13, Rue Therese - Elena Mauli Shapiro [80]
The other one, the one standing, stares dreamily into the distance, with both hands in his pockets to shield them from the frigid air. Aren’t you impressed at how tidy he keeps his mustache, under the circumstances? Wait—is that a sword dangling at his side? They still fought with swords?
This must be wrong. Not in the twentieth century!
But this is not wrong—did you know, in the beginning, there were still cavalry charges? It was ridiculous. There were so many pointless deaths this way, of both men and horses.
His bayonet is taller than he is; it must be a heavy burden to carry around everywhere. The blade is a long sharp cruel thing: it can run a man straight through, right through the sternum and into the heart—it slides in so easily. The lack of resistance from the flesh and bone of the enemy startles him every time.
The blade is long and sharp and cruel and carefully maintained. It must also be carefully wielded: he wouldn’t want to accidentally gut himself. That would be quite a foolish way to die, by your own clumsy hand.
12. Do you see in the background? There is rendered a shell explosion, with the flaming shrapnel radiating outward, painted red to differentiate it from the smoke. Imagine the sound of this blast. The two men do not even bother turning their heads to look at where the racket comes from. Are they that blasé, or is the picture a completely posed and manufactured thing?
Whether they are truly at the trenches, or whether this was cleverly done in a studio somewhere, you know that the explosion at the horizon behind the two men is painted in by an artist’s hand—it is not really there.
13. This language where every word means a thousand things! French is such a nightmare for a muddled translator such as myself. You see, Louise has indulged in punnery: “stray cash” is a play on words. The words in French: espèces errantes.
Espèces means “cash, paper money.” It also means: “species, kind, breed.”
Errantes means “stray, like a lost domestic animal.” Also, it clearly has the same root as the word erreur (“error, mistake”), which implies that the stray animal is merely mistaken in the direction it is heading: if it only made a concerted effort, it could easily find its way home.
So Louise says “stray cash,” but she also says “errant breed.” She says: “Be careful with your errant breed.”
What could this mean? It could refer to anything; she could even be telling him to be kind to his children. I am, of course, reaching ridiculously here since, at least for the moment, her pun plainly means nothing at all.
14. The French word goudron means both “tar” and “starch.”
15. “It’s funny how the Englishmen are dapper and effeminate.”
16. “Pardon?”
17. “The French wear the light uniforms. The English are wearing the dark ones.”
18. “How do you know this?”
19. “If you have other finds, you can certainly show them to me, Trevor.”
20. Thanking you in advance and in the expectation and hope of reading you, please agree to my warmest salutations
21. His name is not in the record. His death is not in the record. It is as if he never existed.
22. Today, across time, I sing this note, and I wish I knew music. I wish I could tell you which one it is. It is frightening and a little mournful. I close my eyes and feel the vibration in my throat. Today a Wednesday, noon.
23. “Another finding?”
24. “A fascinating object, don’t you find?”
25. “Have you noticed the pointed tips? Do you know why they’re like that?”
26. “No, why?”
27. “They signify that the bullets are supersonic. This means that the bullet is in the flesh before the target hears the detonation.