Suite Francaise

1



War



Hot, thought the Parisians. The warm air of spring. It was night, they were at war and there was an air raid. But dawn was near and the war far away. The first to hear the hum of the siren were those who couldnt sleep the ill and bedridden, mothers with sons at the front, women crying for the men they loved. To them it began as a long breath, like air being forced into a deep sigh. It wasnt long before its wailing filled the sky. It came from afar, from beyond the horizon, slowly, almost lazily. Those still asleep dreamed of waves breaking over pebbles, a March storm whipping the woods, a herd of cows trampling the ground with their hooves, until finally sleep was shaken off and they struggled to open their eyes, murmuring, ＂Is it an air raid?＂



The women, more anxious, more alert, were already up, although some of them, after closing the windows and shutters, went back to bed. The night before Monday, 3 June bombs had fallen on Paris for the first time since the beginning of the war. Yet everyone remained calm. Even though the reports were terrible, no one believed them. No more so than if victory had been announced. ＂We dont understand whats happening,＂ people said.



They had to dress their children by torchlight. Mothers lifted small, warm, heavy bodies into their arms: ＂Come on, dont be afraid, dont cry.＂ An air raid. All the lights were out, but beneath the clear, golden June sky, every house, every street was visible. As for the Seine, the river seemed to absorb even the faintest glimmers of light and reflect them back a hundred times brighter, like some multifaceted mirror. Badly blacked-out windows, glistening rooftops, the metal hinges of doors all shone in the water. There were a few red lights that stayed on longer than the others, no one knew why, and the Seine drew them in, capturing them and bouncing them playfully on its waves. From above, it could be seen flowing along, as white as a river of milk. It guided the enemy planes, some people thought. Others said that couldnt be so. In truth, no one really knew anything. ＂Im staying in bed,＂ sleepy voices murmured, ＂Im not scared.All the same, it just takes one . . .＂ the more sensible replied.