A Nose for a Story (1) Ein Gespür für Geschichten (1) Una nariz para una historia (1) 物語のための鼻 (1) 이야기를 위한 코 (1) Nos do opowieści (1) Bir Hikaye İçin Burun (1) Нюх на історію (1)

'Are you OK Miss?' asked the taxi driver. He could see in his mirror that the American lady sitting in the back seat, was having a hard time keeping down her expensive lunch. In seinem Spiegel konnte er sehen, dass die Amerikanerin, die auf dem Rücksitz saß, Mühe hatte, ihr teures Mittagessen bei sich zu behalten.

'No, I am not! What is that awful smell?' the woman asked.

The taxi driver smiled to himself. He often had to explain the smell to wealthy foreigners after he had driven them a kilometre or so away from their hotel. Oft musste er wohlhabenden Ausländern den Geruch erklären, nachdem er sie etwa einen Kilometer von ihrem Hotel weggefahren hatte. It was not something their sensitive city noses were used to. Daran waren ihre empfindlichen Stadtnasen nicht gewöhnt. Це було не те, до чого їхні чутливі міські носи звикли.

'It's just the sewage, Miss. Das sind nur die Abwässer, Miss. The pipes from the toilets are old and the weather is hot in India,' he explained. 'There are many people in Bombay - the pipes get very full.'

The taxi driver almost felt sorry for his passenger. She was middle-aged but had a pretty face and shiny dark hair, though her teeth were too big for his taste. Sie war mittleren Alters, hatte aber ein hübsches Gesicht und glänzendes dunkles Haar, obwohl ihre Zähne für seinen Geschmack zu groß waren. Yet he could see as he closed the windows and switched on the air- conditioning that many men would find her attractive. Doch als er die Fenster schloss und die Klimaanlage einschaltete, konnte er sehen, dass viele Männer sie attraktiv finden würden. But he had long since learned to distance himself from the delights of his lady passengers. Aber er hatte schon lange gelernt, sich von den Freuden seiner weiblichen Passagiere zu distanzieren. He thought of himself as a professional, like a doctor. He was above such things. Er stand über solchen Dingen.

'Don't worry, Miss; there are no more big sewage pipes in the village where we are going,' he added, helpfully.

'Thank God for that!' said the woman, who was now beginning to wish she had not asked for the windows to be left open in the first place. sagte die Frau, die sich nun wünschte, sie hätte nicht darum gebeten, die Fenster offen zu lassen.

'No, they use cesspits - big holes in the ground where they put all their-' Nein, sie benutzen Senkgruben - große Löcher in der Erde, in die sie all ihre...

Thank you, driver,' the woman said quickly. 'There's no need to go into details. I can imagine.'

Desiree Malpen, in fact, had one of the best imaginations in her business. Desiree Malpen hatte in der Tat eine der besten Vorstellungskraft in ihrer Branche. She was a senior journalist for the National Diary, a publication which was proud of being America's 'number one magazine for lovers of the truth'. Sie war leitende Journalistin beim National Diary, einer Publikation, die stolz darauf war, Amerikas "Nummer eins für Wahrheitsliebende" zu sein. Other journalists who wrote for more serious newspapers disagreed. Andere Journalisten, die für seriösere Zeitungen schrieben, waren anderer Meinung. They said that the National Diary loved scandal and dirt and didn't care how much it changed the truth in its stories. Sie sagten, dass das National Diary Skandale und Schmutz liebte und sich nicht darum kümmerte, wie sehr es die Wahrheit in seinen Geschichten veränderte. The journalists were right. Lots of pictures and lots of scandal - that was the National Diary's recipe for success - and Desiree was one of the magazine's top writers.

The taxi drove on a long way outside the city until the road became rougher. Finally it stopped by a small group of houses off the side of the road.

'This is the place, Miss. It's the house to the left,' said the driver. He pointed to a house that was slightly larger than the rest and still had some white paint on its walls. Er zeigte auf ein Haus, das etwas größer war als die anderen und dessen Wände noch weiß gestrichen waren.

'But it's so small!' Desiree said in surprise.

'Best house in the village, Miss. The family has been there many, many years,' said the driver with some pride, as if he knew the famous writer who had lived there, though he had never met her in his life. Die Familie wohnt seit vielen, vielen Jahren dort", sagte der Fahrer mit einem gewissen Stolz, als ob er die berühmte Schriftstellerin, die dort gelebt hatte, kennen würde, obwohl er sie nie im Leben getroffen hatte.

This was the house of the late Nyree Singh, the former society beauty and writer, whose highly praised novels had been made into several films and who had won the Nobel Prize - or was it the Pulitzer? Dies war das Haus der verstorbenen Nyree Singh, der ehemaligen Society-Schönheit und Schriftstellerin, deren hochgelobte Romane mehrfach verfilmt worden waren und die den Nobelpreis - oder war es der Pulitzer-Preis? Desiree wasn't sure. She had never read any of her books. She knew, however, that Nyree Singh had been killed two months ago in a car crash just outside Bombay. Sie wusste jedoch, dass Nyree Singh vor zwei Monaten bei einem Autounfall in der Nähe von Bombay ums Leben gekommen war. Some people said she had been driving to the house of an Indian film star - a married film star. Desiree felt sure that the crash had been no accident. It wouldn't be the first time that such 'accidents' had been arranged. Es wäre nicht das erste Mal, dass solche "Unfälle" arrangiert werden. Perhaps there was a jealous wife involved... or maybe an angry relative who could not stand the scandal or embarrassment to the family name? Vielleicht war eine eifersüchtige Ehefrau im Spiel... oder vielleicht ein verärgerter Verwandter, der den Skandal oder die Blamage für den Familiennamen nicht ertragen konnte? She had a nose for a story and when Desiree Malpen smelled a story there would be a story.

And if there were no facts behind the story she would think of some.

She looked at the window of the house. A figure was moving. Eine Gestalt bewegte sich. There was somebody still living in Nyree Singh's house. But who?

Desiree took a few close-up pictures of the house - she always liked to take her own photographs. Desiree machte ein paar Nahaufnahmen des Hauses - sie hat schon immer gerne selbst fotografiert. They gave a personal touch to her stories and made her some extra money.

'That's fine. Take me back to the hotel now, driver. I'll come back sometime and take a closer look. And driver...'

'Yes, Miss?'

'Next time I ask you to open the windows for some fresh air, don't!' Das nächste Mal, wenn ich dich bitte, die Fenster zu öffnen, um frische Luft zu schnappen, tust du das nicht! Desiree said decisively. sagte Desiree entschlossen.

While Desiree was going back to her hotel in the taxi, Gopal Singh was looking at the old brown photograph of his younger sister, Nyree. It sat on the table next to the sweet-smelling flowers he replaced daily. Sie lag auf dem Tisch neben den duftenden Blumen, die er täglich austauschte. She looked as he would always remember her - a beautiful young woman whose intelligence shone far beyond her own country. Sie sah so aus, wie er sie immer in Erinnerung behalten würde - eine schöne junge Frau, deren Intelligenz weit über ihr eigenes Land hinausstrahlte. She was only forty-five when she died in that car accident, still beautiful and with so much still to give. Sie war erst fünfundvierzig, als sie bei dem Autounfall ums Leben kam, immer noch wunderschön und hatte noch so viel zu geben. She had been respected by artists and politicians all over the world. Sie wurde von Künstlern und Politikern in der ganzen Welt respektiert. Yes, he was proud of his sister.

But she used to get so angry! Aber sie wurde immer so wütend!

He laughed. It was easier to laugh now. Oh, the times they had argued over the company she sometimes kept. Oh, wie oft hatten sie sich über die Gesellschaft gestritten, die sie manchmal hatte. Gopal had not always liked the people she mixed with. Gopal mochte die Menschen, mit denen sie zusammen war, nicht immer. Still, they had always been there for each other. Dennoch waren sie immer füreinander da gewesen. Neither of them had married. She was married to her work. He had always looked after her, though he would never have admitted it to his proud brilliant sister who, in many ways, had been a child still. Er hatte sich immer um sie gekümmert, auch wenn er es seiner stolzen, brillanten Schwester, die in vielerlei Hinsicht noch ein Kind war, nie zugestanden hätte. She was too idealistic, only interested in those who shared her ideals. Sie war zu idealistisch und nur an denen interessiert, die ihre Ideale teilten. She would argue her opinions with anybody, but her beauty sometimes attracted lovers as well as thinkers. Sie war bereit, mit jedem über ihre Meinung zu streiten, aber ihre Schönheit zog manchmal sowohl Liebhaber als auch Denker an. She could not be trusted to look after herself and who else was there? Man konnte nicht darauf vertrauen, dass sie auf sich selbst aufpassen würde, und wer war sonst noch da? They were the only ones left of their family. Sie waren die Einzigen, die von ihrer Familie übrig geblieben waren. Only he had known Nyree: only he had understood her ways, her needs - perhaps more than she did herself. Nur er hatte Nyree gekannt, nur er hatte ihre Art und ihre Bedürfnisse verstanden - vielleicht mehr als sie selbst.

And now she was gone.

People seemed to want her even more since her death. Die Menschen schienen sie seit ihrem Tod noch mehr zu wollen. But it was still Gopal who looked after her memory and her work. Aber es war immer noch Gopal, der sich um ihr Gedächtnis und ihre Arbeit kümmerte. He kept away all the journalists and other people who wanted a part of his sister to take away with them. She had given them-" her work, her wonderful books. Sie hatte ihnen ihre Arbeit, ihre wunderbaren Bücher geschenkt. Why should they want the part of her that was left to him, the part that was his sister? Warum sollten sie den Teil von ihr wollen, der ihm geblieben war, den Teil, der seine Schwester war? She had put her life into her work. Sie hatte ihr Leben in ihre Arbeit gesteckt. Wasn't that enough for them?

Gopal had always been there for her. Gopal war immer für sie da gewesen. Even when she had mixed with the most famous people in India, she had always come back to her faithful brother and their peaceful little home in the village. Selbst wenn sie sich unter die berühmtesten Leute Indiens gemischt hatte, war sie immer zu ihrem treuen Bruder und ihrem friedlichen kleinen Haus im Dorf zurückgekehrt. Always.

Now there was a growing number of curious eyes, cars that stopped and looked, tapping on the windows, notes through the door. Jetzt gab es immer mehr neugierige Blicke, Autos, die anhielten und schauten, Klopfen an den Fenstern, Notizen an der Tür. What did they want? Didn't they know she was dead?

But he would stay. He would end his days in the house that held his memories wrapped in the sweet smell of flowers. Er würde seine Tage in dem Haus beenden, das seine Erinnerungen barg, eingehüllt in den süßen Duft der Blumen.

What else could he want?

The Excelsior hotel was famous for its quality and luxury. It was the place to stay at if you were at all important or wanted to be thought of as being important. Es war der Ort, an dem man sich aufhielt, wenn man wichtig war oder für wichtig gehalten werden wollte. It was always full of foreign journalists. Whenever they were working in Bombay, foreign journalists always chose the Excelsior. Its attraction to journalists was obvious: it was a good place for both valuable information and scandal. Die Anziehungskraft für Journalisten lag auf der Hand: Es war ein guter Ort für wertvolle Informationen und Skandale zugleich. Who knows what famous guests might say after too much wine at dinner? And there were always keen listening ears to catch every foolish word or careless whisper. Und es gab immer scharfe Ohren, die jedes dumme Wort oder unvorsichtige Flüstern auffingen. This would later be served up to the world as a tasty dish of scandal in magazines like the National Diary. Später wurde dies der Welt als schmackhaftes Skandalgericht in Zeitschriften wie dem National Diary serviert. There were always plenty of readers hungry for details of the lives of famous people, especially if those details were interesting and personal. Es gab immer viele Leser, die sich für Details aus dem Leben berühmter Menschen interessierten, vor allem wenn diese Details interessant und persönlich waren.

That was why Desiree Malpen was staying there.

That evening at the hotel, Desiree sat at her table in the lounge looking at the setting sun through the windows. She was pleased with herself. She kept a glass of white wine with her but drank very little of it. This was what she always did. It meant that she could refuse offers of drinks from interested men while keeping a cl ear head herself. Das bedeutete, dass sie Getränkeangebote von interessierten Männern ablehnen konnte, während sie selbst die Ohren steif hielt. She was very good at listening to people who first drank too much and then said too much. Sie war sehr gut darin, Leuten zuzuhören, die erst zu viel getrunken und dann zu viel gesagt hatten. On the few occasions when the conversation went from the boring to the exciting, she could reach into her handbag and switch on her tiny tape recorder - a very useful machine indeed. In den wenigen Fällen, in denen das Gespräch vom Langweiligen ins Spannende abschweifte, konnte sie in ihre Handtasche greifen und ihr kleines Tonbandgerät einschalten - ein wirklich sehr nützliches Gerät.

Desiree was there to interview one of India's top film directors, Raj Patel. Desiree war dort, um einen der besten indischen Filmregisseure, Raj Patel, zu interviewen. He was about to make a film based on Indian Summer, Nyree Singh's last novel. The Indian film industry, centered in Bombay, was becoming popular in the West, where it was sometimes known as 'Bollywood'. Die indische Filmindustrie, deren Zentrum in Bombay liegt, wurde im Westen immer populärer, wo sie manchmal als "Bollywood" bezeichnet wurde. Desiree had no interest at all in Indian films or their directors, but her boss had told her that she might find out more about Nyree Singh and her film star lover. Desiree hatte keinerlei Interesse an indischen Filmen oder deren Regisseuren, aber ihr Chef hatte ihr gesagt, dass sie vielleicht mehr über Nyree Singh und ihren Filmstar-Liebhaber herausfinden könnte. If anybody knew him, Patel did. Wenn ihn jemand kannte, dann war es Patel.

She recognised Patel coming towards her. Sie erkannte Patel, der auf sie zukam. He was quite old, well over sixty - Desiree preferred younger men - and was dressed in an expensive white suit. Er war ziemlich alt, weit über sechzig - Desiree bevorzugte jüngere Männer - und trug einen teuren weißen Anzug. He was smiling and holding a gin and tonic. Desiree knew that older men were attracted to her. It was useful, though it could be risky if she stayed too long and they became too interested. Das war nützlich, aber es konnte auch riskant sein, wenn sie zu lange blieb und das Interesse der Leute zu groß wurde. She could see already that Patel's eyes were attracted by the necklace that sat above the low neckline of her dress. Sie konnte bereits sehen, dass Patels Augen von der Halskette angezogen wurden, die über dem tiefen Ausschnitt ihres Kleides saß. But she could handle herself all right. Aber sie konnte sich ganz gut beherrschen. This guy would be no problem, she could tell. Dieser Kerl würde kein Problem sein, das war ihr klar. Patel came up to her and smiled.

'Miss Malpen, if I'm not mistaken...?' Fräulein Malpen, wenn ich mich nicht irre...?

Desiree held out her hand as she welcomed him. She was expecting a handshake but Patel took it and gave it a kiss instead. Sie erwartete einen Händedruck, aber Patel nahm sie und gab ihr stattdessen einen Kuss. It felt wet. Es fühlte sich feucht an.

'They didn't tell me you were so handsome, Mr Patel!' Man hat mir nicht gesagt, dass Sie so hübsch sind, Herr Patel!

'You know how to please an old man, Miss Malpen,' Patel said as he laughed. Sie wissen, wie man einem alten Mann gefällt, Miss Malpen", sagte Patel lachend. 'But I was surprised when your magazine said it was interested in my latest film production. Aber ich war überrascht, als Ihre Zeitschrift Interesse an meiner neuesten Filmproduktion bekundete. In fact, I'm pleased that the West is finally taking an interest in Indian cinema.'

'The whole world knows that you beat Hollywood in getting the rights to film Nyree Singh's last novel, Indian Summer. Die ganze Welt weiß, dass Sie Hollywood beim Erwerb der Rechte für die Verfilmung des letzten Romans von Nyree Singh, Indian Summer, geschlagen haben. Naturally, everybody wants to know about it, especially since Nyree Singh's death,' said Desiree as she switched on her tape recorder. Natürlich wollen alle davon wissen, vor allem seit Nyree Singhs Tod", sagte Desiree, als sie ihr Tonbandgerät einschaltete.

'Well, I've always wanted to film Nyree's novels. I think it's best that her work should be filmed by Indians in India.' Ich denke, es ist das Beste, wenn ihre Arbeit von Indern in Indien verfilmt wird.

'I hear that Nyree had quite an interest in Indian films... and in film stars. Ich habe gehört, dass Nyree ein ziemliches Interesse an indischen Filmen hatte... und an Filmstars. Is that right, Mr Patel?'

And so the conversation went on. Raj Patel wanted to talk about his new film but Desiree wanted to talk about Nyree Singh and kept trying to get him to give away details of her involvement with one of his stars. Raj Patel wollte über seinen neuen Film sprechen, aber Desiree wollte über Nyree Singh sprechen und versuchte immer wieder, ihn dazu zu bringen, Details über ihre Beziehung zu einem seiner Stars preiszugeben. Throughout it all, Patel simply smiled, drank his gin and tonic and kept trying to return to the subject of his film. Patel lächelte nur, trank seinen Gin Tonic und versuchte immer wieder, zum Thema seines Films zurückzukehren. But Desiree was determined and the subject always went back to Nyree's personal life. Finally he stood up.

'Will you excuse me for a few moments, Miss Malpen? I won't be long.' Es wird nicht lange dauern.' He had a phone call to make that he didn't want her to know about. And he left.

Desiree waited and sipped her wine. She was annoyed that the old fool hadn't told her about anything apart from his boring film. Sie ärgerte sich darüber, dass der alte Narr ihr nichts anderes erzählt hatte als seinen langweiligen Film. Її дратувало, що старий дурень не розповів їй ні про що, крім свого нудного фільму. He was back half an hour later. He seemed to be a little drunk. Desiree tried not to appear annoyed. Desiree versuchte, nicht verärgert zu wirken.

'Ah, yes, Miss Malpen - you were interested in Nyree Singh.' Patel's voice was louder than before and not as clear. 'And who can blame you? Und wer kann es Ihnen verdenken? By the way, that is a most beautiful necklace you are wearing, my dear.'