Fernand and Couderc were both the arbiters of reason. They were both well informed and capable of rationalising situations without immediately jumping to the worst conclusion. Their first thought was that it was wolves, except that no carcasses were ever found in the pasture, nor any other evidence of their activity. Then they thought of theft, but no intruder or poacher could have gone up there, still less come down again, without Le Simple or his dogs noticing. Only the priest seemed to know the truth, even though he was not from here, and only came once a week for Mass, and did not really know anything about the village. But he was certain that this was God taking his dues. According to him every wound had a purpose, and the sacrifice of men – men who must, incidentally, be honoured with incessant prayer, for living without them could lead the women into sin – as of beasts, was the price to be paid for peace returning one day. Moreover, the villagers should be willing to make any sacrifice necessary, because all pain and loss was another reason to be chosen by God. He proved this by quoting from his old gilt-edged bible at the pulpit: ‘Exodus chapter 20, verse 24: “You are to make for Me an altar of earth, and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and peace offerings, your sheep and goats and cattle. In every place where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you.”’ The priest said that true pain was not suffering, but the failure to accept it.

They were wary of the priest, or at least they feared being punished if they did not believe him. And what he said made sense: God was taking the sheep because they had not wept enough for the men. But his God was greedy, because after a month the sheep continued to disappear, although there were no carcasses, no bones and no vultures flying over the pasture. God was taking the animals in the same way that the nation had taken their men from them. Everyone prayed hard, but that changed nothing; the sheep still disappeared and the lions still roared. It felt as if the curse sent down by Mont d’Orcières was stronger than their prayers to God, and was engulfing the whole village.

August 2017

August 2017