“There, inside” Maeterlinck in summary
An old garden, in a willow garden. In the back of the house, three windows of the lower floor are lit. Father is sitting by the fireplace. The mother leans her elbows on the table and looks into the void. Two young girls in white embroider. Leaning head on the mother’s left hand, the child is dozing. The Old Man and the Stranger cautiously enter the garden.
They see if all the households are in place, and talk, deciding how best to let them know about the death of the third sister. The old man believes that it is necessary to go together: misfortune, which is reported by more than one person, is not so difficult. He looks for words to tell about what happened: “When she was found, she sailed along the river, and her hands were folded…” The stranger corrects him – the girl’s arms were stretched along the body. It was the Stranger who noticed and drew the drowned woman. The old man recalls how he met a drowned girl in the morning at the church.
Inside the house, the sisters approach the windows and peer into the darkness. Then they kiss the mother. The older one strokes the child, but he does not wake up. Girls approach their father. These simple, miserly movements fascinate the observant from the garden of the Old Man, his granddaughter and Stranger. Now Mary asks her
They begin to hear prayers. Part of the crowd enters the garden. There are muffled steps and a low voice. The old man leaves for the house. Martha and Maria sit on the bench with their backs to the windows. The stranger looks out the window and comments on what is happening. That’s all they listen to – probably, the Old Man knocked on the door. Father goes to open. All rise, only the child, having bent head to one side, sleeps in an armchair. The old man hesitates. But at last terrible words were uttered. Mother, father and both girls rush to the door, but the father does not immediately manage to open it. The old man tries to keep his mother. The crowd in the garden dissipates. Only the Stranger continues to stand under the window. At last the doors of the house swing open wide, all come out simultaneously. In the light of the stars and the moon, you can see how the drowned woman is carried on a stretcher. And in the middle of an empty room, in a chair, the child is still sleeping in a sweet dream. Silence. “The child did not wake up!
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