At that point he was just too exhausted. He decided to lie down right there, in what appeared to be a corridor, although it was not very narrow. Not having foreseen this turn of events he had neglected to bring his coat from the hall. It was quite cold there owing to the fact that some windows had been removed from their frames and the cardboard covering these gaps was insufficient.
Attempting to overcome a certain embarrassment, Walser approached a man who was snoring a few meters away from him and with slow and careful movements pulled toward him the small blanket that (and this thought soothed his conscience) had slipped off the man’s feet, thus ceasing to serve its purpose.
Completely wrapped in the blanket and propped against one of the walls — from which, he noted, they had removed the baseboard — after such a long day, despite being parched with thirst, Walser finally fell asleep, serenely, thinking about the next day. He had great hopes for the future.
About the Author and Illustrator
Of novelist Gonçalo M. Tavares, professor of epistemology at the University of Lisbon, Nobel laureate José Saramago declared, “Tavares has no right to be writing so well at the age of thirty-five. One feels like punching him.” Tavares is the winner of numerous international awards, including the Brazilian Prêmio Portugal Telecom in 2007 for Jerusalém and the 2010 Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger for Apprendre à prier à l’ère de la technique (Aprender a Rezar na Era da Técnica / Learning to Pray in the Age of Technique).
Rachel Caiano is a Portuguese artist and illustrator of fiction, children’s literature, book covers, and other publications.