Also for Three Word Wednesday and ABC Wednesday: "V" is for "Valiant"
(I wrote the following scenelet, thinking it might remind you of
a well-known story. Which story?)
“I can’t believe this. Lieutenant Diaz is leaving the service?”
“Yes, Colonel. He won’t be talked out of it.”
“Incredible. He has a chance for a distinguished army
career. I know his family; can’t imagine
what they’ll make of this. What's the reason? Has he become a drunk?"
“No, and he won’t tell me his reason.”
“Well, if the papers haven’t gone in
yet there’s still time for you to talk him out of it.”
“As you can imagine, sir, I’ve tried.”
“Try harder. He’s one of the best young officers we’ve
got. You can't be lethargic about this. Sit him down and hit him hard with
the whole story of patriotism, history, honor, service and all that.”
“Maybe you can talk with him, sir. You’ve got the voice of authority.”
“No, it’s not appropriate for a
colonel to plead with a lieutenant to stay in the army. You’ve got to do it.”
“I’m not sure what it might take to
convince him.”
“Why, pour it on! When you, Lieutenant Diaz, wear the uniform and salute our flag, you stand for centuries of
tradition; you must always remember the glory days of the 16th and 17th
centuries, when the Army of Spain was the most powerful and prestigious in
Europe! It is your chance now to be heroic, to be valiant!"
“Yes, that’s good, but…”
“But what?”
“Well, Colonel, truth is – it all seems to be
because of a woman.”
“Ah.
Cherchez la femme, busque a la mujer, to be blunt about it. I’ve seen this before. Poor Diaz has fallen for a ritzy,
high-society senorita who won’t have anything to do with him because he’s a lowly
lieutenant.”
“That’s not quite it, sir. The girl in question isn’t exactly high
society. In fact, she’s a gypsy, a
dancer.”
“A gypsy! He’s going to leave a splendid military
career for a – a gypsy! That’s
incredible.”
“It is indeed, sir. But as I mentioned, he won’t be talked out of
it.”
(The answer will be posted Saturday.)
30 comments:
If the gypsy dancer has been known to work in a cigarette factory, I'd say it's none other than Carmen with whom Don José smitten.
Naturgesetz, "Old Reliable," is the first with the right answer.
The girl reminds me of the pretty spy- Mata Hari :)
Nice story!
You stumped me last week and dang! you've done it agina! Have a great day!
Would this be the story of Carmen?
Altonian has joined us with the right answer.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame?
Hmm still thinking....thanks for sharing
Carmen - I think!
Ack. I either get it straight off or not at all...
Carmen/Carmen Jones.
This was the first opera my daughter and I watched when she was just aged 7.Carmen by Bizet.
I never did get to see Carmen Jones (movie) but the story line is similar.
Best wishes Di. aka Trubes
very deep take,
vivid dialogues.
Thanks for the beautiful story. I don't know what story, but it is a beautiful one for an opera. The only Spanish opera I know is " Carmen", though the composer was the Frenchman Bizet.
Thank you for your weekly stories!
Have a great time in December.
Wil, ABCW Team.
Three winners! Blog of Bee, Trubes and Reader Wil all have the right answer.
To All: Sorry for the "verification" nonsense - where to make a comment you have to prove you're not a robot. Maybe someone could explain to me how to get rid of this thing.
An Officer and a Gentelman?
Well, he's an officer and a gentleman, but - who's she?
Go into 'design' on the top right hand corner of your dashboard. Click onto settings. You will see under comments' the words 'comment moderation', 'show word verification' . Change setting to never. Save and that's it. Bingo! No words or numbers required before posting!
Bizet's opera "Carmen"
Hurrah !
I knew that one straight away.
I do enjoy a good quiz.
That stupid word verification has suddenly appeared on my site too, without my instigation.
I too would like to get rid of it.
best wishes,
Di.
ABCW team.
Thanks, B of B, for your help. Trouble is, I did all that, a number of times, putting a big NO on the question of word verification, and it's still with me.
Oldegg has just come up with the correct answer.
Sounds like the plot of Carmen. Let's hope there's no toreador waiting in the wings, or else there will be no happy ending here.
And I don't mind the wordver, btw. Every time I remove it from my blog, I'm inundated with spam. Who has time for that?
And this is where I regret not peeking outside my bunker :( I look forward to the answer however!
Ann (bunnygirl) has the right answer.
no idea, you stumped me again
Oh my...when some of the best don't get it how can I ever hope to! I shall think on this- the name Diaz is throwing me off!
Great that I have read this earlier.
Please do change your background. Now it's tough to read...
It's not tough to read here; it's probably not coming across correctly on your screen. It should adjust itself in time.
I was pretty sure it was CARMEN but I only recognized it from the opera and didn't know any movie or play that was based on the opera. Bother! I should have had the courage of my convictions and just answered Carmen. I like your entry this week. My muse has been gallivanting somewhere else for a number of weeks.
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