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E-Books (english-e-reader), Delivery (2)

Delivery (2)

April 28

I feel so heavy. As the world outside grows lighter and fills with hope, I become heavier. My paintings are still in winter, almost colourless. I paint from one window now, from Bobby's room, which gives the best view of the gate.

My handsome stranger is making good progress. He began by laying out the stones in rows and writing numbers on them. Sometimes he stood up and looked back up at me, serious as always, his blond hair not quite visible from where I sit. The wall is finished. All that remains are the pillar and the gate.

Charlie smoked a cigarette, then knocked on the door for the first time since he began deliveries to Mrs Kennedy nearly a year before. Just leave the box by the door and she'll bring the groceries in herself, Horan had said. But Charlie couldn't just drop the new box down beside the old one and let the ants run all over it. When he knocked, the door opened. It hadn't been properly shut.

'Mrs Kennedy?' he called into the shadowy hall.

May 21

Charlie still leaves his small offerings. Yesterday it was a packet of sweets. I cannot eat them but I feel grateful and that feeds me.

I heard the owl call again last night. Closer this time. In my head I could see his long brown body diving from the sky, the terrified movements of the small animal he caught, the slow beat of his wings as he rose into the nighttime trees.

The pillar is almost finished. The gate lies on its side on the grass, ready to be put back in place.

Charlie felt cold. These thick-walled country houses were impossible to heat, from a single wood fire, anyway. His eyes got used to the darkness.

'Mrs Kennedy?' he called again. He went into the front room. There was a painting she had been working on, and others standing against a wall, which was papered in a flower pattern. An untidy pile of silver knives and forks on the carpet. He closed the door and moved towards the back of the house, where the kitchen was, he supposed. This door was open. He switched on the light. There was a fridge in the corner, still working. Three bananas blackened in a glass bowl. He could see that rats had been here; they had eaten into the bread and the butter and there were even tooth marks in a piece of pink soap in a dish. Charlie went back out into the hall and stood at the bottom of the stairs. He felt colder than ever.

'Mrs Kennedy?' he called and started up the stairs.

June 20

The days are like children, unwilling to come in from their play, and tonight the sky is a gentle purple, as smooth and as tight as the skin of an aubergine.

I have washed all my brushes for the last time. Each one left its own history of colour on my hands. I emptied the wooden knife-and-fork box and put them into it, along with all my paints. My present to you, Charlie Blue.

Tomorrow I will walk through the gate.

The smell of paint-cleaner hangs in the air.

While Charlie waited for O'Reilly the policeman and Dr Murphy to finish inside, he smoked his last cigarette, leaning against the side of the van, looking out over the trees to the distant, darkening hills. A yellow light came from the open doorway and upstairs window of the house. He had just finished his cigarette when O'Reilly came out and handed him a small wooden box, told him to go on home, that the ambulance could take over an hour to get there from Ballinasloe and that there was no point in waiting. O'Reilly would see him tomorrow. Ambulances never hurry for the already dead.

Charlie drove back into town and parked outside Horan's Hotel. The bollocks could keep his van. Through the hotel window, he could see his mother at her card game, the dog at her feet. She must have asked a neighbour to bring her into town. The dog sensed his presence, looked out but did not move.

He reached into the van and took out Mrs Kennedy's box of brushes and paints from the passenger seat. Shutting the door with his shoulder, he put her present under his arm and walked on, out past the last lights of the town and into the blue shadows of the moonlit countryside, feeling nervous but welcomed, like a stranger at home in what was once a foreign land.

- THE END -

Delivery (2) Lieferung (2) Entrega (2) Livraison (2) 配達 (2) 배송 (2) Dostawa (2) Entrega (2) Teslimat (2) Доставка (2)

April 28 April 28

I feel so heavy. Czuję się taki ciężki. As the world outside grows lighter and fills with hope, I become heavier. My paintings are still in winter, almost colourless. I paint from one window now, from Bobby's room, which gives the best view of the gate.

My handsome stranger is making good progress. Mein hübscher Fremder macht gute Fortschritte. Mon bel inconnu progresse bien. He began by laying out the stones in rows and writing numbers on them. Er begann damit, die Steine in Reihen auszulegen und sie mit Nummern zu versehen. Il a commencé par disposer les pierres en rangées et y a inscrit des numéros. Sometimes he stood up and looked back up at me, serious as always, his blond hair not quite visible from where I sit. Manchmal stand er auf und schaute wieder zu mir hoch, ernst wie immer, sein blondes Haar war von meinem Platz aus nicht ganz zu sehen. Parfois, il se levait et me regardait, toujours aussi sérieux, ses cheveux blonds n'étant pas tout à fait visibles de l'endroit où je suis assis. The wall is finished. All that remains are the pillar and the gate. Alles, was bleibt, sind die Säule und das Tor.

Charlie smoked a cigarette, then knocked on the door for the first time since he began deliveries to Mrs Kennedy nearly a year before. Charlie rauchte eine Zigarette und klopfte dann zum ersten Mal an die Tür, seit er vor fast einem Jahr mit den Lieferungen an Mrs. Kennedy begonnen hatte. Just leave the box by the door and she'll bring the groceries in herself, Horan had said. Lassen Sie den Karton einfach an der Tür stehen, und sie wird die Lebensmittel selbst hereinbringen, hatte Horan gesagt. But Charlie couldn't just drop the new box down beside the old one and let the ants run all over it. Aber Charlie konnte die neue Kiste nicht einfach neben der alten abstellen und die Ameisen über sie herfallen lassen. When he knocked, the door opened. It hadn't been properly shut. Sie war nicht richtig verschlossen worden.

'Mrs Kennedy?' he called into the shadowy hall.

May 21

Charlie still leaves his small offerings. Charlie hinterlässt immer noch seine kleinen Gaben. Yesterday it was a packet of sweets. I cannot eat them but I feel grateful and that feeds me. Ich kann sie nicht essen, aber ich bin dankbar, und das nährt mich.

I heard the owl call again last night. Gestern Abend habe ich wieder den Ruf der Eule gehört. Closer this time. In my head I could see his long brown body diving from the sky, the terrified movements of the small animal he caught, the slow beat of his wings as he rose into the nighttime trees. In meinem Kopf sah ich seinen langen braunen Körper vom Himmel stürzen, die erschrockenen Bewegungen des kleinen Tieres, das er gefangen hatte, den langsamen Schlag seiner Flügel, als er sich in die nächtlichen Bäume erhob.

The pillar is almost finished. Die Säule ist fast fertig. The gate lies on its side on the grass, ready to be put back in place. Das Tor liegt auf der Seite im Gras, bereit, wieder an seinen Platz gestellt zu werden.

Charlie felt cold. These thick-walled country houses were impossible to heat, from a single wood fire, anyway. Diese dickwandigen Landhäuser waren unmöglich zu heizen, jedenfalls nicht mit einem einzigen Holzfeuer. His eyes got used to the darkness. Jego oczy przyzwyczaiły się do ciemności.

'Mrs Kennedy?' he called again. He went into the front room. There was a painting she had been working on, and others standing against a wall, which was papered in a flower pattern. Es gab ein Bild, an dem sie gearbeitet hatte, und andere standen an einer Wand, die mit einem Blumenmuster tapeziert war. An untidy pile of silver knives and forks on the carpet. Ein unordentlicher Haufen silberner Messer und Gabeln auf dem Teppich. He closed the door and moved towards the back of the house, where the kitchen was, he supposed. Er schloss die Tür und ging in den hinteren Teil des Hauses, wo sich die Küche befand, wie er vermutete. This door was open. He switched on the light. There was a fridge in the corner, still working. Three bananas blackened in a glass bowl. He could see that rats had been here; they had eaten into the bread and the butter and there were even tooth marks in a piece of pink soap in a dish. Er konnte sehen, dass Ratten hier gewesen waren; sie hatten das Brot und die Butter angefressen und es gab sogar Zahnabdrücke in einem Stück rosa Seife in einer Schale. Charlie went back out into the hall and stood at the bottom of the stairs. Charlie ging zurück in den Flur und stellte sich an das Ende der Treppe. Charlie wrócił do holu i stanął na dole schodów. He felt colder than ever.

'Mrs Kennedy?' he called and started up the stairs.

June 20

The days are like children, unwilling to come in from their play, and tonight the sky is a gentle purple, as smooth and as tight as the skin of an aubergine. Die Tage sind wie Kinder, die nicht von ihrem Spiel zurückkommen wollen, und heute Abend ist der Himmel sanft violett, so glatt und fest wie die Haut einer Aubergine.

I have washed all my brushes for the last time. Ich habe alle meine Pinsel zum letzten Mal gewaschen. Each one left its own history of colour on my hands. Jedes hat seine eigene Farbgeschichte an meinen Händen hinterlassen. I emptied the wooden knife-and-fork box and put them into it, along with all my paints. Ich leerte die hölzerne Kiste mit den Messern und Gabeln und legte sie zusammen mit all meinen Farben hinein. My present to you, Charlie Blue.

Tomorrow I will walk through the gate.

The smell of paint-cleaner hangs in the air.

While Charlie waited for O'Reilly the policeman and Dr Murphy to finish inside, he smoked his last cigarette, leaning against the side of the van, looking out over the trees to the distant, darkening hills. Während Charlie darauf wartete, dass O'Reilly, der Polizist, und Dr. Murphy drinnen fertig wurden, rauchte er seine letzte Zigarette, lehnte sich an die Seite des Wagens und blickte über die Bäume hinweg auf die fernen, dunkler werdenden Hügel. A yellow light came from the open doorway and upstairs window of the house. Ein gelbes Licht kam aus der offenen Tür und dem Fenster im Obergeschoss des Hauses. He had just finished his cigarette when O'Reilly came out and handed him a small wooden box, told him to go on home, that the ambulance could take over an hour to get there from Ballinasloe and that there was no point in waiting. Er hatte gerade seine Zigarette zu Ende geraucht, als O'Reilly herauskam, ihm eine kleine Holzkiste reichte und ihm sagte, er solle nach Hause gehen, da der Krankenwagen von Ballinasloe aus über eine Stunde brauchen könne und es keinen Sinn habe, zu warten. O'Reilly would see him tomorrow. O'Reilly spotka się z nim jutro. Ambulances never hurry for the already dead. Krankenwagen eilen nie zu den bereits Verstorbenen.

Charlie drove back into town and parked outside Horan's Hotel. Charlie fuhr zurück in die Stadt und parkte vor Horan's Hotel. The bollocks could keep his van. Das Arschloch kann seinen Wagen behalten. Through the hotel window, he could see his mother at her card game, the dog at her feet. Durch das Hotelfenster konnte er seine Mutter bei ihrem Kartenspiel sehen, den Hund zu ihren Füßen. She must have asked a neighbour to bring her into town. The dog sensed his presence, looked out but did not move. Der Hund spürte seine Anwesenheit, schaute hinaus, bewegte sich aber nicht.

He reached into the van and took out Mrs Kennedy's box of brushes and paints from the passenger seat. Er griff in den Wagen und holte Frau Kennedys Kiste mit Pinseln und Farben vom Beifahrersitz. Shutting the door with his shoulder, he put her present under his arm and walked on, out past the last lights of the town and into the blue shadows of the moonlit countryside, feeling nervous but welcomed, like a stranger at home in what was once a foreign land. Er schloss die Tür mit der Schulter, klemmte ihr Geschenk unter den Arm und ging weiter, an den letzten Lichtern der Stadt vorbei und in die blauen Schatten der mondbeschienenen Landschaft hinein, wobei er sich nervös, aber willkommen fühlte, wie ein Fremder in einem einst fremden Land.

- THE END -