"# They go away for a very long time, # in the mist or in the wind." "# Like the clouds, # they're going on a journey, # the sailors leave the port." "# I think that the sailors go away, # to listen to the song, # of the mermaid with long hair, # and I think that she sang for them." "Sébastien found it difficult to get used to the atmosphere of Morsan." "Everything is so sad." "In this old manor house, one lives in the remembrance of Claire and Gilles, the wife and son of the Captain." "They died there 25 years ago." "Yet Clarisse claims that Gilles sometimes comes to the attic, and she seems to believe it." "Jonathan is the only one who has his feet on the ground, and Sébastien took the opportunity to ask him some questions." "Jonathan said Claire and Gilles Maréchal... were arrested by the militia on the 23rd January, 1944." "They were never seen again." "Gilles was 16." "And then there is this large cross put up on the cliff, where a certain Joseph Théphanie fell to his death, he was a sailor, Jonathan won't say any more." "And there's still that old boat anchored in Morsan bay, the Mary-Morgane, the ship of misfortune, as Jonathan says." "Everything becomes muddled in Sébastien's mind, so he prefers to forget all this, and he gallops off to clear his head." "You little idiot!" "Look where my car is!" "Haven't you got a tongue?" "You could at least apologize." "I didn't do it on purpose." "Funny apology." "I'm sorry." "That's better." "It's true, I didn't mean to." "It was my horse, he jumped it himself." "It was funny." "Not really." "Can I help you?" "What a good idea." "The best are always those which we think about the longest." "I'm sorry." "I didn't know there was a road." "You know what upset me, suppose that you'd jumped into the middle of a main road." "It would have made a mess!" "I'm afraid so." "Hey... her nose is slightly damaged." "If there's a choice, I prefer that it's the cars rather than yours." "Thank you." "You're welcome." "It works." "Release the clutch, it'll go better." "Goodbye now." "I'm really in a hurry." "Hey, I'd like to know your name, all the same!" "Sophie Virginie." "And you?" "Sébastien." "Sébastien Maréchal?" "That's right, do you know me?" "You're the Captain's nephew." "Yes." "Why didn't you tell me right away?" "I'm the daughter of his partner, Carl Walther." "Everyone calls me Siza." "Did your uncle tell you about me?" "No." "Really?" "Yet I almost went to fetch you at the station yesterday." "So how are you finding Morsan?" "Strange." "I'm not surprised." "I have to hurry to get there." "Shall I meet you there?" "Yes." "You're really..." "Really what?" "Well, I don't know." "You drive fast!" "And you, you fly!" "You saw, we almost caught up." "I usually drive by looking straight ahead." "Yes, but you could see in the mirror." "I saw." "Did you see behind me, there was dust, like in the westerns!" "A cloud!" "Do you know how to ride?" "Very badly." "I'll teach you if you want." "I look like a sack of potatoes on horseback." "Exactly, I can help you, come on, we'll try." "It might be difficult for me today." "You're afraid, eh?" "Partly." "But mainly, I've other things to do." "Oh, it's true." "Hello, Clarisse, can I go up?" "No, his leg's better, he's waiting in the lounge." "Thank you." "I have to hurry." "Don't you think she's pretty?" "I met her on the road, she'd broken down, I had to help her." "You don't know where Jonathan is?" "Hey there!" "So here you are." "I stopped on the way." "I met Sophie Virginie." "What?" "I met Sophie Virginie!" "Oh, what cheek." "It's true, I met her." "I'm not saying otherwise, but you should say Miss Sophie Virginie, it wouldn't be so bad." "Everyone calls her Siza, she told me." "Besides, you also call her Siza." "Miss Siza." "So do I have to say "Miss" every time I talk about her?" "Yes, it would be better." "So, what do you call her?" "Hey, is it a habit that you never answer my questions!" "Me, I've only done it since yesterday." "Does she often come here?" "Who?" "Miss Siza." "When your uncle needs it, she brings his mail and a pile of paperwork to sign." "Will she have lunch with us?" "Maybe, if she wants to." "What will it take to make her want to?" "I don't know." "Does she like lobster?" "Everybody likes it, except you." "Are you sure?" "Yes." "Good." "Leave the lobsters alone!" "Don't worry." "And your horse, who'll take care of it?" "I'll be right back." "Say, Clarisse, will you cook Jonathan's lobsters?" "Not right now, they're for tonight." "I'd have been really happy if they were for this morning." "It takes time to prepare them, and I've already done a roast." "Ah." "Does she like that, Miss Sophie Virginie?" "I think everybody likes a roast." "I'll ask her." "No, wait, she's working with your uncle, you mustn't disturb them." "Can I take your bucket?" "What for?" "Don't worry, I'll bring it back." "You don't have a sponge?" "And Lancelot?" "Haven't you taken care of him?" "Yes, fortunately." "I need to wash her car, all women like to have a clean car." "What's so funny?" "Shut up, you'll disturb them, they're working in the office." "My father asked me to tell you that in his opinion, you should give the order to Captain Lemoigne to... to go down by Newfoundland, and to put in to shelter at Saint-Jean." "I don't need to give orders to Lemoigne, he knows what to do, he knows his ship." "He takes risks." "We always take risks... when we want to do better than the others." "He doesn't have the right." "There are 60 people on the boat who depend on him." "It's already been five days since they went towards the great Eldfisk." "You know better than me what it means." "The Narval can withstand the bad weather." "The forecast is worse." "I didn't say it was a picnic." "Do you have the bulletin?" "Yes." "Great Eldfisk area, storm warnings at 1800 Universal Time, force 9, heavy seas becoming rough, forecast for the night of the 24th, south-westerly gales, very rough seas." "There were still 7 ships on the bank 3 days ago, but last night, there were only five." "3 hours ago, the last one remaining with Narval, announced he was leaving." "Going southward." "Though, it's a Portuguese ship of greater tonnage, better equipped and much newer than the Narval." "Make them return." "I've prepared the return order, you just have to sign it." "My father has already informed the captain." "Really?" "And how did Lemoigne take it?" "Badly." "He would obey you." "Putting in to shelter, is to waste time, Lemoigne knows it." "Lost time, it's only money." "But it's important." "For you." "I beg your pardon." "It's important for the men, especially." "Because they like to return with the fish hold full to the brim." "It's their pride, that." "A beautiful pride." "And then the job is really very hard, it should at least pay." "Bad weather passes, as it comes." "One just has to wait." "It's easy to say." "You think so?" "I did Greenland, at a time... when ships weren't equipped like now." "There was no radar or ultrasound, but they fished all the same!" "At 15, I broke the ice in the hold." "At 25, I was Captain." "If my owner gave me the order to leave a bank before I took the initiative myself," "I'd have taken him for a fool, and I wouldn't have obeyed." "Lemoigne would do the same." "It's up to him and the engineers to protect the ship." "The men... aren't worried by a strong gale, eh." "A storm is paradise:" "they don't fish, they sleep." "Do you understand?" "I don't always understand the decisions you make." "But that doesn't matter." "I don't have to judge them." "Goodbye, Captain." "I believe that my father will come and see you tomorrow." "No, I'll drop in at the shipyard." "Aren't you eating lunch with us?" "Not today." "A pity, I'd have introduced you to my nephew." "I've already met him." "And how do you find him?" "He's not like you." "I don't think he'll ever be like you." "You washed it, that's nice?" "Are you leaving?" "Yes." "Goodbye, I'm in a hurry." "I didn't even have time to finish!" "It doesn't matter, it's already very nice like that," "I don't think it's ever shone so much." "There's leg of lamb for lunch, don't you like it?" "I love lamb, but I must go." "Didn't the work go well, with my uncle?" "It'll never go well." "It looks like the life of a crew has less importance for him than a load of cod." ""A load of cod..." But what does that mean?" "What's a load of cod?" "She meant that I'm a brute, as well as an old miser." "Anyway, I think she exaggerates." "Thank you." "Are you hungry?" "A little bit." "Shall we eat this roast?" "Ok." "Lean on me, it's much more practical than a cane." "Let's see." "You know Sophie Virginie, I met her this morning." "I almost went into her car, earlier with my horse." "She's pretty, though, don't you think?" "Which, Sophie Virginie or her car?" "Siza, of course." "[Shipping company Maréchal and Walther]" "I thought you were having lunch there." "I was just leaving." "What's wrong?" "I've had enough of this business." "He wouldn't sign the order?" "No." "And that surprises you?" "I did tell you however." "In fishing, Lemoigne has every right." "It's ashore that these affairs are settled." "If they come back." "You're tired." "The wives come here." "They ask me if there's news." "For 5 days, they've been really afraid, you know." "I know all this, as well as you." "They say that our ships are too old and poorly equipped." "But what do you want me to answer, since it's true?" "You think you'd be in such a state if Gwen Théphanie wasn't on board the Narval?" "What do you mean?" "You understand very well." "Come on, let's go and have lunch quickly at Angèle's, and then, I'll try to contact Lemoigne again." "Hello." "Lemoigne is that kind of guy, he's stubborn, but he knows his job." "And contrary to what you believe, he's not crazy." "Yes, he said this ship was good for nothing and he wants to prove he's right." "He agreed with Gwen, and me too, before leaving." "What are you talking about, agreed to do what?" "To take risks with the Narval," "To prove the ship is no longer capable of making a fishing trip, and to strand her on the way back." "Do you realize what you're saying?" "They were almost all of the same opinion on board." "They don't like Captain Maréchal." "Well, I disagree!" "And what did you do next?" "They seized me by my pant bottoms and then dispatched me to the kitchen." "And how old were you?" "15." "But... why didn't they let you on the deck with the others?" "Because when a ship's boy begins, he's only good for peeling potatoes." "If I said in the village that the Captain made a kid laugh, nobody would believe me." "If I'd been in your place, I wouldn't have let them do it," "I'd have complained." "That's what I did." "Well then?" "Then I found myself down in the hold, with the cod." "But, what are you doing?" "It's not very easy, it's too far to talk." "Don't move, I'm coming." "So, how long did you stay in the hold?" "8 days." "All alone?" "No, with the head salter, he was called Jules." "He taught me to salt cod and when I got it wrong, I took a good beating." "Jeez, at 15?" "You must be 12 to be surprised at it." "They were friendly beatings." "Ah." "It's funny, I feel I've known you for a very long time." "Leave that." "I'll have to move otherwise I'll get cramp." "We'll have to repaint everything." "Repaint?" "Why's that?" "I don't know, it would be more cheerful." "It's a bit dark, don't you think?" "And it should be full of flowers, in there." "They were everywhere in the house." "She loved them." "In that vase there, she arranged them herself." "Extraordinary bouquets, I've never seen more beautiful." "In winter, it was branches, shells..." "And it was pretty." "That's why your uncle and Clarisse were a bit odd... when you talked about putting flowers in it." "You know that since she died, we've never dared to." "Come with me I'm getting a few things in town, that'll get your mind off it." "Don't look like that, I told you, you can't change things." "They think of it so much..." "I've already said, that was 25 years ago." "but for your uncle and Clarisse, it's like it was yesterday." "Come on, quick!" "Leave Roxane." "When she goes to the harbour, she boards the first boat she sees, and we can't get her off." "Go on, Roxane, off you go!" "Hey, you're not going to catch their disease?" "Don't think any more about all this, you're too young." "Come on, giddy up!" "Giddy up, Tiarko!" "Come on, giddy up!" "Come on, Tiarko." "Hey!" "Hey..." "If you drove, it would give me a rest." "Whoa, whoa, Tiarko." "Okay Tiarko." "Come on." "Hey, Jonathan, you'll demolish the wall!" "Don't you worry." "Whoa!" "What a dummy!" "Come on." "I'll buy you a drink, okay with you?" "All right." "Let's go." "Here's the shipping forecast:" "a low of 1002 mb... at 1300 h today 48º North 21º West..." "Hello, Angèle." "Ma'am." "Hello." "You look awful." "Captain Lemoigne's had an accident on board the Narval." "Who told you that?" "Everyone's talking about it." "They say the accident happened because of the gangway ladder... which needed changing before departure." "Rusted to the core and a coat of paint over everything, if you know what I mean?" "If it's true, it won't look good for the owners Maréchal  Walther." "Lemoigne fell, but a step of the ladder went with him." "That's what they say, at least." "Who told you this, M. Walther?" "You think so," "He's too much on good terms with your boss." "It's just the rumours which are circulating." "Siza spoke to Lemoigne's son about it." "That one, he invents anything." "I don't know." "In any case, it's bad for Lemoigne, because it's the mate who took command." "Gwen Théphanie." "Gwen?" "Gwen Théphanie, is he from the family of the one who killed himself at the bottom of the cliff?" "His son." "Was it he who planted the large cross at the top, when he was 13?" "Yes." "Tell me everything, it would be much simpler." "If there's something that isn't simple to tell, it's this story here." "# I think that the sailors go away, # to listen to the song, # of the mermaid with long hair, # and I think that she sang for them." "# However, if I were a sailor, # maybe one fine morning, # on lifting the trawl net, # like you don't see anymore," "# I would catch the mermaid, # the mermaid with long hair."