The Apparition by Guy de Maupassant

""I was wounded at that remark and told him so somewhat sharply."

What do we owe others, especially our friends from long ago? Whether the willingness to help comes from kindness, sympathy, or obligation, the impact of the decision to assist can have a lifelong impact. In this Guy de Maupassant tale, narrator Rae Wilson invites us to explore that very question.

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No Way Out - by David Robson

"Sneaky Snitch" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Sound effects courtesy of Vintage Vault

Transcript

Speaker: 0:00

[00:00-00:36] Welcome to Echoes in the Dark, a podcast dedicated to the oral tradition of storytelling. If you're looking to enjoy more classic literature, struggle to find the time to read, hate reading, or just love listening to stories, then this podcast is for you. At the end of each story, I'll share my analysis on the story's deeper meanings. La Apparition, The Apparition, by Guy de Maupassant, is a short story that was originally published in the French newspaper Le Galois. [00:36-01:05] Monsieur Maupassant wrote some three hundred contes or short stories. The entire story is told in first-person subjective. Heads up, there are some accents in this one, and You may want to listen closely. It definitely was not the easiest for me to honor all the requirements for this piece, but I certainly had fun doing it. [01:05-01:31] And actually, in our bonus episode, I'll be discussing some of the difficulties and joys of doing accents in stories like Luella Miller and like La Apparition. So if you want to follow along, read with me, you can get a copy on my website, betteressaywriting.com. [01:32-02:19] La Apparition, The Apparition by Guy de Maupassant. The subject of sequestration of the person came up in speaking of a recent lawsuit, and each of us had a story to tell. A true story, he said. We had been spending the evening together at an old family mansion in the Rue de Grenelle, just a party of intimate friends. The old Marquis de la Tour Samuel, who was 82, rose and, leaning his elbow on the mantelpiece, said in his somewhat shaky voice, I've also known of something strange, so strange that it has haunted me all my life. [02:19-02:53] It is now 56 years since the incident occurred, and yet not a month passes that I do not see it again in a dream. So great is the impression of fear it has left on my mind. For ten minutes I experienced such horrible fright that ever since then a sort of constant terror has remained with me. Sudden noises startle me violently, and objects imperfectly distinguished at night inspire me with a mad desire to flee from them. [02:53-03:21] In short, I am afraid of the dark. I would not have acknowledged that before I reach my present age. Now I can say anything. I have never receded before real danger, ladies. It is, therefore, permissible at 82 years of age not to be brave in presence of imaginary danger. [03:21-03:48] That affair so completely upset me, caused me such deep and mysterious and terrible distress that I never spoke of it to anyone. I will now tell it to you exactly as it happened, without any attempt at explanation. On July, I was stationed at ruin. [03:48-04:11] One day, I was walking along the quay. I met a man whom I thought I recognized without being able to recall exactly who he was. Instinctively, I made a movement to stop. The stranger perceived it and at once extended his hand. He was a friend to whom I had been deeply attached at a youth. [04:11-05:24] For 5 years I had not seen him. He seemed to have aged half a century. His hair was quite white and he walked bent over as though completely exhausted. He apparently understood my surprise and he told me of his misfortune which had shattered his life. having fallen madly in love with a young girl he had married her but after a year of more than earthly happiness she died suddenly of an infection of the heart he left his country home on the very day of her burial and came to this town house in ruin where he lived alone and unhappy so sad and wretched that he thought constantly of suicide since i have found you again in this manner he said i will ask you to render me an important service It is to go and get me out of the desk in my bedroom, our bedroom, some papers of which I have urgent need. [05:24-05:49] I cannot send a servant or a business clerk as discretion and absolute silence are necessary. As for myself, nothing on earth would induce me to re-enter that house. I will give you the key of the room, which I myself locked on leaving, and the key of my desk. [05:49-06:20] Also a few words from my gardener telling him to open the chateau for you. But come and breakfast with me tomorrow, and we'll arrange all that. I promised to do him the slight favor he asked. It was, for that matter, only a ride which I could make in an hour on horseback, his property being only a few miles distant from Rouen. At ten o'clock the following day, I breakfasted tête-à-tête with my friend, but he scarcely spoke. [06:20-06:39] He begged me to pardon him. The thought of the visit I was about to make to that room, the scene of his dead happiness, overcame him. He indeed seemed singularly agitated and preoccupied, as though undergoing some mysterious mental struggle. [06:40-06:57] Alain, he explained to me exactly what I had to do. It was very simple. I must take 2 packages of letters and a roll of papers from the first right-hand drawer of the disk, of which I had the key, he added. [06:57-07:17] I need not beg you to refrain from glancing at him. I was wounded at the remark and told him so somewhat sharply. He stammered, forgive me, I suffer so, and tears came to his eyes. At about one o'clock, I took leave of him to accomplish my mission. [07:17-07:55] The weather was glorious and I trotted across the fields, listening to the song of the larks and the rhythmical clang of my sword against my boot. then i entered the forest and walked my horse branches of trees caressed my face as i passed and now and then i caught a leaf with my teeth adjuded from sheer gladness of heart at being alive and vigorous on such a radiant day As I approached the chateau, I took from my pocket the letter I had for the gardener and was astonished at finding it sealed. [07:55-08:15] I was so irritated that I was about to turn back without having fulfilled my promise, but reflected that I should thereby display undue susceptibility. My friend, in his troubled condition, might easily have fastened the envelope without noticing that he did so. [08:16-08:53] the manor looked as if it had been abandoned for 20 years the open gate was falling from its hinges the walks were overgrown with grass and flower-beds were no longer distinguishable the noise i made by kicking out a shutter brought an old man from a side door he seemed stunned with astonishment at seeing me on receiving my letter he read it re-read it turned it over and over looked me up and down put the paper in his pocket and finally said Well, what is it you wish? [08:54-09:11] I replied shortly. You ought to know since you have just read your master's orders, I wish to enter the chateau. He seemed overcome. Then you were going into her room? I began to lose my patience. [09:11-09:30] Damn it! Are you presuming to question me? He stammered in confusion. No, no, sir, but it has not been open since the death. If you will be kind enough to wait 5 minutes, I will go and see it. I interrupted him angrily. [09:31-09:52] See here. What do you mean by your tricks? You know very well you cannot enter the room since here is Vicky. He no longer objected. Then, sir, I will show you the way. Show me the staircase and leave me. I'll find my way without you. [09:52-10:15] But, sir, indeed, this time I lost my patience and, pushing him aside, went into the house. I first went to the kitchen, then 2 rooms occupied by this man and his wife. I then crossed the large hall, mounted a staircase, and recognized the door described by my friend. I easily opened it and entered the apartment. [10:15-10:50] It was so dark that at first I could distinguish nothing. I stopped short, disagreeably affected by the visit. pillows, on one of which was a deep impression as though an elbow or a head had recently rested there. [10:50-11:05] The chairs all seemed out of place. I noticed that the door, doubtless that of a closet, had remained half open. I first went to the window, which I opened to let in the light. [11:05-11:38] but the fastenings of the shutters had grown so rusty that i could not move them i even tried to break them with my sword but without success As I was growing irritated over my useless efforts and could now see fairly well in the semi-darkness, I gave up the hope of getting more light and went over to the writing desk. I seated myself in an armchair and, letting down the lid of the desk, I opened the drawer designated. [11:38-12:08] It was full to the top. I needed but 3 packages, which I knew how to recognize, and began searching for them. I was straining my eyes in the effort to read the superscriptions when I seemed to hear, or rather feel, something rustle back of me. I paid no attention, believing that a drought from the window was moving some drapery. [12:08-12:41] But in a minute, oh, so another movement. Almost imperceptible, sent a strangely disagreeable little shiver over my skin. It was so stupid to be affected, even slightly. That self-respect prevented my turning around. I had just found the second package I needed and was about to lay my hand on the third when a long and painful sigh uttered just that. [12:41-13:11] My shoulder made me bound like a madman from my seat and land several feet off. as i jumped i had turned round my head on the hilt of my sword and truly if i had not felt it at my side i should have taken to my heels like a coward A tall woman, dressed in white, stood gazing at me from the back of the chair where I had been sitting at an instant before. [13:11-13:38] Such a shudder ran through all my limbs that I nearly fell backwards. No one who has not experienced it can understand that frightful, unreasoning terror. The mind becomes vague. The heart ceases to beat. The entire body grows as limp as a sponge. [13:38-14:03] I do not believe in ghosts. Nevertheless, I collapsed from a hideous dread of the dead. And I suffered so. Oh! I suffered in a few moments where, then in all the rest of my life, from the irresistibility of the supernatural, if she had not spoken, I should have died, perhaps. But she spoke. [14:03-14:32] She spoke in a sweet, sad voice that set my nerves vibrating. I dare not say that I became master of myself and recovered my reason, no. I was terrified and scarcely knew what I was doing. But a certain innate pride, a remnant of soldierly instinct, made me, almost in spite of myself, maintain a bold front, she said. [14:32-14:50] Oh, sir, you can run down me a great service. I wanted to reply, but it was impossible for me to pronounce a word. Only a vague sound came from my throat. She continued. Will you? [14:50-15:05] You can save me. Cure me. I suffer frightfully. I suffer. Oh, how I suffer. And she slowly seated herself in my armchair, still looking at me. [15:05-15:51] will you she said i nodded innocent my voice still being paralyzed then she held out to me a tortoise shell comb in murmur comb my hair oh comb my hair that will kill me it must be combed look at my hair how i have suffered and my hair pulled so her hair unbound very long and very black it seemed to me hung over the back of your chair and touched the floor Why did I promise? [15:51-16:13] Why did I take that comb with a shudder? And why did I hold it in my hand? Her long black hair that gave my skin a frightful cold sensation as though I was handling snakes. I cannot tell. That sensation has remained in my fingers and I still tremble in recalling it. [16:14-16:37] I combed her hair. I handled. I know not how those icy locks. twisted, knotted, and unknotted and braided them. She sighed, bowed her head, seemed happy. Suddenly she said, Thank you. [16:38-17:02] Snatched the comb from my hands and fled by the door that I had noticed her job. Left alone, I experienced for several seconds the horrible agitation of one who awakens from a nightmare. At length, I regained my senses. I ran to the window and with a mighty effort burst open the shutter, letting a flood of light into the room. [17:02-17:37] it immediately i sprang to the door by which that being had come i found it closed and immovable The mad desire to flee overcame me like a panic, the panic which soldiers know in battle. I seized the 3 packets of letters on the open desk, ran from the room dash down the stairs 4 steps at a time, found myself outside, I know not how, and perceiving my horse a few steps off, leaped into the saddle and galloped away. [17:37-18:39] i stopped only when i reached rouen and alighted at my lodgings throwing my reins to my orderly i fled to my room and shut myself in to reflect for an hour i anxiously asked myself if i were not the victim of a hallucination undoubtedly i had had one of those incomprehensible nervous attacks those exaltations of mind that give rise to visions and are the stronghold of the supernatural and i was about to believe i had seen a vision had a hallucination when as i approached the window my eyes fell by a champ upon my breast my military cape was covered with long black hairs one by one with trembling fingers i plucked them off and threw them away I then called my orderly. [18:39-19:03] I was too disturbed, too upset to go and see my friend that day, and I also wished to reflect more fully upon what I ought to tell him. I sent him his letters, for which he gave the soldier a receipt. He asked after me most particularly, and on being told I was ill, had had a son strong, appeared exceedingly anxious. [19:03-19:40] next morning i went to him determined to tell him the truth he had gone out the evening before and had not yet returned i called again during the day my friend was still absent after waiting a week longer without news of him i notified the authorities and a judicious search was instituted not the slightest trace of his whereabouts or manner of disappearance was discovered A minute of inspection of the abandoned chateau revealed nothing of a suspicious nature. [19:40-20:15] clapped. A minute's inspection of the abandoned chanteur revealed nothing of a suspicious character. There was no indication that a woman had been concealed there. After fruitless researches, all further efforts were abandoned, and for 46 years I have heard of it. I know no more than So that was The Apparition by Guy de Maupassant. [20:15-20:46] He wrote over three hundred short stories and lived in France. Now this author- this is the second story that I've explored- by him. I was originally going to record The Hand and And I, just while it was all very interesting, I felt like, well, that was an unsatisfying ending, I guess. [20:46-21:14] And so the apparition intrigued me And I gotta say I still have that feeling of well, that was an unsatisfying ending. Okay, so one thing about Warcraft, French works of art. I'm specifically thinking of French cinema. [21:14-21:49] I have found that a lot of French films, they will tell these great stories and then they just end. In American films you get some sort of resolution. Maybe there's a happy ending, Maybe there's not a happy ending, But things generally finish, Even if you're looking at some movie that there's going to be 3 other installments- we can look at Peter Jackson's, Lord of the Rings- to learn about that trend of wait a minute. [21:50-22:26] let's think ahead and record, you know, all 3 movies pretty much at the same time. let's just record them all, because we know we're going to have movie two and movie three, and this is still very popular in the industry today where, um, instead of putting out one movie, seeing how it responds and then telling the writers: go make magic, write something for movie two and movie 3, a lot of times everything is kind of filmed at once, which financially is a big risk. [22:27-22:49] however, you are making sure that your actors stay the same age, the story is fresh in the minds of everyone, and so um for the whole production team, you don't have to like, leave character and then come back in. so there is this advantage to filming in that way. [22:49-23:17] but even in those films, things are cut, designed, edited to give you some sort of ending, some sort of conclusion, and And I just feel like Monsieur Maupassant kind of shies away from giving us any kind of conclusion. I mean I really like that. [23:17-23:41] the soldier is careful when telling his story in the sense that he's like: look, i did, i have been in war, i am not a coward, but there's some things that are just creepy. and uh, look at me, i mean at my age i just don't care anymore, I just don't care, right. [23:41-24:00] You can think whatever you want, I'm not worried about it. And I will say that that sentiment is very true. today. A lot of people of various cultures feel that once you reach a certain age, you just don't care what people think. You don't care about putting on airs And you're just like whatever. You could think I'm a coward, but you weren't there. [24:00-24:21] You know, shut up. Okay. so I really liked the portrayal of the soldier. I thought he was great, But in terms of the way the story ends, okay. so my friend learned that I was sick and then my friend disappears. [24:21-24:54] And then I told the police: go look for my friend And they can't find him. They can't find any evidence that there was ever a woman there. I just felt like the end was very rushed. I would be fine. if you know, the friend disappears. We don't learn that the friend died or that the wife never died or something That the house never existed. We don't get any of those kinds of conclusions that you often see in American literature. [24:54-25:16] But I feel like it was literally wrapped up in 2 or 3 sentences. I went to go see my friend but couldn't find him. So then I told the police they couldn't find him and they searched. But you know, no word, That's it What? [25:16-25:37] And there's this line which I felt like you just missed an opportunity to give us more information. A minute inspection, Minute or minute, but I think it's going to be minute A minute. inspection of the abandoned chateau revealed nothing of a suspicious character. [25:37-26:04] There was no indication that a woman had been concealed there. OK, so you went to the police and said: my friend disappeared. And did you also say: and there was this woman with long black hair that lived there? Did the caretaker of the property, that gardener, did he ever acknowledge meeting you? [26:05-26:31] Did he acknowledge seeing his master? I just feel like there was a missed opportunity to say a little more here. So that's me, That's my thoughts. After fruitless researches, all further efforts were abandoned. Okay, so I'm curious about these fruitless researchers. [26:31-26:56] Okay, so the police looked around. How long did the police look around? What were they looking for? Were they looking for your friend? Were they looking for your friend's wife? I'm assuming they were looking for your friend. In that regard, Didn't the friend have like a servant of some sort? [26:56-27:19] So What became of that guy? Was that guy just like oops out of a job? I don't know. Yeah, Okay, So yeah, What are we going to learn from this? Well, we learned that I'm picky about my endings, But that's probably not what we learned the most. [27:19-27:44] Okay, So I'm going to say with this story, if we have to dive deep, I mean one thing is: Be careful of letting your emotions guide you to help those you don't know. Okay, so you might be like what. Hear me out. [27:44-28:11] The narrator goes to what's this guy's name? Let me see his name. Okay, so all the the Marquis de la Tour, Samuel. okay, The Marquis he sees, an old friend in the street barely recognizes the dude, And this guy's just like: hey, can you do me a favor? [28:11-28:29] Now, that to me is just a little strange. i haven't seen you in years and all of a sudden you're asking me a favor, but i get it. it's like: oh well, sure, no big deal, it's not gonna be much out of my way, it's not far. i could do you this favor. um, and you don't look so great anyway. so i guess i'll help you out. [28:29-28:44] I don't know. I don't know, though, I mean how often- Maybe it is often- I'm just trying to think of myself. If I were in that time period, would I be quick to help someone that I had not seen in forever and who was just like: yeah, can you go into the town and get something for me. [28:45-29:17] Hee, hee, hee, There's a key, um, and i can tell you anything about it. and i like the insult, though, like he, he told me not to read the letters. i was insulted and i told him strongly, like. i feel like that's very french, how dare you? okay? So he agrees to help his friend he hasn't seen in forever, And then he agrees to help this ghost woman that he doesn't even know. [29:17-29:37] And what's her issue? She's like: oh my hair. Can you comb it Because my head hurts, which i'm a little puzzled by. i mean, okay, i'm thinking french fashion, and i just was waiting for some kind of tie-in to how she died. maybe that would have been really nice. [29:38-29:58] but no, was there gonna be a gaping wound? did her head fall off? um, but she just wanted somebody to do her hair. And I'm thinking the gardener and his wife live there, Did they not know about? Well, I guess the guy locked up the room right after the funeral. [29:58-30:23] But so maybe he locked up the room right after the funeral, knowing that his dead wife's apparition was there. Did she come out? She's like honey. can you do my hair? He's like: oh, my goodness, No, I'm out of here, And so he runs and locks the door. But then why would the gardener and his be so apprehensive about this room? [30:23-30:51] Like, did the gardener hear noises? Did he ever hear like crying My hair, it's so tangled. I don't know. I feel like it's I would have liked some more. And the wife, the gardener's not even there alone, so We never hear or see from her. I think that does us a bit of a disservice as the reader. We are a fly on the wall here. [30:51-31:09] But yeah, so he agrees to help her. And he regrets it. He's like, oh, that was gross. Ew, her hair's on me. Oh, this feels so creepy. [31:09-32:11] I am very impressed that this soldier knew how to braid hair, by the way, because he says that he twisted and nodded and nodded and prayed it and i was like oh okay so dude were you ever married okay so he's what 82 when he's telling the story and for 56 years doing some math and then we're gonna have okay so what he was in his mid-twenties when he um came to have this incident and he never married was he so like distraught by all this that he never married or did he marry and you know his family is long gone or something and Oh, yeah, that's a little it's a little interesting. [32:11-32:39] I mean, he's a Marquis. He would think that he would have married at some point and possibly had children. And so maybe he did. Maybe he married. Maybe he had children. But then going back to it, well, how did he know how to braid hair? How did he know how to braid hair if he would have spent a good portion of his early youth as a soldier? [32:39-33:05] Hmm. Interesting. Interesting. He would have, I would think that society would dictate he would have had to have been married of some sorts, when he came upon this dead lady. Because otherwise it does not make sense that this man knew how to comb hair, braid hair. [33:05-33:22] But then he goes back to his quarters, his bachelor quarters, where he's picking off hair from himself. So is he Yeah. He was stationed in Rouen. [33:22-33:45] Okay, so he was stationed there. So he's still in the army. He's still a soldier. Um And his friend got married earlier. There's just really no indication that this guy has a wife waiting for him somewhere. [33:46-34:32] think it's a little weird that he knew how to braid hair. Just saying that. Okay. So, yeah. I'm careful. Careful who you help. I do love that he is also insulted that the gardener, this gardener, dare to ask me questions i thought that was pretty funny um you read the letter you ought to know since you have just read your master's orders like i thought that was pretty funny i'm like oh okay this guy is he's got he's got some fire in him he is he is funny he is funny and uh sassy eye sassy pants mr sassy pants But yeah, that's all I got on this. [34:33-34:51] I just don't feel like there's much else to be learned from this story. It's a little spooky. Oh, who's our author? Yeah, Monsieur Maupassant. [34:51-35:10] He actually did spend some time as a soldier before he became a writer. So I think his strong telling of the personality of the soldier is very much informed by his own background. Yeah. So I hope you like this story. [35:10-35:37] I I think that the buildup was really strong for me. The ending was just felt a bit rushed and anticlimactic. But it's also a nice little reminder that writing is not easy. And I can see I can definitely see someone being stressed to reach a deadline or just really wanted to stay true to a certain idea. [35:37-36:02] And so once they express the idea, they're like, OK, that was it. I don't know. I don't owe you anymore. Mic drop. I'm out of here. And yeah, careful of who you help because you may live to regret it. And our narrator, the Marquis, definitely does live. He lives a long time, but he has spent the rest of his life regretting it. [36:02-36:19] Interesting. Interesting. And yeah, hooray for old age, because when you're old, you can just say whatever you want and not care about what people think. I hope you enjoyed this story and do come back for another Gothic Tale.