Abahn Sabana David

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Book: Read Abahn Sabana David for Free Online
Authors: Marguerite Duras
listens to them. She is regarding them.
    â€œYou have to explain to Gringo,” says Abahn. “Tell him that David wanted the dogs of the Jew.”
    Slowly she turns back to the darkened park, stands there, gazing out. She says:
    â€œGringo won’t listen. He won’t read.”
    It seems they do not understand.
    â€œYou have to tell him that David’s desire was stronger than life, stronger than death,” says the Jew.
    â€œIt was a desire Gringo could not see,” says Abahn, “but you saw it, Sabana. That David is a hunter. That he had the desire. That he should let David take the dogs.”
    â€œBecause that name: David,” says the Jew, “is the name of a hunter.”
    She says:
    â€œThese dogs are forbidden in Staadt. I found out.”
    They do not answer. They seem not to have heard. They seem to have forgotten Sabana. They talk among themselves.
    â€œDogs by the million,” says the Jew.
    Something breaks in the Jew’s voice. What suddenly entered his voice?
    â€œJew dogs,” says Abahn.
    â€œUseless,” says the Jew.
    â€œBlameless,” says Abahn.
    â€œHappy,” says the Jew.
    Silence.
    The sound of crying. They turn.
    Sabana is crying.
    Silence.
    She says:
    â€œI want the gas chamber. I want to die.”
    She cries out.
    â€œGet me out of here. I want to leave.”
    They do not answer her.
    â€¢
    â€œW hich forest?” asks Abahn.
    Tears fall from Sabina’s eyes. She thinks on it.
    â€œThe forest.”
    â€œYou don’t know what’s beyond here,” says Abahn. “Where is the forest?”
    She searches her thoughts.
    â€œWhere, I don’t know. We have to talk about it.”
    â€œThe wild forest,” says the Jew.
    â€œYes,” she says, pausing. “Where is it?”
    â€œDeep within Staadt,” says the Jew.
    She isn’t crying anymore. She looks at the Jews once more. Her gaze has become somber again, somber and blue.
    â€œThe forest is in David’s mind as well,” says the Jew.
    She looks over at him slumbering.
    â€œIn David’s head,” she says.
    They fall silent.
    â€œYou are in the forest,” says the Jew. “You are in the head of David.”
    â€œFar away,” says Abahn. “You see something.”
    She searches for a long time.
    â€œI don’t see another David,” she says. “I see a Jew.”
    â€œThere are Jews in the forest,” says Abahn.
    A sob, sudden, brief, stifled, all at once.
    â€œThey know it, just like David.”
    â€œYou know it for David,” says the Jew.
    She is silent. For a long while she looks at the bare walls of the house of the Jew.
    â€œThe forest is in the house of the Jew,” she says.
    â€œYes.”
    â€œIn the body of the Jew, in his dogs,” says Abahn.
    Sabana’s gaze unfocuses.
    â€œIn Prague, in the fields of the dead.”
    â€œYes, like that. Prague is also Staadt,” says Abahn.
    â€œAnd the fields of the dead are in the house of the Jew.”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œIn an adjoining forest.”
    â€œIn the forest,” says the Jew.
    â€¢
    T hey are all silent, separate from one another.
    She is listening to the noise of Staadt. Everything is quiet.
    She listens again, this time her eyes closed.
    â€œYou said something?” she asks the Jew.
    â€œNo.”
    â€œI heard. Someone speak.”
    He doesn’t answer. She speaks to Abahn: “Someone said: treason. The treason of Jews.”
    â€œNo,” says the Jew. “No one said anything.”
    â€œNobody spoke,” says Abahn.
    Suddenly a cacophony of barking from the dogs outside.
    â€œIn the barking of dogs I hear voices,” says Sabana.
    The dogs fall silent.
    â€œThey’re quiet now,” says the Jew.
    â€œListen,” says Abahn. “No one is talking, there’s no noise.”
    She listens: all is quiet.
    â€œThere was no betrayal by Jews,”

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