The Train (Le train)

When I was little,

every night before going to sleep,

I'd hear the whistle of a train passing in the distance.

I imagined there was a strange world over there.

- Hi. - Hello.

- Thanks for coming. - No problem.

- How's she doing? - Not great.

Let's go have a look.

Again.

She's still wheezing a lot.

I'll give her an injection.

Get some rest, okay?

I love you.

You've been alone for too long.

I'm not all alone.

I have my daughter.

I have you.

You know what I mean.

Maybe later, when Agathe is older.

Do you talk to her about Philippe?

I tell her that we loved each other a lot.

I say that he went away on a trip and we lost track of each other.

She's a smart one.

She knows it's a mystery, but she doesn't press the issue.

She makes up her stories.

Vanished without a trace.

How can I explain that?

For Agathe, he's a mythical father, as though he wasn't even human.

I imagine him dead, or alive, in every situation possible.

And I like to think that if he's dead,

he keeps a watchful eye over her.

In Portuguese, there's a word for that.

Saudade.

It's a mixture of hope and nostalgia

for something that is impossible to have again.

Or something like that.

That's pretty much it.

The lumberjack is the guardian.

The guardian of what?

The guardian of the world we don't know.

Sometimes, he cuts down a tree next to the train tracks.

Do you see the train passing?

No, but I hear it.

Where does it go?

It crosses the border at the end of the forest.

The border to another country?

No.

The border between us and everything we don't know.

It's somewhere else.

Far away.

Sometimes I imagine I'm on the train.

Going to the other world.

Here.

I'll be right back.

- Hello. - Hello.

How's she doing?

A bit better today, but still not well.

- Do you have a moment to talk? - Of course.

Come into the living room.

Asthma is unpredictable.

There'll be good days and bad days.

She has allergies.

She has bronchial inflammation.

You can't let her get worn out or excited.

We'll keep her at home for a while.

School starts in a week.

If she misses too much, she might fail her grade.

But the kids at school run around at recess.

She can't get out of breath.

One more major attack and she'll end up in the hospital.

If I were you, I'd talk to the school

to see if she can do some home schooling.

She can go back in January.

"So I lived my life alone,

"without anyone that I could really talk to

"until I had an accident with my plane in the Desert of Sahara, six years ago.

"Something was broken in my engine."

"And as I had with me neither a mechanic nor any passengers,"

"I set myself to attempt the difficult repairs all alone."

"It was a question of life or death for me:"

"I had scarcely enough drinking water to last a week.

"The first night, then,

"I went to sleep on the sand,

"a thousand miles from any human habitation."

"I was more isolated than a shipwrecked sailor on a raft in the ocean."

The light in your eyes lingers.

To chase the long winters from my mind.

Beneath my skittish fingers.

Everything would be mine in a moment.

You were already in my memories.

But the day that was to bring us together.

Never came to pass.

Without even knowing your name

I would have wasted the time.

That was given to me.

Following faithfully in your footsteps.

As the day follows time.

But you did not answer my call.

You walked without turning to me.

Like a bird darting through the air.

Towards a closed horizon.

You were lost in the landscape.

And I stayed right here on this beach.

Waiting faithfully to the end.

For you to come.

The bolts of silk aren't here yet?

No, the company said they were running late.

They'll be here in a few days.

You'll let the customers know?

- Of course, no problem. - Great, thanks.

I forgot about you!

She's so quiet.

Never seen, never heard.

- You're okay there? - Yes.

- Thanks again for allowing this. - No problem.

It's not the best for her, but at least I'm not worried.

I couldn't choose a better mascot.

I'll be in my office.

Majestic Fabric, reception and accounting.

No, the bolts are late.

There's been a shipping delay.

- Hi there, it's me! - Maurice!

I just found out that you're holed up here.

That's right, Agathe will do her schoolwork here with me now.

The school of life!

That's a great idea. There's much to learn here.

Come see.

I have your button order here, but the fabric samples will come later.

Okay, I'll be back.

No, I'll have them delivered. There's a lot.

It's fantastic here. Look.

We can string up some rope

and with some clothespins,

we can make a tent where you can hide.

- I can disappear? - Yup.

Next time I come, I'll help set it up.

- How much do I owe you? - Wait, let me do it!

How much do I owe?

It's written there.

One dollar. How much change?

- Fifty cents. - Very good.

Good.

- Don't forget to close the till. - Thanks.

What are you doing tonight? Want to eat with us?

No, not tonight. Another time?

I'm staying in alone, relaxing and watching movies.

Hollywood, Hollywood!

Thank you. Very good service.

I'm off to the workshop.

I have a client who won't wait. Thanks, good day.

Majestic Fabric, reception and accounting.

So beautiful.

Why do people cut down trees?

For all sorts of reasons.

Sometimes because they're sick, or too old.

Or if they're a problem, if they block the road

or hide sight lines.

And sometimes it's to make boards to build houses.

Or paper to draw on.

Are they ever cut down for no reason?

Sometimes, yeah.

When we cut them, do they feel it?

If they're alive when we cut them, does it hurt them?

Hard to say.

I'd say that we don't really know.

Look, the moon is coming out.

- It's following us! - Yeah.

Agathe.

Agathe.

I'd like to have a dog.

We'll talk about it later, okay?

It's late, hop into bed.

Bye. Good night.

Good night, sweet dreams.

Buenas noches.

Gute nacht.

Buona notte.

Oyasuminasai.

Here, little kitten.

"She tried the little golden key in the lock,

"Alice opened the door

"and found that it led into a small passage,

"not much larger than a rat-hole:

"she knelt down and looked along the passage"

"into the loveliest garden you ever saw."

A lovely story, my kitten, but can you read in your head?

I don't really like milk very much.

Here.

Go get yourself a soda. Okay?

Yeah.

Careful when you cross the street.

Agathe, slower please.

Kitten, you mustn't get excited.

Agathe, someone's there.

Thank you.

Hey, a cat!

- Hi there. - Hi.

Agathe, settle down, okay?

See this dress, it's shaped like the letter A.

It's called an A-line.