we won’t go Wack said It’s already more than an hour we’ve been waiting I bet we don’t go they’ll make us stay here like this all day and then at midnight they’ll come to tell us to unsaddle and go to bed

don’t start whining Blum said

I’m not whining Wack said only I don’t pretend to be smart that’s all I

Good God I said I’d give a lot for that key

what key Wack said

The peacock still didn’t move

The key to my heart Iglésia said. We were still looking through the sheet of rain at the silent house the windows closed the door shut the façade like an impenetrable face, occasionally a leaf from the big walnut tree slowly drifted to the ground almost black already consumed rotten

I bet it’s the assessor Blum said

it can’t be Wack said She sent him away She took down the gun when he went into her room

she did? Blum said Because he went into her room?

how should I know Wack said Why don’t you go ask he doesn’t know Iglésia said So what are you talking about nothing Wack said

Wack made friends with their farmhand Iglésia said That chap who looks like a bear

bears always understand each other Blum said

spit on you Wack said

all right I said Don’t get mad You helped him dig up his potatoes so he helped you find out what was happening Tell us about it

at least he didn’t help me to kill a horse Wack said

all right Iglésia said you didn’t have to ride it

and I didn’t kill it either Wack said

oh shut up I said

let him alone Blum said If he enjoys it. He turned towards Wack: So it was the assessor?

why don’t you go ask Wack said

was it?

he’s an old friend of the family I said The best friend of the family He likes them very much He’s always liked them very much

but she drove him away with a gun Blum said

it’s a family of hunters I said

that’s what the bear said Blum said That’s not what the old woman says

that old fool Wack said

maybe she’s confused I said Maybe she thinks it’s still the other one

what other one? Blum said

I thought you knew everything Wack said

was there another one? Iglésia said

The sheet of water still flowed past, like threads of silver, like parallel metal rods barring the doorway to the barn, somewhere a gutter was overflowing with the sound of a distant waterfall: That’s why he took his gun I said To keep him from coming in

coming where Wack said