A Very Long Engagement Page #2

is the "Mess Hall Marauder",

the "Kitchen Raider".

Fifteen minutes later,

he came back with it all.

Salted Gurande butter,

lavender honey,

and...

cocoa from Nigeria!

Grand...

Tell me, Cornflower,

you've no one to write to?

A fiance?

Mathilde.

Her name is Mathilde.

l hear her heart beating,

like Morse code.

We're engaged.

Luckily, we won't have to wait

till the end of the war.

Now I can go straight home

after the execution.

Should l spare you the rest?

l'm lame, not dim.

What happened?

We opened the barbed wire

and equipped the five

against the cold.

Clestin Poux gave up a red woolen

glove to protect your fianc's hand.

Are they far?

Too far for grenades,

too near for artillery.

Gas is out of the question.

The gasser always gets it!

Think they'll make it?

If they're not blown to bits,

they'll starve and freeze.

Either way, it'll amuse the Jerries.

A Corporal gave Bastoche,

the carpenter, a hug.

lt was Corporal Gordes.

They clearly knew each other

before the war.

And then,

over they went.

- Sh*t...

- Shut up.

- Sh*t!

- Shut up!

September '14.

1 50 pound weight, easy!

And I wasn't at my best!

But that morning,

in January '17,

was Manech still alive?

At dawn,

Favart called out their names.

Apart from the Dordogne farmer,

they all replied.

Bassignano!

Sir!

Bouquet!

What now?

Langonnet!

Yeah, still here!

The Cornflower,

hide yourself better.

Notre Dame!

That's all l know.

l wrote up my report

with a heavy heart.

About time, Esperanza! The Brits

are replacing us, we're off.

So, Bingo-thingy?

What's that?

The condemned prisoners' list,

signed by Capt. Favourier.

Give it to me.

Don't just stand there like that.

This isn't Pompeii!

You've been promoted.

You're off to the Vosges.

Even so, Sir,

this expedition is going to be

hard to swallow.

Lucky you.

Where you're going, there's

mustard gas and throat lozenges.

The famous Vosges sweets.

Dismissed!

A few months later,

l was wounded, in the Somme.

l ended up in the same ambulance

as Chardolot,

a corporal from Bingo Crpuscule.

But he only had

a few days left to live.

It's me. Esperanza.

Bingo Crpuscule, remember?

Sorry, l don't recognize you.

The five thrown over

into no-man's-land,

what happened to them?

What do you think?

No one made it.

Your conscience bothering you,

Esperanza?

You should've stuck around.

You'd have seen capital Ms,

underwear being waved

and a flying albatross.

You're delirious with fever!

We sent over five men

and recovered five stiffs.

Conclusion...

My eyes are gone but I can imagine

your expression and l like it.

He really spoke of capital Ms

and an albatross?

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