The Eye of the Wolf
Page 5
“Oh, the Other World. Don’t talk to me about the Other World!”
Yes, Africa knew them all, all the inmates of the zoo. All except one.
II
“All except me?”
It’s springtime now. The wolf and the boy are still opposite each other.
“Yes, Blue Wolf. You looked so sad and lonely…”
What a strange boy, thinks the wolf. What a strange human being! I wonder what Black Flame would have made of him?
But it’s what the wolf can see in the boy’s eye that surprises him most.
It is evening, and Pa and Ma Bia are standing in their kitchen. Africa is sitting opposite them on a stool. A yellow light bulb hangs from the ceiling. Ma Bia is holding the boy’s head in her hands and tilting it. The boy only has one eye; the other one has been closed for months now. Even when he wakes up first thing in the morning, Africa only opens one eye.
Ma Bia shakes her head sadly. “No,” she whispers, “I don’t think I can cure him, not this time…”
Pa Bia sniffs and scratches his unshaven chin. “Perhaps we could try the doctor?”
So they try. The doctor prescribes drops. They make Africa’s eyelashes so sticky you’d think he did nothing but cry from morning to night. But his eye doesn’t open again.
They go back to the doctor. He’s an honest man. “I don’t understand it at all,” he says.
“Me neither,” replies Ma Bia.
I know exactly what’s going on, thinks Blue Wolf. He is sorry to see Ma Bia hunched over the boy in the kitchen, and Pa Bia unable to sleep at night any more.
The boy just carries on watching him with his single eye.
Blue Wolf nods several times before asking, “How did you guess?”
Silence. The hint of a smile spreads across the boy’s lips.
“All the same … all the same … I’d promised myself I’d keep that eye shut!”
The truth is, behind his closed eyelid the wolf’s eye has healed up a long time ago. But the combination of the zoo, the sad animals and the visitors… Pah! the wolf thought. One eye is quite enough to see all of that.
“Yes, Blue Wolf, but I’m here now!”
He’s right. The boy’s here now. He’s told the animals from Africa all about the Far North. He’s told Blue Wolf about the three Africas. And they’ve all begun to dream, even when they’re wide awake!
For the first time Blue Wolf looks over the boy’s shoulder, and he sees – he can clearly see – Shiny Straw and the cheetah cavorting around in the middle of the zoo, in the golden dust of the Sahara.
Soon Perdrix joins them, and the Redheads too, and they all begin dancing around the spinning-top dromedary. Pa Bia opens the doors of the hothouse, and the beautiful trees of Green Africa spill out onto the pathways. Grey Cousin and the gorilla of the rainforest are sitting next to each other, keeping watch from the highest branch.
And Blue Wolf can see the visitors, who haven’t noticed what’s happening. And the director of the zoo, who carries on doing his rounds. And Toa the trader, who’s running at full pelt because he’s being chased by the angry scorpion. And the children, who wonder why the hyena is laughing so loudly. And Black Flame, who’s just sat down next to the boy and opposite Blue Wolf. He can see snow falling in the middle of spring, the silent and beautiful Alaskan snow spreading a blanket over everything and keeping secrets hidden…
Now that, thinks Blue Wolf, is almost worth seeing with both eyes.
Click! goes the wolf’s eye as it opens.
Click! goes the boy’s eye.
“I don’t understand it at all,” the vet will say later.
“Nor do I,” the doctor will probably add.
THE RIGHTS OF THE READER
“A wonderfully economical and witty exploration of why we read and why we don’t.” Guardian
“A refreshing and inspirational book that should never go out of print.” National Literacy Trust
The Rights of the Reader, which has sold over a million copies in France, grew from celebrated French writer Daniel Pennac’s experiences of teaching in “challenging” schools. Central to the book is his belief that readers have rights: to read what, how, where and when they want, and – if they choose – the right NOT to read. This fresh new translation combines the talents of award-winning translator Sarah Adams and renowned artist Quentin Blake, who illustrates and introduces the book.
BY DANIEL PENNAC
Daniel Pennac, novelist and thriller writer, is one of France’s most celebrated authors. Widely regarded as a literary phenomenon, his books for both adults and children have been translated into over thirty languages and are read all over the world. His other books for Walker include Dog (“A book of distinction.” – Guardian), Kamo’s Escape and The Rights of the Reader, his sympathetic and witty guide to reading which has sold over a million copies in France. Daniel Pennac lives in Paris.
First published 2002 by Walker Books Ltd
87 Vauxhall Walk, London SE11 5HJ
This edition published 2009
Original edition: L’Oeil du Loup
© 1982 by Éditions Nathan, Paris – France for the first edition
published in the Arc en Poche series
© 1994 by Éditions Nathan, Paris – France
© 2001 by Nathan/VUEF, Paris – France for the present edition
English translation © 2002 Walker Books Ltd
Illustrations © 2002 Max Grafe
This book is supported by the French Ministry for Foreign Affairs, as part of the Burgess programme headed for the French Embassy in London by the Institut Français du Royaume-Uni
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted or stored in an information retrieval system in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, taping and recording, without prior written permission from the publisher.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data:
a catalogue record for this book
is available from the British Library
ISBN 978-1-4063-8454-3 (ePub)
www.walker.co.uk