settlement with them. Think about ways to avoid a war! Stop playing at heroes! I know you lot - you are all idiots!"
The officer has finished his speech. He wipes the sweat from his forehead. The mother is sobbing loudly. It sounds like a river that was dammed and is now breaking through.
"Quiet, mother!" says the old man, stroking her gently. "Fate has to be accepted."
He covers her face as though her weakness embarrasses him. But then he starts crying as well. "He was so young ..." he murmurs, "what have we got left to live for?"
Sancho looks at them with sympathy.
"Who are they?" he asks.
"You should be ashamed of yourself!" I answer. "They are your parents."
"Really? They look like good people. What are they doing here?"
"They came for your memorial ceremony..."
"Memorial ceremony? What for? What can they do for me?" He scratches his ear again. "You know what? I have a great idea. I will give them a memorial speech!"
"Don’t be crazy. No one can give a memorial speech for himself."
"You’ll see." With one jump he leaps onto the pile of earth and speaks to his parents.
"I am dead. You hear me? I am dead. Dead. D-e-a-d! I don’t need your memorial ceremonies! I am not accusing you of anything. But you could do something for other sons, for other parents. Take to the streets and shout! You hear me? Shout! That you took care of me for twenty-four years for nothing. That I died before I could do anything in life! Shout at other parents, that they should not allow their chil-dren to be sent to war. They should forbid it!"
"And you there," said he, turning to us, "you herd of donkeys, stop spreading the fairy story that war is a wonderful adventure. Go and shout out the truth! That you hate war, that it makes you sick! You have younger brothers. Tell them the truth! So that they don’t lust after a new war, where they will die. If you have any life in you, don’t just stand around like castrated good-for-nothings. Make sure that your state is a decent state, where you can live like people and not like