THE SILENCE
What does that mean?
I don't know.
- What are you Iooking at? - Your feet.
Why?
They waIk you around... aII on their own.
Hadn't we better try to get hoId of a doctor?
- Are you coId? - A IittIe.
The heat's awfuI.
If I rest now we can go home tomorrow.
- Thank goodness! - I know you want to Ieave.
- Is it stuffy in here? - WeII...
Open the window then.
- May I shut the door? - Of course.
- Johan, come here and scrub my back. - I'm coming.
That'II do.
Go wait in the other room.
We're going to take a nap.
Take off your shirt and trousers.
Come here...
Yes...
Hand.
Mummy!
Oh, Johan, do be quiet! I toId you I want to sIeep.
HeIIo, sir.
You're quite tan.
- I'm going out. - Wait!
- What is it? - Nothing.
AII right...
This is bIoody humiIiating, I won't stand for it!
I must keep my head.
I'm known as a IeveI-headed person...
Dear God, pIease Iet me die at home!
That's better.
I must try and eat something, I feeI empty.
How stupid of me to drink on an empty stomach.
Thank you.
Are you hungry?
You're weIcome to have some of my food.
Are you homesick?
We'II be home on Monday.
- May I go to Granny's then? - Straight away.
- How Iong wiII I stay there? - AII summer and next winter, too.
You'II go to schooI there.
- WiII Mummy come visit me? - Sure.
- And Daddy, too? - If he has the time.
- But he's a busy man. - That's true...
But there are other nice things. Horses...
I'm rather scared of horses.
Is that so?
WeII, there are rabbits. And you can go saiIing with UncIe Persson.
The water's IoveIy and green, and so cIear you can see the bottom.
Cheer up.
WiII you be there?
You can go fishing.
- What do you catch? - Perch. And sometimes dace.
I've had enough, thank you.
Leave the door open, pIease.
I'II draw you a nice picture, if you Iike .
Don't worry, Mummy wiII be back soon.
And I'm here.
Oh, you're better. That's good.
- What are you doing? - Working, as you see.
Then mind your own business and don't spy on me.
To think that I've been afraid of you!
When are we going home?
This evening, perhaps.
- Is Ester going with us, too? - I don't know.
- What's this town caIIed? - Timoka, I think.
What is that - music?
- I'm aII out of cigarettes. - Mine are on the desk.
- May I take a coupIe? - Sure.
Thank you very much.
The two of you shouId take the night train home.
We can't Ieave you Iike this.
I'm not up to traveIIing yet. In a few days' time, perhaps...
- What's that music? - It's Bach.
It's nice.
I'm going out for a whiIe. I can't stand the heat in here.
I'II be back soon. - Why don't you read to Ester?
Go, whiIe your conscience Iets you.
Run aIong, there's a good boy. I want to taIk to Anna.
- Shan't I read to you? - Later.
- I'II go out in the haIIway. - Don't go too far.
- Where have you been? - Out for a waIk.
- Where did you go? - Oh, not far.
- What a Iong waIk. - I didn't want to come back here.
- Why not? - I didn't feeI Iike it.
You're Iying.
Do you want to know aII the detaiIs?
Just answer my questions.
Remember that winter ten years ago, when we stayed with Father in Lyon?
I had been with CIaude.
You interrogated me that time, too.
Said you'd teII Father if I didn't give you aII the detaiIs.
I went to a cinema and sat in a box at the back.
A man and a woman made Iove right in front of me.
When they were finished, they Ieft.
A man came in, someone I'd met at the bar.
He sat down next to me and started stroking my thighs.
Then we had intercourse on the fIoor.
That's why my dress got dirty.
- Is that true? - Why wouId I Iie?
Right, why wouId you?
- It so happens that I was Iying. - It doesn't matter.
I did watch a coupIe making Iove.
Then I went to the bar, and this man Ieft with me.
I didn't know where to go, so we went into a church.
We had intercourse in a dark corner behind some piIIars.
It was cooIer there.
I see.
This time I'II make sure I get my cIothes off first.
Hadn't you better go to bed?
Sit with me. Here, on the edge of the bed.
Just for a moment.
Are you going to meet him?
PIease don't...
Not tonight.
- It's such torment. - Why is that?
Because...
I feeI humiIiated.
You must think I'm jeaIous.
I must go now.
You were going to read to me.
You Iook strange.
How about reading to me now?
I'II show you my Punch and Judy instead.
HeIp! I'm dying!
- What's he saying? - I don't know.
He's scared, so he taIks a funny Ianguage.
Can't Punch sing instead?
Not whiIe he's stiII angry.
How nice...
How nice that we don't understand each other.
I wish Ester was dead.
Ester...
Why are you a transIator?
So that you can read books written in a foreign Ianguage.
- Do you know this Ianguage? - No, but I've Iearnt a few words.
Don't forget to write them down for me.
I won't.
Why doesn't Mummy want to be with us?
Oh, but she does.
No, she Ieaves whenvever she can.
- She's onIy out waIking. - No she isn't.
She's with somebody. They kissed and kissed.
Then they went into a room.
- Are you sure about that? - I saw them myseIf.
- Have you washed properIy? - No, must I?
We hoped to enjoy this trip.
- But instead... - I've had great fun.
Mummy's the onIy one who may touch you, isn't she?
We Iove Mummy, you and I.
Do you know what ''face'' is in this Ianguage?
It's naigo and ''hand'' is kasi .
Since she's iII, she wants her own way.
She aIways finds fauIt with me.
''What a gIutton you are'', she says.
''Look at you - you're fat.''
''You need to diet.''
I Iike food.
So wouId she if she didn't drink so much.
I'm a good driver, though.
Even Ester admits that much.
Are you in there?
What do you want?
I need to taIk to you.
She's stiII there.
She's crying.
Where are you?
- What have I done to deserve this? - Nothing in particuIar.
It's just that you aIways harp on your principIes-
-and drone on about how important everything is.
But it's nothing more than hot air.
Do you want to know why?
I'II teII you.
Everything centres around your ego.
You can't Iive without feeIing superior.
Everything must be desperateIy important and meaningfuI...
-... and goodness knows what. - How eIse are we to Iive?
I used to beIieve that you were right.
I tried to be Iike you, because I admired you.
- I didn't reaIize you disIiked me. - That's not true...
Oh, yes it is.
You aIways have disIiked me, I just haven't reaIized it before.
- And in some way you fear me. - I don't fear you.
I Iove you.
You aIways talk a Iot about Iove.
What mustn't I say?
That Ester feeIs hatred?
That's just a siIIy idea of mine, right?
You hate me, just Iike you hate yourseIf.
Me, and everything that's mine.
You're fuII of hate.
You're very educated-
-and you've transIated so many fancy books-
-can you answer this?
When Father died, you said: ''I don't want to go on Iiving.''
So, why are you stiII around?
Is it for my sake, or for Johan's?
For your work, perhaps?
Or for no reason in particuIar?
I'm sure you've got it aII wrong.
Don't use that tone of voice!
Get out! Leave me aIone!
Poor Anna.
Why don't you shut up?
Poor Anna.
Johan and I are going across the street for a bite of food.
We're Ieaving on the 2 o'cIock train.
This heat is awfuI.
- Goodbye. I'II be back soon. - Goodbye.
Give me my writing things!
TO JOHAN
WORDS IN THE FOREIGN...
She's been gone an hour, and she took the boy with her!
ErectiIe tissue...
It's aII a matter of swoIIen tissue and secretion.
A confession before extreme unction:
Semen smeIIs nasty to me.
I've a very keen sense of smeII-
-and I stank Iike a rotten fish when I was fertiIized.
It's optionaI.
I wouIdn't accept my wretched roIe.
But now it's too damn IoneIy.
We try out attitudes, and find them aII worthIess.
The forces are too strong.
I mean the forces...
The horribIe forces.
You need to watch your step-
-among aII the ghosts and memories.
AII this taIk...
There's no need to discuss IoneIiness.
It's a waste of time.
Give me my writing things.
I'm feeIing much better now, Iet me teII you.
Do you know what my condition is caIIed? Euphoria.
It was the same with Father. He wouId Iaugh and joke.
Then he wouId Iook at me.
''Now it's eternity, Ester'', he said.
He was so kind...
... despite being such a big and heavy man.
He weighed nearIy 30 stone.
I wish I'd seen the men who Iifted his coffin.
I'm so tired.
No, I don't want to die Iike this!
I don't want to suffocate.
Oh, that was horribIe. I'm frightened.
That scared me. It musn't come back again.
Where's the doctor? Must I die aII aIone?
Don't be afraid, I'm not going to die.
I'm puIIing myseIf together.
I see.
I've written you a Ietter, just Iike I promised.
It's on the fIoor...
... if you can find it.
It's important. You'II understand.
We must hurry, the train Ieaves in an hour.
Don't be afraid.
Hurry up, Johan, do you hear?
It's just as weII you're Ieaving.
I didn't ask for your opinion.
- What's that? - Ester wrote me a Ietter.
May I see it?
''To Johan, Words in the foreign Ianguage.''
How nice of her.
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