad as that!" "Hey, Bombom?" "Is it raining in France?" ""Bonjour!" "La pluie!" "Pluie!"" "Helena, go wash up, and come talk to your cousin Leontino." "Come see Chico!" "This is the garden, Leontino." "And some folks don't believe in miracles." "Glorinha mentioned "someone special" and there came Leontino... who's at school in Rio de Janeiro." "Alright, he is uncle Geraldo's son... but that's not his fault!" "What's it like in Rio de Janeiro?" " Good." " How good?" "Lots of people and lots of trolleys." " I'm going to live there too." " Really?" "When?" "Some day." "There's Chico!" "Chico, steal a peach for me." " Come say hello to Leontino." " Since when do monkeys talk?" "You don't know Chico." "He's smarter than most boys I know." "Naturally." "After all, he's our ancestor." "Chico?" "It's a scientific fact:" "Human beings come from monkeys." " Didn't you know?" " He's nuts." ""The Theory of Evolution," by Charles Darwin." "Never heard of it?" "Father Neves won't like that." "He's sure we come from Adam and Eve." "Father Neves will have to get used to it." "It's proven that men come from monkeys." "Where's my peach, Chico?" "Chico's trained to steal fruit." " Really?" " It's proven:" "Men... come from thieves." "Yes, my child?" "I found out human beings are related to monkeys." "What?" "Where did you get that idea?" "Me, you, even the Bishop." "We're all related to monkeys." "Have you lost your senses, girl?" "I had my suspicions, but my cousin confirmed it." "He studies in Rio de Janeiro and everybody there knows about it." "My monkey Chico's the living proof." "Haven't you read the Sacred Story?" "Don't you know the story of Adam and Eve?" "I know, father, but unfortunately Leontino says it's been proven." "Charles Darwin found that out." "There's no cousin, nor Chico, nor Charles who can defy the word of God." "There's only one truth, and it's in the Bible." "Today's the best day of the week." "The day we do the laundry at the riverside... the prettiest place around Diamantina." "No one's ever there." "It's always empty... that's why mother chose it." "It would be perfect if Daddy were here." "But he's always away at the mines..." "Mother is always sad when he's away." "I wonder if I'll love my husband... as much as she loves my father." "Mother lives just for him and thinks of nothing else." "Take it, Arinda." "Helena, wake up." "You can sleep at the ranch." "Come on get up." "Your father's waiting for us." "The rooster has already crowed twice." "In Cavalhada, only men have watches." "Roosters are my mother's watch." "But roosters crow when they want to." "If one crows at 9 o'clock... they say it means a girl's eloping." "I always hear them crow at 9 o'clock and no girl ever eloped." "Alexandre, I missed you so!" "Is everything okay?" "What about the children?" "Dad!" "I missed you so much!" "Come here, my little one." "I made up a castle about finding a huge diamond." "By the time we got here, it had gotten so big, I was a millionaire!" "I don't even know what to do with so much money." "Money never made anyone happy." "All we really need are the basics." "Would you change places with any of your rich friends or cousins?" "Never." " Present for Helena." " So pretty, Alexandre!" " I'll go show it to her." " She'll love it." "You can do better than that, lad." " For me?" " I made it." "For you to write." "How beautiful!" "Daddy!" "Thank you." "I loved it." "What are you reading?" "I'm not reading..." "I'm writing something I made up today." "Want to hear?" "You're spoiling the book." "You can't write in books!" "If you want to write, start a diary like English girls do." "I don't have a diary, dad." "And I'm not English." "You belong to an English family." "If that means I'll be buried in the street..." "Your grandfather used to say all God's land is sacred... so they could bury him where they pleased." "Mercedinha says he went to some other heaven." " What other heaven?" " The English heaven." "Tell her that's where you'll be going too... the white people's heaven, not the Africans'." " Will this ever end?" " Carolina, for heaven's sake..." "If I had any other choice, Carolina..." "If I had any other choice, I swear..." "But it's my brooch." "And it was supposed to be Helena's someday." "And it will be!" "It's just a loan." "For god's sake!" "So we won't be going to the same heaven?" "There mustn't be that many heavens, Arinda." "I'm going to my mother's heaven." "My mother used to say... there's only one heaven because there's only one God." "Heaven is just this sky above our heads... and doesn't even know we exist." "You ever wonder why we're alive?" "Wouldn't have been better if God hadn't created the world?" "We work, eat, work some more, sleep... and in the end we don't even know if we'll go to Hell." "How horrible, Helena!" "We live to love... to love and serve God on Earth and find our reward in Heaven." "Hardly anybody can live just to worship God." "Only grandma and a few others." "For the rest, it's all work." "If you were in the Nun's school like Naná... you wouldn't think that way!" " Daddy doesn't like nuns!" " "Naná, Naná, Naná..."" "I think life is like a handful of flour... it blows away and then there's nothing's left." "Earth will eat us all and there's no such thing as soul." "What have I done to deserve a son like this?" " Renato, you better change..." " A leopard can't change its spots." "Really!" "We'll see if the nuns can't change you both." " Daddy won't let you!" " You too, Luisinha?" " It's true!" "I heard him!" " Luisinha!" "Look, Renato!" " Look at that one." " Don't be silly, Renato." "Helena, stop laughing!" "I never thought I'd like Ritinha." "I can't believe myself." "I'm home." "Thank you for taking care of my mother." "What are friends for?" "The faults I used to find with her were gone." "Chicken soup will make you strong." "Let's knock this cold out." "Let me help." "My father always says no one's all bad nor all good." "Now I know it's true." " Well, I'm off." " Thank you." "But I couldn't help but wonder... who was the owner of the chicken in that soup?" "Daddy!" "I'm so happy you came." "Don't worry, sir." "There's nothing a good chicken soup won't cure." " Is your mother better?" " Thank God!" "I came as soon as I heard!" "Carolina, you work too hard in this house." "Come, Luisinha." "You need to rest, take care of yourself." "It's hard with you always away." "Things are getting better." "I might not need to pawn the brooch." ""At one side, the greenish hills." "At the other, the sizzling sun and the shiny ocean."" "I don't know what else to do." "He still dreams of finding a rich vein." "But it's just hope, he dreams our lives away..." "When he thinks he's close like now... he spends what money we have and still owes some." "It will work out, my dear." "It will all work out." "He even talks about selling our house." "I'm so scared, mother, so scared." "It looks like I'll have to die to make your lives better." "It's a sin to say a thing like that." "Wash your face, Carolina." "And trust in me." "Trust in God." "Grandma?" "What is the matter?" "What did you eat today?" "Today?" "Tell me, what did you have for lunch at home today?" "Today?" "I don't remember." "Give this to your mother when you get home." "But only when you get home, do you understand?" "Alexandre doesn't like the idea of a post office in Diamantina." "What?" "He's against progress?" "I like when we're all together for dinner at uncle Geraldo's." "But we're very different." "They may be rich... but uncle Geraldo could use some etiquette lessons from aunt Madge." "Yes, indeed!" "Mother, try some wine." "Awful!" "As tart as a lime." "Wine!" "That's what they drink in the capital, isn't that right, Leontino?" "At dinner-time, in Rio de Janeiro, they always serve the best wines." "Of course." "I'm far too old to run after new fashions." "Arinda, my angel, bring me my Port." "Mother loves Port." "Taste this." "It burns, but it's cold..." "Ice cream." "Strange." "Is it from Rio de Janeiro?" "They have it everywhere." "Leontino, come upstairs." "Naná is going to sing." "The stone I've told you about." "Let's see..." "The diamond from Carolina's brooch..." " So?" " We will see..." "I was angry at my father." "Very angry." "Do you know the commandment..." ""Honor thy father and thy mother and thou mayest live long on Earth"?" "I know, but it doesn't help." "I'm angry at him, I hate him." " Why do you hate your father?" " Because he humiliates himself." " That proves he's wise and fears God." " He humiliates himself for money." " Who are you to judge your father?" " He borrows money from my uncle." "Be grateful you have a generous uncle to help in time of need." " My uncle, generous?" " He's a cheapskate." " Girl!" "He took a diamond that was going to be mine." "So, you're really suffering for a diamond?" "My uncle is rich and humiliates us because we're poor." "God's designs are imponderable, my child." "I'd just like to know why God couldn't make everybody rich?" "Why?" "Well..." "Because God is God." "God is God." "Anything else?" "Helena?" " I was waiting for you." " Are you following me?" "I was waiting for you." "What happened?" "Nothing." "Nothing ever happens here." "Look, I'll be leaving soon... would you like to go for a walk or something?" " You're leaving?" " Yes." "You're lucky." "I'm going to die here." " Helena..." " I hate this city." "These uphills and downhills, these mountains." "This place is shrinking, suffocating me." "Diamantina is only a city." "You don't live here anymore." "You forgot." "I didn't forget anything." "That street goes to the market." "The other one leads to Cavalhada... and here is the famous and magnificent Motta's Emporium." "Have you the courage to commit a mortal sin?" "Which one?" ""Thou shalt not steal."" "Where have you been?" "In Heaven." "My darling..." " Do you think the world is ending?" " God forbid." "It has just begun." "That's right." "Your life has just begun, Helena." "Don't be so greedy about it." "Don't you have a quiz tomorrow?" "There's a quiz tomorrow and the day after." "There are exams all week long." "And instead of studying, you're out in the street?" "You know what the problem is?" "You should go out and enjoy yourself." "Instead, you stay locked up in this shabby house all day long... working and thinking that life is just pain and suffering." "Where did that come from?" " Motta's Emporium, where else?" " Who gave it to you?" "Who gives me things?" "Your grandmother tries to steal you from me by giving you things I can't." "Mother is so good." "I swear I wouldn't trade her for any other in the world." "If she compared my school uniform with my friends'... she'd see the difference." "But she never goes out, she never sees anyone." "I have faith in my prayers to Our Lady." "Whenever I'm in trouble I pray to Her... then I can rest assured She'll help me." "Could this be called stealing?" "I'm sure it isn't, because Our Lady gave me the idea." "Mother said the brooch was for me." "It's not even a brooch now, since my father sold the diamond." "No, it's not stealing." "I'll just sell the remains of what was mine right from the start." "So?" "Does your grandmother know about this?" "She doesn't need to." " And your uncle?" " No." " So your father sent you here?" " He has nothing to do with this." " He should." "He owes me quite a bit." " This brooch is mine." " It's not worth much the way it is." " I'm not asking for much in exchange." "No... no." "What about this?" " One meter." " Three." "For this, Helena?" "Two meters." "Oh, what a girl!" "So elegant!" "Soon she'll be coming to school in taffeta." "She's jealous!" "I think grandma gave it to her, it's brand new." "What's this?" " You asked her for a new uniform?" " Ask her one for me too!" "We're in need of more urgent things." "It wasn't grandma." " It was Our Lady." " Who?" "I needed a new uniform for the exams." "So I prayed to Our Lady and she gave me an idea." "Our Lady gave you an idea?" "She gave me the idea of selling what was left of your brooch..." "What was left?" "You steal my brooch and try to blame Our Lady for it?" " The brooch was going to be mine." " And Our Lady gave you this idea?" "The brooch was going to be mine, but I needed it now." "And what does Our Lady have to do with that?" "I'd never have thought of it alone." "No?" "Well, Our Lady just gave me an idea, put you in the Nun's School." " Daddy won't allow it." " Keep quiet or you'll go with her." "Helena, go talk to your father right now." " Now?" " Immediately." "How?" "Alone?" "On foot?" "Why don't you ask Our Lady for an idea?" "You can't do such a thing." "You went too far." " I know, grandma." "I didn't think..." " That she wouldn't miss her brooch?" "As if she had a lot of jewels!" "And the money?" "What did you do with that?" "It barely paid for a few yards of fabric." "I remember that diamond very well." " Your grandfather found it." " Uncle Geraldo has the diamond." "I traded just the setting without the gem." "Dad?" " Dad?" " Helena?" "What happened?" "Why are you here?" "You're working all alone?" "Your feet are so swollen." "It's the water..." "a long time in the water..." "Why did you come here?" " Because of mother's brooch." " The brooch?" "Yes, the one without the gem." "I had to pawn it." " I sold what was left of it." " You did what?" "Wasn't it going to be mine?" " I have to work." " There's nothing here." "You'd better look elsewhere." "Come here." "It seems like yesterday." "I was working this river when your mother sent for me." "You had been born." "I went into the room... picked you up... cut your umbilical cord... bathed you and put you in bed." "When your belly button dried up and fell off..." "I buried it here in the gravel... to bring you luck in life." "I'm really lucky, dad." "I've decided." "I'm going to get a teaching license." "I'll go anywhere to teach." "I'll teach, save money... and take my father away from these holes... where he digs for diamonds that never come." "I'm going to lie down and ask Our Lady to help me study... and make me smart so I won't disappoint my father... nor my grandmother, nor my aunt Madge." "Finished another notebook?" "How many so far?" "Three." " What exactly do you write about?" " About what happens in Diamantina." "And what happens in Diamantina that I never notice?" "Precisely... precisely." "I have the strangest dreams." "When I was a child, I used to tell them to Generosa." "She said a dream is the soul that stays up all night, thinking." ""The Ash Wednesday Procession"." "There hadn't been processions for years due to the lack of statues." "They were all broken." "In the rush of preparation... some heads got switched with the wrong bodies." "Father said it looked like a Carnival." "Mother said that was a terrible sin to say." "It's incredible how everybody says my father is a good husband." "And nobody says mother is a good wife." "When I see mother get up at 5 am... in this cold, to go to the kitchen to light the stove..." "I feel so sorry." ""This thief can turn himself into anything." "Today he robbed a store." "The owner rang the alarm and everyone tried to catch him." "When he was about to be arrested, he turned into a termite!" "I doubt this story is true." "Why didn't they put the termite in jail?" "He'd turn into a man again eventually."" "Grandma?" "I said, "come fast", but you came flying!" "Oh, grandma, I was so frightened." "I need you to do something." "Call Dr. Telles, but don't tell anyone." " But only after you've eaten." " What's wrong with you?" "Have your lunch, then bring in the doctor." "Go." "She's all right, you don't need to..." "It's very worrisome, but by taking the medication, she may recover." "Thank you, doctor." "God is good." "I know he won't take my grandma away from me." " Go to sleep, child." " I'll sleep here." "She's sleeping." "She doesn't need you." "You can't do anything for her." "Nor she for you." "It's seven days since grandma got sick." "Everyone's anxious." "They say if she gets better today, that means she'll be all right." "Is there any cake to eat?" "What?" "Corn cake?" "I'm hungry." "Hungry?" "Hungry?" "Very hungry?" "That's great, grandma." "Great!" "Cake!" "Cake!" " Generosa!" "Generosa!" " What's all this noise, girl?" "Generosa!" "Bring some corn cake for grandma!" "Hurry, corn cake!" ""I've always wished I had been born a man." "But sometimes I like being a woman." "Yesterday, for instance, was so cold." "Father and brother had to take our mule to a pasture far away." "They went trembling with cold while I stayed warm in bed... glad to be a woman."" "Grandma glows with happiness when she sees the things I write." "She's so intelligent, but never learned to read or write... and thinks it's amazing to write things with a pen." "She's not impressed by a story told out loud." "She thinks writing is harder." "Take her home with you, Carolina." "Let's go, Helena." "Tomorrow morning you can come back." "No, I'll stay here." "The worst is over, my angel." "The worst is over." "We'll see you tomorrow, then." "Have faith, my child." "Today is my birthday." "What a sad day." "Instead of getting well, grandma got a lot worse." "Since I was a child... grandma did things for me that mother never did." "She cherishes me so much it is as though... she is my real mother;" "and mother is grandma." "Pray in bed, grandma." "It's better." "Our Lady?" "Grandma, I can't..." "Our Lady kept your brooch safe." "This is nothing." "Life will give you much more." ""In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit." "Amen." "Hail Mary, full of Grace, The Lord is with thee." "Blessed art thou among women... and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus."" " Helena?" " Grandma?" " Will you do something for me?" " What?" " Get your diary." " Course." "You'll like this one..." ""I discovered something so wonderful, God must have helped me." "I was picking berries and climbed higher and higher on a tree... till I reached the highest branch." "What a discovery!"" "Tuesday, September 3rd, 1 895." "Grandma died." "Oh, dearest grandma, how could've God taken you... and leave me all alone in this world of sorrow?" "All alone, yes, my darling grandma... because you were the only one who ever understood me." "Why could you love me so much... when I was the loudest and most troublesome?" "Mother is always right." "I always thought it was absurd when she said living is suffering." "But now I know she was right." "To live is truly to suffer." "Before we read the Will, the estate must be restored." " Restored?" "What do you mean?" " Don't pretend with me, Carolina." "You know what I'm talking about." "Putting back into the estate the goods you were already given." "And you were given a lot, weren't you?" "What goods?" "Already given?" "A mother can't give her daughter presents?" "Mother gave you a lot more than presents." "She paid your bills, she lent you money you never paid back..." "And the presents for Helena!" "And only Helena!" " We never could understand that." " Mother was crazy about Helena." " Is that my fault?" " I just want you to see..." "Since grandma died, life at the house has been hell." "Everyone fighting for the inheritance." "Mother always said money brings unhappiness." "It's a pity she's fighting more than anyone." "Generosa stays with me." "Arinda's too young, I'll send her to Angu Duro." " Why?" "She can stay with me." " She'll go to aunt Chiquinha's farm." "Laiá!" "I'm watching you." "Where are you going with that jar?" "I'm watching you, laiá." "Carolina, come back." "Alexandre!" "Come here." "Arinda!" "I guess I'm late." "I told you it wouldn't always be that way, Helena." "And I never forgot..." "Helena?" "You look so different..." "It's my hair." "I came to say goodbye." "Father took a job with a British company." "Good news." "It'll be good for your family." "He was the only one who spoke English around here." " I guess that's why..." " Excellent news." "Starting over." "That's right." " Starting over." " What about your writing?" "You won't set that aside, will you?" "What I really like is to work with my hands." "It sets my spirit free... so I can think about things, dream up any castles I want." "A dreamer..." "And everything you wrote?" "I'll keep it." "Someday I'll know what to do with it." "Who knows?" " Helena!" " Leontino!" " We'll see each other soon, okay?" " I'm looking forward to." "Goodbye, Mr. Morley." "Goodbye, Mrs. Carolina." "Mrs. Carolina, don't let her eat cucumbers." "December 15th, 1 895." "Today we left Diamantina." "Dad says now machines will take over the work... of digging out the diamonds." "The new mines will be like that." "I know I'm going to miss seeing the men turning the pans out... and the diamonds sparkling in the sand." "Only born miners like our family know the pleasure mining gives." "I'll be damned!" "HELENA MORLEY PUBLISHED HER CHILDHOOD DIARY AT THE AGE OF 62." "SHE WAS ALREADY WELL ESTABLISHED IN RIO DE JANEIRO" "AND MARRIED TO HER COUSIN LEONTINO." "THE DIARY WAS AN IMMEDIATE SUCCESS IN BRAZIL." "AMERICAN POET ELIZABETH BISHOP TRANSLATED IT INTO ENGLISH..." "AND THE BOOK WAS SUBSEQUENTLY TRANSLATED INTO" "VARIOUS LANGUAGES." "HELENA MORLEY DIED AT 90 IN RIO DE JANEIRO." "THE DIARY IS THE ONLY WORK SHE EVER PUBLISHED." "CAPTIONS BY VIDEOLAR"