{"id":32423,"date":"2018-05-07T15:08:02","date_gmt":"2018-05-07T14:08:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignrights.debezigebij.nl\/?page_id=32423"},"modified":"2018-05-07T15:08:02","modified_gmt":"2018-05-07T14:08:02","slug":"sample-translation-recollection","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/foreignrights.debezigebij.nl\/foreignrights\/authors\/kasper-van-beek\/kasper-van-beek-recollection\/sample-translation-recollection\/","title":{"rendered":"Sample translation – Recollection<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kasper van Beek – Recollection<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Prologue<\/p>\n

The eagle spreads her wings and lets herself be carried on the wind. While sweeping past the treetops of Nuuksio National Park, her gaze travels from left to right across the bright-white plain. At this time of year, the whole of Finland is covered in deep drifts of snow, which makes it harder to spot prey.<\/p>\n

Below is the winding river, which ultimately empties out into the lake. After a few firm beats, the eagle swoops down until she finds herself right above it. The current is strong and the whirling mass of water produces a deafening noise. Her jet-black eyes focus on the shallow surface and she slows when a school of fish becomes visible. Some have already noticed her and dart every which way; others carry on swimming, oblivious.<\/p>\n

She juts out her beak. In a split-second she folds her wings close to her body and in free-fall dives down at the glistening surface. Just before she hits the water, she rotates and sticks her sharps claws out. At exactly the right moment, in exactly the right place. Soon after, she soars again; mission accomplished. Dangling beneath her now is a fat fish. The eagle flies away from the river, into the dense forest. There she zigzags among the ancient trees, until she comes to a firm branch, on which she alights to fully focus on her prey.<\/p>\n

When the silence is broken by a sudden loud bang, her head jolts up in shock. All senses alert, she waits for whatever might come, but nothing happens. Once more, the whispering of the wind among the trees is the only sound far and wide.<\/p>\n

Nothing dangerous comes to pass, and with deadly precision the eagle quickly pierces the still wildly thrashing fish with her beak.<\/p>\n

The weight of both bird and fish sends a shudder through the branch. A thick layer of snow slides down. Besides falling onto the spreading roots of the tree, it also covers something else. Something that was buried here by human hands not so long ago and is now completely concealed under a white blanket.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

~<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Not far from there, smoke comes out of the chimney of a well-hidden log cabin. Its wooden door swings open and a lively husky jumps out. A large man with a thick grey beard saunters after the dog, his woollen cap pulled down low over his forehead. He routinely slings a hunting rifle over his shoulder before closing the door behind him.<\/p>\n

With each step, his heavy boots sink to his ankles in the snow. And so he leaves a deep trail. He doesn\u2019t care; there are few other people in the area, so he sees no reason to keep his cabin a secret. The husky runs ahead of him, knowing exactly which way they\u2019re headed. He can find his way blind and seems to have more of an appetite for the outing than his master.<\/p>\n

Above them, the tall, thin trees sway gently back and forth. The hunter raises his eyebrows when he notices a black smudge on his glove. Must have forgotten to take it off when he threw another log onto the fire. Luckily there\u2019s a small brook nearby, where he can clean the glove easily enough. He whistles between his teeth. The husky responds at once and moves in the direction of the water. In summer the dog has been known to jump into the brook, but he\u2019s smart enough not to do so now.<\/p>\n

When they get to the flowing water, the hunter kneels down, while the husky runs up the nearby hill. There\u2019s a small waterfall where the water cascades down and, besides the wind, produces the only sound for miles around. The hunter rubs water onto his glove and luckily the soot starts to come off. He looks up at the waterfall, but can no longer see his dog. Stoically, he carries on scrubbing, harder and harder.<\/p>\n

The sound that follows makes him topple backwards and immediately \u2013 much clumsier than he\u2019d care to admit \u2013 reach for his hunting rifle.<\/p>\n

The husky growls. Not like he does when he wants to eat or be taken out, but more gutturally. More menacingly. A sound the hunter hasn\u2019t heard in ages. The dog is nowhere to be seen though and he anxiously rises to his feet. Aware that the barrel of his rifle is trembling, he tries to gather himself and uses a second hand. Cautiously, he begins to climb the hill beside the waterfall, in search of the cause of the growling.<\/p>\n

A bit further up, he sees his husky standing stock-still, his ears flat against his head and his gaze forward. The dog is unaware of his master, having eyes only for something happening in front of him. The trees are shrouded in a dense fog, which drastically reduces visibility. The hunter and his dog stare into the distance. Something isn\u2019t right, he senses as much. He quickly cocks his rifle, ready to shoot.<\/p>\n

In the distance, among the trees, a figure appears. He tries to make out the contours, but it\u2019s hard in this light. Instinctively, he takes a step back, looking for a way out, and the husky follows suit. The hunter wipes the sweat from his brow and pulls his cap back a little, while staring into the mist again. The figure grows larger and larger. He\u2019s running towards them!<\/p>\n

He anxiously clutches his rifle stock.<\/p>\n

\u2018Hey!\u2019 he yells. But no reaction follows. The figure keeps running and the dog starts barking.<\/p>\n

\u2018Hey! Stop!\u2019 he tries a second time. Again, no reaction. He has to act. Next thing you know, there\u2019ll be a confrontation. That\u2019s a fact. The barking has changed to fearful whining, and for a fleeting instant the hunter wonders whether the figure rushing towards them is actually human. Or whether they\u2019re dealing with a creature from one of those ancient Finnish myths that his grandmother used to tell him.<\/p>\n

He shakes his head, closes one eye and aims his rifle. He breathes slowly, the way he always does, and concentrates on his sights. And then \u2013 with probably only ten to twenty steps between them \u2013 he pulls the trigger.<\/p>\n

What follows is a second that seems to last far too long. The figure is hit, and without a single sound it falls headlong onto the ground. Soon it\u2019s almost completely covered in snow.<\/p>\n

The silence descends over the forest again, and the hunter looks at his dog, which stares back inquisitively. He begins to inch towards the figure, step by watchful step, still with his rifle at the ready. When he approaches he sees two legs sticking up motionlessly. Close by, dark blue shows through the white, and with a pounding heart he starts brushing away the snow. Slowly, a jacket appears and it\u2019s only now that the hunter realises that lying on the ground in front of him is a man in a suit. Without a winter coat, without a hat, without moon boots. Surprised, he scratches his beard, but then he sees the red stain spreading in the snow. Two stains in fact! Not only around the man\u2019s head, but also around his shoulder blood is pooling. As the hunter desperately scans his surroundings, he thinks to himself, I only fired one shot, didn\u2019t I?<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Part I<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

1<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

My headlights turn off when I flip the ignition switch and the palm trees in granite pots disappear in the dark. As my eyes grow used to the darkness, I can see the waves rolling up the beach in the distance. We\u2019re in Zandvoort, but by the looks of it the beach joint with the palm trees would like me to believe that I just parked somewhere on the French Riviera. Not that I care. Far off, a seagull screeches as though its life depended on it. I couldn\u2019t care less about that too. The only thing that matters to me is the quiet after the storm.<\/p>\n

Next to me, the sun visor is lowered and the vanity light comes on. I don\u2019t need to look sideways to know what she\u2019s doing. The red lips, which just yelled those furious words, are receiving a touch-up. A smile is practiced; everything is fine again. I\u2019ve been through this often enough to know that I have to keep my mouth shut now. Wait for the signal and certainly don\u2019t make eye contact. When I hear her door fall shut and her heels move away from the car, I straighten my tie. That was the signal, now I must act.<\/p>\n

When she begins to make her way down the slope, towards the beach joint, I overtake her just in time to offer support. We walk this path every year, and every year it\u2019s preceded by heaps of stress for Liesbeth. Why? No idea<\/em>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A girl at the door directs us to the left, although we know perfectly well where to go. The same party every year to celebrate the positive results; the same venue every year. When we get to the entrance, we have a fine overview of the scene. A band is playing at the back, one I haven\u2019t heard before. Last year\u2019s outfit must have slipped up too many times. This company doesn\u2019t hesitate to come down hard on mistakes.<\/p>\n

To the right behind the bar, expensive bottles of booze reflect the coloured light back into the room. I clear my throat. Strangely enough I always feel as though I\u2019m the one uninvited guest and that everybody will turn to me on arrival and collectively show me the door.<\/p>\n

\u2018There he is! The man of the moment!\u2019 Jacob sounds more enthusiastic than usual and has clearly had a lot to drink already. \u2018Accompanied by the most beautiful woman of the evening.\u2019<\/p>\n

He kisses Liesbeth\u2019s hand and I shake my head, laughing.<\/p>\n

\u2018Don\u2019t let Carolien hear you, smooth talker,\u2019 Liesbeth responds with a mischievous smile.<\/p>\n

\u2018Hey, how about me?\u2019 I hug him, Jacob, my colleague and best friend.<\/p>\n

\u2018You? What\u2019s it got to do with you?\u2019 comes his challenging reply.<\/p>\n

We enter the room. Everybody is here. At least three hundred people are rubbing shoulders together. Liesbeth wants to dance with me, but I haven\u2019t even had a drink yet. Jacob is several steps ahead and saves me from my wife. They disappear into the crowd and I make my way to the bar \u2013 always a good orientation point<\/em>.<\/p>\n

People I normally just nod hello to now shake my hand vigorously. To my shock I receive three wet kisses from the dinner lady, making me grateful for the wide counter that keeps her at a safe distance on workdays. I quickly extricate myself from her clutches and with the international sign for drinking I explain my mission to her. She lets me go.<\/p>\n

I order a vodka-and-coke and then casually lean against the bar, to suggest I ended up here by chance but happen to like the place. From this position, I have a good view of the dance floor, where brave and drunk guests find one another. Liesbeth and Jacob are twirling around in dramatic circles, executing moves they must have seen in a film. It probably looks better in their minds than in real life, and I pull a face. But as with a car crash, it takes a real effort to look away.<\/p>\n

\u2018Show-offs!\u2019 Carolien appears by my side, and from her eyes it\u2019s clear that she\u2019s had just as much to drink as her wildly dancing husband nearby. I\u2019d not spotted her before, but she doesn\u2019t look at me. She too can\u2019t keep her eyes off Jacob and Liesbeth.<\/p>\n

\u2018Luckily they\u2019re much better at other things,\u2019 I offer as an ice-breaker. Carolien is my wife\u2019s sister, which makes Jacob my brother-in-law. To complete the incestuous picture, the director of this company is the dad of the two sisters. The fact that I work for my father-in-law is something I try to avoid mentioning in conversations for as long as possible, because every time it does come up I receive the same pitying look.<\/p>\n

\u2018You don\u2019t know it, Olaf. I do.\u2019 She blathers on, in the same sozzled tone as before. I sigh, obliged to play along now.<\/p>\n

\u2018What is it I don\u2019t know, Carolien?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018You think you know everything, but you know nothing.\u2019<\/p>\n

This is getting more and more fun<\/em>. I take a quick gulp of my drink and then look the other way. Given his interminable flirting, I understand her suspicions about Jacob, but I\u2019m not the least bit concerned about Liesbeth. Of course I see the male heads swivel when I turn up somewhere with her by my side. But precisely because we give each other so much freedom, we trust each other. Besides, I get on really well with Huub, her father and my boss. She\u2019d never jeopardise all that, especially not for Jacob, however likable he may be.<\/p>\n

\u2018Don\u2019t worry. Soon he\u2019ll come tottering back to you.\u2019<\/p>\n

Carolien doesn\u2019t answer and keeps staring fixedly at the dance floor. It\u2019s a good thing, too; intoxication doesn\u2019t suit her. Behind her, I notice, the sliding doors to the patio are slightly ajar; beyond the glass, a small star glows a bright orange. I slowly make my way outside. At this point, anything seems preferable to staying here and propping up the bar.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

~<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2018Beautiful, isn\u2019t it?\u2019 I hear a voice from the corner. \u2018I can spend hours lying on my back, staring up at the stars.<\/p>\n

A shiver runs down my spine \u2013 I\u2019d recognise that voice anywhere. We\u2019re on an otherwise deserted jetty that stretches across the sand before ending up at the calming surf. The sound of the water that keeps rolling up the beach before retreating again has a hypnotising effect. Above us is a magnificent starry sky.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s a clear night,\u2019 I readily admit, and turn around. Emerging out of the darkness is a silhouette with a small orange star between her fingers. When she takes a drag, the tip glows fiercely and briefly illuminates her face.<\/p>\n

I instinctively take a step back when Mila enters the light. She\u2019s holding her high-heeled shoes in her hand and I can see her toes curling slightly on the timber jetty. She\u2019s totally different from all the other women in there. The smoke she exhales wafts towards me.<\/p>\n

\u2018Why are you standing here all by yourself? Shouldn\u2019t you go in? The band\u2019s decent for a change,\u2019 I fib. To be honest, the music hasn\u2019t registered with me at all. Luckily it\u2019s dark and she doesn\u2019t notice my discomfort. She\u2019s been working with us for some time, but I still stumble over my words whenever I talk to her.<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019m not alone, am I?\u2019 she replies. Above us, a passing seagull screeches shrilly. To my relief, she continues and no response is needed. \u2018The parties I normally go to are rather different from this kind of… get-together.\u2019 She casually offers me a puff from her cigarette and I see the lipstick on the filter. Nonetheless, I make a declining gesture. Mila turns to the window, behind which the party is still in full swing. \u2018Look at them living it up; these are the same bonces that might exchange three words with one another on an ordinary working day. But once a year an evening is labelled a party <\/em>so they have fun on command. I\u2019m not really into this kind of controlled mirth.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019m one of those bonces,\u2019 I reply, aware of the veiled accusation. Now she\u2019s standing right beside me, looking intently into my eyes.<\/p>\n

\u2018No, Olaf, you\u2019re different.\u2019<\/p>\n

I shake my head, about to say something in return, but I don\u2019t know what. She looks at me quizzically, a playful smile on her lips. \u2018The boss\u2019s son-in-law. That sounds as though a promotion is just around the corner.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s the opposite, actually.\u2019 I laugh out loud. \u2018Everybody keeps a close watch on me to see if I\u2019m given preferential treatment.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018So it\u2019s more of a curse?\u2019 she asks.<\/p>\n

\u2018Everyone\u2019s always very nice\u2026 to my face.\u2019 I pause a moment, and she knows what I\u2019m trying to say. \u2018I didn\u2019t choose this, but it\u2019s how things go sometimes.\u2019 The words form sentences with surprising ease. Yet I abruptly fall silent when Mila draws near, her gaze fixed on mine.<\/p>\n

She could kiss me, laugh at me or hit me in the face. That\u2019s how bad I am at reading women, I think to myself. A small frown appears between her brows as she comes yet another step closer. She leans forward, but rather than at my mouth she ends up by my ear.<\/p>\n

\u2018I discovered something.\u2019<\/p>\n

My brain is working overtime to make sense of these words. But I can\u2019t make head nor tail of them.<\/p>\n

\u2018Something isn\u2019t quite right, surely you must have noticed?\u2019 she adds.<\/p>\n

I pull my face back and look her in the eyes again, seeing a tension there that\u2019s beginning to unsettle me as well.<\/p>\n

\u2018What do you mean? Where\u2019s something not quite right?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018At the office. Something big.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018Here you are.\u2019 The words are a dagger in my back. I spin around and for some reason or other I smile broadly. Everything\u2019s just fine here<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u2018Liesbeth, this is Mila. Mila, Liesbeth.\u2019 The two women shake hands awkwardly, after which Liesbeth turns to me again.<\/p>\n

\u2018Daddy\u2019s about to give his speech. He wants you to be there.\u2019 She escorts me inside. The last thing I see when I look over my shoulder is Mila\u2019s worried look.<\/p>\n

On our way to the stage, Liesbeth snaps, for me alone to hear, \u2018You don\u2019t have to introduce me to every single secretary.\u2019 I take two glasses of champagne from a tray and decide that this isn\u2019t the moment to explain that Mila isn\u2019t a secretary at all. Not least because Liesbeth bloody well knows that.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

~<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The wipers scrape across the glass and I switch them to their lowest setting; it\u2019s almost dry again. We\u2019re in the car on our way home and I\u2019m staring through the windscreen, lost in thought.<\/p>\n

\u2018Sweet of you to compliment daddy on his speech. You know he loves it,\u2019 Liesbeth says. I smile. That I know<\/em>. I receive a kiss on the cheek and listen to her breathing.<\/p>\n

\u2018You also know I love you, right? But really.\u2019 That too I know<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u2018But really,\u2019 I mutter in response. Gradually, she dozes off next to me, while I concentrate on the passing white lines on the road.<\/p>\n

I love her too. Ever since secondary school, when she wanted to slow dance with me at that prom. Liesbeth was with the popular crowd, whereas I didn\u2019t really know where I belonged. I had friends, knew a couple of girls to say hello to, but wasn\u2019t part of any clique. Neither a tough guy nor a nerd. I was invisible.<\/p>\n

Until that evening in the auditorium when Liesbeth decided to pull me into the limelight. Overwhelmed by this sudden move, I began to kiss her. Something I wouldn\u2019t have dared before, but at that moment it felt like the only appropriate reaction. And she kissed me back, while everyone else gawped at me wide-eyed. With a pounding heart, my tongue traced circles in her mouth, and I felt her arms wrap themselves around my back.<\/p>\n

The following day it became clear that I\u2019d been promoted. I was treated differently, was even stared at. But what surprised me most was that Liesbeth stood behind the decision she\u2019d made the previous evening. She told me I was her boyfriend now. Something I was only too happy to go along with. I grew more cheerful, became more self-confident and the rest of my secondary school career was amazing. And it was all her doing.<\/p>\n

My saviour<\/em>.<\/p>\n

We built a life together and were happy from the word go. She was far more mature than me, which intimidated me no end at first. I learned to follow her, to become more serious, to think ahead more. I needed that. I\u2019m positive: without my wife I\u2019d still be playing computer games in my student digs.<\/p>\n

I glance sideways and see her smile in her sleep. She\u2019s feeling safe.<\/p>\n

The thought reminds me of the incident earlier in the evening. Of that look in Mila\u2019s eyes, that dark apprehension in them. She\u2019s approached me before at work, but then again she talks to everyone. However, until now all of our conversations were either about nothing in particular or about work. She always showed a lot of interest in that. But we never addressed genuine concerns or real issues. Why did she confide in me this evening?<\/p>\n

What did she discover?<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kasper van Beek – Recollection     Prologue The eagle spreads her wings and lets herself be carried on the wind. While sweeping past the treetops of Nuuksio National Park, her gaze travels from left to right across the bright-white plain. At this time of year, the whole of Finland is covered in deep drifts…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1135,"featured_media":0,"parent":32407,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-32423","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignrights.debezigebij.nl\/wpg-api\/wp\/v2\/pages\/32423","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignrights.debezigebij.nl\/wpg-api\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignrights.debezigebij.nl\/wpg-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignrights.debezigebij.nl\/wpg-api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1135"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignrights.debezigebij.nl\/wpg-api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32423"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/foreignrights.debezigebij.nl\/wpg-api\/wp\/v2\/pages\/32423\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignrights.debezigebij.nl\/wpg-api\/wp\/v2\/pages\/32407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignrights.debezigebij.nl\/wpg-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}