Ball of Suet: Selected Short Stories by Maupassant

Chapter 13 Little Rock (3)
For some unknown reason, Renardet began to walk again in the great woods.Every night at night, he put his hands in his pockets and walked slowly down the steps towards the woods.Along the way, he has been thinking deeply.Moss is soft and moist.He walked on it, and kept walking for a long time.A large flock of crows, who were going to spend the night on the top of the big tree, flew from nearby, forming a black curtain in the air, like a huge black veil used at funerals.The eerie and terrifying cry echoed in the sky.Sometimes they perch on intertwined branches.Not long after, they screamed horribly, flapped their wings, and flew up again, forming a black curtain above the woods again.At last they flew to the highest branches, and stopped there, and their terrible cry died away.As the night grew thicker, their black feathers disappeared into the black sky.

Renardet was still walking.Finally, when the night swallowed him up and he couldn't go on, he returned home.Reaching the room, he threw himself down in the easy chair and stretched his feet towards the fireplace.A great fire was burning in the fireplace, and the heat was constantly rising from the soles of his wet feet.

One morning, the quiet village became lively because of a big news.It turned out that the village head planned to cut down his village forest.

The work has already started and twenty loggers are busy.The trees in the corner closest to the mayor's house were the first to fall.In the on-site supervision of the village chief, the workers worked very hard, and the trees kept falling.

The pruners were the first to climb along the trunk to the top of the tree.Each of them held a rope in their hands, first tied the rope to the tree trunk, then stretched out their arms, hugged the tree trunk vigorously, and kicked the tree trunk hard with their feet.They do this because on the soles of their shoes, there are hard steel nails fixed, and they want to drive the steel nails into the trunk.After that, they use steel nails as support and take a step up.After success, they kicked towards the tree trunk with the other foot, pierced the steel nails under their feet into the tree trunk, and then took another step up.In this way, they climbed up step by step.With each step, they move the rope up.Sharp small steel axes with a cold light hung on their waists.Like parasites attacking giant animals, they slowly climbed up the trunk, driving steel spikes into the trunk.They do this to cut off the tops of the trees.

When they reached the height of the branches, they stopped climbing.They fixed themselves there, unfastened the sharp hatchets from their waists, and then slowly and rhythmically cut towards the place where the branches joined the trunk.As you cut and chop, the branches will bend, break, and finally fall, making a loud noise that is characteristic of wood breaking.All branches and tendrils on the tree will also be affected, shaking constantly.

Branches that fell from the trees covered the ground.Others set to work, splitting them, chopping them up, binding them into bundles, and stacking them.Those big trees that still stand have become completely huge stakes or wooden poles.

When the pruners have cut all the branches, they are at the top of the trunk.It's very thin and straight there.So, they left the rope they brought up there, and then pierced the steel nails into the trunk as they did when climbing up, and climbed down with the support of the steel nails.Afterwards, the loggers began their work.They hacked hard at the base of the trunk.The sound of logging was so loud that it could be heard from every corner of the woods.

When the loggers had cut the wound at the base of the trunk deep enough, the workers began pulling on the rope at the top of the trunk.They shouted rhythmically as they pulled, in order to gather everyone's strength together.As a result, the huge tree trunk began to make a harsh sound, and then suddenly fell down.At this time, the workers cheered happily.

The trees in the woods kept falling, like soldiers leaving the army, making the army gradually smaller in size.The area of ​​the forest is getting smaller and smaller.

Renardet was there every day.He stood there with his hands behind his back, watching his great wood slowly die.When a tree fell, he stomped on it like a corpse.Afterwards he would gaze at the next tree with calm mysterious uneasiness, as if he was expecting something to emerge before the wood was cut down.

The massacre gradually spread to the place where Rock Jr. was found.One evening, people finally came to this place.

The lumberjacks were going to cut down a huge beech tree.However, it was quite dark and cloudy again, and they wanted to postpone their work until the next day.The master disagrees.He told the workers to cut down the big tree that had concealed the murder at once.

The pruners cut down the branches, and the loggers cut down the roots.So the five workers gripped the rope tied to the top of the tree and began to pull it up vigorously.

Although the workers had cut down to the center of the tree's thick trunk, it was still as hard as steel.It is stubbornly resisting.The workers pulled the rope rhythmically together, their bodies almost touching the ground.They gasped and uttered rhythmic shouts.

Two lumberjacks with axes in their hands stood in front of the tree like executioners.They are ready and, when the need arises, will bring the ax down hard.Renardet stood by the tree, put his hands on the bark, and waited with dismay and restlessness for the moment when the tree would fall.

A lumberjack said to him: "Mr. Village Chief, you are too close. It is dangerous. When the tree falls, you may be injured."

He still stood there without saying anything.He seemed ready to pick up the giant beech and throw it to the ground like a gladiator.

Suddenly, there was a loud noise from the bottom of this tall wooden pile, which was the sound of splitting wood.Tree tops are also immediately affected.The trunk had tilted, but it still resisted tenaciously, so it didn't fall down immediately.People saw the hope of it falling, so they all pulled the rope harder.When the tree fell, Mr. Renardet did something that no one could have imagined.He stepped under the tree and puffed out his chest, ready to let the tree crush him to death.

However, the huge beech rubbed against his body and fell.He was swept five meters away by its huge impact and fell hard to the ground.

The workers rushed forward.Before they reached out to help him, he was up and on his knees.He was dizzy, and put his hand to his forehead, as if he had just entered a state of madness and was just now waking up.

The workers felt incredible.When he stood up, they asked him why he did it.He stammered that he did it because of a momentary fascination; and that at the moment the tree fell, he had an illusion in his head that he thought he was back in his childhood, and the little boy ran past the speeding carriage. That's why he did it, and that's why he did it, and he felt he could just run under the tree; When the big tree was about to fall, it passed under it smoothly.He said that he knew what he was doing was very stupid and ridiculous, but childish thoughts will appear in everyone's mind, and everyone has moments of insanity.

With a hoarse voice, he carefully explained the reason.After that, he walked away.As he walked, he turned his head and said to the workers, "Goodbye, my friends, and see you tomorrow."

He went back to his room.He went to the table, which was exceptionally brightly lit by a lamp with a smoke shade, and sat down.He put his arms on the table, bowed his head and began to cry.

He kept crying, crying for a long time to stop.After that, he rubbed his eyes, looked up at the wall clock, and saw that the time displayed on it was less than six o'clock."It's still a while before dinner," he thought, so he got up, went to the door, locked it, and returned to his seat.He pulled out the middle drawer, and a pistol appeared in front of him.He took it out and put it on the file.The shiny pistols shone brightly under the light.

Renardai watched the gun with blurred eyes.After a while, he got up and walked up and down the room.He walked from one end of the room to the other, pausing occasionally and then continuing on.Suddenly he went into the bathroom, dropped a towel into the pitcher, took it out, and wet his forehead as he had done the morning of the murder.Then he comes out.Every time he passed that table, his eyes would be drawn to the pistol on the table.His hands itch when he looks at it.However, he focused his attention on the wall clock again.He thought: "It's still early."

The chime of the wall clock sounded in the room.It is already 06:30.He picked up the pistol, opened his mouth wide, and put the barrel in as if to swallow it.He put his finger on the trigger and held it there for several seconds.Suddenly, he shuddered and spat out the gun.The pistol fell to the carpet.

As he fell into the easy chair dejectedly, he cried, "My God! I dare not! I can't! I don't even have the courage to kill myself! What should I do?"

There was a knock on the door and he was startled.He straightened up.A servant came in and said, "Sir, we have prepared your supper!" "Well, I'll go," he replied.

He picked it up from the ground and put it back in the drawer.Then, wanting to see what his face looked like, and whether it looked abnormal, he looked at it in the mantel-mirror.His face was still as red as ever, maybe a little redder than before.Other than that, everything works fine.He went downstairs to eat.

He ate quickly, as if he was deliberately stalling for time because he didn't want to be alone.After dinner he smoked a few more pipes in the dining room.The servants were clearing the table then.After smoking, he returned to his bedroom.

As soon as he entered the room, he immediately looked under the bed, opened all the wardrobes, and searched every piece of furniture and every corner.Then.He walked to the fireplace, lit a few candles on the fireplace, and searched every corner of the room.His face twitched, fear, anxiety.He knew that Little Rock, who was raped by him and strangled to death by him, would appear in front of him like every night.

That disgusting vision appeared every night.At first, he will hear a roar similar to that of a threshing machine.The sound made him feel breathless, and he could only unbutton his belt and shirt collar.He was still walking up and down the room.He forced himself to sing and read, but to no avail.Every detail of what happened on the day of the crime was presented in his mind one by one.

It was a day that terrified him.That morning, when he woke up, he felt dizzy and had a headache. "It must be because it's too hot!" he thought.So he didn't go out of the room, and he didn't go downstairs until lunch time.After lunch, he took another nap.In the evening, he came out of the room.He was going for a walk in his big wood, to get some fresh air there.

However, as soon as he went out, he became more out of breath.It's so sweltering outside!The sun is still hanging in the air, continuing to bake the thirsty earth.The leaves are still.No animal calls could be heard in the woods.Renardet started walking on the mossy floor.The Brandier River was beside him, and the water radiated a little coolness.But he felt restless.He felt that his neck was firmly pinched by an invisible hand.He almost didn't think about anything, besides, this was a habit he had developed, and he almost never filled his head with anything.For three months, only the idea of ​​remarriage had occurred to him, and although it was a very vague idea, he could not get rid of it.Living alone made him suffer both mentally and physically.For ten years, he has been used to living with a woman by his side.She was by his side, and her daily hugs had become an indispensable part of his life. He vaguely felt that he needed her hugs and her company.Since Madame Renardet's death he had suffered particularly.This pain lasted for quite some time.He didn't understand why this was happening.In fact, this is because his legs can no longer feel the constant touch of her dress, and it is because he has lost an embrace to vent his desire and seek peace.Before the first half of his life alone, he was already looking for young girls or widows.He wanted someone to marry him when his mourning was over.

He was pure in heart, but very strong in body.Whether asleep or awake, some sensual image always appeared in his mind.These images made him restless.He chased them away, but it was no use, they would come back soon.At times, he joked to himself: "I'm almost St. Antoine, tormented by all temptations."

Several of these visions recurred in his mind that morning, and they tormented him.Suddenly, he thought of a way to fight this torture.He wanted to bathe in the Brandier River, to quench the desire caused by visions with the cool water of the river.

He knew a place where the water was open and the river was deep.Local people sometimes go there to bathe.He comes there.

The water here is very clear, surrounded by lush willow trees.The water stops here for a moment, and then continues to flow forward.A faint voice came to Renardet's ear.Although he couldn't hear it clearly, he could tell that it wasn't the sound of the river hitting the bank.The leaves in front of him blocked his view.He reached out and gently pushed the leaves away, looking forward.He saw a naked, snow-white little girl.She slapped the surface of the water with both hands in the clear river, her body spinning.She has not yet become a mature woman, but she is no longer a child.She was well-grown and well-rounded, but still not free from the precocious childishness of her rapid growth.He was petrified by the sight before him, and at the same time felt flustered, so he couldn't move his body.He felt an inexplicable nervous urge spreading through his body.He was a little out of breath.His heart was beating violently, as if this heart-pounding little guy, controlled by a lustful fairy, appeared in front of him.In his opinion, the little Venus in this river is no different from the big Venus swimming in the rippling sea.

Suddenly, the little girl came out of the river and came towards him. She was looking for her clothes, which were placed not far from him.She didn't see him.She looked at the sharp stones on the ground and walked slowly.Her soft little feet could not stand the ravages of sharp stones.An impulse of animal desire, a huge force has completely controlled him.He couldn't resist, he just let them push him towards the little girl.His mind has been confused, his consciousness has been blurred, and his whole body is trembling non-stop.

She stood under a willow tree for a few seconds.Renardet was just behind that tree.The dense foliage hid him, so she didn't see him.At this time, his sanity has been completely lost.Impatiently, he rushed to her and held her tightly with open arms.She fell to the ground, her fear and panic made her lose the strength to resist, and she even forgot to yell loudly.In this way, he vented his desire on her.

Suddenly, he realized his sin, as if he had had a nightmare, and he woke up all of a sudden.The little girl cried, and cried loudly.

"Don't cry, don't cry, I won't treat you badly, I will give you money." He said.

However, she still continued to cry.

"Don't cry, don't cry! Come on, don't cry," he said again.

She cried out loudly and tried to run away.

He suddenly realized that his life was ruined just like that.In order to prevent her from continuing to cry loudly, he strangled her neck.The desire to survive made her struggle desperately.With those powerful big hands, he frantically pinched her throat, which was screaming with all her strength.Soon, he strangled her.He just wanted to stop her from screaming hoarsely, and didn't intend to kill her.

He was going crazy looking at the criminal deeds he had done.

In front of him, she was lying on the ground, her face had turned black, and blood was flowing continuously.He was going to run away.At this time, a vague instinct arising from the threat to his life appeared in his restless mind.

He was going to throw the little girl's body into the river, but he didn't, because at this moment he had another impulse.He took out the string in his pocket, tied up the little girl's clothes, and came to a tree whose roots were soaked in the water of the Brandie.He hid his clothes in a tree hole.

After that, he took a long stride, left the place, and came to the grass.In order to let the peasants who lived on the other side of the village far away from the incident see him, he deliberately made a big circle.When the regular supper-time came, he went back to supper, and related the whole walk to the servants.

That night, he actually slept soundly like an animal.This kind of situation occasionally happens to death row prisoners.He didn't wake up until Dongfang showed his fish belly.He didn't get up right away.He lay on the bed, waiting for the minutes to pass.He waited for the time when he usually woke up.He felt that only getting up at the usual time would not arouse suspicion from others.

Since then, various investigations and evidence collection have followed.He had to.When doing these jobs, he is almost like a sleepwalker.The people and things he came into contact with, catalyzed by hallucinations, made him feel so illusory.

(End of this chapter)