Chapter XXVI

There was, beside the well, a ruin of an old stone wall. When I returned from my work the next evening, I saw from afar my little prince sitting up there with his legs dangling. And I heard him speak:

"So you do not remember?" he said. It's not quite here! "

Another voice, no doubt, replied, for he replied,

" Yes ! Yes ! It's the day, but it's not here ... "

I continued my walk towards the wall. I did not see or hear anyone. Yet the little prince replied again:

" ... Of course. You will see where my trace begins in the sand. You just have to wait for me. I'll be there tonight. "

I was twenty meters from the wall and I still could not see anything.

The little prince said again, after a silence:

"You have good venom?" Are you sure you will not make me suffer for a long time?"

I stopped, my heart tight, but I still did not understand.

"Now go," he said, "I want to go down again!" "

Then I lowered my eyes to the foot of the wall, and I jumped! He was there, standing toward the little prince, one of those yellow snakes that execute you in thirty seconds. As I rummaged through my pocket to take out my revolver, I took the step, but at the noise I made, the serpent slowly sank into the sand, like a stream of water that dies, Pressing, slipped between the stones with a slight metallic sound. I reached the wall just in time to receive in my arms my little prince, pale as snow.

"What is that story?" You talk now with snakes! "

I had undone his eternal golden cowl. I had wet her temples and made her drink. And now I dared not ask him anything. He looked at me gravely and wrapped his arms around me. I felt his heart beat like that of a bird that dies, when it has been shot with a rifle. He tells me:

"I'm glad you found what was missing from your machine. You can go home ...

- How do you know ! "

I had just told him that, against all hope, I had succeeded in my work!

He did not answer my question, but he added:

"I too, today, go home ..."

Attraction.jpg

Then, melancholy:

"It's much further ... it's much harder ..."

I felt that something extraordinary was happening. I held him in his arms like a little child, and yet it seemed to me that he was flowing vertically into an abyss without anything to restrain him.

He had a serious look, lost very far:

"I have your sheep. And I have the case for the sheep. And I have the muzzle ... "

And he smiled with melancholy.

I waited a long time. I felt that it was getting warmer by degrees:

"Little fellow, you were afraid ..."

He was afraid, of course! But he laughed softly:

"I'll be more afraid tonight ..."

Again I felt cold from the feeling of the irreparable. And I realized that I could not bear the idea of never hearing this laugh again. It was for me like a fountain in the desert.

"Little fellow, I still want to hear you laugh ..."

But he said to me:

"Tonight it will be a year. My star will be just above the place where I fell last year ...

"Little fellow, is it not a bad dream of a snake, a rendezvous, and a star?"

But he did not answer my question. He tells me :

"What's important is not seen ..."

- Of course...

- It's like the flower. If you love a flower that is in a star, it's sweet, at night, to look at the sky. All the stars are flourished.

- Of course...

- It's like water. The one you gave me to drink was like music, because of the pulley and the rope ... you remember ... it was good.

- Of course...

- You will watch, at night, the stars. It's too small for me to show you where mine is. It's better like that. My star, it will be for you one of the stars. So, all the stars, you will love to look at them ... They will be all your friends. And then I'll give you a present ..."

He laughed again.

"Ah! Little fellow, little fellow, I like to hear this laughter!

- It will be my gift ... it will be like water ...

- What do you mean ?

- People have stars that are not the same. For some, who travel, the stars are guides. For others they are nothing but small lights. For others who are scholars they are problems. For my businessman they were gold. But all these stars are silent. You will have stars like no one has ...

- What do you mean ?

"When you look at the sky at night, since I will live in one of them, since I will laugh in one of them, then it will be for you as if all the stars were laughing." You will have stars that can laugh! "

And he laughs again.

"And when you are comforted (we always console ourselves) you will be glad to have known me. You will always be my friend. You'll want to laugh with me. And sometimes you'll open your window for fun ... And your friends will be astonished to see you laughing at the sky. Then you will say to them: "Yes, the stars, it always makes me laugh!" And they will believe you crazy. I'll have played you a nasty trick ..."

And he laughs again.

"It will be as if I had given you, instead of stars, lots of little bells that know how to laugh ..."

And he laughs again. Then he became serious again:

"That night ... you know ... do not come.

- I will not leave you.

"I shall look as if I am in pain. I shall look a little like die." It's like that. Do not come and see this, it's not worth it ...

- I will not leave you. "

But he was anxious.

"I tell you that ... it's because of the snake as well. He must not bite you ... Snakes are bad. It can bite for fun ...

- I will not leave you.

But something reassured him :

"It's true they have no more venom for the second bite ..."

That night I did not see him set off. He had escaped quietly. When I succeeded in joining him, he walked resolutely, with a rapid step. He only said to me:

"Ah! you are the... "

And he took me by the hand. But he was still tormented:

" You were wrong. You'll have trouble. I shall look as if I am dead, and it will not be true. "

I was silent.

" You understand. It is too far. I can not carry that body. It's too heavy. "

I was silent.

"But it will be like an old abandoned bark. It's not sad the old bark ... "

I was silent.

He was discouraged a little. But he made another effort:

"It'll be nice, you know. I too will look at the stars. All the stars will be wells with a rusty pulley. All the stars will pour me to drink ... "

I was silent.

"It will be so much fun! You will have five hundred million bells, I will have five hundred million fountains ... "

And he was silent too, because he was crying ...

" It's here. Let me step on my own. "

And he sat down because he was afraid.

He says,

"You know ... my flower ... I am responsible! And she's so weak! And she's so naive. She has four thorns of nothing to protect her from the world ... "

I sat down because I could not stand. He says :

" That's it that's all... "

He hesitated again a little, then he stood up. He took a step. I could not move.

There was nothing but a yellow flash near his ankle. He remained motionless for a moment. He did not shout. He fell Gently as a tree falls. It did not even make a noise, because of the sand.

Il tomba doucement comme tombe un arbre.