Insomnia. To slow my brain down I went to get the notebook. It wasn’t easy to find. I don’t know how it moved from the table where I thought I left it. Could the cat have done it from one of the little planets he visits in his sleep? Or has it acquired the same powers as the doughnut that slid across the plate? It was down the side of the armchair, under the cushion, where I also found one of Jonás’ socks. And maybe it had the effect of the skull on Hamlet: with the sock on my hand I thought that Jonás, even if he comes back from his trip, will never really come back. Sometimes I get tired of waiting. What am I waiting for? Am I waiting for Jonás to come home or am I waiting for him to share what’s going on? His journey to Spain has taken me on another journey. Twenty thousand leagues under the notebook, this journey I’m making from my chair while Jonás is away.

I’m not sure I like you tonight, Jonás. It’s a good thing you’re not here. If you were here, I’d sleep on the sofa. I’m arguing with you even though you’re not here. What’s more, I’m still on the sofa.

Have I said that my notebook is ideal, among other things, because I can use it as a coaster? To write this, I’ve had to put my morning coffee mug on the table. Since the table’s made of wood, the mug leaves white rings on it. There are various rings, like the ghosts of other times, other mugs.

If I close the notebook and rest my mug of hot coffee on it, it will be doing one of its many jobs. The notebook is a bit like a freelancer. So I’ll stop writing. Ideally the notebook could show off all its functions at once.

This afternoon, after a family lunch, I went for a walk. Between Calle Londres and Calle Lisboa – that mysterious intersection where I felt like I’d encountered my granddad and my brother – is the Wax Museum. A disconcerting place, a museum with nothing museum-like about it; it’s more like a cult of celebrity. Among the famous wax figures, I found Snow White and the seven dwarves. The dwarves came up to my knee. I was disappointed, they seemed too dwarf-like. In the art section I took a photo with Lautrec. The same height as the dwarf on the block, but less elegant.