far away.â
âFrom the German Jewry,â says the Jew. âFrom the town of Auschstaadt.â
David pauses. Then repeats slowly:
âAuschstaadt.â
His frenzy has dissipated.
He turns to Sabana. Fear rises in her eyes. He asks her:
âAre you from Auschstaadt?â
They all look at her. She is frozen, sitting there against the wall, in the light. The clear blue eyes are unfocused: they seek Auschstaadt.
âAuschstaadt,â she repeats.
âYes,â says the Jew.
âWhere is Auschstaadt?â asks David.
âHere,â says the Jew.
âEverywhere,â says Abahn. âLike Gringo. Like the Jew. Like David.â
âHere. Everywhere,â says the Jew.
Sabana is still thinking about Auschstaadt.
âAnd when?â asks David.
âAlways,â says the Jew. âRight now.â
âWeâre all from Auschstaadt,â says Abahn.
Silence. A new fear seems to grow in David.
âShe wouldnât be any different from the Jew if she knew something,â says Abahn.
David recoils, still looking at the form of Sabana on the ground, leaning back, as if he recognizes something evil in her. He says:
âItâs true, Gringo said she was crazy, that she makes things up.â
âWhat do you think?â asks Abahn.
David makes an effort to speak. The fear retreats a little. He tries to pull his thoughts together. He answers without looking up:
âI donât know.â He smiles a tight and painful smile. âI amuse myself with her.â
Silence.
âWho is she?â demands David.
The fear has gone.
âNo one knows,â says the Jew.
David and the Jew look up at one another.
â¢
D avid and the Jew are looking at each other still.
âYou have to try anyway,â says the Jew to David.
David starts to attention.
âWhat?â
âTo move toward communism,â says the Jew.
âTo where ?â David smiles as if it were a joke. The Jews smile too.
âTo where we donât know,â says Abahn. âYou donât know.â
The Jew smiles, at David, at everyone.
âYou have to try not to create it,â says the Jew.
Unthinking, David strokes his gun. Having found it again, he yanks his hand back as if burned.
âTo arrive in the forest,â says Abahn.
âWild,â says the Jew.
âThe forest,â David repeats.
They fall silent. David is still looking at them. They look elsewhere.
âYou came to destroy our unity,â says David. His voice is dull, flat. Trembling.
âYes.â
âTo divide? Sow dissent in our unity?â
âYes,â says the Jew.
âTo sow dissent in our spirit?â
âYes.â
âTo what end?â asks David.
âNo one knows,â says the Jew.
âTo break, to shatter,â says Sabana.
âWhere?â asks David.
âTo Sabana,â says the Jew.
Silence. David fights against sleep.
âIt would be normal to kill you, to hunt you like a pest.â
âYes,â says the Jew.
Silence.
Sabana looks through the dark window.
David stands up.
Sabana and David can hear what the Jews do not hear, see what the Jews do not see.
âWe walk by the ponds,â says Sabana.
âThereâs a light!â David calls out.
She turns back to the window, the darkened park, the field of the dead.
âThereâs a light out in the field,â says David.
Sabana peers out, listening. âI saw it,â she says calmly. âItâs not there anymore.â
He turns to her. She is still there, at the window, looking out at the field.
âIâm afraid,â says David. âCome over here.â
âNo.â
He collapses back into his chair. He closes his eyes. With all his strength he tries to fall asleep again. He calls out to Sabana. He tells her to come back to him, he says he doesnât understand.
She does not answer.
He calls again, weaker. Then he
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