The Museum of Eterna's Novel

CHAPTER XIX

WHAT'S HERE? PAIN

CHAPTER WITH ITS BACK TURNED

TRUNCATED

They conquered Buenos Aires in the name of beauty and of the mystery and everyone hoped to return to the estancia, that is, to their friendship. The old life in “La Novela” has been taken up again. One wants to work in the garden or restore the paintings, and others initiate a whitewashing project for the house, so that life can continue as before.

The Action has been carried out, and the spirits have not been satisfied; Action without Passion continues to have no meaning for the President. He identified this point with the intention of following through with the action in all of its aspects, with the result that he hoped this would come out of it, but at the same time he felt that his spirit had achieved nothing. There’s no contentment in him; his attitudes and conduct presage that life in “La Novela” will not return to how it was of old. There’s a bitter feeling in all the characters that comes with knowing something will only last a short while, that it will be cut off or truncated.

And now even this last attempt, to give Life to Eterna, has been frustrated by the President’s vacillation.

Their happiness threatens to expire. The President is out of sorts, and again it’s feared that he’ll change his mind. In the end, he leaves for a metaphysical meditation.

Only the Lover, the Gentleman Who Doesn’t Exist, thinks the action just as good as no action at all, and he feels himself just as happy as before, and knows what he’s going to do.

AUTHOR TO THE READER:

So what just happened: reunited at the President’s request in one of his sessions, he makes clear to them, with great torment, that he will leave “La Novela.” And as he saw that nobody wanted to stay there without him, he invited them to an eternal goodbye among all of them, and for each of them to choose a path that would take them farthest from the others, so as to assure, at least, that no one had to experience in another that other farewell, death. And so they were saved all the bitterness of separation because of death, so totally that this collective farewell felt mortally charged.

Only Simple wanted to speak, he’s the only one who threatened to rebel, to try and hold on to the possibility of happiness for all. Nobody heard him, surely, but he murmured (any final term of a President should have this infallible threat of uprising, which authenticates every President):

“Why choose Pain, why? We flee unhappiness. Go for the Good!” But the Lover, the man to whom death had the most to offer, makes his way among the others with a grave expression and takes his leave, saying:

“Please, have pity on a happy man: let me pass.”

Death was his Truth.

There couldn’t have been more unhappiness. Except for the Lover, everyone whom the President had brought together the previous year in his estancia, “La Novela,” has been derailed, since they once knew happiness. Who suffers the most, isn’t it Eterna?

All that is seen are the curved backs of the characters as they depart.

FINAL NOTICE

Sweetheart will never resign herself — as she has said — to two things: to the life in “La Novela” and to live that life with the President. She leaves to search him out. Maybegenius is enchanted. He’ll give his all to support her.

Hope remains with those who remain in “La Novela.”

Happiness. Happiness does not resign. Any citizen can resign from the presidency, but a Novel President cannot resign.

At the time of publication this novel has achieved the dispersion of backs, the farewell without looking, academic death.