As time flies

Et voici une petite nouvelle que j'ai dû écrire en Anglais. Il y a des sources d'inspiration évidentes. Il y a aussi quelques citations qui agrémentent l'histoire. Enfin, je sais que l'anglais n'est pas très recherché et que le style laisse à désirer mais bon j'ai dû écrire cette nouvelle en très peu de temps. Voilà, j'espère que vous saurez l'apprécier

As time flies

“I see that Time's the king of men,
For he's their parent, and he is their grave,
And gives them what he will, not what they crave.”
[William Shakespeare]

It was the end.

All of this was ridiculous. Indeed, how could he have been so stupid? What did he hope? Thomas was dead and nothing would never change it. Coming here was useless. Why did he come here? He was so peaceful in his every day’s life in London. Woke up, Washed himself, Ate, Went at school, Teached, Ate, Discussed, Teached, Came back, Discussed, Ate, Watched TV, Slept. He was far from this insane trip which led Emma and him to the middle of nowhere which stole him five days of his life and maybe more... And how had he been able to listen to that mad old woman until she had finished blathering? He should have listened to Emma, she was right when she said that they shouldn’t listen to her, she was right since the beginning.


The story began when Nathanael decided to read one of the dusty books which are enthroned in his bookcase. Indeed, he had made a resolution: before buying new books, he will read all of these books that people inherit and put in their library although they have never read them and although they usually never read in their lives. At this moment, he had decided to read The Tragedy of King Lear by William Shakespeare. He was still in front of his library, discovering the cover (where we could see one man sitting on a chair who seemed to have been interrupted when he was reading an old book in the candlelight by another man who was showing him a wound on his chest), when something had got away from pages. Nathanael looked furtively peep what it was. His heart leapt into his mouth. It was a letter. A letter upon which he recognized the writing. A writing that he would never forget. It was his best friend’s writing. Thomas’ writing. He had never seen this letter before although Thomas was dead for years. He didn’t wait and caught it. The letter hadn’t been opened. The postmark was dated from October, Friday 12th of 2001. Thomas died on the 21st of December the same year, Nathanael knew it. He tore open the envelope and saw the last words of his friend :

Dear Nathy,
I need you. I’m sorry to ask you this but I want you to come as soon as possible. Come back in Zoar, please. I’m waiting for you. The sooner will be the better. We will have to see.
I’m waiting for you. Don’t forget that times flies here.
Come back.
We’ll meet again.
Thomas

There, they were the last words of his friend. Nathanael remembered the last discussions he had with Thomas thanks to the telephone. Then, Thomas had reproached him not to have answered to his letter. But before this day, he had never seen it. Nathanael didn’t understand how this letter could have been in this book although he was sure he had never read (and opened) it. Thomas wanted him to come. But why didn’t he ask Nathanael to come when they were phoning? And why did he want him to come? Did he know that he would die and so he wanted to see him a last time? The words in this letter seemed to have been quickly written as if Thomas had an emergency, as if he was in distress... It didn’t look like him. Although all these questions crossed his mind, Nathanael didn’t realize that tears flew on his face. He burst into tears for good.



It was one week later that he decided to go to Zoar Town. He couldn’t stand not sleeping each night since the letter’s discovery. It was with red eyes, because of the lack of sleep and because of the tears, that he declared it to Emma, his friend who with he lived. Without hesitation, she decided to go with him. Nathanael thought that he hadn’t finished his mourning, and he thought that going to Thomas’ native town, the place where they met when they were very young, would help him. So, he took one week off, prepared his baggage and put them in the car. He watched the street, waiting for Emma. He could see children who were playing in their garden, near a beautiful tree which was losing its leaves... and upon which there was a little black cat, washing himself. Nathanael smiled when he saw that the cat was entirely black except the end of his tail which was white. The cat stopped washing himself and as if he felt his watching, the cat stared at him.
“You could have helped me.”
Emma’s voice surprised Nathanael. He looked at her : she had put her baggage in the car and she was now sitting in the car.
“H-hum... Sorry. But I don’t know when you will be ready, so I wanted to verify that the car was OK.”
“And how was the car?”
“I think we will reach Zoar Town without any problem.”
Nathanael looked for the cat in the tree but he wasn’t there anymore.
“What do you look?”
Nathanael looked for the animal around the tree but he seemed to have vanished.
“There was a... nothing. Forget it. Nothing interesting.”
He pulled away and they left London.


When they arrived to Zoar Town, it was around midnight. Although the darkness reigned, Nathanael didn’t have any problem to recognize the small town. Nothing had changed. He felt something happened deeply in him but he didn’t want Emma to notice it. He behaved as if he tried to find a place to sleep although he exactly knew where he had to go, recognizing each street. He was used to cross them, when he was younger, with Thomas. They finally entered an hotel.
“Hello. We’d like to have a room, please.” Nathanael asked.
“It is 39,99£ the night.” The innkeeper answered.
“We’ll probably stay for a week.”
The innkeeper seemed to be astonished.
“For a week?”
“Yeah, a week, please.”
“Why do you come here for as much as time ? There’s nothing here. Don’t waste your time here.”
“It’s for reasons of my own. Do you want us to go somewhere else?” He replied irritated, bluffing. (Emma made a pressure with her left hand on his right arm.)
“No, stay here. Whatever, it’s the only one hotel of the town.”
“I know. I’ve already come to this place.”
“If I were you, I would avoid multiply the journeys here.”
The innkeeper, without another word, showed them the room. They accepted it and they put their baggage in there. Nathanael was tired and he went in bed, the bed he would share with Emma. He was already overwhelmed in his stream of thoughts when she joined him in bed and he barely heard her when she said :
“Odd boy. He didn’t want to make money, did he? What the fuck could it make to him if we stay here one week, two weeks or more? We did what we want !”
“I know, I know.”
“I’m feeling ill-at-ease, here.”
And both him.


The following days, Nathanael began to wonder why he decided to come here. He quickly understood that it was not really to make his mourning. He went to every place which had a signification for him and his friend but nothing happened anymore in him. He didn’t feel sad but he was, each time, more disappointed than before. It was as if he was expecting that Thomas appeared and said “FINALLY”, pouncing on him. But there was no Thomas, there were only dead places. Emma was following him, not saying any word, just with him. She saw many places which were for her places like another, findable in London. She knew they were not there by blind chance but if Nathanael didn’t explain why they were there, she didn’t ask.
Nathanael led her to Thomas’ house, where he lived with his parents, where he first saw him when he discovered the place for the first time. He was around eleven years old at that time, his parents and him were going to their holidays’ place when their car had a mechanic problem. They decided to stop driving in Zoar Town, the nearest city, to make repair it. When his parents were at the garage, Nathanael walked around and he saw Thomas then. Although Thomas was a little bit older than Nathanael, they became friends and they began playing together. Unfortunately for his parents, the car needed auto parts that were rare and it took two weeks to have them. So they spent their holidays there and Nathanael felt in his seventh heaven. Finally, his parents learnt to like this sweet town, deserted by tourists and they went there each year. Nathanael found again his holidays’ friend with pleasure and they never lost contact. When Nathanael was old enough, he went to Zoar Town by himself, as much as he could. When they couldn’t see themselves, they wrote letters, they phoned... until Thomas’ death which occurred suddenly. Nathanael was very hurt by his death, especially it was a very long time that they didn’t see themselves face to face.
When Emma and him were in front of the house, Nathanael knew that time had damaged it. Not that the house was in ruin, but it was on the contrary very well-kept. He knocked on the front door. A pretty black-haired woman opened the door.
“Good morning, Mrs. I’m sorry to disturb you. I knew the family who was living here before. Did you know where they lived now?”
“They’re all dead, of course. What did you expect? Sorry, I have no time to waste.”
She closed the door. Nathanael remained one moment in front of the door, surprised. Then, he returned himself and looked at Emma who stayed back.
“What an unpleasant woman. Lucky you, have me. We should go, shouldn’t we?” she asked. Seeing Nathanael’s astonished face, she added : “Every woman isn’t as perfect as me. You’ve just noticed it?”
Nathanael didn’t listen to her anymore : he thought he had seen a little cat crossing the street. A black cat with a white ending tail.


Zoar Town seemed to be lifeless. During the day, the only people we could see walking on the street didn’t speak and when Nathanael and Emma talked to them, they looked at them as if they had been just awaken and answered with few words. Then, they continued walking, as if they hurried up. That was maybe the reason for what Emma asked Nathanael to leave the city since the third night.
“We should leave. It is useless to be here. And this place is bleak.”
“Bleak?” Nathanael repeated.
“Yes, this town is bleak. Everybody is strange here.”

Men at some time are masters of their fates:
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings.
[William Shakespeare]

The fourth day, they had decided to leave the town before the night. They would stay for the day and Nathanael didn’t know why he didn’t decide to leave the morning. He had been in every places where he had been with Thomas before. There were not any trail of his past story with him and Thomas and no trail of Thomas either. It was as if Thomas had never existed. Nobody seemed to remember him. Nathanael didn’t know what he could do to spend his last day here, so, he led Emma to a pub, where they drank, speaking about everything but Thomas.
When they saw that the sun was setting, Emma and him went out. They slowly walked in silent, taking the direction of the hotel. Nathanael felt his heart wringing. He felt tears in his eyes and he held back them. He was expecting for any sign in the street, any presence but as always in the evening in that town, there was nobody in the streets. There were only lights from the houses, as if life only continued inside once the night was fallen. The only sign of life outside was this cat, sitting on the street garbage, watching the two persons who were approaching to it. Nathanael stopped walking and Emma so on.
“Are you OK?” she asked.
“This cat...” he began to answer.
The cat interrupted him by jumping on the floor. He began to run, crossing the street and taking small street on the left. Without waiting, Nathanael began to run too in order to follow him. Emma was so surprised that she didn’t know what to do. She didn’t understand what happened but she followed Nathanael too. Nathanael ran as quickly as possible but he didn’t manage to reach the cat. His heart was beating so quickly, so hardly that he didn’t know if it would hold out. He didn’t mind. He had to follow this cat. He didn’t know why but he knew that it was not the first time he saw it. He had seen it when he was in front of Thomas’ house. He had seen it when he was in his car, in London, far from there of hundreds of miles, ready to come here. He was sure it was the same cat. A little black cat with a white-ending-tail.
Nathanael didn’t know how long he had run before losing the cat, hearing Emma who was following him and who was shouting his name. He felt exhausted, Emma who was just arrived by his side too. He was looking around him. The cat had disappeared behind a tombstone, he didn’t know which one. He was in a cemetery.
“We should go. We should come back in London.” Emma repeated.
Emma didn’t understand why Nathanael had run until there but she did not really want to know it. Nathanael did not answer. He continued to look for the cat around him. And then, he finally saw Him. He was there, just a little further. Standing. Not looking at him. Nathanael wanted to shriek but he did not manage to. He began to come up to Thomas. He had not changed. For the first time, Nathanael could have the impression that they were the same age. For the first time, Nathanael didn’t have the impression that Thomas was older. Each time they saw themselves, Nathanael had the impression that their age difference was bigger and bigger.
And then, Thomas looked at him. Finally. They stared at themselves. Thomas smiled and began to speak. Nathanael didn’t hear.
“I can’t hear. I come !”
He began to run in order to hug him. Thomas continued to talk although Nathanael didn’t hear him. He tried to lip-read what he said, no matter he didn’t know lip-reading. And no matter he didn’t manage to lip-read him, he had almost arrived next to him. He had nearly not hear “Nathan!”, Emma’ shouting from behind. Nothing would stop him, nothing would never separate them again... except for a cat.
Suddenly, the cat had run in front of him and he stumbled on it. Nathanael had fallen, hearing a new “Nathan!” from behind. Nathanael, ashore, the face upon the earth, saw the cat vanishing in the darkness with a “miaow”. When Nathanael got off the ground, Thomas wasn’t there anymore. Emma arrived.
“How are you? Are you injured?”
Nathanael did not answer and he reached the gravestone which one Thomas had just been in front of. Emma followed him and she put her hand on his arm. She made a pressure :
“Come. We should leave. It’s no time to be in a cemetery.”
“Have you seen him?”
“Who?”
“Thomas. Have you seen a man, standing up here, one minute ago?”
They stared at themselves. Emma did not answered, tear-filled. Thomas shouldn’t have been here. It was not possible. Nathanael watched the epitaph : it was the tombstone of a someone who had the luck to live very longer than Thomas. Nathanael had believed it was his tombstone.
“I want to see his gravestone.”
“OK. Where is it?”
“I don’t know... When he died, the notary public had called me. He said me when he would be buried. I didn’t know if I would come. But I came. I didn’t know if it was the notary public who had had a mistaken in the date, or if it was me when I was writing it. All I know is that when I came, it was an old man who was burying... I left. So I don’t know where his tombstone was.”
“OK, we’ll find it. It can’t be very far from there. The cemetery was little, whatever.”
They spent more than an hour looking for Thomas’ tombstone but they didn’t find it. Emma looked for it but she felt more concerned in Nathanael’ state of mind. When they finally decided to leave the cemetery, she couldn’t help feeling revealed inside. Nathanael, him, was silent.
Unfortunately for Emma, the cat was waiting for them at the entrance of the cemetery.
“Still you!” Nathanael shouted.
“Nathan, please. Ignore him!”
The cat did not apparently decide to run this time. He walked on the street and Nathanael followed it again. Although it was because of it that Nathanael did never know if Thomas was really there that night, it was also thanks to him that he had the doubt that Thomas was alive.
“Emma, you can go to the hotel if you want. I know you are wondering if I’m mad. Following a cat... It’s ridiculous.”
“No, I stay with you, Nathan. Wherever you go.”
She caught his hand and they walked along the street, hand in hand, following the cat.


The cat led them to an old house. The cat entered thanks to a cat flap. Emma and him stopped themselves in front of the door. But the door was opening. Nathanael hesitated, glanced at Emma and entered. Emma followed.
“Is there someone?”
No answer.
Nathanael continued walking in which looked like a deserted house. A light switched on in a room at the end of the corridor.
“I’m sorry, I have entered without your permission. I’m not a thief.”
Nathanael could hear clicking sounds, whisperings. He felt his heart beating quicker and quicker. He was terrified but he continued going through the house. Emma clenched his hand harder and harder. They finally arrived in the living room.
“What are you doing here ?”
It was an old woman. A poor old woman in rags.
“We’re sorry. We don’t want to disturb you, we were following a...”
“What are you doing there?” she shouted.
She didn’t look at them since they entered, as if she wasn’t talking to them. She was making tea. The cat was sitting on the table in the middle of the room. It was washing itself.
“It’s... It’s your cat which took us to there.”
“Oh, Lear, I’ve told you not to bring me anything... You’re really a naughty cat... What are you saying ?”
The cat looked at her but he hadn’t “miaowed”.
“It’s not a reason. I don’t care.”
The old woman continued preparing her tea.
“You know, I couldn’t bear people moreover.”
Emma made another pressure on Nathanael’s hand but he did not answer.
“Mrs, your cat took me to the cemetery and...”
“If you continue bringing me people, I will definitely close the cat flap, you know?”
The old woman kept ignoring them, talking to her cat.
“She’s mad.” Emma whispered.
“It’s not me who have seen Thomas in cemetery.” The old woman replied.
“How do you know? And you know Thomas?” Nathanael asked, heart in voice.
“You see, Lear, because of you, people waste their time here instead of leaving this town.”
“Do you know Thomas?”
The old woman continued preparing her tea, putting a cup on the table. Nathanael caught her and shook her.
“Do you know Thomas?”
“Nathan !” Emma shouted.
He dropped the old woman. She stared at him.
“I don’t know him.”
“You have mentioned his name.”
“Lear said it to me.”
“Lear is a cat.”
“Appearances are sometimes deceptive, boy. Lear is a cat, Thomas is dead. Lear isn’t a cat, you have seen Thomas.”
Nathanael looked at her. He could see each wrinkles on her face. There was a silence. It was as if time was suspended.
“Is Thomas alive?”
The old woman caught her teapot and filled up her tea cup.
“Nathan, I want to leave this house. I want to leave this town. Come back home.”
“Sorry, Emma. I need an answer.”
Emma sat down on the floor, against a wall. She put her hands on her face.
“Is Thomas alive?” Nathanael repeated.
“Of course. Of course that he is dead.” The old woman said.
Nathanael gulped down.
“Did you know him?”
“I used to see him in the town before. But I didn’t know him personally.”
“Why did you lie before ?”
“What could it change? You have to leave this town before it’s too late. Forget him.”
“I’ve seen him.”
“You’ve seen what you wanted to see.”
“Your cat took us to the cemetery, it took us there.”
“And what? What do you want?”
“Truth.”
The old woman drank a little bit of her tea.
“Already cold.”
She drank again.
“It’s too late now. You should have come before. He was waiting for you. Now, he’s definitely dead.”
“I didn’t know he wanted me to come. I’ve just had his letter.”
“It’s God’s decision or an unfortunate setback...”
“What have killed him? The notary public said he didn’t know.”
“Everybody dies.”
“Not at 20 years old. Except if you are ill.”
“He was in good mood until the end.”
“Has someone killed him?”
“No need to kill him. Time does it really well.”
“We have the same age. And I’m alive !”
“Time flies here.”
Nathanael felt anger and anger. She didn’t listen to him. He wanted answers.
“Why didn’t he leave Zoar?”
“We couldn’t. God makes sure of that. You should have come before. He is now dead.”
“Where is he buried?”
“Lear showed you.”
“It was an eighty-year-old-person tombstone.”
“It was his.”
There was a silent. Nathanael couldn’t believe what he was hearing. This old woman was really mad.
“He was not eighty years old.”
“Time flies here.”
It ringed a bell in Nathanael’s head. He had already heard these words. He first didn’t manage to remember when. He knew that they were Thomas’ words. He remembered then that it was a sort of maxim that Thomas said every time and that he didn’t ever understand until now. He considered the woman who was in front of him, drinking her tea. He looked at the cat, which was sleeping next to Emma.
“What happens here?”
The old woman smiled :
“Zoar escaped the thunder and the lightning. But the town had been punished too. Zoar is a jail where we are born, we live, and we die. We can’t escape. We can’t go out. He has tried to. You’re too late. She (she pointed out Emma) is right. Leave this town as fast as you can.”
“What do you mean?”
“Times flies here. It’s our punishment. Leave before it becomes yours too. Leave before God decides that you know too much for leaving.”


This was all that had happened. After that, Nathanael didn’t exactly remember how they left the house. He remembered that Emma and him had walked silently. He hadn’t managed to sleep, thinking of all the things that had happened that night. The following morning, he had stood up, without waiting Emma. He knew that she was awaken too but it was as if they had decided not to speak without clearly saying it. He didn’t answer when the innkeeper asked to him if he would leave this day as it was foreseen. He went out and sat down on a public bench in front of the church. He watched but he didn’t see anything. He thought but he didn’t manage to fix his ideas. He let his stream of thoughts go and come. He looked at a tall yew in front of him....its leaves were falling on the desert street. Dead.

Nathanael stood up and walked, without thinking of anything. He arrived in front of the cemetery. It was waiting here. The little cat.
“Hi. Lear.”
He “miaowed”. Nathanael opened the cemetery’s gate and entered. He walked instinctively, crossing it. He arrived in front of the tombstone. He read :

Here lies
An eighty-five-year-old man,
Who has wasting his time,
Waiting.
His last words were : We’ll meet again.

As tears trickled down his face, he felt one warm hand on his left shoulder. He watched behind him. It was not the end, just the beginning.

“The weight of this sad time we must obey;
Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say.
The oldest hath borne most: we that are young
Shall never see so much, nor live so long.”
[William Shakespeare]