#Corps des marines
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Le Capitaine John F. Adams du Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 231 (VMSB 231) sur son Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless – Guerre du Pacifique – Ile Dalop – Atoll de Majuro – Iles Marshall – Août 1944
©National Archives and Records Administration - 80-G-401047
#WWII#guerre du Pacifique#pacific war#corps des marines#us marine corps#usmc#marine scout bombing squadron 231#vmsb 231#john f. adams#aviation militaire#military aviation#bombardier en piqué#dive bomber#douglas sbd dauntless#sbd dauntless#dauntless#ile dalop#dalop island#atoll de majuro#majuro islands#iles marshall#marshall islands#08/1944#1944
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M48A3 Patton (Late Model) Specifications Crew: 4 One 90mm Gun M41 on M87A1 mount in turret, 62 rounds One .50 Caliber MG HB M2 in cupola on turret, 600 rounds One 7.62mm MG M73 coaxial with 90mm gun, 5900 rounds Xenon AN/VSS-1 2.2 kilowatt white light/infrared searchlight or a Crouse-Hinds 18 inch diameter searchlight without infared Tracks: T97E2, Double pin, 28 inch width, rubber chevron Pitch: 6.94 inches, Shoes per tank: 158 (79 / track) Maximum Armor: 4.33 inches (110mm), Front upper hull (60 degrees) Engine: Continental AVDS-1790-2A. 12 cylinder, 4 cycle, Fuel: 385 gallons (1457 Liters) 40 octane diesel Cruising Range on roads: approximately 300 miles (483 km) Maximum Speed (level road): 30 mph (48.3 km/hr)
(via Patton Tanks in Vietnam – Mike's Research)
#tank#tankers#us army#us marine corps#char#tahk#el tanque de guerra#kampfpanzer#patton#patton tank#Vietnam#Vietnam War
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Le Général des anciens d’outremer à Perpignan !
View On WordPress
#Anciens combattants#anciens d’outremer#colonel STANGHELLINI#général de corps d’armée#Jacques Bonnafos#Journal Catalan#Le Journal Catalan#marsouins#Philippe Bonnet#Pyrénées-Orientales#Rima#Troupes de marine
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Japanese construction workers on Wednesday resumed landfill work at the new site of the U.S. military base on Okinawa despite protests by the island’s residents that the move tramples on their rights and raises environmental concerns.
The planned relocation site for the base, on Okinawa’s eastern coast, has been at the center of a dispute between the government in Tokyo and the local authorities at a time of the island’s growing strategic importance.[...]
Three weeks ago, the Fukuoka High Court’s Naha branch ordered Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki to approve the central government’s modified landfill plan, and allowed the Land and Transport Ministry to order the work to resume by overriding the governor’s disapproval.
On a barge brought to the location on Wednesday, a pair of loader machines scooped up mounds of rock and gravel and dumped them into the sea as part of reclamation needed to reinforce the extremely soft seabed at the site planned for U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma.
Tamaki, who has appealed the order to the Supreme Court, said the court ruling was unjust and goes against the will of the residents. Under Japanese law, construction can proceed while the court decision is pending. He called the resumption of the landfill work “extremely regrettable.”[...]
Tamaki, the governor, has sought a significant reduction of the U.S. military on Okinawa, which is home to more than half of 50,000 American troops based in Japan under a bilateral security pact.
Hundreds of scholars, film directors and ordinary citizens who have advocated for Okinawans’ autonomy, signed a global petition demanding the island cease to be “a de facto military colony of the United States and Japan ever since the end of the World War II.”
One of the petition organizers, Satoko Norimatsu Oka who heads the Vancouver-based Peace Philosophy Center, provided a copy of the document to The Associated Press.
“We must end the discrimination and military colonization of Okinawa,” said the petitioners, who include filmmaker Oliver Stone.
The petition urged President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to “cancel the construction of the new base in Henoko.”
10 Jan 24
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Les deux quinquennats du sale môme autocentré auront une conséquence que les Français ne mesurent pas encore, à savoir l’épuisement des institutions qui sont sensées régir l’équilibre politique du pays. La cinquième république ne s’en relèvera pas, qui ressemble aujourd’hui à un poulet sans tête courant à contresens de sa propre histoire. Réformes sans débats parlementaires – ou alors d’apparence seulement, dans le souci du vernis démocratique – conseil d’État aux ordres, cour des comptes sous acides, conseil constitutionnel dévoyé, magistrature marxo-laxiste, police déboussolée, armée en délitement... plus rien ne ressemble à ce qui était, il y a vingt ans encore, un État menacé mais encore fonctionnel.
On pouvait croire alors que les corps constitués aideraient au maintien de l’équilibre, voire contribueraient à une forme de redressement. C’était mal diagnostiquer la profondeur de la plaie ouverte par l’intérêt financier – et gardée béante par un État profond soucieux de sauvegarder ses prébendes au détriment du bien commun. Cette “bourgeoisie d’ancien régime” (appelons-la comme ça pour remettre un cliché au goût du jour), n’a eu de cesse de faciliter les manœuvres économiques et financières entreprises par un sac de stipendiés mal élus, sous-marins de Wall Street, européistes détestés par leurs compatriotes. Ce dévoiement à grande échelle a liquidé l’esprit même de la “res publica”, espérance politique usée jusqu’à la corde, concept helléno-romain devenu gazeux à force d’être manipulé par des universitaires progressistes.
La société française ne repose plus que sur le bruit des médias qui gouvernent l’opinion à coups de sondages à façon, d’infos bidonnées, de guignol publicitaire et de mensonges rabâchés. Plus d’éducation donc plein d’associations, aucune justice mais des marches blanches, zéro cohésion pour des tonnes de subventions… l’hyper-marché France ne désemplit pas !
J.-M. M.
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The Princess Royal’s Official Engagements in October 2023
02/10 As President of the Riding for the Disabled Association visited Avon Riding Centre, to mark its 40th Anniversary. 🐴🥳
03/10 Held two Investiture ceremonies at Windsor Castle. 🎖️
With Sir Tim As Patron of the Minchinhampton Centre for the Elderly, visited Horsfall House, Minchinhampton. 👵🏻👴🏻
04/10 In Cornwall Princess Anne visited;
Origin Coffee in Porthleven. ☕️
Camborne School of Mines at the Penryn Campus of University of Exeter, in Penryn. 🔨
St Ewe Free Range Eggs Packing Centre in Truro. 🥚
05/10 As Colonel of The Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons), attended a Household Cavalry Medal Parade at Powle Lines, Picton Barracks in Wiltshire. 🫡
07/10 With Sir Tim Attended the Scotland vs Ireland Rugby World Cup match at the Stade de France in Paris. 🏴🇮🇪🇫🇷🏉
09/10 As Patron of Livability, visited Livability Millie College in Poole. 🏫
As Patron of UK Youth, visited Avon Tyrrell Outdoor Activity Centre in Bransgore. 🧗♀️
10/10 Attended a Future of UK Food Systems Seminar held by Crops for the Future at the National Institute of Agricultural Botany in Cambridge. 🚜
As Commandant-in-Chief (Youth) of St. John Ambulance, opened the new Ambulance Hub in Castle Donington. 🚑
11/10 Held two investiture ceremonies at Windsor Castle. 🎖️
Unofficial, Sir Tim attended the opening of the New Zealand Liberation Museum, Te Arawhata, in Le Quesnoy, France. 🇫🇷🇳🇿
As Patron of Scots in London Group attended a Reception at St Columba’s Church of Scotland. 🏴
Attended a Blue Seal Club Dinner at the Cavalry and Guards Club in Piccadilly, London. 🤵♂️
12/10 As Patron of the Campaign for Gordonstoun, chaired a Cabinet Meeting at the Lansdowne Club, London. 🏫
As Patron of English Rural Housing Association, attended a Parish Council Rural Housing Conference at Eversholt Hall, Bedfordshire. 🏡
Visited the Aircraft Research Association in Bedford. ✈️
As Grand Master of the Royal Victorian Order, attended Evensong and a Reception at The King’s Chapel of the Savoy, London. 🎶
14/10 Sir Tim represented Princess Anne, Patron of the Wiltshire Horn Society, at a dinner on the occasion of their centenary. 🐑
15/10 As Member of the International Olympic Committee, and Chairman of the International Olympic Committee Members Election Commission, attended the first day of the 141st International Olympic Committee Session in Mumbai, India. 🇮🇳
16/10 As Member of the International Olympic Committee, and Chairman of the International Olympic Committee Members Election Commission, attended the second day of the 141st International Olympic Committee Session in Mumbai, India. 🇮🇳
Attended an IOC Reception at Jio World Centre. 🌏
17/10 As Member of the International Olympic Committee, and Chairman of the International Olympic Committee Members Election Commission, attended the third day of the 141st International Olympic Committee Session in Mumbai, India. 🇮🇳
Visited the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Bombay 1914-1918 Memorial at the Indian Sailors’ Home, in Mumbai. 🪖
Attended a reception at the residence of His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for South Asia and Deputy High Commissioner for Western India in Mumbai. 🌏
Unofficial Sir Tim attended a memorial service for Lord Lawson (former Chancellor of the Exchequer) at St. Margaret’s church in Westminster ⛪️
19/10 Hosted a Reception with the King, Queen and the Duchess of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace to thank those who contributed to and were involved with the State Funeral of The late Queen Elizabeth II and with the Coronation of Their Majesties. 🥂
With Sir Tim, As Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps attended the launch of the Corps History Book at the National Army Museum in London. 📚
With Sir Tim, As Patron of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity, attended the Trafalgar Night Dinner at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, London. 🤵♀️🤵♂️
20/10 Opened Cutbush and Corrall Charity almshouse accommodation in Maidstone.
Opened the Royal British Legion Industries Centenary Village, Greenwich House, in Aylesford, Kent.
As Patron of the Butler Trust, visited HM Prison Elmley.
24/10 Held an Investiture at Windsor Castle. 🎖️
As President of the English-Speaking Union of the Commonwealth, delivered the Evelyn Wrench Lecture at Dartmouth House in London. 🏴
25/10 In Scotland Princess Anne visited;
The International Society for Optics and Photonics Photonex Exhibition at Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow. 🔍
As President of Victim Support Scotland, visited the National Office-West in Glasgow. 🫂
Peter Equi and Sons Limited Ice Cream Manufacturer. 🍦
26/10 Opened the National Honey Show at Sandown Park Racecourse in Esher, Surrey. 🍯 🐝
As Royal Patron of the Security Institute, this afternoon attended the Annual Conference at the Royal Society of Medicine in London. ⛓️
With Sir Tim As President of the Royal Yachting Association, attended a 50th Anniversary of the Yachtmaster Scheme Dinner at Trinity House, London. 🛥️🍽️
27/10 Held an Investiture at Buckingham Palace. 🎖️
31/10 In Scotland;
As Patron of the Moredun Foundation, attended a Conference at Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, in Penicuik. 🧬
As Royal Patron of the Leuchie Forever Fund, attended a Reception to launch Leuchie House’s new strategy in Edinburgh. 🏡
As Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, held a Chancellor’s Dinner at the Palace of Holyroodhouse. 👩🎓
Total official engagements for Anne in October: 47
2023 total so far: 400
Total official engagements accompanied by Tim in October: 6
2023 total so far: 81
#a busy bee#princess anne#princess royal#tim laurence#timothy laurence#unofficial engagement count 2023#october 2023
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[Ten years ago, neo-Nazi thugs from the Svoboda party and their affiliated Right Sector militia executed a violent U.S.-backed coup to oust Victor Yanukovich, the lawful President of Ukraine.
These ultra-nationalists took Ukraine down a hate-filled path of confrontation with Russia.
When looking for someone to blame for the tragedy that has unfolded in Ukraine since that day, one need look no further than to the origins of the violence.
One can only hope that the people of Ukraine wake up and rid themselves of the cancer of Banderism.
Otherwise the Russian program of denazification will continue unabated to its bitter end.]
Scott Ritter
William Scott Ritter Jr. (born July 15, 1961) is an American author, former United States Marine Corps intelligence officer, former United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) weapons inspector
Kharkov to Odessa
~100 years ago, banksters in US/Europe funded a color revolution in Russia.
Two years ago, Putin started Special Military Operation (SMO) to de-Nazify and demilitarize Ukraine, a new geopolitical pawn of the same globalists who have been trying to conquer Russia since the days of Napoleon, who had his own version of NATO.
Hopefully, this will be the last time the psychopaths will poke the Russian bear.
Russian leadership is not elected to suit US.
We understand Washington would've loved a Zelensky in Moscow, ready to sell his country and people for a couple of villas. Not happening.
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Oil on canvas, Charles Louis Mozin
The Capture of the Dutch Fleet at Den Helder, 23rd of January 1795
In which the French armed forces demonstrates that not having the best navy can in fact be okay.
Context
The French Revolution in 1789, followed by the imprisonment and then execution of Louis the XVIth in 1793, led to most major autocratic powers in Europe declaring war on France to restore the status quo. France was thus engaged on multiple fronts by many of its neighbors which, surprisingly, at the time included Austria through their ownership of the Southern Netherlands. Both Netherlandses had witnessed failed republican uprisings in the previous decades, and as such the new France Republic pushed through the Austrian Netherlands to declare war on the -nominally only- Republic of United Netherlands in the North.
The “Battle”
After two years of campaign the combined efforts of the French revolutionary army and Dutch patriots had all but closed this front of the war, and the French commander of the Army of the North was garrisoned in Amsterdam when he caught wind of the Dutch fleet being anchored at the mouth of the Zuiderzee bay, just north of there. Due to temperatures averaging -10°C in the past weeks, the entire bay had frozen over, which he decided to use to his advantage.
He immediately sent Dutch patriot Gnl. Jan Willem de Winter at the head of about two hundred men from the French 8th Hussar and the 3rd Battalion of Belgian Skirmishers, also raised from sympathizers to the republican cause. Muffling the sound of their horses’ hooves with cloth and arriving during the night each with a Belgian infantryman riding with them, the hussars sneaked on the entire Dutch fleet frozen at anchor and captured it without a fight.
In a single cavalry charge the French Republic had captured five ships-of-the-line, three frigates, six corvettes and several merchantmen with crew, for a total of about 850 guns. This is one of only two recorded instances of a cavalry force charging and capturing ships in a battle and one of few instances where having light infantry ride as voltigeurs proved to be even remotely useful.
There is debate whether the Dutch sailors and marines would have actually resisted capture however, as the Netherlands had essentially already been knocked out of the war by then and might have been ordered to surrender, which the French may have known as well. It is hard to discern the truth of the matter when what was two hundred men sent to secure a fleet that may have already been surrendered to them gets painted as a full army corps marching in tight formation on the ice.
In any case, a squadron of hussars captured a fleet of ships and that’s awesome.
Following the capture of the fleet, the evacuation of the remaining Allied troops to other fronts or England and finally the surrender of the Austrian duchy of Luxembourg, the Dutch Patriot party were given the reins of the Netherlands renamed as the Batavian Republic - more or less a puppet state and the future Netherlands - while the Austrian Netherlands - future Belgium - and Luxembourg were incorporated in the French Republic as new departments.
The captured fleet was ransomed back to the Batavian Republic in exchange of a small loan of a hundred million guilders.
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Jakob Tuggener Schiffsnieter (riveteuse pour navire) 1947 collection Marin Karmitz
Vu au Centre Pompidou à l'exposition Corps à corps Histoire(s) de la photographie
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[“The group cheered. I sat up, hugged the men on either side of me, and said I wanted a hug from each man. Everyone stood up and started embracing everyone else. What a sight it was! A whole roomful of naked heterosexual men, hugging each other like big bears, not A-frame hugs but full body hugs with love and acceptance.
When we sat in the circle to talk, John, the minister, thought the experience was “uplifting,” that my sexual warmth had been contagious. Rick was amazed by the difference between his childhood circle jerks and our masturbation ritual, where the objective was communal acceptance of selflove. He felt he’d never been able to caress his own body tenderly because he’d been afraid to like his own maleness. Roger pointed out that men usually countered their fear of liking men with anger and aggression. Sharing orgasms and naked hugs was a radical break from social conditioning. Hank, the only one who didn’t have an orgasm, said watching me was an inspiration to practice loving himself. “We’ll all be better lovers by loving ourselves more,” I answered.
There weren’t any spontaneous group hugs in my next several groups, but I included a group massage ritual that always got the men touching each other. It was even a bigger thrill for me to watch men doing massage together than women. Somehow it seemed more natural to see women touching and nurturing one another. Being with a group of nude husbands and fathers massaging each other made me nearly weep with joy. There was an esprit de corps from the gentle laying on of hands.
Working with men in the Bodysex Groups was a good way for me to confront my own stereotypes about the opposite sex. For example, in one group we did some martial-arts warm-up exercises. I showed the men the “horse” posture, standing with legs apart and knees bent, and had them punching out with fists from the waist. I was flabbergasted to see that a third of the group couldn’t do it. My stupid assumption that all men knew how to punch got blasted away. Still I loved doing the more physical things with them because they were conditioned to push beyond their limits. Women usually stopped the minute they felt any exertion, but men went beyond where they were comfortable. They inspired me to push my own limits.
One of my breakthroughs was allowing myself to act like a marine sergeant. Men knew how to take orders. When I became a no-nonsense disciplinarian, they loved it. I’d grown accustomed to never giving a women’s group a direct order because most women reacted to being pushed by going right into passive resistance. I didn’t have to baby men by making suggestions or easing them into the next activity. I simply stated what I wanted them to do, and they did it. Men had learned a different set of rules through team sports, the military, and the corporate structure.”]
betty dodson, from orgasms for one: the joy of selfloving, 1992
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Toi et moi, île dans la ville, sous la pluie, mis au monde, mêlés ensemble comme la terre et l'eau avant le partage,
Pluie sur la vitre. Si j'abandonne ton corps couché et pars en songe aussi, soulève des arches de pluie, quitte la chaleur du lit, goûte le sel des eaux marines à l'horizon roulées, toute la terre accessible, pareille à un tapis,
Toi, ta parole et ton silence, ta vie et ta beauté, ton amour me ramènent inlassablement, tel un rosier sauvage qu'on allume dans la nuit, sous la pluie.
Anne Hébert
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Marines Douglas Lightheart avec son calibre 30 mm et Gerald Thursby Sr. du 1st Battalion, 7th Marines – Bataille de Peleliu – Campagne des îles Mariannes et Palaos – Guerre du Pacifique – île de Peleliu – 15 septembre 1944
Photographe : Caporal Clements
©National Archives and Records Administration
#WWII#guerre du pacifique#pacific war#campagne des iles mariannes et palaos#mariana and palau islands campaign#bataille de peleliu#battle of peleliu#Corps des marines#us marine corps#usmc#7th marines#ile peleliu#peleliu island#palaos#palau islands#15/09/1944#09/1944#1944
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My Raoul is a Composite Character
Musings on writing the Vicomte (Ensigne) de Chagny
(Painting by Constance Marie Le Charpentier is from 1807; Raoul never would have worn this uniform but ... the attitude)
As All Vows is coming to an end, I first want to thank everyone for reading and for commenting and sharing your thoughts along the way. One of the most frequent comments is how I've really brought Raoul to life and made him sympathetic. This is great, because it's my intent, and also my next big longfic is all Raoul POV! I'm writing that one offline, with the plan to publish when complete. I have some other projects to be announced soon that will be on AO3 in installments. So watch this space.
Bringing Raoul to life has been natural because to me, he is alive. That's because my Raoul is a composite character of real people.
Even though I cosplay Christine, and Christine is the main character in All Vows, Raoul has accidentally gotten the most of myself. Some of his descriptions of being at sea are taken straight out of my journals from Ensign Flag's first deployment. I have plans for my "Raoul Navy" project for him to write absolutely horrific poetry about Christine's blue eyes (it was my bad poetry about some Marine corps pilot I had a crush on when I was...24)He's a composite character of dozens of young officers I've served with over the years. I have literally lived and worked (and sometimes loved) these young men, and later on, now that I am An Old, I'm their boss, mentoring them and developing them into leaders (and reminding them that their wife has probably already told them three times about the "scheduling surprise their wife just told them about").
So in all, my Raoul is a tribute to the best of them, and I'm fortunate that I get to tell their story.
POTOMER DAY 27: HEADCANON-My Raoul is a Composite Character
From April 23 -June 11, I am posting 49 days of POTO content to mark the Omer, except on Shabbat. Masterlist of prior posts.
#phantom of the opera#poto#raoul#the raoul navy#raoul navy#headcanon#fanfic writer#phantom#phanphic#raoul de chagny#amwriting#writer#wip#POTOMER#all vows#my fic
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La douceur dans la lueur
Le pied dans la porte
Cessons d'exister dans la nasse
Poisson haut perché dans les fonds marins
de l'ombre
Dans la lumière aussi il y a des ruines
L'homme au mégot penché sur un corps
Comme vouloir revivre dans la beauté
le sauvage le vibratile
Un peu de sueur à son front qui scintillait
Douce esquisse de ton visage motif de papier peint sur les murs comme un jardin faussement en friche
Des oiseaux de craie s'effaçaient
Des becs de crocs en dedans
L'ivresse de la mer à nos pieds usés
Le nu comme l'eau pour se désaltérer
Œil univers je me suis perdu
Dans les tiens le plus doux velours du voir
Et dans la nuit des bateaux avaient sombrés
coquilles d'œufs éparpillées sous l'or du sable
Comme tes pensées comme mes mains
Vivre ce dedans de toi pour dérober quel secret
Une clef vers les portes derrière lesquelles
L'âme écoute oreille collée à ton plaisir
De pluie fine de petit matin de sourire Embrasser enfin ton ventre-lèvres
tiède comme un passage
au bout d'un poème qui ne veut pas finir
jacques dor
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Le musicien fantôme
L’averse me réveilla subitement. Karen ne semblait pas dormir non plus. Ses yeux mi-clos laissèrent plutôt à penser qu’elle somnolait. Soudain, je réalisai une chose importante. Elle leva la tête en même temps que moi.
Merde, le coffre !
Aussitôt, je me levai et sortis de la tente suivi par ma compagne. Effectivement, j’avais oublié la bâche de la petite carriole attachée à mon vélo. Elle servait pour mettre nos affaires pendant notre voyage. C’était l’idée de Karen que de faire un road-trip entre Prague et Paris…à bicyclette. C’était aussi son idée du camping sauvage. Surtout que nous étions perdus en pleine campagne autrichienne.
Bien qu’elle fut déjà rempli et nos affaires trempées, je m’acharnai à recouvrir la carriole. Karen récupéra son sac fourre-tout pour en sortir une lampe qui m’aida à y voir mieux. Tout-à-coup un éclair illumina le ciel. Je vis la foudre tomber sur un arbre qui prit feu instantanément. En dessous, notre tente n’échappa à l’incendie, s’enflammant aussi rapidement que l’éclair suivant, qui était déjà à plusieurs kilomètres.
Pétrifiés par cet accident naturel, trempés, fatigués, nous restâmes à regarder la tente se réduire en cendre. Cependant, la pluie continuait de tomber. Ma copine regarda son téléphone, il n’y avait pas de réseau. Le mien était resté à côté de mon sac de couchage…dans la tente, avec mes papiers, mon portefeuille… Bref, je me retrouvai perdu dans un pays étranger sans papier.
Il y avait un mur ! Je me souviens qu’il y avait un mur plus loin quand nous sommes arrivés, dit Karen.
Hé ?
Qui dit mur, dit maison. Ajouta-t-elle en haussant les épaules. C’est évident !
Nous partîmes éclairés par les lampes de nos vélos. La charrette que je tirai parut lourde à cause de l’eau. Aussi, je me retrouvai à aller moins vite que mon amie. Après quelques kilomètres, nous aperçûmes le fameux mur. Il nous a suffi de le longer pour trouver son entrée. La chance fut de notre côté car la grille n’était pas fermée.
Dès lors, nous pénétrâmes dans l’enceinte. Curieusement, des lampadaires éclairaient la route amenant à un grand manoir. Avec ses tours sur le côté, il aurait eu sa place parmi les châteaux de la Loire. Nous descendîmes et posâmes nos vélos contre un muret, avant de grimper un escalier. La porte principale était grande ouverte. Le hall éclairé par un lustre semblait vide si ce n’est cet étrange personnage habillé d’un costume de domestique. Il restait debout, les jambes raides, le dos droit tel un mannequin de devanture.
Karen expliqua nos déboires dans un allemand imparfait. Mais, l’homme sourit et répondit en français. Je trouvais que sa barbiche n’allait pas avec sa tenue de maitre d’hôtel.
Soyez les bienvenus, le concert va bientôt commencer.
Il nous pria de le suivre. Aussitôt nous entrâmes dans une grande salle aux plafonds profonds. Une vingtaine de personnes attendaient silencieusement, assis sur des chaises aux pieds de fer. Nous étions en plein contraste avec eux. Nous étions trempés, les cheveux dégoulinant d’eau. Je portais un bermuda et un sweet-shirt à capuche, Karen était habillée d’un short et d’un pull marin. Tandis que les vêtements des spectateurs semblaient sortir des plus grands magasins de vêtements de luxe de Paris ou de Vienne.
Je me retournai pour demander une serviette, mais notre hôte était déjà parti. Alors, nous avançâmes sous les regards curieux. Ils semblaient blafards, le teint d’une pâleur extrême. Tout leur corps parut voilé. De même, un léger bourdonnement agaça mon esprit. Nous marchâmes dans un silence glacial. Hélas, les deux seules places disponibles étaient devant. Elles n’attendaient que nous.
A ton avis, c’est quel genre de spectacle, murmura ma chérie.
Le bal des vampires, répondis-je.
Elle pouffa de rire, mais fut réprimandée par un « chut » qui imposa de nouveau le silence. C’est à ce moment qu’une porte, au fond de la salle, s’ouvrit. Un homme de taille moyenne, le visage jeune, les cheveux bruns coiffés en arrière, le regard d’un bleu profond, entra. Il avait aussi le visage blanc, et une sorte de voile se déplaça en même temps que lui. Je remarquai la présence d’un piano.
Cependant, le musicien tenait un violon. Il posa son instrument sur son épaule, et à l’aide son archet, il commença à jouer. Dès les premières notes, je fus subjugué par la musique. Elle m’envahissait, me prenait les tripes. Il jouait merveilleusement bien. Il impressionnait si bien que je ne pus retenir une larme, je sentis un frisson parcourir les poils de mes bras. J’écoutais dieu qui jouait du violon.
Il joua de tout, Chopin, Haendel, Brahms, Vivaldi, Tchaïkovski…Chaque mouvement était juste et touchait le cœur. Chaque note reflétait sur le mur, se transformait en personnage et dansait au rythme de la musique. Elle racontait une histoire. Mon amie posa sa tête sur mon épaule tout en serrant mon bras. Elle était fascinée par cette harmonie. Jamais nous n’aurions pensé écouter pareil concerto et jamais, nous n’aurions pensé ressentir autant d’émotion en écoutant un artiste jouer. Etonnamment, peut-être par respect, personne n’applaudissait entre les morceaux.
Je ne peux dire combien de temps cela dura exactement. Il finit son concert par le canon de Pachelbel. Encore une fois, sa musique toucha les âmes. Il glissait avec son archet sur les cordes de son violon. Je ne réalisai pas que personne ne jouait au piano. Il était seul et pourtant, j’entendais aussi le piano jouer.
Puis, il s’arrêta subitement. Il écarta les bras en croix avant de baisser la tête en signe de remerciement et de salut. Je me mis à applaudir, accompagné par Karen. Surpris de ne pas entendre les autres, faire de même, je tournai la tête et fus stupéfait de ne voir personne. Il ne restait que des chaises vides.
Où sont-ils passés ? demanda ma compagne.
Et lui ? demandai-je aussi en pointant le doigt vers la petite estrade.
Le violoniste avait aussi disparu. Je ne m’étais pas non plus rendu compte que les bourdonnements venaient de cesser. Nous restâmes abasourdis et seuls dans la salle qui devint tout-à-coup immense.
Soudain, trois gros coups résonnèrent, puis un rire…un rire glacial…un rire qu’on n’oublie pas. Karen se colla à moi. Nous regardâmes les portes mais personne n’entra. Nous restâmes un long moment dans le silence à attendre sans savoir quoi faire. Nous entendîmes un oiseau piailler. Dès lors, nous comprîmes que le jour se levait. Nous profitâmes de cet instant pour quitter la salle. Mon amie constata les énormes toiles d’araignées un peu partout dans la salle et le hall. Je découvris la porte à moitié abimée, Nous quittâmes le lieu qui paraissait abandonnée. D’ailleurs la majeure partie des fenêtres n’avait plus de carreau intact. Cependant, j’aperçus un rideau s’écarter mais aucune silhouette visible.
La pluie ayant cessé, nous pûmes regagner un village proche. On nous dirigea vers un poste de police, car j’avais besoin de déclarer la perte de mes papiers suite à l’incendie de la tente. Je racontai en anglais notre nuit. Le policier demanda à mon amie, ensuite à un traducteur leur version. Il semblait horriblement embêté. Il se leva discuta avec un collègue, prit ma déposition, au moins pour l’assurance, et nous conseilla un bon hôtel restaurant.
Après une douche, un peu de repos, nous descendîmes nous restaurer. La patronne, qui parlait français, nous interpela tout en nous installant à une table.
Donc, vous avez passé la nuit au Rotes Herrenhaus? Tout le monde a peur d’aller là-bas. Il parait qu’il est hanté.
Mais, il est bien habité ? Questionna mon amie.
Ah non ! Plus depuis au moins la guerre.
Nous restâmes muets tout en la dévisageant. Nous ne savions pas si elle se moquait de nous, si elle avait discuté avec les policiers, les seuls qui étaient au courant de notre nuit. Mais elle interrompit notre silence :
Il parait que le dernier propriétaire était si bon musicien qu’un jour, le diable serait venu lui proposer un défi musical. S’il gagnait, il obtiendrait ce qu’il voudrait. Mais s’il perdait, son âme et son don appartiendrait au diable. Il aurait gagné, mais le diable, mauvais perdant, lui vola tout, le poussant au suicide. Ce qui l’envoya en enfer. Le diable, se sentant coupable d’avoir obtenu une âme aussi facilement, accepta qu’il revienne dans son château chaque nuit d’orage pour jouer.
Et il y a eu un orage cette nuit. Ajouta-t-elle avec un petit sourire.
Je remerciais la dame pour ses explications, ajoutant que c’était une belle histoire. Je préférais laisser cette histoire aux légendes du coin. D’ailleurs, Karen était d’accord : Confirmer une histoire de fantôme pouvait nous être nuisible ainsi qu’au fantôme. Dès lors, je pris le menu et commandai une escalope viennoise. Elle était succulente.
Alex@r60 – août 2023
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