"Has he come to?" "Want to see him?" "Will he live?" "Can't tell yet." "I'd have called you." "Is he dead?" "No, but still unconscious." "Three days already..." "If he could be moved we could use him now." "Could you keep anyone alive like that?" "The experiment will kill him." "We need a healthy man." "There he is." "Will you talk to him?" "I'd rather wait." "Has he seen anyone?" "Doesn't want to." "Why not pick one of your men?" "They didn't fit." "But why him?" "He has nothing to lose." "Why not pick a convict?" "We thought of that." "Has he chances of coming back?" "There is no knowing it." "I'd like to meet him." "I'll call you." "You forgot your things." "I won't need them." "Claude Ridder?" "Could you spare a day?" "We're no policemen." "I'm from Crespel Research Center." "Never heard of it." "Nobody has." "I'd like to take you there." "Is it far?" "50 km." "we have a car." "How's the weather?" "Sunny." "Then why not." "Want to go by your house?" "Am I the man you want?" "This is no kidnapping." "You'd get no ransom." "Is Crespel a town?" "Not yet." "Is it pretty?" "Not very." "Are you tired?" "Of that question, yes." "They treated you well?" "Why am I so interesting?" "Can you smoke?" "Cancer is my only worry." "Glad to be alive?" "I'm not alive." "We're approaching." "You don't seem to care?" "I've seen so many things." "Other may happen." "Like in fairy tales?" "It isn't pretty." "But it's interesting." "I thought Crespel was a town." "There is one 3 miles away." "The boss will see you." "Surprised?" "Frankly, yes." "We are supposed to do agricultural tests." "Actually we study time." "Have you solved it?" "Partly." "Where do I intervene?" "I have a question..." "Answer it if you like." "You attempted suicide..." "Has your mind changed?" "Not for the moment." "You'd do it again?" "I see." "You want me as the ideal guinea pig." "Would have I chances of surviving?" "100% if you were a mouse." "Let me show you." "Time passing?" "I loved your idea of an agency ...to distribute time." "It wouldn't work." "Time might break down." "Nothing like writers to have farfetched ideas." "Here are mice A and B." "Are they alike?" "Is one a female?" "Both are males." "B is a pioneer." "A has never traveled." "B lived for one minute in the past." "A hero." "When?" "Yesterday." "With no ill effects." "How do you know it really happened?" "That's the problem." "He can't tell us." "You should have taught him to talk first." "You'll go back one year." "...into your past." "For one minute." "What if it kills me?" "It won't with our treatment." "Where were you a year ago?" "On vacation." "It took 3 months on the Riviera." "Are you sure?" "I never forget vacations." "You'll be in a sphere." "At your return you'll wait for 4 minutes." "Why?" "You'll be like a diver in a decompression chamber" "Are you interested?" "Why the past?" "...instead of the future?" "I see your point..." "But we can't go further for the moment." "Only short trips." "Not even a little ulcer?" "You're quite healthy." "Suicide is good for me." "I'll have to keep you here." "On a diet?" "Sort of." "For 4 days." "Will I have to sign a release before the experiment?" "Possibly." "You could say I died in the hospital." "No doubt." "That's clever." "Was it your first suicide?" "With a gun?" "Guns don't fit you." "That's why I missed." "You are not afraid?" "I've feared all my life." "But now I don't." "Do you sleep well?" "No headaches?" "Mind the effects of T. 5." "Doesn't seem to hurt you." "Now we just have to wait." "What if I stay for years?" "It will last exactly 60 seconds." "Even mice can tell." "I won't wake up under Nero?" "Lie down." "We'll close the door." "You'll come back here one minute later." "Disappointed?" "A bit." "What if it fails?" "It won't." "You'll be back on September 5, 1966 at 4 p.m." "Why 4 p.m.?" "We sent the mice at 4." "And they always came back." "It became a habit" "Superstitious scientists!" "Why did you pick me?" "Our computer did." "Out of millions.." "Naturally." "That's normal." "T. 5. makes you sleep." "I talk in my sleep." "And when you wake up?" "I feel all right." "You'll have a larger dose." "...tomorrow." "You'll be drugged but perfectly lucid." "Will it fail if I move?" "The subject must be passive." "...and semi-conscious." "Later" "Two sea serpents and a few sharks." "That's about all." "Did you see many fish?" "Two sea serpents and a few sharks." "That's about all." "Those gadgets make me mad." "You always say that." "Did you see many fish?" "Let's go out for dinner." "Coming?" "Later." "It couldn't end otherwise." "About 4 months." "How long will you be a shipping clerk?" "As long as there's shipping." "You could do better things." "Hold a responsible position." "I hate responsibility." "I felt the same at your age." "Rich family?" "Rather." "At your age I had debts." "Seen many fish?" "2 sea serpents and a few sharks." "We've lost him once again." "What time did she come?" "At 9." "5,000 circulars to get out..." "And she's done 90!" "In four hours?" "One envelope per 2 minutes." "It's a record." "Is she pretty?" "The record-breaker." "In a way." "Send her in." "Even your car is a problem." "Shall we stop for lunch later?" "If you like." "Something about Catherine bothers me." "Doesn't she care for you?" "She's too quiet." "What did she do?" "Nothing." "And now?" "Nothing." "That's not much." "He's under the effect of T. 5." "5 times already." "I feared that transition period." "We can't get him earlier." "It can go on for days." "If we wait he'll starve." "Odd to see that from a heated train." "Was it cold?" "Very cold." "Here's a town I liberated." "We were about 50 facing 20 Germans." "Guns don't fit you." "Never got used to them." "Your name may be on a street." "It wasn't so pretty by then." "You didn't come Wednesday." "Come tonight, both of you." "You and Catherine." "We've separated." "After how long?" "7 years." "Come alone then." "That dirty wall scares me." "The papers scare me more." "We should decorate your office." "...with a big picture of an unpaid bill." "Or the kidnapping of commas by a bookkeeper." "An eraser and no pencil?" "I love needless things." "Complements of the author." "Not very original..." "I don't know these people." "A swimmer got drowned." "Is he dead?" "He was a good swimmer." "Must have swum for hours before he drowned." "Be quiet." "You treat me like a stuffed owl." "But I move, I see people." "If I didn't, I'd kill myself." "The more I give you, the worse you get." "Since I can't help you I am leaving." "It's 3 p. m." "3 hours to go." "3 minutes ago it was 3 p. m." "In 3 weeks it will be 3 p. m." "In a century too." "Time passes for everybody but me." "It stays static." "It's 3 p. m. forever." "Hello..." "T.." "I.." "M.." "E" "It's exactly 3 o'clock, 0 minutes, 0 seconds." "All right tomorrow at the same time." "Love to the family." "For 100 million years algae and molluscs and reptiles ruled the earth till this firm was created..." "I'm approaching death at full speed." "The earth will spin without me..." "And I'm here expressing our regrets to a customer for the loss of his shipment." "A mouse?" "Here?" "Were you talking?" "I just saw a mouse." "A mouse on a beach!" "It's on vacation." "We have succeeded!" "He isn't dead." "A race against time." "Who's winning?" "Don't know yet." "She's pretty, neat, moderate things I despise." "You despise everything." "I like things that seesaw." "Do I seesaw?" "Not at all." "You're spread out." "You're a swamp, mud..." " Gloomy " "I should wring your neck or slowly slip into you." "Mona and her showcase." "You smell like drownings..." "This beach is me..." "I need you." "I needed you when they told me of a girl who hated envelopes." "...and work." "Let's make love." "On the sand?" "I'd run away to a land without nights..." "Your wife has a cute bottom." "I'll tell you what you see." "You're by a window." "Everything is blue the sea, the sand, the town..." "Even people get blue..." "Pretty girls already are..." "I miss you Claude..." "It both bothers me and pleases me..." "It's the first time I ever care about people." "There's a white sail and some sea gulls." "Are there any on the Riviera?" "They mean rain..." "It never rains there." "We'll never finish tonight." "You're making errors." "It's always beautiful." "Not that sickening green." "Coming?" "Later." "And if I'd been married?" "I don't know..." "It wasn't love at first sight..." "It was different..." "You didn't fit at office." "So I knew nothing mattered." "I might not have liked you." "I was so scared that night..." "Why did you quit your job?" "To impress you." "Were you making lots of money?" "A living." "Your eyes are nice." "And I want you." "Shall we answer?" " No " "I love you." "Do you hear me?" "I love you." "T'was the only reason." "Long before you died." "And now I'm dead." "I'm cold." "I hear my words." "It's the drug..." "What are my chances of surviving?" "100% if you were a mouse." "I am a mouse then." "They'll come now in 4 minutes." "Where's the mouse?" "You're delirious!" "Unfortunately not." "Claude, please stop." "You scare me." "Don't mean to." "I killed Catherine 2 months ago." "I don't believe it." "You're right and wrong." "What do you mean?" "I can't kill..." "Yet I did." "Impossible." "I thought so too." "They should get rid of the streetcars." "Buses are just as bad." "Cars will be useless soon." "I'm sorry, sir." "If you take the streetcar you'll miss your train." "Have you got time?" "We'll have to sew the cat's eyes." "What?" "We have a cat." "Are psychoses red?" "The future is red." "And psychoses?" "I get them mixed up." "Are you awake too?" "Go to the office for me." "I need you." "I'm hard to live with." "I don't care." "I want to be with you." "Stay with me tonight." "Don't leave me." "I'm afraid to find myself alone tomorrow." "We could go to..." "Last time he stayed a minute and a half." "Now he's been gone 3 minutes..." "Unless he keeps reliving 1 minute." "T'would be better so." "I couldn't stay there." "Stay here, I'm going home." "Aren't you sleepy?" "She'd be sad if you didn't come." "She's always sad if I'm there..." "If I'm not..." "She's sadness in person." "You should be used to it." "I think of leaving her." "Nobody can help her." "She needs you." "That doesn't help." "Could you leave her?" "Probably not." "I can't stand it." "I feel oxidized..." "Once I left for 2 days." "She didn't care a fig." "You've had it." "She loved the sea but got sad on the Riviera." "She loves the sun." "She hates sunlight." "You can't live with her or without her." "And so God said:" ""Hope the earth'll turn"." "You go to sleep." "I'm not sleepy." "You're not good at that." "I never write." "This job doesn't suit you." "No work does." "You've just earned... 14 francs." "A pack of cigarettes" "Won't be back after lunch." "How long did you hope to live on this job?" "A day... tomorrow." "Here's what we'll do..." "I give you 14 francs..." "And you ask me to lunch." "Why?" "I don't want to." "You never buy anything." "I do." "Bread, milk, matches, mustard..." "Nothing for you." "Don't need anything." "Buy a sweater..." "I've got 2." "No visits?" "Don't want to see people." "Let's stay out all night." "We go to bed very late." "That's different." "You all right?" "How was it?" "Great." "Something's gone wrong." "What time is it?" "They took my watch." "No watches for trip in time." "I couldn't count the seconds." "4 minutes make... one... two... three..." " No " "What kind of no?" "Just no." "Because not yes?" "You said yes!" "She can sure say no." "Can't they tell?" "I'm here!" "They must know it!" "I'm back!" "I'm back!" "Centuries have passed outside." "I've been forgotten..." "We'll get him in three minutes." "Oh, there you are!" "You're on a trip too." "Did you go far?" "They can't get you back either." "We're both in a mess." "I know you." "You're the mouse I saw on the beach." "You take trips in my past." "You don't have a watch either." "I have to get out of here!" "I'll concentrate." "It's 10,30 you know" "I feel awful." "Are you sick?" "If Caterine had died, we'd know it." "It's so simple." "You heard about her." "But never met her." "Not many of my friends really knew her." "You hid her." "People bored her." "She had family?" "No, no cousins, no friends no boss, no job..." "Not even any papers." "No one will miss her." "People think we've separated." "You left her there?" "Why bring her back?" "Why tell me?" "Because nobody knows." "You let me caress you..." "You say you love him." "I is, you am..." "If I caress you it's because I'm lonely tonight." "If Caterine left me I'd be thrilled." "I once knew a man..." "You are not listening." "I'm listening to your fingers." "You've changed." "I'll never write again." "I know that song." "I'll show you something you'll like." "Is it big?" "Tiny." "You'll love it." "Animal, vegetable." "astral or mineral?" "Half and half." "I want to stay with you tonight." "What's wrong?" "I'm terrified." "You are afraid?" "Afraid means terrified." "Not in the least!" "Try to read then." "Only one of my eyes wants to read." "You are absolutely I don't know what." "I'm afraid too." "Of dying?" " No " "Never heard such a thing." "You still here?" "Will you be out late?" "Yes." "He lives quite far away." "It's too hot in here." "Come with me." "I've called a taxi." "Glasgow is too gloomy." "Buy me some oranges." "What's the matter?" "Can't you sleep?" "I wanted the light on." "Come close to me." "Simple things are harder to understand." "Did you go to school?" "Yes but I never listened." "But you read?" "Books don't teach everything." "Claude told me the electric cable kept the streetcars on the tracks." "I'd never thought of it." "I thought they ranon gas." ""The Martian Viewpoint"." "Missed by two minutes." "It's as bad as two months." "T. 5. has worn off now." "Two many circulars." "Better write a new text." "You'll have it next week." "Let's say 5 days." "I'll be out by 25th." "How many pages?" "40 more." "That will cost more." "Still can't send them till 17th." "B travelled 1 minute into the past." "A hero!" "When?" "Yesterday." "With no ill effects." "How do you know it really happened?" "That's the problem..." "Never thought I'd talk about that..." "I'll go buy some cigarettes." "What are you doing here?" "I couldn't sleep." "I was afraid I'd die." "So I came here." "At your return you'd have found me dead." "...or sleeping." "I found a girl in the bathroom..." "She was very sexy." "Everyman's dream." "Nothing happened." "I just washed her." "I dream about her." "We accolege reseat of your of the 2nd..." "Happy to learn that you never deceived our watchamacallit..." "We'll fend you a new one and cope it alives chafely..." "Except our exclusives." "Yours, screwly." "I killed Catherine in Glasgow 2 months ago." "We needed it yesterday." "We can work all night." "He has no pencil." "He never has." "Does he know it's urgent?" "He makes mistakes." "Can't spell "tomorrow"." "It's late." "Isn't he tired?" "Has he seen this spot?" "Are you staying over?" "You're right about this green." "Some are allergic to green." "It makes our cells wear out." "Scientists invent can openers detergents, etc without changing anything," "That's the secret." "And no one found it." "We'll give up salad..." "Buy a boat." "I'll learn to steer.." "I'll find another reason to be sad." "I'm just a burden." "If I only had money..." "Can't see you rich..." "I'd pretend to be poor." "Oh!" "A tree!" "...and a weed." "Field trees are rarer." "You missed my road sign." "Are you sure?" "Are you sure?" "Take this one." "It's better." "I'll tell them." "But the other one..." "You got me my false papers..." "Don't you know me?" "I was called Rabois in 43." "I had false papers too." "You have a calcite." "Is it serious?" "Not terribly." "You killed her all the same." "That'll be 90 francs." "Shall I come back?" "Are you tired?" "Why ?" "I don't know." "Didn't you talk?" "What about?" "Nothing." "I wasn't listening." "What do you want?" "To eat." "I bought spinach." " Grass " "I'd like huge herring." "I can't do anything." "In fact who are you?" "Something blurred more and more blurred..." "I shrink in water." "What do you write?" "I don't write much." "Shall we have lunch together?" "It was a perfect crime." "I'll dress..." "I like you all mauve." "What if God created the cat in His Image?" "Then after some time He created man as a slave to the cat." "The cat got lucidity..." "And man the passion to own." "No, you don't see." "Man was created for the cat's sake." "And his only aim is to feed and comfort the cat." "He invented lots of things, ...only for the cat's profit." "Fishermen, cushions, radiators and the radio for cats love music." "Glad to know why we are on earth!" "So am I." "What is it?" "A beetle." "What's wrong?" " Nothing " "Where's the car?" "You slept with her?" "Do you care?" "Do you?" "You are so superficial." "I dreamed of going away with some inept employee of mine..." "We'll go away somewhere." "Then we'll come back..." "Another coffee?" "Why did you pick me?" "Our computer did." "Out of millions." "Our oldest employee." "He's the computer." "He'll like that." "Buried all alone in that mud." "A guide to graveyards would be a best-seller." "Luceram cemetery." "One shinbone." "Others." "Worth a detour." "No shinbone." "Avoid." "Rather live here than die here." "It only happens in books." "I don't mean to scare you." "I killed Catherine 2 months ago in Glasgow." "I don't believe it." "You're right and wrong." "I can't kill." "Yet I did." "Impossible." "She hated Glasgow." "She was very depressed." "She was absolutely..." "We haven't slept all night." "I'll be tired." "Let's try to sleep." "It's strange to wake up like this." "She was asleep." "And smiling." "Smiling for the first time." "She looked happy." "That's how it happened." "I looked at her." "29 minutes." "What shall we do?" "We must try the impossible." "Are you Mr. Ridder?" "Wiana went to the post-office." "Come in if you like." "We're in the bathroom." "Which one do you take?" "The left one." "I'm Nicole." "Can I take a bath?" "Wash my back." "What do you do at the office?" "Sometimes I think." "I pick up an object." "This pen is red..." "But it writes black." "Deceiving appearances..." "It's a very common pencil." "It has a point like a pencil." "It rolls like a pencil." "If you hold it up it's a tree or a pencil." "I never use a pencil" "Why have one?" "Tables are meant for holding pencils." " Go on. " "There are also erasers and paper." "We received 150 complaints." "...and 300 letters." "We're caught up." "He's replied to a letter we haven't got yet." "I'm absolutely exhausted." "It's going to be a nice day." "If people are up, it's..." "Everything's ready." "Is it much?" "5 whole years." "I'll be a few days." "When I'm with other girls, I'm drawn to you." "Too bad you go to other girls." "I love you all the more." "That's why I'm sad." "Prometheus without his vulture." "I bought a chicken." "I can't get down to work." "Do something." "I keep watching the telephone." "What's she got?" "Nothing." "But I want her." "I'd do anything for her." "Even send Catherine to hell" "Well, call her." "I don't have her number." "All I can do is wait." "Let's not go home." "He's all right." "Quite still." "Let's stay some more." "I'll concentrate." "I have to find that minute." "I'm in the water." "Yhe sun's out..." "Catherine is on the beach." "The water's warm..." "I want to take a bath." "Sorry, I don't speak French." "Then where is Catherine?" "After all..." "Nothing..." "Do you have to go?" "I should." "Stay with me." "I can't find an excuse every day." "I'll help you find them." "You're already late." "Punctually late..." "Never more than an hour." "Seen many fish?" "2 sea serpents, some sharks..." "Nothing's happening." "Nothing's changed." "I'm going to die." "Catherine you were right." "I'd like to see the mouse." "He comes back more often." "For 30 seconds the last time." "That's not much." "A storm at 7 a. m." "is unusual." "People get up early." "God... the workers..." "You don't understand..." "You're lucky." "One can bear a hard life..." "Hoping things will turn better." "To be happy is much harder." "Because one knows it won't last." "When one's hungry time drags... 3 months or 60 years to die..." "One even adapts to cancer." "Choose something..." "Carrots are good for the skin." "Spinach for influenza..." "Fruits are a cure-all." "I can't help you." "I'm sorry I met you." "There was no escaping it." "Some wine?" "Makes me sleepy." "Have you been here long?" "We can work now." "We miss the documents." "Glad to see you, cat..." "Did she feed you today?" "Not much." "She's stingy." "Outside you had less to eat." "Must I starve here?" "You exaggerate." "So that you believe me." "I don't like your records." "They're all alike." "I had friends outside." "We're your friends." "You're not so clever." "Sophie thinks we are." "What do you read?" "What does that mean?" "It bores me to explain." "I don't care." "It has nothing to do with me." "And you?" "Nothing." "Then it's silly." "Depends on how you look at it." "I'm getting mixed up..." "I quite like you." "You can't say that." "I can think it." "I used to wake up at night." "I hated it." "I stayed awake so as not to wake up." "But now it's over." "I sleep until morning." "I sleep well, don't I?" "I often thought of killing her." "I believe it." "Do you?" "I thought of what you said." "It's possible you've killed her." "And do you know why?" "To end it all." "To end her suffering." "She was incurable, wasn't she?" "The periods vary." "We can't do anything." "Then he's lost." "I went there to see a lawyer." "We were in a little hotel." "We turned on the gas heater." "She'd taken a sleeping pill." "She was asleep," "She was smiling." "For the first time." "She looked happy." "No longer afraid." "That's how it happened." "I was going out..." "I smelled gas..." "The gas was on..." "I looked at her..." "When I came back, she was dead." "The cops were there." "You must be lying." "Why didn't they arrest you?" "It looked like an accident." "It was an accident." "I lied to see if you'd believe me." "The flame must have died out while I was out." "She really died there?" "For a moment I was glad though it was awful." "She didn't suffer..." "Then I realized she'd gone for ever." "And I couldn't stand it." "It gets worse and worse." "What's wrong?" "George is dead." "He died 8 months ago." "You knew it?" "His wife wrote me." "You didn't tell me." "You were depressed." "Can you imagine a man who, to spare his wife would hide all bad news." "He'd hire actors to replace ...people who had died." "He'd put all newspapers away from her." "He'd have to cover up the planet." "It would cost a lot." "It's ghastly." "What?" "Everything." "Even when you're with me." "Page 8: put "Corriego" in italics." "Same page:" "you forgot the word "conjugated"." "Page 9 is all right." "Page 14: no "c" in "solipsism"." "Yes, it looks funny." "Page 12: "visual and tactile. "" "More than an hour." "We'll never get him back." "His pulse is slow." "He's lost a lot of blood." "Can we move him?" "Call the hospital." "We'll have to check our figures."