could have
smoked it all the time. I said: ‘Whatever it is, it obviously wants out.’
‘Of course,’ agreed Father Anton. ‘And it appears to have a
strong desire to rejoin its fellows. Its brethren. Perhaps it means that there were demons or devils possessing the other twelve
tanks.’
‘You mean all of them were possessed?”
‘It seems likely. Why were they all painted black? Why were they all sealed down?
You have said yourself that the Germans felt as if the devil
was on their heels. I don’t know whether you have yet had time to read your
friend’s history of the war, but the Orne Valley was
taken at record speed – far more quickly than any of the surrounding
countryside. Caen was shelled flat. But here – the tanks came through at top
speed, and nobody short of Our Lord Himself could have stopped them.’
I blew out smoke. ‘What you’re suggesting is that this
special division was made up of demons? I don’t see how that’s possible. Demons
are – well, dammit, they’re demons. They’re medieval. They’re imaginary. They
don’t fight wars.
‘On the contrary,’ said Father Anton. That’s precisely what
they do do .’
‘But how come nobody ever heard of this special division
before? How come the Army even allowed it to happen? That’s supposing it did
happen, and all this isn’t some kind of hoax.’
‘Much that happened in the war is still secret. And, anyway,
what were thirteen tanks among hundreds? Perhaps your government decided on a
little experiment with black magic.’
‘Father Anton, this doesn’t seem real. If there’s one thing
that the Pentagon is not involved in, it’s black magic!’
Father Anton went across to the tall window and looked down
on his courtyard.
Although it was mid-morning, it was as dark as late
afternoon, and a few flakes of snow were tumbling idly across the village. The
church clock struck eleven.
‘What people forget,’ he said, ‘was that the war was mystic
and magical in the extreme. Hitler set great store by magic, and made a
particular point of confiscating the Spear of Longinus, the very spear that
pierced Christ’s side on the cross, from the Hotburg Museum in Vienna, because he believed that whoever possessed it could control
the destiny of the world. On the side of the Allies, many experiments were made
in sending messages by telepathy, and in levitation, and there was a Dutch
priest who claimed he could invoke the wrath of the ten divine Sephiroth to bring down German planes with bolts of fire.’
I listened to this patiently, but I felt weary and sick. I
said: ‘Father, this is all very well, but what are we going to do about the
tank?’
Father Anton turned towards me. ‘There is nothing we can do, monsieur . Wiser men than us have
sealed that evil entity away, and it would be foolish to disturb it. It’ the
authorities will not remove the tank, then it will
have to stay there.’
‘And the Passerelles will have to
suffer the consequences for the rest of their lives?
You know that Madeleine believes the tank killed her
mother?’
The old priest nodded. ‘She didn’t tell me, but I guessed as
much. I wish there was more that I could do. All I can say is that I am very
thankful we were left with only one tank, instead of many.’
I took a last hot drag of my Gauloise ,
and stubbed it out. ‘Well, I think you’re being too cautious,’ I told him.
‘Maybe it’s time that someone gave the Passerelles a
break, and maybe it’s time the Pentagon got their dirty washing back.’
Father Anton looked at me and crossed himself. ‘I can only
warn you, monsieur , that to open the
tank would be more than foolish. It would be tantamount to suicide.’
I stood up, and brushed ash off my pants. ‘The tape-recorder
was I89 francs,’ I said.
‘But I’d be more than happy with half of that. It was kind
of a joint venture, after all.’
Father Anton slowly shook his head. ‘Perhaps one day I will
understand Americans,’
smoked it all the time. I said: ‘Whatever it is, it obviously wants out.’
‘Of course,’ agreed Father Anton. ‘And it appears to have a
strong desire to rejoin its fellows. Its brethren. Perhaps it means that there were demons or devils possessing the other twelve
tanks.’
‘You mean all of them were possessed?”
‘It seems likely. Why were they all painted black? Why were they all sealed down?
You have said yourself that the Germans felt as if the devil
was on their heels. I don’t know whether you have yet had time to read your
friend’s history of the war, but the Orne Valley was
taken at record speed – far more quickly than any of the surrounding
countryside. Caen was shelled flat. But here – the tanks came through at top
speed, and nobody short of Our Lord Himself could have stopped them.’
I blew out smoke. ‘What you’re suggesting is that this
special division was made up of demons? I don’t see how that’s possible. Demons
are – well, dammit, they’re demons. They’re medieval. They’re imaginary. They
don’t fight wars.
‘On the contrary,’ said Father Anton. That’s precisely what
they do do .’
‘But how come nobody ever heard of this special division
before? How come the Army even allowed it to happen? That’s supposing it did
happen, and all this isn’t some kind of hoax.’
‘Much that happened in the war is still secret. And, anyway,
what were thirteen tanks among hundreds? Perhaps your government decided on a
little experiment with black magic.’
‘Father Anton, this doesn’t seem real. If there’s one thing
that the Pentagon is not involved in, it’s black magic!’
Father Anton went across to the tall window and looked down
on his courtyard.
Although it was mid-morning, it was as dark as late
afternoon, and a few flakes of snow were tumbling idly across the village. The
church clock struck eleven.
‘What people forget,’ he said, ‘was that the war was mystic
and magical in the extreme. Hitler set great store by magic, and made a
particular point of confiscating the Spear of Longinus, the very spear that
pierced Christ’s side on the cross, from the Hotburg Museum in Vienna, because he believed that whoever possessed it could control
the destiny of the world. On the side of the Allies, many experiments were made
in sending messages by telepathy, and in levitation, and there was a Dutch
priest who claimed he could invoke the wrath of the ten divine Sephiroth to bring down German planes with bolts of fire.’
I listened to this patiently, but I felt weary and sick. I
said: ‘Father, this is all very well, but what are we going to do about the
tank?’
Father Anton turned towards me. ‘There is nothing we can do, monsieur . Wiser men than us have
sealed that evil entity away, and it would be foolish to disturb it. It’ the
authorities will not remove the tank, then it will
have to stay there.’
‘And the Passerelles will have to
suffer the consequences for the rest of their lives?
You know that Madeleine believes the tank killed her
mother?’
The old priest nodded. ‘She didn’t tell me, but I guessed as
much. I wish there was more that I could do. All I can say is that I am very
thankful we were left with only one tank, instead of many.’
I took a last hot drag of my Gauloise ,
and stubbed it out. ‘Well, I think you’re being too cautious,’ I told him.
‘Maybe it’s time that someone gave the Passerelles a
break, and maybe it’s time the Pentagon got their dirty washing back.’
Father Anton looked at me and crossed himself. ‘I can only
warn you, monsieur , that to open the
tank would be more than foolish. It would be tantamount to suicide.’
I stood up, and brushed ash off my pants. ‘The tape-recorder
was I89 francs,’ I said.
‘But I’d be more than happy with half of that. It was kind
of a joint venture, after all.’
Father Anton slowly shook his head. ‘Perhaps one day I will
understand Americans,’
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