The Lions

The lions [1]

Peter Bichsel [2]

Translated by xia23

 

The grandfather also wanted to become a trainer, in order to annoy anyone who did not trust him, in order to annoy everyone. He never talked about it. He kept some ducks on a small pond. Now he is dead, he drank too much.

Once in his life he must have recognized, that he would never become a trainer. Since that hour he found the entrance to the circus too expensive.

He married a beautiful girl and made notes about the weather, temperature and wind strength on a calendar. After his death, his money was divided. Now everyone has a piece of grandfather.

A reader of the daily newspaper recently asked the editorial staff, if it is really possible to learn to play the flute at the age of 43 without any previous knowledge. Coincidentally, he was told they knew someone who learned it at 64, however: perseverance, love, patience.

When he died, he was no longer any one. He became smaller, lost his vanity, more and more the intelligence, the strength to hold water, the ability to bend for his shoes, and when he died, he was no longer any one. He had become dead.

When he was in his old age, he attended many funerals, sat in the church bench, being touched and indifferent and turned his hat in his hand.

His sleep was irregular, he slept a lot, everywhere, woke up again shortly and after that again. The lions had disappeared from his dreams and with them the dreams themselves. He did not know how beautiful the girls are and gave the waitress too much tips.

Now the money is divided. The grandchildren have taken the lions and they have hidden them carefully under their beds. It was good for him and for us.

No one asked the grandfather anything, he had not become wise. But he had become old. It is very important, that one becomes old. It would be painful, to have to desert the lions. The lions had easily gone, the grandfather did not notice. He is dead, because he drank too much.

 

[1]. p. 21. Die Löwen. Eigentlich möchte Frau Blum den Milchmann kennenlernen. Suhrkamp Verlag Frankfurt am Main, Walter-Verlag AG, Germany. 1996.

[2]. Peter Bichsel. 3/24/1935 -  . Swiss writer and journalist. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Bichsel