The Drop off to Spain

[Early dawn, a girl of about 29 years enters with a bicycle in a sneaky manner wearing a long floral skirt and a trench coat with a hat]

BLACKOUT

---

[Scene at a check post where two Nazi army officers are working. While people are passing by in cars, in the background, a girl enters on a bike.]

Officer:

Hey! You! Come here.

[The girl stops with a half breath]

Officer:

Papers, please.

[The girl hands them over with a weak smile]

Officer:

Where are you headed… Ms Laforge?

Lafontaine:

It’s Lafontaine.

Officer:

Yes, yes… so where are you headed?

Lafontaine:

[Shielding her eyes from the sun]

My aunt is ill and she has sent me to collect her son.

Officer:

Where from?

Lafontaine:

Halfway to Caen.

Officer:

Shouldn’t you use a telephone or a telegraph?

Lafontaine:

If he answers or comes to see her regularly.

Officer:

I get it… and you are going there on a bicycle?

Lafontaine:

[Showing her bruised palms]

If it isn’t important, do you really think I’d voluntarily travel? My cousin has a permit for a car. So, he can drive us back.

Officer:

[Throws a smile but is still not convinced]

Have you never heard of a train?

Lafontaine:

I have heard that the British have bombed the line.

Officer:

Again!? Damned Tommies!

[Waves her through]

BLACKOUT

---

[Scene at the middle of the night at a mansion from which smoke is coming out from the farther side. Lafontaine enters, drops the bike and takes out a luger (pistol) from her waistband, checking for a tail and slowly enters the mansion. Suddenly a hand pulls her in from the door. Two men, one pointing a Walter PPK while the other holding her hand.]

Lafontaine:

Hello, Gestapo.

[Throwing of his arm and pointing a finger towards the other guy]

Lafontaine:

You might hurt someone with it so better put that away.

Man:

Where is he?

Lafontaine:

Who?

Man:

Who do you think?

Lafontaine:

Franc Laronde? If I would really know where he is, why would I enter the house?

Man:

Why are you here?

Lafontaine:

Madame Laronde took care of my mother while I was away. I bought her a thank you gift.

Man:

At this point in time?

Lafontaine:

It’s still before curfew and I’ve just returned.

Man:

Where were you?

Other Man:

[Shouting]

Your papers!

Lafontaine:

Yes, of course.

[Digging her bag but the man snatches it, while the other man checks the chocolates]

Other Man:

Black market chocolates?

Lafontaine:

No, just old. You can have them.

[Before she could say anything the first man attacks. Scene of a fight where she shoots one and holds a gun against the other.]

Other Man:

Drop the gun. And who the hell are you?

Lafontaine:

Who are you to attack me?

[The man starts to approach closer and she shoots him. He falls down with a loud thud.]

BLACKOUT

---

[She runs and grabs a goods train loaded with caskets of wine. Within moments, she hears a blast and feels the whole train trembling. Before she even realises the impact, another blast and Lafontaine is injured and gets out of the bogie with difficulty and starts running while looking back for a tail. As she rushes, another blast and she is thrown into the fields where she falls unconscious. After a long while, a man with a British RAF uniform enters and pokes her head with a gun. She turns around and points her gun at him.]

Man:

Put the gun down.

Lafontaine:

[Realising the English uniform, she slowly puts her gun down and gets up]

Okay.

Man:

[Scottish accent]

What’s your name?

Lafontaine:

Nathalie.

Man:

Good, you speak English. Where are we?

Nathalie:

France.

Man:

That I have figured it out quite well. But where in France?

[Nathalie shrugged while keeping her hands up]

Man:

Alexander Sinclair, RAF, I need you to take me to the resistance.

Nathalie:

Don’t really know where to find them.

Alex:

[Frustrated and agitated]

Damn.

Nathalie:

Put the Webley away. I said I don’t know where they are but I didn’t say I wouldn’t help you. Just not while you are pointing a gun at me.

Alex:

Why?

Nathalie:

Looks less suspicious travelling together.

Alex:

And you are running from something too. What is it?

Nathalie:

None of your business.

[Gets up dusting her clothes. Pointing to the gun]

Nathalie:

Put that away.

Alex:

[Tucking the gun into his trousers]

You have a plan?

Nathalie:

For now, we walk and you get rid of that English clothing.

Alex:

British.

Nathalie:

That wound looks fresh. When did you get shot?

Alex:

A couple of hours ago? The stupid squadron leader commanded us to take down the train while we totally overlooked the 109s.

Nathalie:

That was you, wasn’t it? You are the squadron leader.

[Alex shrugs and suddenly bends down to take a knife out of his boots and throws it across Nathalie. A German officer falls dead from one wing. Nathalie is startled but recovers immediately.]

Nathalie:

Well, now we have some right clothes for you.

BLACKOUT

---

[Alex & Nathalie walk between the field with a bottle of beer and wine.]

Alex:

Let’s bed down here. It's better to sleep in a field than in a town.

Nathalie:

Sensible.

[She sits down and starts digging her bag while Alex takes some time to sit.]

Nathalie:

I forgot the knife to cut the bread.

Alex:

No way we are using my sgian dubh for serving dinner.

[He grabs the bread from her hand and rips it and starts eating.]

Nathalie:

How did you do that previously? Can you teach me how to throw it?

Alex:

Yeah sure but before that, I would like to know how an English girl ended up in occupied France?

Nathalie:

Wrong turn at Brighton.

Alex:

You want me to guess?

Nathalie:

Go ahead, it will be fun.

Alex:

[Giving her an odd look and introspecting her]

Do you kill men often, Nathalie?

Nathalie:

Only when they are trying to kill me.

[Alex approaches near to her and grabs the wine bottle and takes out a swiss knife and removes the cork.]

Alex:

Thanks to the previous owner of the uniform.

Nathalie:

Oui, convenient.

Alex:

[Throwing a surprising look]

At least one of us knows the local lingo.

Nathalie:

Yes and we better work on your German as well else there will be no time for them to realise you are not one of theirs, Mr Squadron leader.

Alex:

Squadron leader is a mouthful. Call me Alex.

Nathalie:

No, your name is …

[Removing some papers from his breast pocket]

Nathalie:

Heinrich Weber.

[The next hour, Alex tries to repeat her words as she tries to teach a few german words and they sleep off… Alex has a nightmare and in his sleep, he grabs Nathalie and presses her around his chest]

Nathalie:

[Shouts]

Alex!

[Alex slowly relaxes mumbling something and sleeps off while Nathalie is keeps watching him.]

BLACKOUT

---

[Setup of a resto-bar. General hustle in the resto… the couple enters. Alex sits and opens a newspaper while Nathalie calls for the waitress and orders… while the waitress is returning to the counter a couple of German soldiers hit her on her back and pass comments. Alex’s hand almost crumbles the newspaper when Nathalie holds his hands.]

Nathalie:

So… honey where should we go next?

[Alex doesn’t respond and Nathalie continues blabbering while he is restless… waitress comes with their food].

Nathalie:

Bon appétit, Heini.

Alex:

[Harsh and controlled tone]

Bon appetit.

Nathalie:

[Caressing his jaw with her hand and taps on his hand]

Am I boring you, honey?

[He jolts from the chair which makes the chair slam to the floor and makes everyone focus on them. Alex grabs Nathalie’s hand and swings her near, throws a couple of notes on the table and leaves…Everyone cheered except a grey-haired man.]

BLACKOUT

---

Illustrated by Madhuri Parupudi

[Nathalie and Alex now rushing into the woods when the grey-haired guy and a few other mixes of men and women circle them around.]

Grey-haired Man:

Raise your hands.

First Woman:

Look, who do we have here, an SS dog and his bitch. Nice catch, Michel.

First Man:

Let’s show him what payback feels like.

Nathalie:

We’re not Germans.

Michel:

Let’s take them into the woods and shoot them.

Nathalie:

He’s not German. I’m not either. He is an RAF squadron leader. We’re English.

Michel:

Is that so? Then why is he wearing an SS uniform?

Nathalie:

I can’t get him to coast with an RAF uniform.

First Woman:

Collaborating bitch!

Second Woman:

I like her spirit.

Nathalie:

[Throws her gun]

Give them the Luger.

[Alex hands over the gun but gives strong expressions to Nathalie.]

Michel:

Who are you?

Nathalie:

You can call me Cecile.

Michel:

And who are you exactly Cecile?

Nathalie:

I am a Special Ops agent. Check with Baker street. Or better give me a wireless, I’ll contact myself.

Michel:

[Reconsidering]

Let’s take them to the place.

Alex:

[Speaking softly]

Your new friends are better at asking questions than answering them. How do you know they are on the right side?

Nathalie:

They wouldn’t have called you “SS dog”.

BLACKOUT

---

[Nathalie and Alex are tied to torture chairs and Michel sits in front of them on a chair while the others are gathered around. A small bulb illuminates the whole place.]

Michel:

So, Cecile, what do you do for Baker street?

Nathalie:

Depends on who’s asking?

Michel:

I’m the one with the gun. Good enough?

Nathalie:

[Reflecting confidence and arrogance all over her face]

No! You’re not the first one waving a gun in front of my face. And if you wanted to shoot us you would have done it in the woods.

Michel:

You are not in a position to negotiate.

Alex:

[Groaning]

Oh, hell!

Michel:

You can call me Michel.

Nathalie:

And what do you do?

Michel:

Let’s just say I like Germans as long as they’re on the Maginot Line.

Nathalie:

As I said I am a pianist working in France since December.

Michel:

And what is a wireless operator doing with a pilot?

Nathalie:

Abject Masochism.

[Alex gives a look of disgust]

Michel:

Well, they say these days the Jerry can track you down in half an hour with their radio detection system.

Nathalie:

Well less than that.

Michel:

Oh, you’re good. And what about him?

Alex:

Ask him. He might speak no French but does fine with English.

Nathalie:

[Giving a lame smile]

Or Scottish.

Michel:

And how did you end up here?

Alex:

Shot down by a swarm of one-o-nines.

Michel:

Bomber or fighter?

Alex:

Six-o-one. I piloted a Mosquito.

Michel:

Beautiful plane.

First Woman:

[Rolling her hair]

He’s not a bad looking Englishman.

Nathalie:

Don’t call him English. If you want to go anywhere with him remember he’s Scottish.

First Woman:

[Woman nodded and pouted lips to Alex]

Is he your lover?

Nathalie:

[Giving a smirk]

No, let’s just say he’s in my charge until I get him to safety. By all means, try your luck with him.

Alex:

[Whispering]

So I believe neither, Cecile is not your original name.

Nathalie:

Nor Nathalie.

Alex:

Complicated woman.

Nathalie:

[Michel leaves the room]

I think he’s going to check on my story.

Alex:

I don’t like this.

Nathalie:

We are the new dogs in the town. The pack is sniffing us out so that they can decide whether to accept or run us off.

Alex:

You’re special operations. What does that mean?

Nathalie:

I’m a spy. A link between resistance and London.

[Michel enters with a smirk]

Michel:

You two will stay the night in the loft upstairs and will leave at first light tomorrow if it is confirmed you are who you claim. If not [shrugs his shoulders].

BLACKOUT

---

[Alex and Nathalie are in the loft, Alex changes his shirt while Nathalie makes their bed]

Alex:

I don’t like this. He’s planning something.

Nathalie:

Of course he is. And right now we are a complication. And he doesn’t like us. Once your secret admirer confirms my story we’ll be on our way back home. You’ll be back with your squadron soon.

[Alex blows the candles and lays down quietly beside Nathalie. Alex has the same nightmare this time. Nathalie tries to calm him and kisses him and they get intimate]

BLACKOUT

---

[Alex and Nathalie enter the interrogation room. Michel is already sitting in one chair and smiling.]

Nathalie:

Good Morning!

Michel:

Good Morning. You seem to be a lot famous in the inner circles’ mademoiselle.

Nathalie:

Certainly not.

Michel:

London has confirmed.

[Turning towards Alex]

Michel:

You will remain Heinrich Weber and my team is working on your papers.

Alex:

Thank you.

Michel:

I have sent a few people to arrange your journey. They won't be back until nightfall so you will leave tomorrow at first light.

Alex:

Why not during the night?

Michel:

Don’t be desperate. My colleague would be glad if you stay another night. But she’s disappointed on hearing your “new developments”.

Nathalie:

The official secrets act trumps your curiosity.

Michel:

As you know, the Germans have closed all the routes to England. So, you will head to Spain. A fishing boat will take you to Bilbao. From there you take a train to Madrid. Your embassy will arrange the rest of your journey.

Alex:

[With a look of disgust]

Spain?

Nathalie:

Thank you. Michel.

Michel:

The boat is called Le Reve. Certainly not pretty but fast enough.

Nathalie:

[In an appreciative tone]

The dream.

Michel:

[Handing over a few papers brought by one of his colleagues]

You will need these at Spain’s borders and don’t flash them around here anywhere. Is that clear?

[Both nod affirmative]

Michel:

May God be with you. Leave this place early tomorrow. I will be gone soon.

[Michel shakes their hands and leaves. Alex and Nathalie hug each other]

BLACKOUT

---

[At a Dockyard, Michel’s team is talking to the ship’s captain. A group of soldiers (those who were in the bar) harass Michels’ team and start beating them. Nathalie and Alex watch them from a corner. Alex is furious but Nathalie tries to sneak him into the boat. He shrugs her off and gets into the fight and beats one of the soldiers. The soldiers realising Alex’s identity try to nab him down but he manages to escape and Michel’s team starts shooting. Alex jumps into the ship and falls over Nathalie. Nathalie, taking a breath of sigh as the shooting fade tries to lift Alex and realises he is not moving. She pushes him aside with all her might and realises he is dead.]

Nathalie:

[Crying]

My real name is Elisabeth, squadron leader.

[Continues crying]

CURTAIN

---

Awards

Madhuri Parupudi was awarded the Best Illustrator of 2022 for this contribution.

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Credits

This contribution is edited by Sreekar Ayyagari & illustrated by Madhuri Parupudi.

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