A Sketch by Jean-Pierre Martinez
One character stands in contemplation in front of an open casket, next to which stands a vase on a pedestal. Another character arrives.
Two – Hello… (Hesitant) Do you recognize me? Dominique.
One – Oh, yes, of course… It’s been such a long time…
Two – As soon as I heard, I came right away.
One – Yes, me too…
Two – I had never seen him since middle school. I’m not sure I would have recognized him. He has changed…
One – He’s dead…
Two – He really was an unforgettable teacher.
One – Clearly. Thirty years later, we still remember him.
Two – There are teachers like that, who leave a lasting impression on you.
One – That’s for sure…
Two – I’m not sure if, without him, I’d still remember all my German declensions by heart.
One – He was an excellent educator…
Two – Mmm… Maybe a bit too strict.
One – Yeah… Mr. Furer…
Two – We used to call him Adolf.
One – It wasn’t mean…
Two – Kids can be cruel sometimes. It was all in good fun.
One – Indeed, we didn’t laugh much with him…
Two – Do you remember when he broke your finger with his ruler because he caught you picking your nose?
One – Oh, I remember… Look, I still have the mark. And you, when he hung you on the coat rack for the whole hour because you mixed up the dative and the genitive?
Two – I still have a red mark around my neck…
One – As you said, there are teachers who leave a lasting impression on you.
Two – Seeing him lying there like that, with his little mustache… Thirty years later…
One – Yeah… I wouldn’t have missed this for anything… I live in Madrid now… And you?
Two – In Los Angeles.
One – Your German declensions can’t be of much use to you either… Anyway, that’s all in the past now.
Two – Yes. It was a different time…
One – Let’s not badmouth him now that he’s not here to defend himself.
Two – You’re right… May his soul rest in peace.
A solemn silence.
One – His eyes weren’t closed earlier, were they?
Two – I don’t know. Yes, perhaps… I think so…
One – I have the feeling he’s looking at us…
Two – With the same angry stare as before…
One – What if he wasn’t really dead…
The other character grabs the vase and strikes the corpse on the head.
Two – There. Now we’re sure he’s dead.
One – Could we get into trouble for this?
Two – We couldn’t risk him ending up cremated alive.
One – You’re right. It’s the last favour we could do for him…
Two – He wasn’t too fond of Jews, was he?
They prepare to leave.
One – By the way, have you seen any other classmates from middle school?
Black.
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A sketch from the collection Stories to die for
Link to the collection for free download (PDF)
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https://jeanpierremartinez.net