Extrait du livre The mistery Lady of The Louvre
The mistery Lady of The Louvre by Emmanuelle & Benoît de Saint Chamas, and Laure Cacouault Éditions du Jasmin
The mistery Lady of The Louvre
Germaine is a concierge. She lives and works in a building near The Louvre museum. She watches over the tenants like no one. Five o’clock in the morning : she is already up, she takes out the bins, cleans the one hundred and thirty-two steps, polishes the stair rasp and brushes the mats. Seven o’clock : she gives bread to the pigeons in the neighbour’s garden. Eigh o’clock : she goes on a walk with Mister Robin’s Dog, from the fourth floor. Nine o’clock. : she goes to the local grocery store to do Madam Jullier’s shopping, the old lady from the second floor. But her favorite moment is ten o’clock, when the postman arrives. She is waiting for him by the window of her lodge. How happy she is when the postman slips the letters into the slot of her mailbox ! She touches softly the envelopes as if they contained treasures, she contemplates the stamps, classifies the letters from small to big paquets before distributing it.
This morning, Germaine received a paquet for Mister Grimbert, from the third floor. Someone important, this Mister Grimbert ! He is the one who receives the most letters in the building. And not just from anyone : they come from the Police Station, the Taxes Center or judicial officers. In short, only important people. She immediately gives the package to her neighbour. - Mister Grimbert, you have received a package. - Thank you very much. Anything else ? - I haven’t looked at this morning letters yet... I’m doing it now and I’m going back up to deliver all the letters. - Except those intented for you, of course... It was just some words spoken like that, in the air. Yet those words left a deep impression on her. Receiving mail ? It never happened to her. Germaine doesn’t know anyone apart from the people in the building, the grocer and the merchants in the neighbourhood. And she has no family. So, who would be interested in her ? All day long, and then all night long she thinks about it. This is the next morning, while she is walking the dog of Mister Robin from the fourth floor that she has an idea. “If people receive letters, it is because they write. If I want to receive letters, it’s simple, I have to send them first”. However, things aren’t that easy. Write, okay, but to whom ? Sending a letter to someone in the building or to the grocery store would be ridiculous. She thinks about writing to strangers, but she is too shy for that.
During the evening, while Germaine is sewing socks for Mister Grimbert from the third floor, her eyes fell on a book : A guide to The Louvre’s Masterpieces, placed on her bedside table. It is the only book that she owns, Germaine has read it a hundred times, perhaps a thousand. - I have an idea ! I am going to write to famous people in The Louvre. No later than the next morning, Germaine rushes to the post office and buys five stamps, five envelopes and the prettiest paper she could find. Back in her small lodge, she settles comfortably in front of the window and conscientiously flips through The Louvre guide. She ends up selecting five characters. The Seated Scribe : This egyptian has amazing eyes and is a man of writing. The Joconde : So beautiful and so mysterious, she was painted by Leonardo da Vinci. The Liberty Leading the People painted by Eugène Delacroix : with the flag in her hand, standing on the barricades she is so proud and brave. The Lacemaker by Johannes Vermeer : Germaine finds herself a little bit in this hard-working woman. Finally, The Young Beggar by Murillo : Like Germaine, this child must feel quite alone. She thought of writing to de Vénus de Milo before giving up : How that armless statue could ever answer ? To the five masterpieces, she writes the same letter : Hello, I am a concierge not far from The Louvre. I admire you very much and I would love to get to know you. You can answer me if you want, but you don’t have to. Germaine
