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KLARA AND THE SUN - KAZUO ISHIGURO, Part Two - 03 (1)

Part Two - 03 (1)

The cushion was softer than I'd expected, and the seat in front, the one Josie was now in, was very close so I could hardly see at all in front of me, but I created no delay. I had no time to make detailed observations of the car's interior because I became aware that the uncomfortable atmosphere had returned. In the front, Josie was silent, looking away from the Mother beside her, gazing towards the house and Melania Housekeeper coming across the loose stones carrying the shapeless bag that contained, among other things, Josie's emergency medicines. The Mother had both hands on the steering wheel as though eager to set off, and her head was turned in the same direction as Josie's, but I could tell the Mother wasn't looking at Melania Housekeeper's approach, or at the house, but straight at Josie herself. The Mother's eyes had grown large, and because the Mother's face was especially thin and bony, the eyes appeared even larger than they were. Melania Housekeeper put the shapeless bag in the trunk and thumped down the lid. Then she opened the rear door on her side and slid into the seat next to mine. She said to me:

‘AF. Strap on belt. Or you get damaged.'

I was trying to understand the belt system, which I'd seen so many car passengers operating, when the Mother said:

‘You think you have me fooled, don't you, girl?'

There was a silence, then Josie asked: ‘What are you saying, Mom?'

‘You can't hide it. You're sick again.'

‘I'm not sick, Mom. I'm fine.'

‘Why do you do this to me, Josie? Always. Why does it have to be this way?'

‘I don't know what you're saying, Mom.'

‘You think I don't look forward to a trip like this? My one free day with my daughter. A daughter I happen to love very dearly, who tells me she's fine when she's really feeling sick?'

‘That's not true, Mom. I really am fine.'

But I could hear the change in Josie's voice. It was as if the effort she'd been making until this point had been abandoned, and she was suddenly exhausted.

‘Why do you pretend, Josie? You think it doesn't hurt me?'

‘Mom, I swear I'm fine. Please drive us. Klara's never been to a waterfall and she's so looking forward to it.'

‘Klara's looking forward to it?'

‘Mom, please.'

‘Melania,' the Mother said, ‘Josie needs assistance. Get out the car. Go round her side, please, and help her. She may fall if she tries to get out herself.'

There was silence again.

‘Melania? What's up back there? Are you sick too?'

‘Maybe Miss Josie make it.'

‘What's that?'

‘I help her. AF too. Miss Josie all right. Maybe.'

‘Let me get this right. Is this your assessment? That my daughter is well enough to spend the day out? At the falls? This gives me concern about you, Melania.'

Melania Housekeeper was silent, but still she didn't move.

‘Melania? Am I to understand you're refusing to get out to help Josie disembark?'

Melania Housekeeper was looking out between the front seats at the road ahead. Her face looked puzzled, like something further up the hill was hard to identify. Then suddenly she opened her door and got out.

‘Mom,' Josie said. ‘Please can we go? Please don't do this.'

‘Do you think I like this? Any of this? Okay, you're sick. That's not your fault. But not telling anyone. Keeping it to yourself this way, so we all get in the car, the whole day before us. That's not nice, Josie.'

‘It's not nice you telling me I'm sick when I'm easily strong enough…'

Melania Housekeeper opened the door beside Josie from the outside. Josie fell silent, then her face, full of sadness, looked round the edge of the car seat at me.

‘I'm sorry, Klara. We'll go another time. I promise. I'm really so sorry.'

‘It's all right,' I said. ‘We must do what's best for Josie.'

I was about to get out also, but then the Mother said:

‘Just a second, Klara. Like Josie says. You were looking forward to this. Well, why don't you stay right where you are?'

‘I'm sorry. I don't understand.'

‘Well, it's simple. Josie's too sick to go. She might have told us that earlier, but she chose not to. Okay, so she stays behind. Melania too. But no reason, Klara, why you and I can't still go.'

I couldn't see the Mother's face because the seat backs were high. But Josie's face was still peering round the edge of her seat at me. Her eyes had become dull, as if they no longer cared what they saw.

‘Okay, Melania,' the Mother said in a louder voice. ‘Help Josie out. Careful with her. She's sick, remember.'

‘Klara?' Josie said. ‘Are you really going with her to the falls?'

‘The Mother's suggestion is very kind,' I said. ‘But perhaps it would be best if this time…'

‘Hold on, Klara,' the Mother cut in. Then she said: ‘What is this, Josie? One moment you're concerned about Klara, how she's never seen a waterfall. Now you're trying to make her stay home?'

Josie went on looking at me, and Melania Housekeeper continued to stand outside the car, a hand held out for Josie to take. Finally Josie said:

‘Okay. Maybe you should go, Klara. You and Mom. What's the sense in the whole day getting spoiled just because…I'm sorry. Sorry I'm sick all the time. I don't know why…' I thought tears would come then, but she held them back and went on quietly: ‘Sorry, Mom. I really am. I must be such a downer. Klara, you go on. You'll love the waterfall.' Then her face disappeared from the edge of the seat.

For a second I was uncertain what to do. Both the Mother and Josie had now expressed the view that I should remain in the car and go on the outing. And I could see how likely it was, if I were to do so, that I would gain new, perhaps crucial insights concerning Josie's situation, and how I might best help her. And yet her sadness, as she walked back over the loose stones, was very clear. Her walk, now she had nothing to hide, was fragile, and she made no fuss about receiving Melania Housekeeper's support.

We watched Melania Housekeeper unlock the front door and the two of them go inside. Then the Mother started the car and we began to move.

Because it was my first time inside a car, I couldn't make a good estimate of our speed. It seemed to me the Mother drove unusually fast, and for a moment fear came into my mind, but I remembered she drove up the same hill every day, and so wasn't likely to cause dangers. I concentrated on the trees rushing by, and the large openings that would suddenly appear on one side then the other, through which I could see treetops from above. Then the road was no longer climbing, and the car crossed a large field, empty except for a barn in the far distance quite like the one visible from Josie's window.

Then the Mother spoke for the first time. Because she was driving, she didn't turn to me in the back, and if I hadn't been the only one present inside the vehicle, I might not have guessed she was addressing me.

‘They always do this. Toy with your feelings.' Then a moment later she said: ‘Maybe it looks like I'm being hard. But how else will they learn? They have to learn we have feelings too.' Then a while later: ‘Does she think I like being away from her, day after fucking day?'

There were now other cars, and unlike outside the store, they were traveling in both directions. One would appear in the far distance and come speeding towards us, but the drivers never made errors and always managed to miss us. Soon the scenes were changing so rapidly around me I had difficulty ordering them. At one stage a box became filled with the other cars, while the boxes immediately beside it filled with segments of road and surrounding field. I did my best to preserve the smooth line of the road as it moved from one box into the next, but with the view constantly changing, I decided this wasn't possible, and allowed the road to break and start afresh each time it crossed a border. Despite all these problems, the scope of the view and the hugeness of the sky were very exciting. The Sun was often behind clouds, but I sometimes saw his patterns falling right the way across a valley or sweep of land.

When the Mother next spoke, it was more obvious she was speaking to me.

‘It must be nice sometimes to have no feelings. I envy you.'

I considered this, then said: ‘I believe I have many feelings. The more I observe, the more feelings become available to me.'

She laughed unexpectedly, making me start. ‘In that case,' she said, ‘maybe you shouldn't be so keen to observe.' Then she added: ‘I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude. I'm sure you have all sorts of feelings.'

‘When Josie was unable to come with us just now, I felt sadness.'

‘You felt sadness. Okay.' She became silent, perhaps to concentrate on her driving and the cars coming in the opposite direction. Then she said: ‘There was a time, not so long ago, when I thought I was getting to feel less and less. A little less each day. I didn't know if I was happy about that or not. But now, lately, I seem to be getting overly sensitive to everything. Klara, look over to your left. You okay back there? Look way over to your left and tell me what you can see.'

We were crossing land that neither rose nor fell, and the sky was still very large. I saw flat fields, empty of barns or farm vehicles, stretching into the distance. But near the horizon was what appeared to be a town created entirely out of metal boxes.

‘You see it?' the Mother asked, not taking her own gaze from the road.

‘It's far away,' I said. ‘But I can see a kind of village. Perhaps the sort where cars or other such items are made.'

‘Not a bad guess. Actually that's a chemical plant, and a pretty cutting-edge one. Kimball Refrigeration. Though they haven't had anything to do with a refrigerator for decades. It was the reason why we first came out here. Josie's father was employed there.'

Although the metal boxes village remained distant, I could now make out tubes connecting one building to the next, and other tubes pointing up at the sky. Something about it reminded me of the awful Cootings Machine, and a concern came into my mind about Pollution. But just then the Mother said:

‘It's a good place. Clean energy in, clean energy out. Josie's father was once a rising star there.'

Then the metal boxes village was no longer visible, and I straightened in my seat again.

‘We get along fine now,' the Mother said. ‘You could almost say we're friends. That's a good thing for Josie, of course.'

‘I wonder, does the Father still work at the refrigeration village?'

‘What? Oh no. He was…substituted. Like all the rest of them. He was a brilliant talent. Still is, of course. We get along better now. That's the important thing for Josie.'

We traveled after that for some time without talking, the road now climbing steeply. Then the Mother slowed the car and we turned down a narrow road. When I next looked between the front seats, the new road appeared only slightly wider than the car itself. Before us, marked into the road's surface, were muddy parallel lines made by earlier wheels, and there were trees pressing in on us from both sides, like buildings in a city street. The Mother made the car continue down this narrow road, and though she drove more slowly, I wondered what would happen if another car came the other way. Then we turned another corner and came to a stop.


Part Two - 03 (1)

The cushion was softer than I'd expected, and the seat in front, the one Josie was now in, was very close so I could hardly see at all in front of me, but I created no delay. El cojín era más suave de lo que esperaba, y el asiento de enfrente, en el que ahora estaba Josie, estaba muy cerca, por lo que apenas podía ver nada frente a mí, pero no provoqué ninguna demora. I had no time to make detailed observations of the car's interior because I became aware that the uncomfortable atmosphere had returned. No tuve tiempo de hacer observaciones detalladas del interior del auto porque me di cuenta de que el ambiente incómodo había regresado. In the front, Josie was silent, looking away from the Mother beside her, gazing towards the house and Melania Housekeeper coming across the loose stones carrying the shapeless bag that contained, among other things, Josie's emergency medicines. En el frente, Josie estaba en silencio, apartando la mirada de la Madre que estaba a su lado, mirando hacia la casa y Melania Housekeeper que cruzaba las piedras sueltas con la bolsa informe que contenía, entre otras cosas, las medicinas de emergencia de Josie. The Mother had both hands on the steering wheel as though eager to set off, and her head was turned in the same direction as Josie's, but I could tell the Mother wasn't looking at Melania Housekeeper's approach, or at the house, but straight at Josie herself. La Madre tenía ambas manos en el volante como si estuviera ansiosa por ponerse en marcha, y su cabeza estaba girada en la misma dirección que la de Josie, pero me di cuenta de que la Madre no estaba mirando a Melania Ama de Llaves que se acercaba, o a la casa, sino directamente. a la propia Josie. The Mother's eyes had grown large, and because the Mother's face was especially thin and bony, the eyes appeared even larger than they were. Los ojos de la Madre se habían agrandado, y debido a que el rostro de la Madre era especialmente delgado y huesudo, los ojos parecían aún más grandes de lo que eran. Melania Housekeeper put the shapeless bag in the trunk and thumped down the lid. Melania Housekeeper puso la bolsa sin forma en el maletero y cerró la tapa de un golpe. Then she opened the rear door on her side and slid into the seat next to mine. Luego abrió la puerta trasera de su lado y se deslizó en el asiento junto al mío. She said to me: Ella me dijo:

‘AF. 'AF. Strap on belt. Correa en el cinturón. Or you get damaged.' O te dañas.

I was trying to understand the belt system, which I'd seen so many car passengers operating, when the Mother said: Estaba tratando de entender el sistema de cinturones, que había visto operar a tantos pasajeros de automóviles, cuando la Madre dijo:

‘You think you have me fooled, don't you, girl?' Crees que me has engañado, ¿verdad, niña?

There was a silence, then Josie asked: ‘What are you saying, Mom?' Hubo un silencio, luego Josie preguntó: '¿Qué estás diciendo, mamá?'

‘You can't hide it. No puedes ocultarlo. You're sick again.' Estás enfermo otra vez.

‘I'm not sick, Mom. 'No estoy enferma, mamá. I'm fine.' Estoy bien.'

‘Why do you do this to me, Josie? ¿Por qué me haces esto, Josie? Always. Siempre. Why does it have to be this way?' ¿Por qué tiene que ser así?'

‘I don't know what you're saying, Mom.' 'No sé lo que estás diciendo, mamá.'

‘You think I don't look forward to a trip like this? ¿Crees que no tengo muchas ganas de hacer un viaje como este? My one free day with my daughter. Mi único día libre con mi hija. A daughter I happen to love very dearly, who tells me she's fine when she's really feeling sick?' Una hija a la que amo mucho, ¿quién me dice que está bien cuando realmente se siente enferma?

‘That's not true, Mom. 'Eso no es cierto, mamá. I really am fine.' Realmente estoy bien.

But I could hear the change in Josie's voice. Pero pude escuchar el cambio en la voz de Josie. It was as if the effort she'd been making until this point had been abandoned, and she was suddenly exhausted. Era como si el esfuerzo que había estado haciendo hasta este punto hubiera sido abandonado, y de repente estaba agotada.

‘Why do you pretend, Josie? ¿Por qué finges, Josie? You think it doesn't hurt me?' ¿Crees que no me duele?

‘Mom, I swear I'm fine. 'Mamá, te juro que estoy bien. Please drive us. Por favor, condúcenos. Klara's never been to a waterfall and she's so looking forward to it.' Klara nunca ha estado en una cascada y está deseando que llegue.

‘Klara's looking forward to it?' ¿Klara está deseando que llegue?

‘Mom, please.' 'Mama por favor.'

‘Melania,' the Mother said, ‘Josie needs assistance. 'Melania', dijo la Madre, 'Josie necesita ayuda. Get out the car. Sal del coche. Go round her side, please, and help her. Pasa por su lado, por favor, y ayúdala. She may fall if she tries to get out herself.' Puede caerse si trata de salir por sí misma.

There was silence again. Se hizo el silencio de nuevo.

‘Melania? What's up back there? ¿Qué pasa ahí atrás? Are you sick too?' ¿También estás enfermo?

‘Maybe Miss Josie make it.' Quizá la señorita Josie lo consiga.

‘What's that?' '¿Que es eso?'

‘I help her. 'Yo la ayudo. AF too. FA también. Miss Josie all right. Señorita Josie, está bien. Maybe.' Quizás.'

‘Let me get this right. 'Déjame hacer esto bien. Is this your assessment? ¿Es esta su evaluación? That my daughter is well enough to spend the day out? ¿Que mi hija está lo suficientemente bien como para pasar el día afuera? At the falls? ¿En las cataratas? This gives me concern about you, Melania.' Esto me preocupa por ti, Melania.

Melania Housekeeper was silent, but still she didn't move. Melania Housekeeper guardó silencio, pero aún así no se movió.

‘Melania? ¿Melania? Am I to understand you're refusing to get out to help Josie disembark?' ¿Debo entender que te niegas a salir para ayudar a Josie a desembarcar?

Melania Housekeeper was looking out between the front seats at the road ahead. Melania Housekeeper miraba la carretera por entre los asientos delanteros. Her face looked puzzled, like something further up the hill was hard to identify. Su rostro parecía desconcertado, como si algo más arriba en la colina fuera difícil de identificar. Then suddenly she opened her door and got out. Entonces, de repente, abrió la puerta y salió.

‘Mom,' Josie said. —Mamá —dijo Josie. ‘Please can we go? 'Por favor, ¿podemos irnos? Please don't do this.' Por favor, no hagas esto.

‘Do you think I like this? '¿Crees que me gusta esto? Any of this? ¿Cualquiera de esta? Okay, you're sick. Está bien, estás enfermo. That's not your fault. Eso no es tu culpa. But not telling anyone. Pero sin decirle a nadie. Keeping it to yourself this way, so we all get in the car, the whole day before us. Manteniéndolo en secreto de esta manera, para que todos entremos en el auto, todo el día por delante. That's not nice, Josie.' Eso no es agradable, Josie.

‘It's not nice you telling me I'm sick when I'm easily strong enough…' 'No es agradable que me digas que estoy enfermo cuando soy lo suficientemente fuerte fácilmente...'

Melania Housekeeper opened the door beside Josie from the outside. Melania Housekeeper abrió la puerta junto a Josie desde el exterior. Josie fell silent, then her face, full of sadness, looked round the edge of the car seat at me. Josie guardó silencio, luego su rostro, lleno de tristeza, me miró por el borde del asiento del automóvil.

‘I'm sorry, Klara. Lo siento, Klara. We'll go another time. Iremos en otro momento. I promise. Prometo. I'm really so sorry.' Realmente lo siento mucho.

‘It's all right,' I said. 'Está bien,' dije. ‘We must do what's best for Josie.' Debemos hacer lo mejor para Josie.

I was about to get out also, but then the Mother said: Yo estaba a punto de salir también, pero entonces la Madre dijo:

‘Just a second, Klara. Un momento, Klara. Like Josie says. Como dice Josie. You were looking forward to this. Estabas esperando esto. Well, why don't you stay right where you are?' Bueno, ¿por qué no te quedas donde estás?

‘I'm sorry. 'Lo siento. I don't understand.' No entiendo.'

‘Well, it's simple. 'Bueno, es simple. Josie's too sick to go. Josie está demasiado enferma para ir. She might have told us that earlier, but she chose not to. Ella podría habernos dicho eso antes, pero decidió no hacerlo. Okay, so she stays behind. Está bien, entonces ella se queda atrás. Melania too. Melania también. But no reason, Klara, why you and I can't still go.' Pero no hay razón, Klara, por la que tú y yo no podamos ir todavía.

I couldn't see the Mother's face because the seat backs were high. No podía ver el rostro de la Madre porque los respaldos de los asientos eran altos. But Josie's face was still peering round the edge of her seat at me. Pero el rostro de Josie seguía mirándome desde el borde de su asiento. Her eyes had become dull, as if they no longer cared what they saw. Sus ojos se habían vuelto opacos, como si ya no les importara lo que veían.

‘Okay, Melania,' the Mother said in a louder voice. —Está bien, Melania —dijo la Madre en voz más alta. ‘Help Josie out. Ayuda a Josie. Careful with her. Cuidado con ella. She's sick, remember.' Está enferma, recuerda.

‘Klara?' Josie said. —¿Klara? Josie dijo. ‘Are you really going with her to the falls?' ¿De verdad vas a ir con ella a las cataratas?

‘The Mother's suggestion is very kind,' I said. -La sugerencia de la Madre es muy amable -dije-. ‘But perhaps it would be best if this time…' 'Pero tal vez sería mejor si esta vez...'

‘Hold on, Klara,' the Mother cut in. —Espera, Klara —interrumpió la Madre—. Then she said: ‘What is this, Josie? Luego dijo: '¿Qué es esto, Josie? One moment you're concerned about Klara, how she's never seen a waterfall. En un momento estás preocupado por Klara, porque nunca ha visto una cascada. Now you're trying to make her stay home?' ¿Ahora estás intentando que se quede en casa?

Josie went on looking at me, and Melania Housekeeper continued to stand outside the car, a hand held out for Josie to take. Josie siguió mirándome, y Melania Housekeeper seguía de pie fuera del coche, con una mano tendida para que Josie la tomara. Finally Josie said: Finalmente Josie dijo:

‘Okay. 'De acuerdo. Maybe you should go, Klara. Quizás deberías irte, Klara. You and Mom. Tú y mamá. What's the sense in the whole day getting spoiled just because…I'm sorry. ¿Cuál es el sentido de que todo el día te eche a perder solo porque… lo siento? Sorry I'm sick all the time. Lo siento, estoy enfermo todo el tiempo. I don't know why…' I thought tears would come then, but she held them back and went on quietly: ‘Sorry, Mom. No sé por qué…' Pensé que las lágrimas saldrían en ese momento, pero las contuvo y continuó en voz baja: 'Lo siento, mamá. I really am. Realmente soy. I must be such a downer. Debo ser tan deprimente. Klara, you go on. Klara, continúa. You'll love the waterfall.' Then her face disappeared from the edge of the seat. Te encantará la cascada. Entonces su rostro desapareció del borde del asiento.

For a second I was uncertain what to do. Por un segundo no estaba seguro de qué hacer. Both the Mother and Josie had now expressed the view that I should remain in the car and go on the outing. Tanto la Madre como Josie habían expresado ahora la opinión de que debería permanecer en el coche y salir de excursión. And I could see how likely it was, if I were to do so, that I would gain new, perhaps crucial insights concerning Josie's situation, and how I might best help her. Y pude ver cuán probable era, si lo hiciera, que obtendría nuevos conocimientos, quizás cruciales, sobre la situación de Josie y cómo podría ayudarla mejor. And yet her sadness, as she walked back over the loose stones, was very clear. Y, sin embargo, su tristeza, mientras caminaba de regreso sobre las piedras sueltas, era muy clara. Her walk, now she had nothing to hide, was fragile, and she made no fuss about receiving Melania Housekeeper's support. Su andar, ahora que no tenía nada que ocultar, era frágil, y no se molestó en recibir el apoyo de Melania Housekeeper.

We watched Melania Housekeeper unlock the front door and the two of them go inside. Vimos a Melania Housekeeper abrir la puerta principal y los dos entrar. Then the Mother started the car and we began to move. Entonces la Madre encendió el auto y comenzamos a movernos.

Because it was my first time inside a car, I couldn't make a good estimate of our speed. Debido a que era la primera vez que me subía a un auto, no podía hacer una buena estimación de nuestra velocidad. It seemed to me the Mother drove unusually fast, and for a moment fear came into my mind, but I remembered she drove up the same hill every day, and so wasn't likely to cause dangers. Me pareció que la Madre conducía inusualmente rápido, y por un momento el miedo me vino a la mente, pero recordé que ella subía la misma colina todos los días, por lo que no era probable que causara peligros. I concentrated on the trees rushing by, and the large openings that would suddenly appear on one side then the other, through which I could see treetops from above. Me concentré en los árboles que pasaban corriendo y en las grandes aberturas que aparecían de repente a un lado y luego al otro, a través de las cuales podía ver las copas de los árboles desde arriba. Then the road was no longer climbing, and the car crossed a large field, empty except for a barn in the far distance quite like the one visible from Josie's window. Luego, la carretera dejó de ascender y el coche cruzó un gran campo, vacío salvo por un granero a lo lejos muy parecido al que se veía desde la ventana de Josie.

Then the Mother spoke for the first time. Entonces la Madre habló por primera vez. Because she was driving, she didn't turn to me in the back, and if I hadn't been the only one present inside the vehicle, I might not have guessed she was addressing me. Como ella conducía, no se volvió hacia mí en la parte de atrás, y si yo no hubiera sido el único presente dentro del vehículo, no habría adivinado que se estaba dirigiendo a mí.

‘They always do this. Siempre hacen esto. Toy with your feelings.' Then a moment later she said: ‘Maybe it looks like I'm being hard. Juega con tus sentimientos. Luego, un momento después, dijo: 'Tal vez parece que estoy siendo duro. But how else will they learn? Pero, ¿de qué otra manera aprenderán? They have to learn we have feelings too.' Then a while later: ‘Does she think I like being away from her, day after fucking day?' Tienen que aprender que nosotros también tenemos sentimientos. Luego, un rato después: '¿Cree que me gusta estar lejos de ella, día tras maldito día?'

There were now other cars, and unlike outside the store, they were traveling in both directions. Ahora había otros autos y, a diferencia de afuera de la tienda, viajaban en ambas direcciones. One would appear in the far distance and come speeding towards us, but the drivers never made errors and always managed to miss us. Uno aparecía a lo lejos y venía a toda velocidad hacia nosotros, pero los conductores nunca cometían errores y siempre se las arreglaban para esquivarnos. Soon the scenes were changing so rapidly around me I had difficulty ordering them. Pronto, las escenas cambiaron tan rápidamente a mi alrededor que tuve dificultad para ordenarlas. At one stage a box became filled with the other cars, while the boxes immediately beside it filled with segments of road and surrounding field. En un momento, una caja se llenó con los otros autos, mientras que las cajas inmediatamente al lado se llenaron con segmentos de carretera y campo circundante. I did my best to preserve the smooth line of the road as it moved from one box into the next, but with the view constantly changing, I decided this wasn't possible, and allowed the road to break and start afresh each time it crossed a border. Hice lo mejor que pude para preservar la línea suave del camino mientras se movía de un cuadro al siguiente, pero con la vista cambiando constantemente, decidí que esto no era posible y permití que el camino se rompiera y comenzara de nuevo cada vez que cruzaba. una frontera. Despite all these problems, the scope of the view and the hugeness of the sky were very exciting. A pesar de todos estos problemas, el alcance de la vista y la inmensidad del cielo fueron muy emocionantes. The Sun was often behind clouds, but I sometimes saw his patterns falling right the way across a valley or sweep of land. El Sol a menudo estaba detrás de las nubes, pero a veces vi sus patrones cayendo a través de un valle o una extensión de tierra.

When the Mother next spoke, it was more obvious she was speaking to me. Cuando la Madre volvió a hablar, era más obvio que me estaba hablando a mí.

‘It must be nice sometimes to have no feelings. A veces debe ser agradable no tener sentimientos. I envy you.' Te envidio.'

I considered this, then said: ‘I believe I have many feelings. Consideré esto, luego dije: 'Creo que tengo muchos sentimientos. The more I observe, the more feelings become available to me.' Cuanto más observo, más sentimientos se vuelven disponibles para mí.'

She laughed unexpectedly, making me start. Ella se rió inesperadamente, haciéndome sobresaltarme. ‘In that case,' she said, ‘maybe you shouldn't be so keen to observe.' Then she added: ‘I'm sorry. —En ese caso —dijo—, tal vez no deberías estar tan interesado en observar. Luego agregó: 'Lo siento. I didn't mean to be rude. No quise ser grosero. I'm sure you have all sorts of feelings.' Estoy seguro de que tienes todo tipo de sentimientos.

‘When Josie was unable to come with us just now, I felt sadness.' "Cuando Josie no pudo venir con nosotros hace un momento, sentí tristeza".

‘You felt sadness. 'Sentiste tristeza. Okay.' She became silent, perhaps to concentrate on her driving and the cars coming in the opposite direction. De acuerdo.' Se quedó en silencio, quizás para concentrarse en su forma de conducir y en los coches que venían en dirección opuesta. Then she said: ‘There was a time, not so long ago, when I thought I was getting to feel less and less. Luego dijo: 'Hubo un tiempo, no hace mucho tiempo, en el que pensé que me estaba sintiendo cada vez menos. A little less each day. Un poco menos cada día. I didn't know if I was happy about that or not. No sabía si estaba feliz por eso o no. But now, lately, I seem to be getting overly sensitive to everything. Pero ahora, últimamente, parece que me estoy volviendo demasiado sensible a todo. Klara, look over to your left. Klara, mira a tu izquierda. You okay back there? ¿Estás bien allá atrás? Look way over to your left and tell me what you can see.' Mire hacia la izquierda y dígame qué puede ver.

We were crossing land that neither rose nor fell, and the sky was still very large. Atravesábamos tierra que ni subía ni bajaba, y el cielo aún era muy grande. I saw flat fields, empty of barns or farm vehicles, stretching into the distance. Vi campos llanos, vacíos de graneros o vehículos agrícolas, extendiéndose en la distancia. But near the horizon was what appeared to be a town created entirely out of metal boxes. Pero cerca del horizonte estaba lo que parecía ser un pueblo creado completamente a partir de cajas de metal.

‘You see it?' the Mother asked, not taking her own gaze from the road. '¿Lo ves?' preguntó la Madre, sin apartar la mirada del camino.

‘It's far away,' I said. 'Está muy lejos', le dije. ‘But I can see a kind of village. Pero puedo ver una especie de aldea. Perhaps the sort where cars or other such items are made.' Quizá del tipo en el que se fabrican coches u otros artículos por el estilo.

‘Not a bad guess. No es una mala suposición. Actually that's a chemical plant, and a pretty cutting-edge one. En realidad, es una planta química, y bastante avanzada. Kimball Refrigeration. Refrigeración Kimball. Though they haven't had anything to do with a refrigerator for decades. Aunque no han tenido nada que ver con un refrigerador durante décadas. It was the reason why we first came out here. Fue la razón por la que vinimos aquí por primera vez. Josie's father was employed there.' El padre de Josie trabajaba allí.

Although the metal boxes village remained distant, I could now make out tubes connecting one building to the next, and other tubes pointing up at the sky. Aunque el pueblo de cajas de metal permanecía distante, ahora podía distinguir tubos que conectaban un edificio con el siguiente, y otros tubos que apuntaban hacia el cielo. Something about it reminded me of the awful Cootings Machine, and a concern came into my mind about Pollution. Algo en él me recordó a la horrible Máquina de Cootings, y me vino a la mente la preocupación por la Contaminación. But just then the Mother said: Pero en ese momento la Madre dijo:

‘It's a good place. 'Es un buen lugar. Clean energy in, clean energy out. Energía limpia adentro, energía limpia afuera. Josie's father was once a rising star there.' El padre de Josie fue una vez una estrella en ascenso allí.

Then the metal boxes village was no longer visible, and I straightened in my seat again. Entonces el pueblo de cajas de metal ya no era visible, y me enderecé en mi asiento de nuevo.

‘We get along fine now,' the Mother said. 'Nos llevamos bien ahora', dijo la Madre. ‘You could almost say we're friends. Casi se podría decir que somos amigos. That's a good thing for Josie, of course.' Eso es algo bueno para Josie, por supuesto.

‘I wonder, does the Father still work at the refrigeration village?' 'Me pregunto, ¿el padre todavía trabaja en la aldea de refrigeración?'

‘What? '¿Qué? Oh no. Oh, no. He was…substituted. Fue... sustituido. Like all the rest of them. Como todos los demás. He was a brilliant talent. Era un talento brillante. Still is, of course. Todavía lo es, por supuesto. We get along better now. Nos llevamos mejor ahora. That's the important thing for Josie.' Eso es lo importante para Josie.

We traveled after that for some time without talking, the road now climbing steeply. Viajamos después de eso durante algún tiempo sin hablar, el camino ahora ascendía abruptamente. Then the Mother slowed the car and we turned down a narrow road. Entonces la Madre redujo la velocidad del auto y doblamos por un camino angosto. When I next looked between the front seats, the new road appeared only slightly wider than the car itself. La próxima vez que miré entre los asientos delanteros, el nuevo camino parecía solo un poco más ancho que el auto mismo. Before us, marked into the road's surface, were muddy parallel lines made by earlier wheels, and there were trees pressing in on us from both sides, like buildings in a city street. Delante de nosotros, marcadas en la superficie de la carretera, había líneas paralelas fangosas hechas por ruedas anteriores, y había árboles que nos presionaban desde ambos lados, como edificios en una calle de la ciudad. The Mother made the car continue down this narrow road, and though she drove more slowly, I wondered what would happen if another car came the other way. La Madre hizo que el auto continuara por este camino angosto, y aunque conducía más despacio, me pregunté qué pasaría si otro auto viniera por el otro lado. Then we turned another corner and came to a stop. Luego doblamos otra esquina y nos detuvimos.