"LEFT BANK" ""CELLAR 51"" "Bye, Mom." "See you later." "Put your hood up, it's cold outside." "Last lap." "Watch your breathing." " Relax, Marie." " l am relaxed." "61 .05." "Fantastic." "Do that Saturday and you'll manage 4.08 easily." "Then you're on your way to Portugal!" "The European Championships in your first year as a senior isn't bad!" " As long as nothing goes wrong Saturday." " Stop worrying about things." "Go on, do some easy running to cool down." "Come on." "Portugal!" "Excuse me." "Frank's hidden my clothes." "I wondered if they were in here." "No." "May I..." "May I borrow your towel?" "Then I can go and look for my clothes." "Oh, boats." "I'll wash it and give it back to you..." "Saturday, maybe?" " l've got a competition Saturday." " And afterwards?" " l'll be recuperating." " You're not very sociable, are you?" "I mean, I always see you here on your own." "Yeah..." "Right." "OK." "Well, thanks anyway." "Bye." "You don't have to go to your father's this weekend." "He's too busy with recording sessions." " For which group?" " Don't know." "Sixty-three, sixty-four, sixty-five." "Keep going, Marie." "Come on." "You've done it, Marie. 4.08." "You've qualified for Portugal, damn it!" " What's the matter?" " l could've won." "That's not what's important today." "Anyway, Anja is 29." "And three times Belgian champion." "What do you expect?" " In two or three years..." " l could've won today. I started badly." "So?" "You're 22 years old, Marie." "You can't always win everything." "You'll burn yourself out by the time you're 24." "I don't know what's the matter with you, Marie." "It's as if you always want to be unhappy about everything." "Am I supposed to be a typical Flemish girl who's happy with second place?" "Fuck you, Marie!" " Hi!" " Hi!" "Brilliant competition." "And you qualified too." " Yes." " Congratulations." "That's good, eh?" " How are you getting home?" " l was going to catch the bus." "Come on, I'll give you a lift." " You can stop there." " Here?" "Hold on a minute." "Here." "You can always phone me if you want to buy a car or something." " Thank you." " My name's Bobby." "Mine's Marie." " Thanks for coming to watch." " That's OK." "Bye." "You've got nice ankle joints." "Hardly any magnesium, very little iron." "Your blood isn't in a good way." " What's causing it?" "A virus?" " A virus, chronic fatigue, FAS." "We need to carry out further blood tests." "But your immune system is weak." "You need to rest." "She can't." "She's off to the European Championships in three weeks." "You won't want to hear this, Marie, but you can forget that." "You're not allowed to do anything for at least a month." "Shit!" " What if I feel better after 2 weeks?" " You're completely exhausted." "You've only had three periods this year." "Your last one was ten weeks ago." "Lots of top athletes have that problem." "Maybe." "But if she carries on like this, she may never have children." "It's all your fault." " You push her too hard." " She receives professional coaching." " It's my own fault." " That's not true." "You're still a kid." "Let me do that!" " l am still allowed to do things!" " l can do it myself." "I don't know anyone who lives in Left Bank." "My grandma is the caretaker here." "So I got a good deal on the rent." " This way?" " No, this way." "Wow, what a big living room!" "It's not properly furnished yet." "I've only been here a month." "That's my parents." "My father used to be the dean of the archers' guild and now I am." "Your father must be proud of you." "My parents died when I was 15." "In a car accident." "Sorry to hear that." "That's okay." "I'll get us something to drink." "Just let me know if you want me to take you home." "I'm really glad you're here, Marie." "So am I." "You can always stay here for a while if you like." "Until you're better." "I'm not sure." " What are you doing?" " l'm going to buy some rolls." " Does that mean you're staying?" " l'm not doing the washing up!" " Of course not, you're on holiday." " In Left Bank." " See you in a minute." " OK." "This is Bieke." "Hi, Mom, it's me." "I know I should have phoned, but... I just spent the night at a friend's." "I think I might stay for a while." "But I'll come and see you later." "OK?" "Bye." "I've got a letter for Hella Govaerts, box 1 6." "But it says Robert D'Hondt on the box." "Do you know whether, uh...?" " It's probably for the previous tenant." " And it's been sent to this address!" "Hey!" "Wait!" "Wait!" "Fuck!" "Fuck!" " What are you doing?" "Do you live here?" " Yes." "With Bobby." "Bobby D'Hondt." "Apartment 1 2." "That's fine." "Fine." "With Bobby!" "I'd expected Bobby to go for someone different." "It's good that you're one of our kind." "There are all sorts around here." "Hey!" "You!" " You left these in the mailbox." " Thanks." " Hi." " Some strange people live here!" "This is Left Bank, darling." "I phoned in to say I was ill." "Shall we go out?" "is it true you came in fifth at the Juniors' World Championships?" "I was hoping for bronze." " You were fifth in the world." " Yes." " But no one knows that." " Amazing..." "Of course, you also... feel that you're missing out on things." "You know that people are having a great time somewhere but you're never one of them." "I think everyone from our generation feels like that." "Yeah..." "By the time I'm allowed to do stuff, no one else will want to anymore." " It's true!" " Poor thing!" " Damn it!" " Seven." "That's it, that's the limit!" "What?" "What sort of stupid game is this?" "Hi, Mom." " Hold on." " l've just come to get some things." " Marie." " l'm getting changed, Mom." " Have you known each other long?" " A while." " What do you do, Bobby?" " l sell cars." " Cars?" " Yes." "You'd never guess you've got a shop for vegetarians." "Why not?" "Those people usually look drab and grey." " You look really good." " Thank you." "We were just getting to know each other." " OK, see you soon." " Shouldn't you ask if I mind?" "If I spent a month here doing nothing, it'd drive us both crazy, Mom!" "Come on." "It was nice meeting you." "Bye." " Hi." " Hello, Bobby." "Hello, Grandma." " l've come for the spare key for Marie." " Come in." " Take a seat." " No time. I've just come for the key." " Candy?" " Just the key, Grandma." "You're the runner, aren't you?" "He's told me a lot about you." "Oh, yes, you've got to phone Krabbeke Slijk about the guild's feast." "OK, I'll do that." "He says all the other girls are like heavy diesel trains compared to you." "They puff and blow." "Steam!" "He says, "Marie is like those trains in Japan." ""That glide through the countryside." "At 300 km per hour." "They float on air."" " Take care, little bird." " Marie is injured, Grandma." " l'm trying to take her mind off it." " Sorry, Marie." " That's OK." " l shouldn't have said that." "But you'll soon get better here." "I've got to go to work." " Bye." " Bye." "We aren't disturbing you, are we?" "Please say so if we are." " No, no." " We're your neighbors." "I made too much fruitjuice, and it'd be a shame to throw it away." "That's very kind of you." " Would you like to come in?" " Just for a moment, then." "Leave that alone, Katrien." "Sit down." "Have you got an address for a Hella who lived here?" "A letter arrived for her." " Don't you know?" " What?" " Hella disappeared." " What do you mean, disappeared?" "One day, she was just gone." "The police were here." "They asked us all kinds of questions about her, but..." "We didn't know her that well." "Someone moving into the apartment of someone who'd disappeared seems strange." "You never know when that person is going to come back." " Nothing was heard from her afterwards?" " No." "Hold on a minute." "Stay here." "There you are." "That's her boyfriend's phone number." "Dirk." "He said to let him know if anything arrived for her." "To be honest..." "I don't like making phone calls, and this Dirk..." "There's something about him." "What's in the box?" "Don't know. I came to look, after hearing the place had been rented again, and found it." "It was under the sink." "Well, we should be going." " Say goodbye to Marie." " Bye." " Bye." " OK." "Bye, Katrien." " Hi, baby!" " Don't do that, Bobby!" "I bought mussels for this evening." "You don't seem very pleased to see me." "Did you know that the previous tenant disappeared?" " What's this all about?" " Did you know?" " Yes." "That's why the place was available." " And you didn't say anything?" "What difference does it make whether she was hit by a car or drowned?" " l've got a nice place on the cheap." " l don't understand your attitude." "What is all this?" "That's the first time I've ever bought anyone flowers." "Nice, eh?" "There's a good band playing tonight, if you feel like going." "My dad's a bass player." " Seriously?" " Yes, seriously." "Here." "He mainly does studio work now, but in '78 he backed up Johnny Halliday." "Really?" "!" " Is that you?" " Yes." "My parents are divorced." "Mom says men can't get along with strong women." "To be honest, I just think men can't get along with my mom." "Do you miss your parents a lot?" "Yes, but I think they've come back and have a better life now." " Really?" "Do you really believe that?" " Absolutely." " That people come back?" " Yes." "The chance to do better." "Here." "Look." "That's a dragon, biting his own tail." "Every beginning is a new end." " Is this Dirk?" " Yes." "I live in the apartment where Hella Govaerts used to live." " A letter has arrived for her." " Does it say who it's from?" "Yes, the archives of the Antwerp Gazette." "Shall I open it?" " Yes, alright." " OK." "There's a photocopy inside with a Post-it stuck on it." ""Found this about your building." "Thought it may interest you."" ""BUILDER ALMOST DROWNS IN BLACK MUD"" "Hello?" " Hello?" " There's also a box here that's hers." " Maybe you could come and pick it all up." " No, I'd rather not. I..." " l'd rather not." "Throw it away." " OK." "I'd prefer that you not phone me again." "OK?" ""CELLAR 51"" " Hello?" " Hi, Bobby." "Hi, darling. I'm with a customer at the moment." "Sorry." "That's OK." "I'll call you again later." "62." "You can do it faster than that, Roel." "Hi." " Any news?" " No, they can't find anything." "Apparently it's always difficult with this kind of thing." "They say they're going to keep on looking." " And how are you feeling?" " Doing nothing is difficult." " When are you leaving for Portugal?" " In two weeks." " Is he good?" " Yes." "Definitely." "He's got a contract." "Fools around a bit, but we'll run that out of him." "I've got to get going." "If you need anything..." "OK?" "Can't you sleep?" "I don't get tired enough during the day." "I'm going to start running again tomorrow." "Just a bit." " Does the doctor say that's OK?" " A bit won't hurt." " l won't be long." " OK." " It's the cartilage." " Is that bad?" "Could be worse." "At least nothing is torn or broken." "But it'll take two months of exercise to get the knee supple again." " Two months?" " Cartilage is like bearings in a wheel." "If they're broken, it won't turn." "It's going to be tough, Marie." "I'll write a report for your GP and give you some rehab exercises for the swimming pool." " You knew you weren't allowed to run!" " Doing nothing meant I couldn't sleep." "You should've talked to me about it!" "This just isn't cool!" " Look at that knee!" " Hey, calm down, pal!" "I'm off to Portugal." "When I come back, you and I are going to have a serious talk." " Sit down." "The sauce is almost ready." " What are you doing here?" "I thought, "She could use some help."" "And I had to hear from an osteopath that you've damaged your knee." "From an osteopath!" "What about Bobby?" "Will he be long?" " l can't keep the food warm." " He's at the guild." "He'll eat there." " You should've said." " You should've asked before coming." " Well, there's one plate too many then." " Leave it there, Mom." " You've put on weight." " l haven't done anything for weeks." "You could come and recuperate at home." "I've got to work, but..." "Like Bobby." "But I can pop in now and then." "This is the only evening he hasn't been here." "He's sweet to me. I'm happy here." " Your father could be really sweet too." " What have you got against Bobby?" "I'm not saying anything." "Hello?" "Yes." "Yes, the sixteenth floor." " Who was that?" " Someone named Dirk." "What are you up to, Marie?" "Mom..." "Dirk's the boyfriend of the girl who used to live here and disappeared." " Mom!" " Hey!" " Marie." " That's me." "Sorry about the phone call." "I just found it a bit difficult..." "But I wondered if I could have that box after all." "I'll come back later." "I didn't know you had a visitor." "No, come in." "There's more than enough." " When did your girlfriend disappear?" " Mom!" " Eight months ago." " Oh." "Take a seat." "The police say 700/o make contact within a week and... that, after that, the chances are..." "Well..." "The uncertainty must be terrible." "Oh, look." "Cunnus Diaboli." "That's what the church called that pit." "The Diabolic Vagina." "They believed that pit went right down into the underworld." "It was known locally as the White Women's Pit." "Hella did a lot of research into female sexuality in the Middle Ages." "In the Middle Ages, Left Bank was for outcasts who were banned from the city." "Witches and gangs." "And those with the plague." "Good people were scared of Left Bank." "They didn't dare come near the pit." "Now I understand why I always felt such negative energy here." " Mom, please!" " It's true." "You must feel it too, Marie." "The neighbor who let me in told me that a lot of people here suffer from headaches and nausea." " And vomiting." "That's typical." " Mom believes in stuff like that." "Those things exist, Marie." "Whether you believe in them or not." " Sorry about Mom." " You do what you want, Marie." "But I don't think you should stay here any longer." "Who shouldn't stay here any longer?" "Oh, it's a party!" " Hello." " Hello." "Hello, strange man in my house." " Pleased to meet you." " l'm Dirk." "Hi." " My girlfriend used to live here." " What car do you drive?" "Need a new one?" "I haven't got a car." "I always travel by tram or bus, etc." "For the environment." "Wrong answer." "Time for our congenial candidate to say goodbye." " Bobby sells cars." " l was about to leave anyway." "Thanks." " Thanks for the nice meal." " l'm glad someone enjoyed it." "How's your knee?" "You're not going yet, are you?" "Come on, have a cognac." " No, I've got to get up early tomorrow." " Come on." "I can see that my daughter is in very good hands." " A kiss for Mommy." " Take care, child." "A kiss for me." " Your mom doesn't like me, does she?" " She does." "She's just a bit overprotective." "This may sound strange... but have you ever heard of a black hole here in the cellar?" "Yes." " Have you?" " Yes." "One day, two people from the council came and cleared it up." "How?" "Well, they came and loaded it onto their truck." "Then they drove over a bump." "And one says to the other, "Jef, where's that hole gone?"" "And Jef says, "l don't know." "Go back a bit."" "And... the truck was never seen again." " Stupid idiot!" " Hey..." ""SAMHAIN, THE LAST HARVEST FESTIVAL"" ""ALL SAINTS' DAY" " SAMHAIN FESTIVAL OF THE DEAD AND DEMONS"" " Marie." " l found lots of stuff in the library." "Come in, Marie." "Samhain." "November 1st." "All Saints' Day." "That's in two weeks' time." " Could I use your bathroom?" " Yes, sure." "It's there." " Have you got a needle and thread?" " You could borrow something of Hella's." "I think you're about the same size." "It's all clean." "I washed it all last week." "I'll go and sit down and read those books." "They obviously regarded the night of Samhain as a crack in time." "And that crack opened the gateways to the spiritual world." "Those gateways were usually a cave or a pit." "She was wearing that skirt the first time I saw her." "She looked at me, and I looked at her." " l'll take it off." " No, it's OK." "Someone at the provincial archives may know if the pit and Samhain are linked." " There was..." " l'll try to arrange to go and see him." "There was another book on her list." "I wasn't sure whether to bring it." " l didn't know if you knew." " Oh, fuck." ""PREGNANCY FOR DUMMIES"" " Did you do anything in particular?" " No." "The osteopath's exercises." "Does this hurt?" "How do you feel, apart from this?" "I haven't had a period for two months, and I keep getting sick." "I'm going to take a blood sample." "Just a little prick." "Put your finger on here." "That's it." "OK." "I'll send it to the lab." "Hopefully we'll get more conclusive results now." "But you mustn't overdo things, Marie." " Do you think I could be pregnant?" " Pregnant?" " Have you had unprotected sex?" " No. I'm on the pill." "I think you've got some virus maybe, but I doubt you're pregnant." "OK." "Hi, Marie." "Wait, wait, wait." " This is Vlad." "A great guy." " We've already met." "This is my girl." "Takes good care of me." "Vlad really is a great guy." "He and I are going to import second-hand cars from Russia." "He's got connections." " We're going to make lots of money." " You can't trust a guy like that." "You can." "I've got a good feeling about him." "He's clever." "He studied math." "Sorry about just now." "I was a bit stoned." "I really don't feel too good, Bobby." "Something's... wrong with my body." "It'll be OK." "I'd be really unhappy if I couldn't run anymore." "Don't get mad at me, but you don't look happy when you do run, either." "Honestly, you don't." "There's so much excess baggage sometimes." "Sometimes I wish I could just start all over again." "Just start all over again." "Things will work out." "Hey, things will work out." "Come here." "Hi, Katrien." " Who gave you this?" " Your mom." "She gave my mom one too." " Stop coming round all the time, Mom!" " The energy is so strong here." "I've never felt that before." "The ley line must run right under here." "What does a ley line look like?" "They're little landslides, caused by an underground stream or something." " l've had enough of this." " Living above one is just crazy!" " My nausea and nerves are due to that?" " Don't listen to my mom, Veerle." "Veerle brought it up herself." "You should come home instead of criticizing me!" " Don't come here anymore, Mom." " What's going on here, Marie?" "This is terrible!" "I feel terrible things!" "Every seven years." "And it's going to happen again soon!" "Happy now, Mom?" "That you're the center of attention again?" "I don't fall for it anymore." "I've had enough, Mom!" "I'm sick of it!" "Lean on me. I'll help you back upstairs." "Vlad's having a party this evening." "If you feel like it..." "We can have a nice time there together." "Everyone is lonely, Marie." "Left Bank has one of the oldest archers' guilds in the country." "The Dragon's Guild." "They've always had a bad reputation." "The guild's feast dates from before Christ and is on November 1st." "It dates back to an ancient Celtic ritual of celebrating Samhain." "The feast was held every seven years." "The girl was sacrificed to the dragon that lived in a pit under the ground." "It all had heavy sexual undertones." "A typical fertility ritual to ensure the ground was fertile in the spring." "Killing to keep life going." " Hi, Bobby." " Where are you?" "I came home early." " l'm still at the archives with Dirk." " You were with him all day last week." " Not all day." " Vlad's party is starting soon." "Well, you go on and I'll see you there." "OK?" " OK, bye." " OK." " Is Bobby still a member of the guild?" " Yes, he's the dean." "The feast is in eight days." "Don't you ever start wondering, when you hear those stories?" "It's only folklore, Dirk!" "Isn't it?" "I know this sounds stupid, Marie, but... I think it'd be better if you went home until Samhain has passed." " l'm not going back to Mom's." " What about my place?" "I've got a spare room." "Honestly, I've got a really bad feeling about this." " You're really worried about me, huh?" " It's only normal." "Sorry." "Thanks for bringing me home." " Hi, Marie." "Glad you could come." " Where's Bobby?" " Bobby went to buy some drinks." " Tell him I was here." "OK?" "No, no, no, don't go." "Here, have a cocktail." "Hey, it's a good party, huh?" " They call me Krabbeke Slijk." " Fuck off!" "I don't know why I'm staying here." "Are you really Vlad's cousin?" "You should pull out that hair." "It's not sexy." "Sorry, excuse me." "It's occupied." "Hold on!" "And now you pull." "Pull, pull." "Watch out." "Yes, that's it." "There you go." "And now..." "Wow, did you see that?" "Beautiful shot, beautiful shot." " Here she is. I'd started to worry." " Yes, I can see." "I don't like you spending time with that Dirk." "He made his girlfriend disappear." " He's helping me with my research." " Research!" "into a black hole that's in the cellar!" "You're obsessed!" "A black hole?" "I'd like to see that." "You can't, the cellar's been sealed up." "Honestly." "Here?" "Wow, feel the gravitational pull!" "Feel it!" " You're sick, Vlad." " Dunja." " Give me my shoe back." " Take it." "Fuck the shoe!" "I'm getting out of here." " Hello?" " This is the Antwerp police." "We're looking for Marie Wuyts." "Is she there with you?" "Yes. I'll put her on." "The cops." " Hello?" " Marie?" "We've found a woman at the edge of the woods." "We think it might be your mother." "I know it's not good for your health." "I feel so sorry for you, Marie." "I mean... the last time you saw her, you had an argument with her." "You'll remember that every time you think of her." " Let go of her, Dirk." " Leave me alone." "Bobby!" " Sorry, sorry." " Come on!" "Relax." "Relax!" " Let me see, Dirk." "Relax!" " Come here." " You should be ashamed of yourself!" " Your behavior's disgusting, Bobby!" " It's OK, it's OK!" " Come on." " Thank you, Dad." " l can stay for a while, if you'd like." "No, that's alright." "It's OK." "Whatever happens, you'll call me, right?" ""EVERY 7 YEARS." "VERY VAGUE BUT IT SCARES ME." "LOVE, DIRK."" ""20-YEAR-OLD GIRL DROWNS IN LAKE SAMHAIN 1 986"" ""WHOM ELSE DID SARA SEE?"" ""..." "LEFT BANK."" " l'm just reading those articles, Dirk." " l'm at the guild's clubhouse." "You've got to come over." "Now." "You've got to see this for yourself." " You've got to see this." "Hurry." " l've got to hang up." "Marie!" "Marie, I need to talk to you." "Dirk van Biesbeck." "Please leave a message." ""ANTWERP ARCHER AT '65 championships"" ""ROBERT D'HONDT WINNER OF 1 938 ARCHERY competition"" ""GIRL DIES." "GUILD LEADERS CONVICTED."" "Fuck!" ""GUILD LEADER VANISHES FROM PRISON"" "I know you." "You were at Vlad's party." " Bobby's looking for you." " Thanks. I'll phone him." "He won't like the fact that you've been looking in those files." "What?" "You're not going to tell him, are you?" "Stop her!" "Damn you, you bitch!" "Fuck!" "We've got an hour and a half yet." "Do you want a drink?" "Do you want a drink?" "You're crazy!" "You've got to trust me, Marie." "You said you wanted to start all over again." "From the beginning." "Didn't you?" "I'm going to make you happy." "I'm going to fix it." " Untie me." " l can't." " Bobby..." " Hi, Vlad, how's things, man?" "She ran away." "Well, you have to be strict with women, but, uh... isn't that a bit over the top?" "Fuck!" " Hello?" " Good evening, Antwerp police here." " Can we come in?" " Sixteenth floor." "You've got to help me, Vlad." "Put that down." "Come on." " Want a beer, guys?" " No, thanks." " Do you know Dirk van Biesbeck?" " No." "Oh, that Dirk." "He's good friends with my girlfriend." " Marie Wuyts?" " Yes." "Her neighbors told us she lives here now." " Could we talk to her?" " She's... she's at her dad's today." "Someone out walking found Dirk's coat in the woods." "His wallet and mobile phone were still in it." "That was lucky." " The coat was covered in blood." " Holy shit!" "Dirk's last two missed calls were from Marie." "Do you know why she wanted to talk to him?" "Maybe to give him his jumper back." "He left it here." "He's a nice guy. I don't know him that well, but he's a decent guy." "Marie left a message on his phone." ""l'm frightened."" ""l hope you're still at the clubhouse." "I'm really frightened."" " Any idea what that's about?" " No, no." " May I see your ID card?" " Of course." " Slowly." " It's only a wallet, officer." "Here you are." "May I see your ID card, please?" " l haven't got an ID card." " Other papers?" "Driver's license?" "I don't believe in papers." "I am an anarchist." " OK, I must go now." " See you, Tom." "Hey, relax, guys!" " What's going on, officer?" " You should go back inside, madam." " What have you been up to, Bobby?" " It'll be fine, Grandma." "He's got Marie tied up in his bedroom." "I'm going to radio for help." "Bobby?" "Please, Bobby." "He loves you, Marie." "This is the sacrifice of love." "Behold the altar of the beginning and the end." "And the beginning." "What a beautiful baby!" "It's a girl." "Come on." "There." "There you go." "What are you going to call her, Hella?" " Marie." " That's a nice name." "I can see you're going to be really happy."