B007P4V3G4 EBOK by Richard Huijing Page B

it
was still alive. It revived between the two of them, which was the
most important thing, the only important thing. Now, she was
completely like him.
    Who cared the way the others spoke? Nobody existed for him
any more, except her. What he had wished to do when he believed
to be closing his eyes for ever, to banish all that surrounded him
from his thought, that same thing happened to him now. To him,
she was all that truly existed.

    This was no trembling with fear, but trembling with happiness
which was why it could change into strength and control. No
more abandoning himself to tenderness now, no more words now
except the ones trapeze artists will cry out to each other in the
circus: no taking an advance on their happiness as long as it hadn't
been captured yet.
    The most difficult part of all came at the edge, where he must
surmount the incline. He now avoided looking at her on purpose;
the sight of her so close by would be as deadly as that of Medusa,
would make him fall at once.
    Measure for measure, he progressed. He, too, began to incline,
over backwards: he had to grip the stone tightly. Softly, almost at
a whisper, she gave instructions. 'Bit more to the left - a little
further - no, not there, that bit's there's a hollow
there - now raise your foot: there's another ledge
along very go your left hand and stretch out as far as
possible.'
    Yes, she gripped him: let go!
    Now those who were following him with bated breath from below
and from the balcony saw him float through the air but to their
amazement, he did not fall, though the music had already ceased.
    Quite how it was done, no one could really tell: a few seconds
on, they saw the prisoner and the slavegirl in up
there.
    She had truly drawn him to her.
    Now they were together. Now they could behold one another,
say sweet nothings in each other's ears, melt their joys and their
sorrow into one and entrust one another with their bodies.
    Both wept with happiness, but they knew, too, that it would not
last, and that all that can be between man and woman must be
encompassed in that short time.
    The sense of this brevity was the only thing that remained
within them of the mayhem in the cave; all other things had been
completely obliterated by their mutual possession.
    Every word, each gesture proved to them that they were alike
to an unfathomable depth.
    They hurled themselves into the abyss of one another.
    Amazement soon turned to anger in those who beheld this. They began to hurl abuse, to shout, to rant. Rage took all in its grip, the
prisoners as much as the others. The empress shrieked. Like a fishwife.

    None of this got through to the loving couple.
    It took a long time before the order had been passed down the
line and its execution came into effect.
    Then the servants reached them with their stakes and pushed
them down.
    They still remained united in their fall.
    On the ground, she was torn to pieces over his broken back.

     

Huub Beurskens
    We have arrived. I can hear the hubbub. People have come by the
carload. There is excited calling and shouting. Cheerful, popular
music sounds from loudspeakers, repeatedly interrupted by a voice
listing numbers. These will be the numbers of parties allowed to
go in, in the order announced. They are trying to make everything
run in an orderly fashion and so prevent a crush. I can hear more
cars arriving all the time. Particularly those with the heavy droning
engines will be bringing in throngs of invited guests. There are so
many guests that, right through the stink of exhaust fumes, I can
even sniff their presence here. I don't mean anything derogatory
by that, of course. On the contrary, the smell has something
salutary about it, Doubtless, all have made themselves
look splendid.
    I presume that I'll go in last and will stride forwards through the
guests to enthusiastic applause. This accounts for one of the
reasons why the car I am in has been shuttered off. Had the