"They are buried in the Tertullian cemetery" "They were first buried below a canvas in a crater" "There there, my little Mathilde" "In June of 1909 Mathilde was 9 years old," "Manech Langonnet... 10" "Does it hurt when you walk?" "It must have been friday or saturday." "Mathilde doesn't remember anymore." "Do you have friends?" "If you want i could be your friend." "What is wrong, do i smell like fish?" "Have you ever gone up the lighthouse?" "I can carry you up there!" "...my father is the lighthouse keeper." "As you wish, you are a stuck up little girl!" "Hey!" "do you want me to kick your ass?" "How far can you see from the top of the lighthouse?" "Lunch." "If dogfart stinks - furtune will come !" "Manech Loves Mathilde" "Manech Loves Mathilde" "Manech Loves Mathilde Mathilde Loves Manech" "Manech Loves Mathilde" " Take this" " But i don't smoke!" "I know i know, just take it." "It will help you make friends." "If i get to the curve before the car" "Manech will come back safe" "If i get to the curve..." "If i get to the curve before the car Manech will come back safe." "If i get to the curve..." "Good morning." "You used to brag about being a year older than me." "Now i am older." "The name of the one that gave you the glove is Poux" "Célestin Poux." "He is very slippery" "The detective i hired is called Pire." "Germain Pire." "He hasn't found neither him nor the prostitute from the Corsican" "The thread has been broken Manech ...but i will not quit." "I have faith in Tina Lombardi's clue." "I need to know." "Do you understand?" "That is why is important that i find Célestin Poux." "Well it's really a great pity, you know?" "We would be very happy by now" "Let's go Mathilde." "It's getting cold." "Killed in combat June 7th, 1917" "Thouvenel?" "What do you want?" "Who are you?" "Are you the one who called me?" "Who are you?" "The days passed without news from Celestin Poux" "Mathilde was overwhelmed with sadness" "She has to eat or she'll get sick." "Then leave her the best part." "She'll end up leaving us a taste for tragedy, you'll see!" "At last, on September 15th, 1920, at midnight." "The thread connected again..." ""Victory!" "I have finally found that slippery Poux"" "I'm sending him with God's blessing and Harley Davison's" "Expenses included, of course." "Germain Pire." "Célestin Poux, Road Terror." "Is this your announcement?" "Mathilde clenched her fists together, was all she could do to avoid shaking, crying or look like an idiot." "I didn't see your fiancé fall, I had gone to look for the ranch" "Then i met with Levert, a guy i met at the Boscos." "A negihbour of the Mosa Valley." "More a jerk that a neighbour!" "But he knew how to distinguish Arabic coffee from any other medicine." "We had a big problem when we mixed coffee with charcoal" "To trade it for Dutch tobaco." "The last time you saw Manech, was he alive?" "It was impossible not to see him, instead of hidding he was carving an M on the trunk of a charred tree." "He had time to carve three M's before the albatross took him down." "The albatross?" "Albatross." "Big sea bird that follows like a travel companion without worries, the ship that sails the bitter depths."" "It's a poem by Baudelaire" "But in 1915, it was also a german plane, with a machinegun on the back." "Back then, it was impossible to shoot through the helices" "Did you give him the glove?" "Red, thick wool." "I had a girlfriend that used to knit scarfs and gloves." "I traded them with the Senegalese that had frostbite on their fingers for gold teeth that they took out of dead german soldiers." "I melted them and thanks to them i could buy the Harley." "But, are you sure Manech is dead?" "a mate that saw the body told us, that with a wound like that, there was no doubt about it." "Of the 5, i only saw 3 of them get killed, with my own eyes" "I give up..." "I give up..." "Don't shoot." "Mercy..." "I give up..." "Let me through!" "I'm on your side..." "Mercy!" "I'm not french!" "I'm Corse" "I have nothing against the German." "Poor man." "So you are not french." "Then lets nullify your birth certificate." "It was one of our soldiers who shoot." "Thouvenel" "He had an itchy trigger, with a heart of stone and eagle's eye." "Poor man." "Do you want the truth?" "I'm an easy man, i would kill my whole family for a stew" "Don't worry, he is an orfan!" "As well as for pickled meat and truffle puree" "I just came from..." "Ok!" "Who did you see die with your own eyes?" "The one infected with gangrene." "Six-Soux?" "Yes, the welder." "Comrades, before i die" "I have a last wish." "I would like to pee standing up." "like a man!" "After that, comrades, fire at will!" "Good bye to life" "Goodbye to love" "And to all the women it is over it is the end" "I curse this damn war" "This is the end" "We will lose our lifes we are all condemned they are sacrificing us" "And Bastoche?" "He was very well hidden and we couldn't find him." "The morning when we called all the names he answered but no one could find him" "He was like a ventrilocuist." "No, he was a carpenter." "For what i heard, the albatross shoot him down at the same time than your fiancé." "The explosion set on fire the albatross that went down on the german line, at home." "And what happened to the farmer of Dordoña" "He faked death from the beginning, but it didn't do him any good." "The germans didn't like what happened to their plane." "When i came back with the ranch the shooting had begun." "Then they started bombing." "Those that haven't lived it don't know how it is." "Your legs shake, they don't respond." "The heart beats like that of a terrified animal." "Then i saw the farmer from Dordoña get killed" "We have to attack before they kill us" "Prepare bayonets!" "Prepare bayonets!" "Prepare bayonets!" "What I'm telling you is music compared to what happened" "For France..." "Attack!" "We had left behind the prisioners' bodies when the shooting of the machine guns started, the Maxim." "...It was a masacre." "Lavrouye kept the paper..." "Bring the stretchers!" "A paper?" "What paper?" "There wasn't time to say anymore." "That night there was triple soup servings." "Favart and Chardolot were doing the report of casualties." "Why do the five condemned are listed as soldiers of the batallion?" "We are following orders." "That sounds like fiddling" "Fiddling !" "?" "C'mon, the soup is getting cold!" "It is already cold" "But out of the 5, you only saw 3 die." "With your eyes." "Lady, false hope can only cause pain." "No, it is not false hope." "Will you taste my plum pie?" "I don't think i should!" "With a little cream." "I like it when people appreciate my cooking" "You better lie down" "We all need to rest" "Easy, easy!" "You need more dignity, style!" "It is clear that farming is your thing." "Hope in Mr. Mailman, i'll take you to the next mailbox" "But my bicyle." "I'll take care of it i'm no quitter i have been in the war" "Let's go!" "...is not my fault, i have asthma" "Yes, and asthmatic that rides a bicycle!" "But near the sea." "Oh sure, near the sea!" "Careful Célestin, you are not on a sidecar." "Men, they are like children, eh?" "As long as they don't play at being soldiers ...tell Barney i want to liquidate everything by the first days of march." "Sale the manure very expensive..." "I can't believe this is about such trivial things." "Don't you think?" "It might be in code." "But the code of lovers cannot even be solved with divine inspiration." "And Bastoche?" "If he was seen with the german boots, he had to come out alive!" "Not at all, miss." "Private Gordes didn't want Bastoche to come out of the trench with the enemy boots" "If the german see you with them" "They will know you took them from one of them" "Then Tina Lombardi started with a wrong clue." "Her soldier with german boots... wasn't Bastoche!" "It was Gordes, exactly madam" "He was acompanied by a young man from the class of 17 called Derochette." "I ran into some stretcher-carriers that had just seen them." "Eh, are you from Bingo?" "Why?" "Tell that Private Gordes was wounded on the head that we saw him next to young man in worse condition." "His name is Derochette, they were going to the aid station." "Hooray for anarchy" "Anarchy!" "What's wrong Mathilde?" "Mathilde, open up!" "Please, be reasonable!" "Could you tell me what you did to her?" "Nothing..." "You have known for three years that Manech is dead" "That's what i call stubborness" "No, it is called hope, and Mr. Poux just killed it." "Can i do something to make it up to you?" "Yes" "Take me to Bingo Crepuscule." "You look like an Indian princess riding an elephant." "With her court, riding her sadness." "Here it is!" "There it was, 100 meters ahead the german trench." "And the tree, the charred tree, where is it?" "Oh!" "the trunks and all the bodies were used to cover both trenches" "The five of them had one hand wrapped, we found them there, 20 meters ahead, below a canvas with a little dirt thrown on them." "It was not a pretty sight." "I can imagine!" "The youngest looked like a boy." "Do you remember if he had a glove?" "A red glove, of thick wool?" "All of them had one hand wrapped, i can remember that but nothing on the other hand, i didn't see a glove." "Athos!" "I don't like him removing the dirt." "On this zone you remove the dirt a little and you could find a mine that could blow an arm or leg in the blink of an eye." "That's a cript, there was a chapel between the german line and ours all is left is a bunch of ruins" "I can't rememeber anything!" "I can't recognize anything!" "Is posible Manech lost the glove when he fell?" "It was made of thick wool,tightly woven it fit very tight, the other one lasted me until the end of the war." "Maybe he took it out to write on the trunk" "That i don't know, but i don't think so." "And what kind of red was it?" "Bright red?" "Intense red." "It had white dots woven in it, it looked like an apple with worms." "Excuse me for approaching you like this, but my husband's family suffered a lot during the war... and i don't want anyone to see me get near the table of a french veteran, do you understand me?" "What do you know?" "Before he died, my brother saw your fiancé carve three letters on the trunk of a tree" "He had a red glove with white dots." "A friend of his told me everything." "When one of our planes shoot to your fiancé he got disgusted by it." "And just after that all hell broke loose." "That day, God save the life of that french soldier twice" "Suddenly, your men returned the attack they killed my brother!" "He was 23." "I have come to see his cross at the cemetery." "I'm very sorry." "Time heals everything." "You'll see!" "I have to come back, or they will start to wonder." "Then i haven't completely killed it!" "What?" "...hope!" "Now what?" "Tina Lombardi." "She is going to be beheaded." "They are calling her the Officer's Killer." "She killed Lavrouye and Thouvnel amongst others!" "She had intended to kill Mariscal Piton." "When i think you used a wheel chair to get my pitty... you are the only one i have agreed to talk to becuse i know we are alike." "Fine!" "Let's leave it." "What i did, you could have done too." "No, i don't think so." "I would have been too scared." "I am not afraid." "nor do i regret anything." "Except my hair they will cut it before executing me" "I will look like Joan of Arc when i meet my Ange." "Why the Mariscal Piton, what did he do?" "It was his idea to throw out the mutilated soldiers from the trenches." "And why not Poincare, he denied the pardon." "What, you don't know?" "He had pardoned them, the five of them." "It is only a license." "Lavrouye kept the paper..." "And why did Lavrouye do that?" "Because pigs act like pigs!" "But don't worry, i took care of him" "We have carried out the same investigation" "Each one on her own way." "Looking for any Bingo veterans i found a sick man that had healed my Ange and the others" "This sick man, Philippot, had seen one of the five." "A strong young man, wounded on the head" "He was strong, wounded on the head, he had german boots." "According to him, he had german boots." "And was carrying a thin young man." "I think so i mean, i'm sure!" "...strong, wounded on the head." "his boss suggested he kept quiet." "You, better than anyone, can understand the hope i felt" "But some time later i met the one who killed all my ilusions." "First Sargent Favart" "He told me how that Thouvenel pig murdered my Ange." "With a single shot." "I also took care of him." "I only had one thing in mind eliminate everyone that hurt my Ange" "Your Ange left this for you." "Revenge is useless, try to be happy and don't waste your life for me." "Ange" "...Gordes, the one that traded the german boots with Bastoche..." "Was he strong?" "Biscotte?" "No, he wasn't athletic, he was like you or me." "And, have you heard anything about Jean de Desrochelles?" "Desrochelles?" "Ah yes, he was not very sociable, he lived alone with his mother." "I'm sorry, i have to leave you." "I'm leaving in one hour to Venezuela." " Good luck Célestin." " Same to you" "When i think you didn't tell me about Poincare's pardon..." "It would only have made things worse, please understand." "I have a last favor to ask of you Pierre Marie." "I suppose it has to do with Bingo." "Son of the bookshop owner Paúl Desrochelles dead February of 1897" "Jean Desrochelles that's it!" "Wait!" "." "Yes in Somme." "Yes, fine." "Thanks" "Tell me Mr. Piere, Tina Lombardi, you must have known what she had planned!" "It was wiser not to interfere with her." "If things get ugly, the spy disapears ?" "No...that who spies tries not to be seen." "By the way i have a last clue to give to you" "Jean Desrochelles evacuated from Somme Front on January of the 17th, only relative, her mother." "Widow of Paul Desrochelles." "Rue de la vie 22" "And what do you want me to do?" " Did you want to talk to me?" " Yes" "My brother's friend, the one i talked to you about, he remembered something that could be of interest to you." "The two french soldiers that escorted him, that monday morning, wanted to go again through "No man's land"" "They saw the bodies of the condemned, one of them was in some kind of cavity and the two french seemed surprised" "I don't know if that could be useful miss?" "Thanks." "...tell Berney that i want to liquidate everything by the first days of march sell all the manure really expensive, you better be careful with him." "sell all the manure really expensive." "Well, it has to be in code." "Mr. Pire called." " He didn't find anything in Saenz..." " I know" "Hello, who is it?" "Yes miss, i remember you" "Berney?" "No that doesn't sound familiar" "I don't know anyone with that name." "Benoit Notre-Dame fertilizes his lands with his animals' manure, he didn't buy any." "Thanks father." "I have to decifre that letter" "I'm getting close." "I will be..." "Berney...march...sell... everything" "Say...nothing...no one" "Benoît." "Excuse me sir, the farm at the end of the world?" "The last house, at the end of the road." "And what if he doesn't come?" "He'll come!" "Don't worry." "Come back in two hours" "Hello Mathilde" "Is dangerous to bring back the dead." "When i saw your announcement on the paper i knew it was a matter of time until the gendarmes catch me." "Don't worry, i could have killed you but i didn't" "You're not only a thief, but also a pyromaniac!" "I couldn't kill you" "When we need to kill a rabbit or a chicken my wife takes care of it." "War has left me unable to do so." "You know what i want to hear!" "Is Manech alive?" "The last time i saw him he was not well" "But he is stronger that he seems." "We have to stay together" "When the fighting ended, i rested to gain back my strength" "What do you want?" "Notre-Dame?" "Then the Corse decided to surrender." "After that they killed the welder from Paris" "Then your fiancé carved some letters on the trunk of a tree and the german albatross arrived." "I regained my conciousness when the earth trembled" "I still don't understand what happened the only thing i saw was a trap door that the projectile uncovered." "...For France!" "Attack!" "They got into No Man's Land and on the second line they were all killed by the shotguns." "A few hours later, i was awaken by some voices." "Oh my God!" "Bastoche is dead!" "We can't leave him here." "We will come for him later, he won't go anywhere." "Oh Bastoche is dead" "Look!" "That one is moving." "That one is the kid, he is going to die too." "The explosion destroyed the trap door." "One of the soldiers was badly wounded." "Bastoche is dead!" "We are all going to die." "He was Bastoche's friend, the one who had taken the german boots." "After eating i smoked his tobaco." "Then i heard more voices." "Oh shit!" "Isn't that the kid!" "What is he doing here?" "And the farmer from Dordoña, where is he?" "Sir!" " I'm cold!" " Be calm!" "Although he was badly wounded, your fiancé wanted to live, i could see it in his eyes." "I carried him on my shoulders and started walking by the trench." "He had a high fever, i could feel it on my back." "He was delirious." "He talked about a heart beating in his hand." "Private!" "The hospital is 500 meters ahead" "Do you want us to carry him on the stretcher?" "No." "If you find any Bingo sub-officer" "Tell him that Private Gordes went to the hospital with Soldier Desrochelles." "Ok, as you wish" "I arrived before the explosion" "I have to say that the major state didn't have a better idea than to place the hospital in a hangar with a blimp full of hidrogene" "The kid was evacuated in the convoy that just left" "Will he be ok?" "The wound on the hip is not bad but the pneumonia doesn't look good" "I listed you by the name on your tags" "I don't want to know anything else Good luck" "The lever!" "The lever!" "Please!" "Then i arrived at Berney, on foot." "I couldn't have known if my wife had received the letter" "So everyday i waited for her at the station" "With the money of the sale we bought this farm" "The farthest we could find" "I called it "The end of the world"" "Goodbye" "Is curious, you punctured your life line" "Is normal" "I died...at Bingo Crepuscule just like your boyfriend" "If you ever find Jean Desrochelles alive" "Let me know." "You know where to find me" "Come on in!" "Feel at home, in Christmas you can enter through the chimney" "For Miss Mathilde" "Ok." "I'll give it to her later." "I think you should wake her" "What is going on?" "He is alive!" "Don't move Mathilde, whatever happens, don't move" "I'm on my way." "Germain Pire" "I'm such a fool!" "Nicer as the marten and much faster than the gazelle" "He is alive and well but he can't remember anything." "His amnesia is total." "He even had to learn to read and write again" "The psychiatrist that treated him since the 17th doesn't have much hope." "but everyone knows that there are as many amnesias as amnesiacs." "Where is he?" "Orphan for the second time." "He just lost his adoptive mother" "Pierre Marie, do you know Mr. Pire?" "Only by reputation" "Nice to meet you." "Mathilde i'm telling you i won't believe it until i see it." "With your own eyes!" "When Jean Desrochelles was born, her mother was 40 years old and she had no other children" "When the gendarmes came for him to support the front" "Yes" "She fell into a depression" "One day she received the visit of a mate of his son, his name was..." "Chardolot!" "Chardolot!" "...sadly it was Jean" "A bullet had reached him, and he had been dead for hours." "I also have to tell you..." "It is possible that the youngest of the condemned stole Jean's identity" "Exchanging their tags." "I think she lost her mind the day they called her to the hospital to tell her that her son was there." "He is asleep." "I'll leave you alone." "Good morning!" "Who are you?" "Your mother, little one." "I am your mother!" "I have conducted the official investigation and Mrs. Desrochelles died two months ago" "She was hit by a truck after having a discussion with a merchant and this is not a lie." "we know that!" "Mam please, calm down." "Mrs. Desrochelles didn't suffer, she died immediately." "I'm not crying about that" "I'm an idiot." "I didn't believe you little one Please forgive me!" "I should've known" "What she later would call the Millie expedition:" "the sun, the sky and all of nature, were on her side." "Flaunting her femininity, she fixed herself as best as she could." "Dressed in white, the color of purity, she painted her lips for the ocassion." "She outlined her eyebrows and without rimel to extend her eyelashes" "She knew what would happen if she lost her composure" "We told him about your visit." "We told him that a young woman that he loved very much was coming to see him" "He asked your name and thought it was beautiful" "He is waiting in the garden." "Does it hurt you when you walk?" "Do you want to see what i'm doing?" "I'll let you see it when i'm done" "Why do you cry?" "And Mathilde sat there with her back straight against the chair's back" "With the hands on her skirt and looked at him" "Under the harmony that enveloped them, Under the light of the garden," "Mathilde looked at him, looked at him looked at him"