"A TIME FOR DRUNKEN HORSES" " What's your name?" " Amaneh" "How old are you?" "I'm younger than Madi" "Who's Madi?" "My brother." "He's a cripple." "He's always ill." "That's him there" "He's the one in the yellow jacket" "Today we took him to the doctor at the hospital" " What does your Dad do?" " He's a smuggler" "He goes to Iraq on our mule with things to sell and he brings stuff back" "Do you have a mother?" "No, she died when she was having my baby sister" "Rojine's our mother now" "She's my sister... my elder sister" "Is Rojine here?" "No, she's at home, looking after my little sister" "That's Ayoub over there." "My big brother" " How many?" " Three sisters, two brothers" "What are you up to?" "We're wrapping up packets in newspaper to protect them" "Me and Ayoub and the other village kids" "We come here almost all the time" "Where's your village?" "It's far from here on the border with Iraq" "Can I wrap your glasses?" "Madi, dear, are you tired?" "Have your pills" "I'm not going to take them for you" "I need five or six workers now" "Hurry up!" "Amaneh, take over." "Be back soon" "Can I come?" "Can I?" "Six of you!" "No more than six" "Hurry up, before we're spotted" "Careful, it's fragile" "Carry it into the bazaar" "Hurry up, you boys who are going home" "I'm leaving in five minutes" "Get in!" "Hey, be quick." "The truck's leaving" "Hurry up!" "The truck's leaving!" "Coming!" "Life is ageing me, making me wander over mountains and valleys, bringing me closer to death" "In the truck they said that several smugglers had been blown up by mines" "Our village is on the border" "That's how many villagers died" "My dad's there at the moment" "I'm worried about him" "Last night I had a dream about him" "Madi, time for your pills" "There's no water, so use your spit to swallow them" "Look." "Swallow like that" "Rahman, either pay 150 tomans per person or hide exercise books on them until we get past the border post" "Jump out, you Iraqi kids!" "We're nearly at the border" "We'll wait for you on the other side" " Hello." "What are you carrying?" " Just passengers" " No Iraqis?" " No" " Where are they going?" " To their village, Sardab" "Out you get, kids!" "Line them up, Sergeant" " What's this?" " Exercise books" "Where are you taking them?" "They're theirs" "What are you talking about?" "Search them, Sergeant" "Everybody, lift your shirts up" "Sir, there's a whole pile of exercise books in the truck" "Impound this truck!" "Wait, Amaneh" "Let me give Madi his medicine" "Madi, we'll head for the other side of the hill" "There's no snow over there." "You won't be so cold" "Swallow it" "I can't, Dad." "It's too bitter" "Eat some snow." "It'll help it go down" "We will never see my father again" "My uncle said that Ayoub would take his place" "Ayoub had to give up his studies" "But that was because my uncle has eight children so he wasn't able to look after us any more" "Ayoub said I should keep on studying" "Hello, Doctor" "Hi, Ayoub." "Bring me Madi for his injection" "It was this morning" "Just bring him." "I have to go to town" "Hello." "Help me up" " Where are you going, Ayoub?" " I'm going home to get Madi" "I'm taking him to Dr Rahim" " He's not there" " Where is he?" "He went with Amaneh to the cemetery" " Can I leave this here?" " Yes" "Oh God, help Madi." "Oh God, make him better" "Amaneh, who let you come here?" " Why did you bring him here?" " Madi isn't well" "You know he has to take his pills and have his injections!" " He was very sick!" " Get up!" "Let's go" "Mr Rahim!" "Doctor" "Ayoub, is that you?" "I told you to take Madi" "I have to go to town for a few days" "Madi, where does it hurt?" "Here?" "Where else?" "All over?" "I'll give him his injection" "His pills?" "I gave them to him, but he was in pain all night" " What's your name?" " Madi" "How old are you?" "Two..." "No, three" "No, 15!" "OK, lie down" "Let's take your pants down" "Come on" "Big boys don't cry, do they?" "Well done..." "Ayoub come here a second" "Last night, I told your uncle what I told you" "We can't keep giving him injections all the time" "He's getting worse" "He must be operated on within four weeks or else he'll die" "Dr Rezai at the hospital has told you that already" "We can't afford it." "It's up to you" "He must be operated on very soon" "Even if he's operated on he'll only live for seven or eight months" "His illness is incurable" " Amaneh, are you mad at me?" " Yes" " Why?" " You hit me" "You went to the cemetery..." "Madi was bored" " Why listen to him?" " But he was bored" "Friends?" " No" " Why?" "Because you hit me" "I won't do it again." "Friends?" " All right" " Give me five" "My exercise book's full" " Want the same kind?" " Yes" "I got top grades twice" "I'll buy you one tomorrow" "I'll have dinner, then test you on your maths" "Are you OK?" "Fine, thanks" "All right?" "Did you see Mr Yassin?" "I couldn't find him" "I heard what the doctor said" "Madi's getting worse every day" "Ayoub said he'd find the money needed for Madi's operation" "Ayoub went to see Mr Yassin again" "Maybe my uncle will manage to persuade Yassin to find a job for him?" "There's no work here if you haven't got a mule" "At the bazaars, they load up with stuff for Iraq and bring other stuff back" "Could you give Ayoub a job, my dear Mr Yassin?" "He's in great difficulty at the moment" "Let's load that up!" "Mr Yassin, you must find Ayoub a job" "Could Ayoub take a load?" "Why not?" "Where's Ayoub?" "Get him over here" "Hello there" " Can you take a load?" " Sure" "All right, come here every morning and take a load" " Raouf, give Ayoub a load, all right?" " OK" "It's not too cold today" "Just give the mules one bottle" " Tired?" " Yes, it's hard going" " I know" " Where are you from?" "Tchampara" "You got no mule?" "No, my dad and his mule were blown up by a mine" " Work for yourself?" " Yes" "What's your name?" "Riboire" "You got any land?" "Yeah, plenty" "So, why don't you farm it?" "Landmines everywhere" " Can't you clear them?" " There are too many" "The border's not far now" "The border?" "Where is it?" "You see over there?" "Over there is Iraq" "Is there a fight?" "Let's go" "Won't you pay me for my last two loads?" "No way." "The owner of the load should pay" "You hired us." "You've no right not to pay us" "No, you've no rights!" " Hello" " Hello there" "Yassin says hello and told me to ask you to pay him for the load" "You want paying?" "We already told him we couldn't give any money to the carriers" "So, what am I supposed to do with these loads?" "That's nothing to do with me" "It's up to them to get paid" " What..." " It's not my problem" "It's up to them to get paid" "So what should we do?" "Leave it here or take it back to Iran" " Hello" " Hello there" "A cup of tea, please" "Welcome" " Are those pictures on sale?" " Yes" " How much are they?" " 2, 3, and 4 dinars" " The small one?" " 2 dinars" "How much in tomans?" " 100." "Got no dinars?" " No" "Never mind." "Pay me when you've got dinars" " Thanks" " I'll get it" "Thanks" "Are you from Sardab?" "Yes" "Get paid for your load?" "No" "Why?" "The owner said I should've been paid in Iran, not here" "Are you new to this?" "Yes" "Listen, until they've paid you for your load you shouldn't start work." "You can't trust them" "Every day they're somewhere different" "You won't find them" "Ayoub, come on." "The kids are coming back" "Goodbye" " Hello, Rojine" " Hi there" "Did you get paid?" "No, they're going to pay me tomorrow" "Madi!" "Are you awake?" "How are you?" "Look at what I brought you" ""When the first aeroplane was ready "they invited all of their friends "to witness this event" ""When the engine was started "the two brothers were very nervous" ""At last the plane took off and gained altitude" ""And that is how man "came to conquer the skies" ""That first pioneering flight was over 90 years ago..." ""Today, gigantic aeroplanes are capable of transporting people "in just a matter of a few hours "all the way from one side of the world "across to the other side"" "Come in" "Hello" "Can I talk to Amaneh?" "Why?" "I brought a book" "Amaneh, off you go" "I brought you your exercise book" "Thank you, Ayoub" "Goodbye" "Ayoub worked hard for two months but he wasn't able to earn enough money for Madi's operation" "He had to spend everything on us" "After the fight in which he broke his arm our uncle offered Ayoub his mule so that they could work together" "Stop!" "Silence!" "Don't move!" "Bakhtiar!" "What's up?" "Is it an ambush?" "Run!" "It's an ambush!" "Which hand is it?" "Taher, listen you are a brave man and so is your son" "If the boy and the girl are both in agreement then I'm in agreement, too" "I'd be very honoured if you accepted my son as your son-in-law" "The sooner good deeds are done, the better" "I give you my daughter" "In which case, I think it would be much better for all of us to get this done as quickly as possible" "As for Madi, don't worry" "This evening, we'll discuss how to take him to Iraq to have him operated on" "I'll let you know" "Hello" "Hello." "Whose shoes are those?" "Mr Taher's and his son's" "Is my uncle here?" "Yes, he is" "Why are they here?" "I don't know" "Call him" "Why don't you call him yourself?" "Call him, I said" "Uncle, come here" " Hello" " Why don't you come in?" "Why are they here?" "To do a good deed" "What?" "To ask for Rojine's hand" "What?" "Why didn't you tell me?" "I'm your uncle." "While I'm here, it's not up to you!" "Did you hear me?" "Hey, I am Rojine's brother" "As long as I'm around, you don't decide." "Shut up!" "She's my sister." "You didn't tell me." "They must go" "Go away!" "While I'm around, you have no rights at all!" "Why did you behave like that?" "Drop it!" "Why didn't you tell me?" "What?" "About Taher's son" "I didn't know either" "Why are you lying?" "Don't ever lie to me!" "I'm your brother" "I thought he'd told you" "He said nothing to me" "Why are you so angry?" "Why shouldn't I be angry?" "Am I not the son of this family?" "I did it for Madi." "If I get married they'll have him operated on, over there" "You couldn't get enough money for the operation" " Is it definite?" " I don't know" "Ayoub!" "Hey, Ayoub!" "Hello, Mr Rahim" "Don't move!" "You're a man now" "Men don't cry" "I'll come back on Thursday to give him his last injection" "Mrs Mahboubeh, please take care of the children, I beg you" "What did you bring him for?" "I don't need him" "I sent for the bride." "I don't want him." "Take him back" "Uncle!" "Their mother says she won't let Madi come" "You promised." "Mr Taher was in agreement" "Who's Taher?" "I don't want him." "I won't stand for this" "I already have ten children myself" "We didn't receive the dowry that is normally paid" "The deal was that Madi would go with the bride" "I'm not standing for that" "She wants a divorce" "We refuse a divorce" "Instead of a dowry, we can give you a mule, OK?" "A mule, but the boy has to go back home" "When Madi got home, he was in a bad way" "There was no one to give him his injections" "The doctor didn't come to the village for a week" "Without telling my uncle, Ayoub took Madi and the mule to the bazaar" "He told me he would sell the mule in Iraq" "Over there, mules sell for a better price" "He said he'd have Madi operated on, then come back" "He told me to stay home and that he'd be back very soon" " Hello" " Hello there" "What is it?" "I want to go to Iraq" "Why?" "I want to sell my mule" "Is that all?" "He needs an operation" "Children can't get through" "The road's full of landmines and ambushes." "It's not for kids" "It's for grown-ups" " I'm not a child" " What about him?" "He is" "No, he's not." "Let us go" "What if something happens?" "I'll take full responsibility" "All right, if you insist" "Come on, but you take full responsibility" "You load up your mule, but we won't pay you" "Are you sure?" "OK, give this boy a load of tyres" "It's very cold today, so give the mules four bottles of alcohol" "Ayoub, hey, brother!" "Wait for me!" "Why are you here?" "I brought some bread for the journey" "Thank you" "Be careful and look after Kolsoum" "Hey, brother!" "What!" "Will you get me another exercise book?" "All right." "I'll buy you one." "Now go home" "I love you so much, Madi" "We're nearly at the border now" "Turn back, it's an ambush!" "There's an ambush this way, too!" "Turn back!" "Everyone head for the valley!" "They're too drunk to walk!" "They've had too much alcohol!" "Take their loads off!" "Maybe they'll get up!" "Get up!" "Please stand up!" "They're getting nearer!" "They're closing in on us!" "Mr Rahim, please help me save my mule!" "Rahim, please don't leave me by myself!" "Rahim, I must get Madi to Iraq!" "Please help me!" "Get up!" "Come on!"