{"id":35329,"date":"2019-06-20T11:07:49","date_gmt":"2019-06-20T09:07:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignrights.debezigebij.nl\/?page_id=35329"},"modified":"2019-06-20T11:10:44","modified_gmt":"2019-06-20T09:10:44","slug":"sample-translation-gilles-speksneijders-flight","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/foreignrights.debezigebij.nl\/foreignrights\/authors\/m-m-schoenmakers\/m-m-schoenmakers-gilles-speksneijders-flight\/sample-translation-gilles-speksneijders-flight\/","title":{"rendered":"Sample Translation – Gilles Speksneijder’s Flight<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

M.M. Schoenmakers – Gilles Speksneijder’s Flight\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Early in the evening, surrounded by boxes of all sizes and Christmas decorations set out on the table and floor, he felt a shout pry itself loose from somewhere deep inside him and work its way upwards. And as his pride and joy, a reindeer head he\u2019d made himself \u2013 sawed from plywood and fully dismountable \u2013 slid from his fingers and his right arm pointed at the floor next to the dresser, Gilles Speksneijder parted his lips.<\/p>\n

Maybe he couldn\u2019t compete with the vacuum cleaner, which was filling every corner of the living room with its irritating roar, or maybe his throat was sore or he didn\u2019t have enough air, in any case, his shout faltered as it emerged.<\/p>\n

\u2018There!\u2019 he squeaked. He held his arm outstretched, his index finger pointing at the skirting board, right under the painting of a horse pulling a barge along the banks of the canal.<\/p>\n

Madelief looked up, her face and neck glistening with sweat. Her foot felt for the knob of the vacuum cleaner.<\/p>\n

\u2018Now what?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018There!\u2019<\/p>\n

It was a miracle he\u2019d spotted it, it looked so tiny and lost, pressed against the skirting board, as the nozzle of the vacuum cleaner darted busily back and forth less than a metre away.<\/p>\n

\u2018Where?\u2019, Madelief asked, more focused on the things that still needed to be wrapped up and put away: glass baubles and Christmas apples and little birds for in the tree, and the cardboard Christmas crib she\u2019d coloured in three or four years ago, and the candles and the pinecone wreaths and her wicker basket with knitted Easter chicks, which also appeared on the table at Christmas, and all the other decorations.<\/p>\n

Speksneijder dived down beside the dresser, into the lukewarm cloud left by the vacuum cleaner. He picked the thing up and placed it in his hand. \u2018What is it?\u2019 he asked, posing the question first to himself. He took off his glasses and peered at it closely. \u2018It looks like a tiny mushroom,\u2019 he murmured.<\/p>\n

\u2018I can\u2019t hear you,\u2019 Madelief said.<\/p>\n

He heaved himself to his feet, put his glasses back on and walked past the Christmas tree to the standing lamp with the pig\u2019s bladder shade.<\/p>\n

He beckoned to her.<\/p>\n

\u2018I haven\u2019t finished yet,\u2019 she protested, \u2018and it\u2019s nearly nine.\u2019 She looked at him as he stood there under the light of the lamp, his finger stirring in the bowl of his hand.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019ll only take a sec\u2026\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n

She approached him reluctantly, squinting against the light falling from the tilted-up lampshade.<\/p>\n

\u2018Here\u2026\u2019 he said. His find protruded from his fingers like a tiny worm.<\/p>\n

\u2018I can\u2019t see anything.\u2019 She pointed at the floor. \u2018Mind you don\u2019t step on the lamp.\u2019<\/p>\n

Shifting his feet slightly, he grasped Madelief\u2019s right hand, unfolded it and placed the object on her palm. \u2018Careful,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n

Madelief looked at it without the slightest interest. Why was he getting so worked up about something so small?<\/p>\n

\u2018Can you see it?\u2019 he asked, as he plucked the thing from her hand with exaggerated precision.<\/p>\n

\u2018No,\u2019 she said. Perhaps I don\u2019t want to see anything, she thought.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

While Madelief slept beside him, he lay wide awake and tense. Images of the little mushroom\u2019s delicately spiralling grooves, its domed head, slightly worn down on one side, and the thin, almost invisible slot designed for the screwdriver floated in his mind\u2019s eye.<\/p>\n

As other, darker images loomed up behind them, he grew faint with fear. Of course the little screw had come from a kitchen appliance, perhaps hadn\u2019t been properly attached in the factory, had shaken loose, fallen on the floor and been kicked, by Madelief\u2019s shuffling feet, to the living room.<\/p>\n

And now, concealed in some kitchen appliance or other, a screw-less, orphaned hole was menacing their tranquilly slumbering happiness. A loosened cover plate, a severed wire, the spark of a short circuit, a cable catching fire: something small that led to something big.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2018Take a seat.\u2019<\/p>\n

Speksneijder was not at all reassured by the smile of Koert Schoonhoven, a colleague who\u2019d recently been appointed General Relocation Coordinator. Schoonhoven sat down too, placing himself at the head of the six-person table. The walls were papered with charts, as yet largely blank, though three had already filled up with timelines and focus points, as well as fat and thin arrows signalling the hierarchy of the relocation process.<\/p>\n

\u2018Great that you could come so soon.\u2019 Schoonhoven was from the eastern Netherlands, but the the pallor of his skin and blondness of his hair meant he was often taken for a Frisian. The curtains were closed; the light in the room came from the fluorescent ceiling lamps.<\/p>\n

\u2018I gather it\u2019s urgent,\u2019 Speksneijder said, otherwise clueless as to why he\u2019d been summoned.<\/p>\n

Schoonhoven nodded and launched into a breathless monologue about the various stages of the upcoming move: design, demolition, renovation, furnishing and relocation. \u2018I desperately need assistance,\u2019 he concluded.<\/p>\n

Speksneijder had grown increasingly uneasy as technical terms and fixed time frames rained down on him. It frightened him that he\u2019d been the one Schoonhoven had thought of. \u2018But I don\u2019t know anything about demolition or renovation,\u2019 he said, \u2018or about relocation.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018The relocation has been outsourced to a removal firm,\u2019 Schoonhoven explained, \u2018so that\u2019s one worry less.\u2019 He looked at Speksneijder with a serious expression. \u2018I need your help with the planning: are we still on target or are we falling behind on deadlines, have we sent out all the letters and reports, who do we need to call?\u2019 He tugged at the fingers of his writing hand, making the knuckles crack. \u2018And on top of that the architect \u2013 despite his pretty stiff quote \u2013 has assumed that we\u2019ll keep the records of the construction meetings.\u2019<\/p>\n

Speksneijder blinked in shock.<\/p>\n

\u2018Of course, we\u2019ll be doing this together,\u2019 Schoonhoven tried to reassure him, \u2018you\u2019ll draw up the records and I\u2019ll correct them…no one need know. Come here a sec.\u2019<\/p>\n

Speksneijder slid across the seats of two chairs, ultimately positioning himself on the third. A small pile of documents waited on the table.<\/p>\n

\u2018Here\u2019s an outline of the project and a statement of our mandate\u2019, Schoonhoven said, as he shoved a sheet of paper under Speksneijder\u2019s nose.<\/p>\n

Gilles quickly scanned the document: modern office \u2013 carpark, ground floor, two and a half stories \u2013 three lifts, two stairwells \u2013 functional design \u2013 light and spacious.<\/p>\n

The second sheet gave the timeframe. Schoonhoven pressed an almost nail-less finger on the spot where the timeline started. \u2018We should already be here, but we\u2019re only here\u2026\u2019<\/p>\n

A period of seven months had been allocated for the reconstruction work, summer holidays included. Completion was due at the end of November and the building was to be furnished in mid-December. The actual move would take place between Christmas and New Year\u2019s Eve.<\/p>\n

\u2018Logistical design?\u2019 Speksneijder had seen the term flash past.<\/p>\n

\u2018The place where the offices will be,\u2019 Schoonhoven explained. \u2018It\u2019s about how we can all fit in together optimally.\u2019<\/p>\n

Speksneijder felt the weight of new terms and tight deadlines pressing on his brain, the tyrannical language of management made him shiver. \u2018I don\u2019t think I\u2019m up to this,\u2019 he said. He drew his untouched notebook towards him, the chill of a sweat-drenched shirt spreading across his back.<\/p>\n

For a moment Schoonhoven was silent, but then he banged the table with both hands. \u2018Jesus, Speksneijder! Have you any idea what\u2019s at stake here?\u2019<\/p>\n

Speksneijder racked his brains for an answer. \u2018We\u2019ve already booked our summer holiday.\u2019<\/p>\n

Schoonhoven waved his hand airily. \u2018No problem\u2026\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018And my wife has to be okay with this,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

That same evening, when the table had been cleared and the sash window pushed up a notch to let in some fresh air, Gilles and Madelief weighed up the vague, uncertain pros of Schoonhoven\u2019s offer against the equally vague, uncertain cons.<\/p>\n

\u2018How well do you know this Schoonhoven guy?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018He says hello when he sees me.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018So do the neighbours. He\u2019s got plenty of people to choose from, why would he choose you?<\/p>\n

Madelief had other misgivings too. Someone would have to take over his current role: suppose they worked better and faster, and were young and therefore cheaper into the bargain? Would they want him back again? And, she suddenly wondered, what if Schoonhoven needed him as a scapegoat to blame for mistakes or delays?<\/p>\n

Speksneijder sat on the edge of his chair. He felt the spring breeze caress his back and tried to think of a counter-argument, but Madelief cut him off.<\/p>\n

\u2018You\u2019ve always taken a back seat before, why change now?\u2019<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This time the curtains in Schoonhoven\u2019s office were open, the sheets of paper on the wall drooped under the weight of notes scrawled boldly in fat marker pen. A planning board had appeared, as yet virgin white, apart from a few lines where someone had tested the coloured markers.<\/p>\n

\u2018You\u2019ve both given it a good think?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018We feel it\u2019s better if I don\u2019t do it,\u2019 Speksneijder said.<\/p>\n

The dust motes darting around in the sunlight bothered him.<\/p>\n

\u2018Bloody hell!\u2019 Schoonmaker threw his arms in the air theatrically, then let his gaze wander over Speksneijder\u2019s terror-stricken face. \u2018Are you scared?\u2019 He didn\u2019t wait for an answer. \u2018I\u2019d be scared too, if I were in your shoes. Why do you think I picked you \u2013 there are plenty of others to choose from, right?\u2019<\/p>\n

Speksneijder nodded in full agreement. That was exactly what Madelief had argued.<\/p>\n

\u2018I chose you because if you say yes now, you could start tomorrow,\u2019 Schoonhoven said.<\/p>\n

Speksneijder was stunned into silence. Was that it? Was that the only reason? He took a sip of coffee and peered at Schoonhoven\u2019s pale-yellow, thinning hair.<\/p>\n

Someone ran down the adjoining corridor, an ambulance siren wailed from the street. Schoonhoven waited till the sound died away. \u2018How long have you held this role now?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018About twelve years,\u2019 Speksneijder answered. Spoken aloud, it sounded horribly long. The next questions \u2013 how old was he, had his office career been sufficiently rewarding, how much was he clearing, anyway? \u2013 confused him.<\/p>\n

\u2018Clearing?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018Your salary\u2026\u2019 said Schoonhoven.<\/p>\n

Speksneijder mentioned a round sum.<\/p>\n

\u2018Net, I hope?\u2019 Schoonhoven drew himself up and snapped his fingers nonchalantly. \u2018Look, I don\u2019t like saying this\u2026 \u2018<\/p>\n

Speksneijder braced himself.<\/p>\n

\u2018\u2026but you\u2019ve got a weak profile in this firm and that could be dangerous when they compare everybody\u2019s profiles, which they\u2019ll be doing soon, this year in fact.\u2019<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He flinched under Madelief\u2019s questioning gaze: he had so much to tell and so much to conceal. He flopped into his favourite armchair and gave an account of his conversation with Schoonhoven. Schoonhoven had managed to talk him round, he began, and on top of that he\u2019d been made a better offer. As assistant relocation coordinator he\u2019d be excellently placed to buff up his profile, right there in the front row, holding the reins with Schoonhoven, consulting with the architect, the contractor and the installers, and attending all the crucial management meetings in his capacity as observer.<\/p>\n

\u2018I hope you know what you\u2019re getting yourself into,\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Translated by jane Hedley-Prole<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

M.M. Schoenmakers – Gilles Speksneijder’s Flight\u00a0     Early in the evening, surrounded by boxes of all sizes and Christmas decorations set out on the table and floor, he felt a shout pry itself loose from somewhere deep inside him and work its way upwards. And as his pride and joy, a reindeer head he\u2019d…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1135,"featured_media":0,"parent":34943,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-35329","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignrights.debezigebij.nl\/wpg-api\/wp\/v2\/pages\/35329","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=35329"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/foreignrights.debezigebij.nl\/wpg-api\/wp\/v2\/pages\/35329\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignrights.debezigebij.nl\/wpg-api\/wp\/v2\/pages\/34943"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignrights.debezigebij.nl\/wpg-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}