The Grasshopper

Chapter 100

“Move it! Move it!” shouted the commander of the firing squad while his men were taking their positions. “Come on!” he continued. “Don’t disgrace yourself! You see the large audience we have today!” he pointed to the group of Consumers from the nearby city, who stood on the side and watched their fellow-citizens, the Non-Consumers, lined up in front of the firing squad.

“Lucky, what is this horrible movie?” Sayash asked Lucky, while holding him in his arms. “I’m getting the creeps. You’re not afraid of anything, are you, Lucky?” Sayash bowed his head and looked at Lucky. “You don’t even blink, do you? How are you going to fall asleep tonight?”

“Get the bum back in line!” shouted the commander, when he saw Sayash and Lucky in front of his firing squad.

“What’s that, Lucky? It’s started to rain, is it?” Sayash asked, looking up at the sky, when Lucky’s first tear fell on his arm. “It isn’t rain, Lucky,” Sayash concluded. “Everything is dry,” he turned Lucky towards him. “There, I knew it! You’re crying! This isn’t the movie for you, Lucky! Let’s go to another one.”

Lucky turned in Sayash’s arms away from the Non-Consumers, lined up to be shot, and looked towards the gathered Consumers.

“Mommy, look! The dog is crying!”

“What dog? I don’t see it.”

“In that man’s arms!”

“Give your other hand to your father,” said the Consumer, when she saw Lucky’s tears. “Let’s go,” She took a step towards the Non-Consumers and took her son and husband with her.

All the Consumers followed them and mixed with their fellow-citizens, the Non-Consumers.

“Let’s go home, neighbor, for a chess match. What do you say?”

“I’m white.”

“Today dinner is at our place.”

“That’s out of the question, neighbor. It’s our turn.”

“So, when are you going to pay back that money?”

“I knew that was going to be the first thing you ask.”

“So, you put on last season’s clothes because of your daughter-in-law?”

“Don’t mention it. We barely found them. Can’t you see that I have on this season’s shoes?” the father answered his colleague.

“She still isn’t our daughter-in-law,” said the mother, “but she will be. What else could we do? Our son doesn’t want to live without her. Isn’t that right, son?”

The son didn’t answer. He just hugged his girlfriend.

“Mommy, where are that man and the dog?”

“I don’t know. They’re around here somewhere.”

“People! People! It was them!”

“Them who? Why are you shouting?!”

“The Saint and the Dog! They bring good luck and then disappear!”

“What Saint? That plaid bum? You’ve already started drinking, but you’re not sharing, are you?”

“Dad! Dad!”

“Wait a moment. Don’t you see that I’m talking to our neighbor?”

“Dad, we will all be playing in front of the building! All of us, dad! Do you know how long it’s been since we all played together?!”

“Alright, alright, but only until dark.”

“Get in the vehicles! Let’s go! These people have completely lost it!” the firing squad commander said with a terribly annoyed tone.

“People! How long are we going to keep standing here in this wasteland?! Let’s go back to our city! To hide it! So that one will ever find it!”