Tokyo Spring This morning all this candy arrived, another gift from my generous and lovely friend Dinara Alekperova for the homeless of SOUP NO KAI, thank you very much dear Dinara (hugs to you)! Now, here is one of my favorite chapters from one of my favorite books with one of my favorite lines, its from THE NOTEBOOK by Agota Kristof, if you have time, please read it: The Deserter We find a man in the forest. A living man, a young man, without a uniform. He is lying behind a bush. He looks at us without moving. We ask him: Why are you lying there? He answers: I cant walk anymore. Ive come from the other side of the frontier. Ive been walking for two weeks. Day and night. Especially night. Im too weak now. Im hungry. I havent eaten for three days. We ask: Why havent you got a uniform? All young man have a uniform. They are all soldiers. He says: I dont want to be a soldier anymore. You dont want to fight the enemy anymore? I dont want to fight anyone. I have no enemies. I want to go home. Where is your home? Still a long way off. Ill never get there if I dont find something to eat. We ask: Why dont you go and buy something to eat? Dont you have any money? No, I dont have any money, and I cant be seen. I must hide. No one must see me. Why? I left my regiment without leave. I ran away. Im a deserter. If they found me, Id be shot or hanged. We ask: Like a murderer? Yes, exactly like a murderer. And yet you dont want to kill anyone. You just want to go home. Yes, I just want to go home. We ask: What do you want us to bring you to eat? Anything. Goats milk, hard-boiled eggs, bread, fruit? Yes, yes, anything. We ask: And a blanket? The nights are cold, and it often rains. He says: Yes, but you mustnt be seen. And you wont say anything to anybody, will you? Not even to your mother. We answer: No one will see us, we never say anything to anybody, and we have no mother. When we come back with the food and blanket, he says: Youre very kind. We say: WE WERENT TRYING TO BE KIND. WEVE BROUGHT YOU THESE THINGS BECAUSE YOU ABSOLUTELY NEED THEM. THATS ALL. He says again: I dont know how to thank you. Ill never forget you. His eyes fill with tears. We say: Crying is no use, you know. We never cry, even though we arent men yet, like you. He smiles and says: Youre right. Excuse me, I wont do it anymore. Its just because of the exhaustion.
Posted on: Sun, 12 Oct 2014 03:00:43 +0000
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