Devil’s Paradise, Youssef RZOUGA [reading list .txt] 📗

be the one who makes decisions. At home and abroad, I’m myself. I can’t be in two places at once. I may not be as rich Uncle Sami is but…with this multipurpose horn, I feel the floor tremble. But I’ll just have to put up with it.
Who am I, in the end?
Well! I’m one of the biggest, if not THE BIGGEST.
or if you want too, I’m one of the smallest, if not THE SMALLEST
Stay where you are dears friends, orphans of the map!!
There are still a lot of things to be done. it is my duty to tell you.
This is strictly between us! Ok?
Our strategy now, here, within our Hanging Gardens, reads as follows:
- There’s no time to waste.
- We’re going to jump straight to page 1000 of a future within reach.
- To love without losing your compass, nothing could be simpler
- Lovingly, to make oneself useful without anyone knowing.
- To help the sun shine differently, for everyone
- To have the makings of a statesman, practising the policy of an almost perfect family, small but great like a body without complexes.
- To have an artistic temperament and to do what’s necessary without uttering a single complaint against nature.
- To be modest while maintaining the prestige hanging between the earth and the sky.
- To enter into negotiations on a life full of nuances and to negotiate it with anyone, with a smile on one’s lips.
- To divorce the ghost of poverty. The key is somewhere you’ve never been before.
While doing so, we’ll have to wait and see.
What counts is that we are there. That’s the secret.
And to begin with, I must tell you there are eight gates to go through, here and now.
So, do you understand?
CHAPTER-9

His eyes met mine. He smiled weakly.
The gateway to spring, over there, I told him. What’s it about? We’ve got to hurry! There’s no time to waste.
“But what happened there?” asked the gardener
“Don’t ask me!” replied the child, “I’ve no satisfactory answer, because I wasn’t there; furthermore, I don’t want to know.
He’s but a child of fifteen, timid at heart.
One day, he decided to desert home.
- People thought him to be mad-
With a book in his hand, he let himself be guided by his intuition. Nothing will stop him.
The gateway of spring leads to a garden 10 hectares large. This garden is but a heavenly labyrinth on the ground.
The further south you go, the longer the day gets. No night. Sublime!
Wellwell used to conjugate his gestures, dancing and singing, in the present but, at the same time, he leaves the verbs of the five senses as they are. A pause. What time is it? Time freezes. That’s why one verb follows another verb in the infinitive.
I feel like a new person, said Alex, and here I am. Again. I’m curious to see things as they are. I’m curious to stumble over and against, to jump from a standing position with joined hands, to run up or run down the hill planted with trees, to scour the garden for Shakespeare, to live with birds, a story with a happy ending, and growingly impelled by curiosity, I try to sow something, a dream for example, not to disturb a sleeping flower, to build a nest there, beyond all suspicion for two love birds.
Ouch! I hit my head on a wall.
The sun is setting. Nothing lasts forever, but where is the source?
I can hear a voice in the distance:
But where’s that friend of ours?
That’s my friend Ufo, He’s coming towards me.

On coming out of the garden, a child, with his shirt unbuttoned to the waist, threw stones at me.
– One moment! I’ll teach him not to start that again! I said.
– How disgraceful it is to run after him!
– What’s up?
“He’s but a naughty child,” said Ufo. “A jealous child.”
CHAPTER-10

Let’s see!
Eight wonders to discover.
Yesterday, I saw the garden of the source.
There are still seven others to see during my stay in Babel. It’s not something you see every day. Each garden hides a special holiday village.
Today, it’s the gateway of the Silk.
Who doesn’t know this gateway?
(The gardener gives Wellwell a warm welcome):
– Ahlan wa sahlan!! Welcome to the Garden of Silk!
I sneak amid the trees.
The birds continue singing: sss! This means yes sss.
This garden nestles thousands of birds.
But “never say no” here, seems a strange thing to me:
From the start, I’m not allowed to say no in this garden. Saying no is pro-hi-bi-ted!
Not a single soul of the thousands settlers here dares to say no.
Well, I’m not saying no, but…if I may say so, I can say no, at least, without speaking, I can move around the head or by the finger.
A rainbow is looming in the horizon. The colours intertwine well before the eagle’s eyes.
A dog wags its tail: welcome gentleman!
So it’s the Gateway of the silk hence this silky strange yes.
It’s so annoying! But… too bad, that’s the way it is.
Here, everyone is entitled to vote by ‘yes’ only.
“Our lion died. His death leaves an unfathomable void in all our lives,” said the gardener. The eagle is king.
No poor, no rich so no gap between rich and poor.
We have our own rules and we’re not just thinking of ourselves. Here Fruit divides into equal parts.
In brackets, we’re almost the same and in similar manner, we got dressed.
This so-called dice, we don’t need any more dices, we’ve got our own. This garden is ours
With a royal we, we talk to ourselves in a low voice. With us, do not exceed the stated dose is the road what we have to follow.

The explosion boomed all over the Global Village. The atmosphere became oppressive. Some say this and others say that. They depend on each other. But and against all logic, might is right.
“I know what happened there,” said the gardener with a sigh. These discoveries, during the Gulf War, entitle us to believe that D as in devil or D as in democracy is but a minor detail.
Incapable of cowardice, this eagle is but a dummy, he’s simply a dummy.
“I’ve got stomach cramps,” I said. “I must go.”
“Take this, his fruit juice will make you feel better, but do you have any other question?” asked the gardener, smiling.
Wellwell laughs, what a hoot! While avoiding falling into the trap. To say no here is to bid farewell to Life!
CHAPTER -11

Gateway of Hope
Wandering about, along the paths, I saw her in front of me. She walked past me without saying hello.
– This girl, God! But I know her well. I haven’t seen her ever since the war.
Wellwell takes a step towards her. The girl steps back shouting:
What do you want?
Nothing! I’m just asking you: what are you doing here?
She pretends not to have heard.
Wellwell insists:
But what are you doing here?
“It’s no concern of yours, see you soon!” she said. She seemed to hesitate. She lifted her hand as though to strike me and then, disturbed, she rushes towards the other side.
They got to know each other at school.
Lost in thought, Wellwell speaks to himself.
This war takes us more and more away from each other dear friend; I can’t believe my own eyes. This girl is considered one of my best friends. She was the best pupil in the class. That’s right!
A beautiful girl like her, how does she look like? Perhaps, she looks like a beauty queen. She is asking for charity now. What happened to her?
She dresses no matter how and persists in her down-and-out existence: can you spare some change, please? A bit of love! I beg you ! I’m starving; I’ve had nothing to eat since yesterday
Her hair hangs down her back.
Am I to conclude that she’s new to this work? Because she asked bashfully for charity.
1, 2, 3…she must turn round otherwise she disappoints me. Will she come back or not?
It seems that she’s leaving. Ouch! Apparently, she’s leaving.
Will she come back or not? Ouch! Will she come back or not?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
And…she turned to him.

Children of every age climbed the eucalyptus trees. Holiday-makers are surging in droves from the alleys.
Her teeth are chattering.
“My hand is cold,” she said.
– I’m pleased to see you again. How are you?
– So-so. A funny thing happened to me. But as you’re my friend, I’ll tell you everything.
According to her, it’s a shame it’s got to that stage. He put me up to it, she said. Besides, just jokingly, to beg today is a job with promising prospects.
Since he came there, solitude is getting me down. I was very disappointed at Mr Know-it-all. The war… it was a sheer failure. How many people were killed in that war? Heavy losses in men and equipment were entailed. Three people were killed in an accident: my brother, my mother and father. It makes me sad when I think of it. I’m lost.
He paid dearly for his mistake. The war cost him his life, Mr Know-it-all. May he rest in peace! In short, there was a general state of panic! In the back of my mind, it’s the memory I’m so ashamed of. That’s enough!
The subject’s over.
My head is spinning.
“There is nothing to be ashamed of,” I said. “It’ll soon be over with. I’m sure you’re going to forget. Are you tired?”
– Sure I am.
Darkness covered us.
Come on! I said. It’s no use crying.
– To go where? I’m scared Wellwell.
– It’s possible for them to put you up, with us.
Her eyes met mine. She shook my hand
From now on, we are inseparable, my love regained. May I decide for you, ok? My house is yours.
Don’t forget that during the war, for several years, love was the only thing that bound us together.
Now, hope is the only thing keeping us alive.
She spoke no single word.
“Never will love be defeated!” said Ufo.
CHAPTER -12

Gateway of Phoenix.
The village’s in a festive mood. It’s for you, Di! We celebrate your return from there. It’s the least we can do. Have a good time!
“I’ve lived in the vicinity of Babel for three years,” said wellwell.
Houses very close together. The village stands against the hillside. Finally, a colour that is soothing to the eyes.
Goodbye to war! The weather has brightened up again. I can breathe again!
The whole audience applauded. All eyes turn towards her.
Dina dances.
“If I can put it like that,” she exclaimed.
That’s the way she is. An old proverb says: “revenge is sweet!” and Dina decided like the Phoenix to rise again from her ashes.
The children, for their part, equally and indifferently enjoy themselves.
The guests made a dash for the buffet. The bottle of joy opens easily.
“Dina is a real gem!” finally confessed Wellwell.
She has a string of pearls round her neck.
The long-awaited for day arrived: do re mi!
Di hops from one foot to the other:
– I’m having a great time to make up for lost time.
It makes life worth living, again.
CHAPTER -13

Gateway of truth.
– Di, will you say something?
Wellwell loves her but the feeling isn’t shared.
–