The Child

Forenote

I wrote this on 18th May 2004 in the wake of a dream I had: if you are wondering, no, I didn't eat anything weird the previous evening and no, there's no need for you to look for a meaning – this is still the expression of the oneiric dimension. The thing that impressed me the most was pages I, II, III and VI's raw simplicity – a style I would see, with my great astonishment, in 2006's French animated film "Renaissance" – clashed with pages IV and V's richness reminding Hieronymus Bosch's paintings, and the fact that the protagonist / narrating voice was always in the shadows. The Child

Page I

Cartoon N°1

A woody landscape, you can glimpse a great house and a road.

Caption: 18 **

Caption: That day, I wasn't lead there only by my need of a guinea pig.

Cartoon N°2 The road winding through the wood and you can see the back of a car.

Caption: it was me being a foreigner in a foreign country.

Cartoon N°3 Front of the house, the car is parked in the large front yard, you can see a man entering the building.

Caption: and my loneliness.

Caption: ( However, at the time, I hadn't realized that yet. )

Cartoon N°4Some young boys and girls of different ages are standing in a row in a hall, a smiling woman is behind them with her hands on their shoulder: she looks like a saleswoman showing her merchandise.

Caption: As the headmistress introduced her institute's guests, I couldn't avoid remembering when I was a child myself: displayed like a cattle, not knowing what would happen next.

Cartoon N°5 First plan of an eight or nine-years-old, freckled, awkward boy. Caption: When I saw him, it was like seeing my child-self reflected in a mirror.

Page II

Cartoon N°1 Like C.2 of P.I, only that the car is going in the opposite direction. Caption: I took the child with me and commanded him to call me "Uncle": as we went back to my place, I could see his eyes shining with hope and joy.

Cartoon N°2 A bathroom, the boy is wrapped in a big towel and sitting on a stool; an old and lanky man is cutting his hair. Caption: I entrusted him to my servant, who got him ready and explained what he was meant to do in my house. Child: Will it hurt, sir?

Cartoon N°3 Against a window, you can see the silhouette of a man and a child talking and looking at each other: from his attitude, the man is explaining something. Caption: He was a smart and curious child, every time he asked about what I intended to do and which were my aims. He listened silently, entranced, as if he hung off my lips. Child: Will it hurt, Uncle? Man: No. Not too much.

Cartoon N°4 Detail of a childish hand, with rigid and arched fingers, grasping a dirty white bed sheet. Caption: I was strict, so that he would never forget why he was there.

Cartoon N°5 A full view of a library overwhelming with books and scrolls, you can see different study instruments, some ancient looking and some modern. The boy is sitting at the table, holding a book and a look of wonderment on his face; the man is standing at his side. Caption: And I rewarded him with the most precious good I have to offer: millennia of Knowledge.

Cartoon N°6 First plan of a man, old and with the eyes hidden by glasses: he has a remorseful expression. Caption: But one day, I went too far than I planned. Servant: Sir, the young master is ill.

Tav. III

Cartoon N°1A bedroom: the boy is lying in bed and the man, half-hidden in the shadow, is nursing him. Caption: It was only then that I realized how much he was like me, how much I cared.

Cartoon N°2 First plan of the boy: he is pale and feverish, looking at the man - who isn't seen. Child: It hurts so much, uncle.

Cartoon N°3 A hallway, the perspective is slightly distorted: there are pictures and doors; the end is completely dark. Caption: When I went out of that room, I had the worst foreboding.

Cartoon N°4 The door at the end of the hallway, a childish hand is turning the handle.

Cartoon N°5 The door is wide open: an intense reddish light draws the silhouette of a young boy; his shadow is long.

Page IV

A sitting room: a huge smiling cat on its back legs, with a malevolent expression on its face, dominate the room; the background is swarming with deformed creatures. Cat: We were waiting for you, my darling.

Page V

Cartoon N°1 First plan of a second child: he has a half-surprised, half-horrified expression. Child2: Who are you?! What do you want?!

Cartoon N°2 The cat looms on the boy small and weak figure. Cat: You already know the answer, my darling. Cat: I have what you want, you just have to pay. Creatures: Pay! Pay! Pay!

Cartoon N°3 The child stares back and tries to stay cool despite being surrounded by the creatures -- some are even touching him. Creatures: Pay! Pay! Life! Life!

Cartoon N°4 Close-up of the cat's face: it is maliciously pleased. Cat: Oh no, no no; his soul does not interest us. Cat: Because the gentleman has already paid.

Cartoon N°5 Distorted perspective of the fireplace: the first boy is kneeling there with a vacant and scared look. Child: I don't want to go with them, Uncle!

Page VI

Cartoon N°1 The sitting room, but the perspective is normal. The man is sitting in an armchair by the fireplace: he looks as if he has just had a nightmare. Caption: Only a dream.

Cartoon N°2 As above, the man is listening to the servant standing behind the armchair. Servant: the young master is dead, sir.

Cartoon N°3 As above, the man is despairing. Caption: I was alone once again.