People are strange creatures.

They race through life without thinking, have their fun and their troubles, of course, they also talk nonsense, feel and think in their own particular direction. They also lie and cheat consciously and unconsciously, sometimes, they do not hear what is going to happen in their immediate vicinity, but are open to good and evil, to a thousand matters, but, at the end of the day, they do not know themselves!

And, that also applies to Jeus!

He had passed the brush factory at least a thousand times, but he never heard the terrible screeching, which he is now confronted with.

However, he could have heard this horrible noise upstairs in the attic, but it never got through to him.

No, Crisje, Jeus did not hear anything, but now he has to learn to think humanly, because he has become a trivial part of society.

I assure you, Crisje, if the familiar: ‘Oh, that Jeus’, from the men who knew him, had not softened this inhuman screeching; then you would have seen him back home in ten minutes.

Nevertheless, Jeus is not as pathetic as that, after all, he knows that a heavy task now rests on his shoulders, and he possesses a strong willpower to conquer life.

His brain is already working at full power, Crisje, and, in addition, he understands that he has stepped from a heaven into this stinking hell.

But, dear Crisje, do not worry, he is looking at his long trousers, as a result of this wonderful gift from Bernard he feels that he has now become a man.

“Ha, that Hent.”

“Good day, Jeus.

Are you coming to work with us?”

“Yes, Hent, I have to start now!

Of course, I have to earn money.”

“I can understand that, Jeus.

Your mother can use it now.”

“Yes, Hent, we have our fill of worries.”

You see, Crisje, it is going wonderfully well, it is happening of its own accord, there is nothing to it, he thinks.

Just a kind word, a talk with the men and he has got it.

A thrust like that gives him inspiration, and with that inspiration, come the feelings to think further; a smile like that from the men does him good and it does not cost anything.

He feels, Crisje, you are now suddenly stronger on your feet, and the human machine chugs along more strongly, there is now no question of human shaking.

However, dear Crisje, now he has to learn to think, in the way that the big machine of his life wants it to.

And that terrible thing will determine this for his life, he will have to bow his head for all kinds of things and that, as you know, is not so simple.

But he has already learned something and the latest blow has not done him any harm, which can be seen clearly.

In addition, he feels that if the big life has something to tell him, he is still there himself as well!

Isn’t he?

Jeus thinks, why did I not hear this terrible screeching before?

Does he not know anything then about what these men experience here?

Yes, Crisje, he knows very well, the men here have to slave, and he is already aware that they do not get their money for nothing; yes, they would like that.

He must now really and truly admit, he did not live in this environment, but the brush factory had already been there for years.

Isn’t that the case, Jeus?

He sniffs in a strong smell, but he does not yet know where this annoying atmosphere comes from, but he thinks it is from the combers.

It always stinks there; Bernard has told him that, he knew all about it, after all, Bernard was with the pullers for a while.

He thinks, you can smell that stench as far away as the Plantage.

He is now resting for a moment and is hanging there against these big poles, which he knows the men will make brushes from.

But first, dear Crisje, they saw these poles into pieces and Antoon van Bree does that, he thinks, but afterwards the turners start, then the drillers, the pitchers and the pullers, only then is it a brush.

You can hear it, Crisje, he has already learned something, his life is thinking and Jeus wants to learn, he wants to make progress directly towards one objective, there, where money rolls into his pocket.

And is that not worthwhile, Crisje?

But where is the master servant?

And, Jeus, what do you think about adult life now?

A while ago, you thought that you could avoid adult life and it would not get you, but that will now be different.

Adult life thought; I will get to see him, that little lad will walk into my hands on his own.

However, you did not see anything then, Jeus, but life winked at you.

A short while later, it sat down behind its own stove to rest; that life was dead tired and there were worries enough.

Is that so hard to understand, Jeus?

Believe me, after all, there are only a few people in this big world who know ‘adult life’.

They know nothing about left, right, forwards or backwards, about upwards or downwards, they also, all those learned and illiterate people, Jeus, still have to learn this, and it is not so easy.

I am telling you now, when you meet people who try and kid you that they know about life, make sure that you get away quickly, and watch out,or you will fall into their muddy ditch with your head under.

And that is the worst thing there is!

But of course, now and again, you will see their open-heartedness, however, it is usually misery, it is then that you will experience their mean side, and will be faced with these adult men which you will now have to deal with, now you must decide for yourself: left or right, forwards or backwards!

You do not usually get much time to have a proper think, you have to learn to decide immediately, or adult life will continue to pursue and torment you.

But, do not forget, Jeus, all those men once had to start and they also got a smart blow from merciless life, which they also had to accept.

If you want to think about that, nothing will happen!

The men follow their path.

A few of them have a word with him and then he hears:

“Good day, Jeus.”

“Good day, Bad.”

“You are coming to the sawmill, aren’t you?”

“Yes, Bad, I must start there now.

I think I have to carry shavings.”

“Is that not too heavy for you then, Jeus?”

“No, I am as strong as anything.

Are you also in the sawmill, Bad?”

“No, I am in the sample room.”

The fifty-year-old man shuffles along.

That life is also a part of what he knows and is called the Grintweg.

However, it gives him the courage and the strength to accept life, Crisje.

“Good day, Varwieck.”

“Good day, Jeus.

Have you put on long trousers?”

“Yes, Varwieck, it had to happen.”

“I realize that, of course, that is understandable, isn’t it?

But I will see you again soon.”

“Yes, Varwieck, see you soon.”

Without thinking, the men are a great support to him, Crisje.

It takes a while yet before the master servant comes, but he experiences all kinds of things.

Really, he knows that all these men have wives and children.

He does not know if they also possess their suffering and sorrow, but they have to slave, Bernard has told him that, and he can understand.

He will also slave soon, but he knows very well, dear Crisje, you earn piles of money with that.

Yes, Jeus, all those men represent their own world, but it is one of sweat and blood.

Certainly, of course, it is like this, they have their food and drink, but nothing else, and you will also learn that soon.

At twelve o’clock, Jeus, you will go back to mother, which is nice, and then you can tell her about your new life.

You will have earned the food this morning yourself which your mother will then give you, and that is also worthwhile, it gives you a rich feeling of independence and that means something, after all.

Crisje, he does not understand why father looked for work in Emmerik, this is so nice and near home.

However, Jeus, most men work in Emmerik, there is a bit more to be earned there, more space to experience.

Anyone, who has accepted life at the brush factory, will be stuck there for life, because the work here is easy, and, you do not need to get up so early in the morning.

There is not much more than that to experience.

And now you have become an insignificant cog in this machine.

You do not yet realize, Jeus, but you will be taught that here, and only then will you be faced with your own decision!

And now what?

You must go left or right; it does not really matter what your thoughts are then, but you will walk, really run, harder and faster; you will calculate each footstep, or you will be faced with a pile of misery.

But what is keeping the master servant?

Has that man forgotten him already?

He looks at the packs of wood which are piled up here, Crisje.

Jeus now knows, he has discovered this for himself, when they later talk nonsense here, he can say: ‘Mother has the same brushes!’

And dear Crisje, if you did not use any brushes, everything would be at a standstill here.

‘Of course’, he thinks, ‘the brush factory really exists from his money.

What does the big boss want now?’

Nothing, Crisje, but we know who runs the show here.

He knows that he will earn a pile of money, and he feels happy.

Just give him his own space, just let him go, he will make it

Jeus thinks: ‘At least a thousand people work here.’

Now that he has been added, there are far more.

But how much is a thousand, Jeus?

He has learned a lot in his short life, but try asking him how much 24 + 36 is.

He doesn’t know!

“Good day, Jeus!”

“Good day, Van Bree.”

Tall Antoon van Bree shuffles onwards.

Jeus now suddenly knows infernal life already has him.

He can now bow to it, he may greet people politely, bow his head in respect and nothing else, dear Crisje.

However, he should have known that yesterday,

Jeus is already moaning: ‘My God, I should have known that yesterday.’

Can you hear it, Crisje?

He had not thought of this possibility.

He has experienced his life in such a fickle way.

He now knows, Crisje, why he is shaking, also trembling, it is already in his heart, in his blood, it goes to his head; it is so bad.

‘Good gracious, I should have known that yesterday ...’ he sends into space, but not a soul hears him crying.

And that also means something.

Adult life really has him, and that is through his own fault.

He did not tell you that, Crisje, but he is now faced with this wink, with a decision already, with a pile of misery and more, which just said ‘good day’ to him, but which gave Jeus the creeps.

You will not believe it, Crisje, but it really said ‘good day’ to him and then shuffled into the sawmill.

It is Antoon van Bree!

Now the name-calling has already started.

Life is rotten, a sour carry-on, it is a mess!

He has learned name-calling, and he will learn words, Crisje, which will make you tremble and shake, then you will see him differently.

He will not learn much here, but you know that anyway.

‘Good gracious’, he complains to himself, ‘I should have known that yesterday.’

He would have made off immediately and caught the Zutphen-Emmerik tram.

He is shaking inside and his heart really hurts, Crisje, but he cannot get out of this, he must accept it.

You see all kinds of things have already happened here, but he has not lifted a finger yet, his boss is not there either.

And is this all Antoon van Bree’s fault?

Yes, Jeus, then you should not have called Antoon van Bree a tall idiot.

He and Gerrit called Antoon a tall idiot, however, afterwards they ran away and hid in aunt Trui’s garden.

Antoon ran after them, but could not find the boys.

Now Jeus has to work in the sawmill where Van Bree is.

This is why he is trembling inside.

He now realizes that he should not have done it!

And Jeus, can Antoon van Bree help it that he has become so big?

Did you ever dare to say ‘tall Hendrik’ to your father or ‘tall idiot’?

Your reckless outburst will now cost you a hiding, and fair’s fair, because you earned it.

You are now walking right into his hands; it is Van Bree you have to work with.

Laughing to himself, Antoon van Bree disappears into the sawmill.

Jeus is becoming suspicious.

The tall Van Bree thinks: ‘Now we will have it, we will have real fun and that does not cost anything either.’

But how good Our Lord is to people.

He does not forget anything.

Antoon had already forgotten the episode, but now he must also accept it, this is a ‘God-given opportunity’!

Suddenly, a small person is standing in front of your nose, and then you have to act.

What direction are we going in now?

Antoon chews his tobacco; he also spits away from him, Jeus sees it and he will also have fun with that, if he is able to experience it as human enjoyment.

Antoon van Bree feels a tickle inside, and he is a merry-maker.

You continually experience something new, he thinks, and if that was not the case, life would mean nothing, but it is always there!

Jeus does not get any more time to think, the master servant is there.

“Good day, Muhlenhof!”

“Good day, Jeus.

So, I am here now.

But are you already having a rest, you are having a nice lean against the poles?”

Do you hear that, Jeus?

What do you have to say now?

This is wrong.

Muhlenhof continues:

“We will teach you not to do that here, Jeus.

And that will not take long,

Because you do have to work hard here.

Just come with me.”

The man is right, Jeus, they do not need lazybones here.

They pay you real money here, but for this, they require your sweat and blood.

You should have shown a different attitude, they like that here and then you can show what you want.

Now you are a dead loss in their eyes.

They now think, you are only interested in the money.

He also gets to hear from Muhlenhof:

‘I will just give you some work, Jeus’, and now Jeus shuffles along behind the master servant, who takes him straight to Antoon van Bree.

Is that not a bit of a shock?

He breaks out in a sweat, and almost goes through his knees from anxiety.

“Van Bree, here is Jeus of mother Crisje”, says Muhlenhof.

“Give him his work!” and then to Jeus:

“He is your boss here.

You must listen to what he tells you.”

So, that’s it now.

Would you ever have imagined this, Jeus?

Van Bree is your boss.

Now you have to deal with the tall idiot and no one else!

You will soon get to know that as well.

Muhlenhof disappears; he is now faced with the tall idiot from the Grintweg and does not dare to look Van Bree in the eye.

However, Antoon reassures him.

He gets to hear:

“So, Jeus, now we will begin, won’t we?”

He timidly looks that life in the eye.

Has Van Bree forgotten that incident perhaps?

He mumbles something to van Bree, and utters very politely:

“Of course, Van Bree.

We must now begin.”

Antoon fathoms Crisje’s lad.

He has already heard one thing and another about this life, but he does not know everything.

Nor does he believe it either, they can tell him more.

Now that this life source is standing in front of him, he does want to know something about it, and this life must explain to him humanly and sincerely what is true.

Van Bree feels very well this morning, life always gives you something different to experience again and he likes that.

Jeus hears from him:

“That hanging around like that in the evening in the dark, Jeus, is no way of doing things anyway, is it?”

He gets a fright.

It is bad.

He is also trembling, Crisje.

So Van Bree has not forgotten.

On the contrary, the miseries of life have just started.

And strike him right in his face.

What do you want, Jeus?

Antoon has even more, just listen:

“Calling adults names who have to work really hard to make it and who have worries which buckle them under, they have to slave from early morning until late in the evening and are perishing from hunger and thirst, that is bad!

But that is the worst thing there is, Jeus, a person cannot believe that, but I had to just swallow it then.

Do you think I am right, Jeus?”

What can he say now?

But he looks Van Bree in the eye and a while later he utters:

“You are right, Van Bree.

Of course, you are right.”

He immediately thinks: ‘This is the moment that I must become good friends with Van Bree.’

As fast as lightning, he considers his situation.

It must happen now, otherwise he will be sorry.

Antoon now hears:

“Will you forgive me, Van Bree?”

He is like an old person, Antoon thinks.

Van Bree is still not at that stage inside.

Jeus thinks: ‘Now just beat me up, then I will be done with it immediately.’

However, Antoon has plenty of time and has his own opinion.

He wants to experience his satisfaction, Jeus.

Antoon does not want to know anything about inner sorrow.

Even if Jeus touched him for a moment and the inner life of the child stroked his tall body, it is not yet at that stage anyway.

Antoon also tells him:

“Now we are faced with each other, Jeus, and we must settle that with each other.

And we must work together.

But I just thought to myself, when you and Gerrit thought you could call me a ‘tall idiot’, he will walk into my hands yet.

And now look, here we both are.”

“Yes, Van Bree”, is all that he has to say now; he can bow his head politely.

Antoon already knows they will have fun with him, this lad has something to say to you, and the boy is irritatingly reckless and assured.

Or is it something else, Antoon?

Jeus looks around him for a moment, the rage touches his soul, here all kinds of things live.

You are really beaten from all sides, he thinks, and the most inhuman things can happen to you.

He will watch out for it, but all those things interest him intensely.

It has to say something to your life and now you are something, you can represent something.

However, one thing turns another upside down.

And why are people so snappy towards each other?

He thinks he can pull the wool over Antoon’s eyes with this and then he will probably forget that incident.

He tells Van Bree:

“That is all heavy work, Van Bree.

And it is enough to drive you mad here.”

Antoon knows what he is getting at and those ‘excuses’ mean nothing to him.

“So, did you think that.

But you will get used to it, won’t you?”

“Of course, Van Bree’, he replies quickly and thinks, it is going really well.

Antoon says to him:

“Just come with me.

There in that corner are your basket and your spade.

But you must have your tools.”

“Of course, Van Bree, I must have my tools.”

Antoon gives him his things.

He looks at them and thinks: ‘Is that everything?’

“Is that not yet enough, Jeus?”, Van Bree asks.

He has to think for a moment, Antoon.

A spade and a basket?

Does he not need any chisels then?

Nothing else?

What can you start in life with a spade and a basket, Van Bree?

Just tell me that.

Nothing!

He thought that life in society was much more difficult.

Is that all?

He looks Van Bree in the eye, he wants to know whether Van Bree is trying to cheat him and is giving him everything, which is rightfully his.

A hundred thoughts fly through his head, he sees Crisje, Teun and Miets, they also have to do with it.

Antoon follows him and thinks: ‘What does this small life from the Grintweg want?’

Yes, Antoon, you had not thought that, had you?

Jeus wants more than a spade and a basket; he is not satisfied with these things.

His life is open to more complicated matters, and you will also get to know that about him later.

And only then will you probably start to like his life.

His thoughts and feelings are infectious, Antoon.

You live through them, and it gives you something else, because it links you with real life!

This is just a starter, Van Bree.

Look for yourself and you will know.

Jeus looks at the turners and the sawers, and Van Bree understands what he wants.

“That will only come later, Jeus.

You have to learn the beginning first.”

He gives in, he is already bowing to it.

Antoon gets to hear:

“Of course, Van Bree, I can understand that.”

Now he can begin.

“Now, you must listen carefully, Jeus.

You see all the turners, don’t you?

When they start properly the shavings will fly around your ears.

And they have to go to your uncle Jan’s boiler house.

You surely know, he is the engineer there.”

“Yes, Van Bree, I know that.”

“The shavings have to be brought to him, everything here works as a result of the shavings.”

“I understand, Van Bree.”

“That is all, Jeus.

Have you understood me?”

“Yes, Van Bree, I know now.”

“But come with me, then I will just explain.”

Now that he wants to follow Van Bree, he changes his mind and says:

“Let’s just take a basket full of shavings with us immediately, Jeus, then we will not be going there for nothing, will we?”

“Yes, Van Bree.”

Antoon fills the basket and flings it onto Jeus’ little back.

Which almost feels broken, but he does not let it show.

He has already seen and concluded that he does not need to think with this.

Uncle Jan’s boiler house is just round the corner, three minutes from here; uncle Jan, who is Crisje’s brother, has some authority at the boiler house.

And for some unknown reason, has been given the nickname of sultan and lion, he has known that for a long time.

They will undoubtedly also give him such a nickname, he can understand that, everyone has got one.

However, he wants to learn everything he sees here.

Each thing has something different for his life, and he will take in his own part of it.

But why did people get nicknames?

They called father ‘Tall Hendrik’, but you should have tried that when father himself was there.

Then there was a hiding, because father was not afraid of anyone.

No one dared to say to father’s face: Tall Hendrik.

Only mother was allowed to, but that is understandable.

Antoon shuffles along to the boiler house, and Jeus follows the tall Van Bree.

But uncle Jan is a sour puss.

That is a man who can never really laugh excitedly.

In fact, he has never ever seen uncle Jan laughing.

And if he ever did, it would be a miracle.

Why can’t uncle Jan laugh?

However, uncle Jan has a lot to say here or they would not have made him an engineer.

That is probably the case!

If uncle Jan was not here, the whole thing would stand still.

Of course ... then they would not be able to work.

Uncle Jan makes sure that things keep operational.

But through his shavings!

Of course ... Van Bree shuffles along sneezing, coughing and spitting from chewing his tobacco, they approach the boiler house where he can get rid of his shavings.

“Here, Jeus”, Antoon says to him, “you can get rid of your shavings.

Just throw them on the ground, we will go straight back.”

He looks uncle Jan in the eye, but he does not see Jeus yet.

Does uncle Jan not wish to say good morning to him then?

“Good day, uncle Jan.”

“So, Jeus.

You can throw the shavings down here.”

Is that everything?

Does the sultan have nothing else to say?

See, uncle Jan is grouchy.

The sultan is now already furious.

He can feel it.

He sucks in uncle Jan’s feelings and then he knows.

But what does the sultan want?

He says to the big man of the boiler house:

“Of course, uncle Jan.

I will take care of it.”

He does not like the surliness of his uncle.

But it doesn’t touch him either, at least he thinks that.

In any case, it is clear to him, he must watch out for adults, or they will get him into trouble.

You must be careful here.

But in his house uncle Jan can ‘drop dead’.

He does not understand how mother can talk to uncle Jan for so long.

You do not see a smile on that ugly face, which has become yellow from the heat.

Then he should not have become an engineer either.

It is his own fault.

However, uncle Jan always behaves as if tomorrow he will no longer have food to eat, and that is pathetic.

Mother said it herself and father could not stand uncle Jan.

He once heard father telling mother:

‘But what an idiot he is, Cris.’

He laughed loudly; it was so funny.

Then father left mother alone with her brother.

And father did not do that for nothing, he knew that man would bring down your house.

Father said something else, but what was it again?

Then mother also said that father should not say that when the children were present.

But still he heard it and father was right.

Uncle Jan is a ‘sour puss’.

When he also wanted to say something about it, mother said to him:

‘Shut your mouth, Jeus, that is my brother and your uncle Jan.’

And when he wanted to ask Crisje why they called him a ‘lion’ and ‘sultan’, mother walked away from him.

But uncle Jan is an idiot of a man, a ‘doddering idiot’!

And does he also have something to say about him?

He already realizes; here he is faced with a pile of bosses, of whom he has not even seen the big boss yet.

However, it will come as well, Jeus.

But now, just explore all these new things for a moment.

“My God”, the tall Van Bree hears him moaning, “but what kind of fires and wheels are they.

You must be afraid of them.”

Uncle Jan wanders about here day and night and nothing happens.

Nevertheless, he has still become yellow from it.

Of course, that must be because of the hot fires.

Of course, that is a good one!

But life is good, life is great, Crisje, he has discovered it, he suddenly knows.

It is enormous what he sees and will experience here.

And Crisje, uncle Jan can laugh!

Jeus sees it, he is standing with his nose on top of it.

Did he not know uncle Jan then?

Van Bree tells his uncle a joke and the sultan laughs.

How is it possible?

Really, mother, uncle Jan can laugh.

It is a great miracle.

Antoon goes back to the sawmill.

Jeus can start.

He has learned the work; at least he knows what he has to do.

If he now makes sure that the shavings reach uncle Jan, Antoon also tells him, then no one can order him about, then no one can get onto him.

Van Bree also adds:

“What is lying there, Jeus, is from Saturday.

The turners still have to start.

They are now sharpening the chisels.”

“I can see that, Van Bree.

Thank you.

I will take care of it, Van Bree.”

He thinks, with politeness you can achieve everything in the world.

And if he is very polite, Van Bree will probably think differently of him and forgive him for that other thing.

Or has Van Bree perhaps already forgotten?

He hears nothing from van Bree, he doesn’t know yet for sure, that feeling inside tells him nothing.

With other people it happens of its own accord.

If you look at those people from inside, then they tell you everything.

However, not Van Bree, he is completely closed inside.

Yes, Crisje, he has already discovered that for himself.

How nice life is, life is great.

But he has to think.

He works it out for himself that he is a small cog in the big society,

And the work is easy.

A child can do it.

He does not yet understand, Crisje, that he will soon have to operate such, as adult life will determine for his soul.

Then Jeus, there will no longer be a question of going left or right, you can now only take one path and listen and bow to the men who now have something to tell.

In a few hours, you probably won’t want any more to do with it, but it is in your own hands.

He fills his basket; flings the whopper onto his narrow shoulders, takes a step forward and then has to accept that this cursed thing will not behave as he meant it to.

The basket and the shavings hit the ground and he has to start from the beginning again.

He is already grumbling:

‘Good gracious, that’s something.

I will teach you not to do that.

Did you think that I had nothing to say?

You would want that, wouldn’t you?’

They hear him grumbling, but he tries again to toss the basket with shavings onto his shoulders.

It is not so easy.

The men follow him and have respect for his life, but they must not laugh.

“Look at that”, he utters.

“Have you nothing else to do?

Do you have to laugh at me?

Didn’t you have to start yourself?”

Well done, Jeus, just let them look at themselves; then they will have troubles enough.

Won’t they?

Jan Lemmekus follows him.

Jeus knows, Jan is the best turner and the first polisher, Bernard also told him that.

They now see that he manages it.

For a moment he looks at the turning again, because it is the most beautiful thing there is, he would like to learn to do that.

It is great!

Something completely different from what he has to do here.

This is nothing!

Even Teun could do that.

The basket is full and now he must be off to uncle Jan.

He manages!

Yes, of course, just look for yourself, Van Bree, he suddenly manages.

He holds his basket firmly in his hands, the thing slides about his back to the left and right, but that will change.

Uncle Jan is not about.

He will just take a look and then go back.

He will start with Jan Lemmekus.

“Good day, Jeus.”

“Good day, Jan.”

“It is good, Jeus, that you have come to work with us.

I knew your father well, didn’t I?

Yes, I did not come to your house so often, but your mother knows me all the better and you will hear that.”

“Yes, Jan, of course, I know.”

“Do you know how to do your work yet, Jeus?”

“I still have to get used to it, Jan.”

“That is understandable, Jeus.

You must just think like this, every beginning is difficult.

But once you know it, it takes place of its own accord.”

“Yes, Jan, I know that and I will make sure of it.”

Jan puts on his chisels and wants to have a chat, but he cannot permit himself that, he has no time for it.

The men want to talk, he notices.

Jeus does not know that the highest boss does not tolerate, and cannot stand that hanging about.

Here you must always have something in your hands.

If Lumwald has seen that once, then that man will no longer leave you alone and the torture will start.

Lumwald is strict, Jeus, and harsh.

He is a German.

When you hear that man talking you want to laugh out loud, but if you try that, you will be out of a job immediately.

He can’t get enough of it again.

Everything captures his interest, because he wants to get on in the world.

What the men are doing there is a profession.

This is nothing!

But he must earn money for Crisje and his household.

And a machine like that is wonderful.

Yes, Jeus, that is the case.

But all those nice things operate through the human machine and a person lies and threatens as a result of this, commits murder and arson, through which he loses himself, but you do not understand that yet.

If you know all of this, Jeus, then you will probably feel very unhappy, and you will no longer want anything to do with all those nice things.

I would say to you: watch out and think about everything.

One thing is certain, if you want to get on in life, then it will cost you your flesh and blood, and you will sweat until you can sweat no more.

You do not get a single cent for free, Jeus, not one!

Antoon van Bree comes and stands beside him for a moment and listens, he winks at Jan, but he also has something to say.

“Are you managing, Jeus?”

“Yes, Van Bree.

I have already learned it, haven’t I?

I can sing while doing this.”

“That is damn quick, Jeus.

Isn’t it, Jan?

I must say, Jeus, your head can work.”

Jan has known Jeus for years.

Mina, who first put nappies on Jeus, is a good friend of Jan and Anneke’s.

Jeus looks into Jan’s lovely eyes, whom they called the learned one here, but Jan was also given a blue smock to wear.

Jan is a child of nature.

For himself, his wife, and two daughters, he has built up a small paradise and Jan is tuned to Jeus’ inner life.

Jeus will gain a good friend in Jan.

Jan was also hit by life, or what is it really?

Why may you not learn what you would like to, and what you are suited for in life?

Money is needed for that, and there wasn’t any.

Jan follows Jeus.

That a child like that has to go to a factory is a shame and a scandal.

Adult life gives Jeus something to experience, the laws of which Jan knows, but he does not like them.

But he has also had to bow to this; he had no other choice.

Jan wanted to be a doctor, he has a talent for studying, but they do not understand that here.

Jeus has to work, all that talking is not going to get him anywhere.

The shavings from Saturday have to be taken away.

He will not get it done by chatting.

But the men do not let him go, they all have something to say and ask him.

Goodness, he sees Johan, his own cousin as well.

The sultan’s Johan is a turner and he had already forgotten that.

Jeus gets to hear from him:

“Good day, Jeus.”

“Good day, Johan.”

“Now you are one of us, aren’t you?”

“Yes, Johan, of course, it had to happen.”

Jan and Van Bree smile.

Antoon feels that this child can think.

He is just like an old man.

Johan asks again:

“Do you like it, Jeus?”

“Yes, Johan, that is understandable, isn’t it?

But I have to earn money.”

“That’s true, Jeus.

Mother can use it now.

There are worries enough there.

I know all about it.”

“Yes, Johan.”

“That is good of you, Jeus, that you started immediately.

But I was a bit late this morning and I want to make up for it.”

“I can understand that, Johan.

I can imagine that.”

Antoon already feels a tickling inside.

You should hear that lad talking.

Johan also thinks.

He knows that Jeus is an old man, because this life continually gives you answers with incentives.

For Jan Lemmekus, Jeus is like honey to sick children, he cannot get enough of this life, Mina told him everything, and now Jeus has come to his environment.

That miracle now has to carry shavings and has to accept this rotten life.

Jan will soon drink a glass of wine from Our Lord, and it will be given to him by another life.

The men know, today Our Lord is happy.

The more people accept everyday life, the quicker happiness will come, and peace and quiet to earth, and work in society will be divided honestly.

There are still enough people walking about who do not lift a hand, and are too lazy to work, who do nothing else but suck the life out of another person.

Is that not the case, Van Bree?

And Jeus will soon learn that as well.

The men teach Jeus how he has to treat the basket.

It goes: one, two, up you go ... with one try the basket is resting on his shoulders.

But two metres further on, the thing is lying on the floor again.

Van Bree says:

“You must do that with a ‘schwung’ (swing), Jeus.

Just look at me, then I will teach you it in one go.”

He knows now, he suddenly understands it, but he has to laugh at that word ‘Schwung’.

That is German, of course.

He tries it again, and he manages it.

Now out that big door, bend over a bit, it is necessary for the basket because then that thing does not roll back and forth.

Stumbling, he comes to the door which opens on its own and then closes.

However, some men give it a kick, others do it a bit more calmly, as he will also, because kicking is nothing.

You only break your clogs with kicking too hard, and there is no money yet for new ones, first, he must earn that money.

Now quickly to uncle Jan, he can probably have a chat there, for himself.

There are all kinds of things to be learned and to see in this place and the turners have already started, he also has to take that into account, Crisje.

He really has no peace any more and life has already accepted him, but it demands his soul, his sweat as well.

He knows now, Crisje, life is like a dirty monster for him, and it is a provoked animal!

He sees that as well and has to accept it.

Uncle Jan keeps shovelling away.

The shavings fly into the oven and that greedy beast gobbles them up, that animal cannot get enough.

And uncle Jan, he sees, remains sullen, but that is his own business.

Just look at that face.

It is like Miets’ dirty apron, it is a dirty rag!

What kind of terrible fire is that?

It looks just like hell!

However, it is not that, he does not believe that you have to burn in there, Our Lord cannot approve of that, and that was the argument with Father.

It is also like purgatory, but then again not like it; because you are damned there, and he does not want anything to do with it.

Dirty sultan!

That crackling would make you anxious.

Ugly sultan!

He calls uncle Jan names under his breath, but uncle Jan does not hear it.

‘If you could only hear me now, sultan!’

He calls uncle Jan, the sour puss, names, Crisje.

No one can do anything about it; the Lion does not hear anything either.

Great, he can call those sour pusses names in their presence and they cannot hear.

You do not get any thanks.

Yellow devil!

Why do they call him sultan?

Just get lost then, sultan!

He thinks further.

He shuffles back.

Jan Lemmekus is the learned one.

They call Van Bree tall Antoon.

That one there, they call the drunkard, that man sometimes drinks all his week’s wages and people know that.

And they call that one there the roasted chestnut, because he likes roasted chestnuts and nothing else exists for him.

They call that one there the ... ‘be blowed, I have to work’... he hurls at the life of all those men, gossip is no use to him.

But why did they get those nicknames?

Just get lost ... he utters as well, some day, they will also give him a nickname like that.

His little back, Crisje, is roasting hot, the tension is eating away at his soul, his heart is thumping, but his brain is working at full power.

Even if his legs are shaking now and again, he still manages to keep himself upright, but a boy of sixteen took off from here.

He sees red and green and that is also on his face.

There is one fortunate thing today, the weather is good, otherwise you would get him back with a horrible cold, but that danger is not present now.

If only it was already Saturday, then he would come home with a pile of money, because he would have earned a guilder and fifty cents.

It is an enormous sum; you can buy all kinds of things with it.

Teun, Miets and mother need something new.

But he will have money left, Crisje.

It will work out fine, do not worry yet.

The men now see, he has learned the art.

He flings his basket onto his shoulders, as if he has never known any different.

It is now just bending, going through his knees, turning his right arm a bit, and then putting all his force into his left arm and then immediately keeping his back in balance in order to catch the basket, once that is accomplished, he immediately turns around and takes the first step in the direction of the boiler house.

That’s right, that is the way to do it.

Just bend at the knees and ‘Schwung’!

Another step and the shavings are at uncle Jan’s.

That ‘Schwung’ is of course from Stein, he is also a German.

That man lost an arm through his sawing and still does it.

Stein is a good man.

There is Willy.

He is also a turner and he has carried shavings as well, but now he has a great profession.

If those prospects were not there, Crisje, believe it, then he would already have taken off, because this is nothing!

The word ‘Schwung’ is an amusing thing.

You can suddenly say a lot with it and he will not forget it.

It is true as well, his gait has to change.

The aim is, Crisje, more confidence, quickly thinking about everything and then they will have nothing to say here.

He will work out his job.

Chit-chat is no good to him and supernatural matters now no longer interest him, ‘those’ people must now look elsewhere, he is no longer open to it.

Beautiful paradise no longer means anything, you cannot eat from them; they are only good for small children.

He also knows people here laugh at such matters.

Only Jan Lemmekus doesn’t.

He has forgotten his Tall One and José.

He is occupied with opening himself up to life completely and giving everything for it, Crisje.

He has already buried his youth, and that in less than half an hour?

There are men who have to laugh at Father, that man has no understanding of their sweating and bleeding.

And he feels, Crisje, the distressing truth as well, because he has stepped from a sacred world into a dirty stinking cesspool and comes out with it honestly, he is frank.

He wants to look life right in the eye, Crisje, and he knows he has to take in all this mess, but that is a great scandal for Jan Lemmekus.

What does this little Harp of Our Lord want?

Uncle Jan calls him to a welcome halt; uncle Jan’s whistling gives him a moment’s peace.

He may now eat his sandwiches and drink his coffee; it is a miracle.

It is something supernatural.

It belongs to the men, and it is a moment in your life never to be forgotten.

And he wants to really enjoy it.

Johan and father have spoken all about it at home.

But what is Antoon van Bree doing with his basket?

Van Bree is doing something, he sees it and wants to understand Van Bree.

Van Bree is right.

That is a better place for the basket.

Van Bree is a good man.

Not so bad after all, but he shouldn’t have called him a ‘tall idiot’ and he is now really sorry about it.

Does Van Bree not feel that?

He will never do it again.

Now eat.

That is true, as well, he is now a part of the big guard.

Gerrit Noesthede always talked about the big guard and the old guard.

He now knows what it is.

However, a guard is also a broody hen with chickens, a pile of children and a teacher, but that is also a guard, isn’t it?

But children have nothing to say.

However, he thought he saw something else in tall Antoon’s face.

He must have been mistaken, it is not there now, but it has something to do with his basket.

Van Bree must want to let the basket have a rest as well; he can understand that.

And now, a nice bite to eat and a nice drink, Crisje, because now, he wants to enjoy this precious moment, and wants to thank you for every bite, every sip of coffee, because all of this is a part of being grown-up.

Does it taste good for the men as well?

Probably not, because they gobble up the lot and think it is very ordinary.

What do they want from him now?

May he not experience his happiness for a moment?

There you have them already.

“Does it taste good, Jeus?”

“Yes, Jan, of course, it tastes really good.”

“I can see that, Jeus, you are taking such big bites, aren’t you?

Good heavens, Jeus, what do I see?

Eggs from your own chickens?”

“Of course, Jan, who doesn’t have their own chickens?”

Van Bree has to laugh again.

This is a quarter of an hour to have a bit of fun.

Jeus’ words tickle his tall body, the immediate reaction of the boy has something different about it, and there is a swing to it.

Antoon has something for him and Jeus will now have fun.

He utters:

“Just tell me, Jeus, which one of you took off the Sunday suit of aunt Trui’s cockerel, you or Bernard?”

He thinks: ‘What does Van Bree want now?’

However, Antoon wants an answer.

It is taking too long for him, and he asks again:

“Now, come on.

Do you have to think about it for so long?

My God, how the people had to laugh.

But they also talked about it as a scandal.

True or not, Jan?”

He says nothing, he thinks: ‘Get lost, Van Bree, leave me alone.’

Nevertheless, the tall Antoon wants to know more from him: “Now?

Who was it?

Will you answer me?

I am asking you something, Jeus.”

Then he utters: “What can I say about it, Van Bree, that is so long ago.”

“That is so to speak, completely forgotten, or not?

But you cannot fool us with that.

Could you not find the cockerel in heaven then?

Did Peter not throw him out of heaven?

People said that, Jeus.

They did not need bare bottoms there, and that was your fault, and I want to know now.”

He feels hurt.

Van Bree wants to pester him, and he does not want to talk about that particular subject now.

It is true, Jan.

Antoon always comes out with the little human dramas and then connects them to an ordinary thing, which one person laughs about, and is accepted, which is not appreciated by others.

Jan does not want anything to do with it either.

Usually households are talked about, and the men enjoy themselves.

Van Bree does not pay attention to anyone and asks again:

“And who did it now, Jeus?

You or Bernard?

You can look so well, after all?”

Had Jan not thought so?

Of course, Van Bree wants to enjoy himself at Jeus’ expense.

Van Bree wants to make this life ridiculous and Jan wants none of it.

For his personality, the feelings of Jeus are sacred.

Antoon is dragging all those sacred matters through the mud, Jan knows, and is ashamed of nothing, as long as there is fun.

Usually it concerns the suffering and sorrow of others, and then the torture is banal, it means nothing more to you, it is sullying the good things of a person.

Jeus reacts sharply.

Anton hears:

“Now what have heavens to do with bare bottoms, Van Bree?”

It is the invitation for Van Bree; the fight has started.

The boy reacts, Jeus asks himself: ‘Why does Van Bree want to link him to sacred matters?

Does Van Bree perhaps know something about his life?

If Antoon really wants to know who plucked aunt Trui’s cockerel, he utters:

“Are you trying to tell me, Van Bree, are you trying to fool me, that you have an understanding of the heavens?”

Antoon takes this as an insult.

The other men have to laugh, and Jan Lemmekus thinks it’s brilliant.

Antoon bites back:

“Do you know anything about the heavens then, whippersnapper?”

He thinks: ‘Just get lost ...’ and feels painfully hit.

But what does that Van Bree want with his life, why does that man not leave him alone?

Antoon has something else, he now hears:

“Are you trying to say, that we don’t have a Lord?”

He has to think for a moment.

Antoon continues and says to him: “Now?

Do we have a Lord, yes, or no?”

And that is ten minutes in the sawmill.

‘Heavens, that is bad, I have never had the likes of it in my life’.

He thinks, he looks along the row and then he utters something, which Antoon does not even think about, and Jan can enjoy himself again.

“I will tell you something, Van Bree.

Even if you are a thousand times my boss here, and then I still do not need to let myself by teased by you, do I?

Why do you want to get me, Van Bree?”

That is an adult, Antoon thinks.

And he just wants to tease that little person now.

He still has a bone to pick with this old person.

Nevertheless, fair is fair, Antoon, that got you.

Van Bree laughs, the other men listen, there is something going on here.

The week has got off to a good start, you have now quickly forgotten Sunday.

Johan has to laugh as well.

But can the sultan’s Johan, his own cousin, not just help him now?

Is he perhaps on the side of the tall Van Bree?

Is Johan completely mad?

He would never do that.

He looks them in the eye one by one and bites back.

Dirty tall brat, he grumbles to himself.

You can drop dead, tall idiot!

Antoon does not hear anything, he is swearing.

And do these folk really have to laugh at this?

Just look at those men there, you could give them what for.

Are they really people?

Now Johan also hears from him: “Why do you have to laugh, Johan?”

“Am I not allowed to laugh any more, Jeus?”

“But it is as if you are enjoying it, Johan.”

“That’s a good one, Jeus.

Are you now starting to argue with me as well?”

“Are you trying to say then”, he reacts, sticking up for himself, “that I started the argument, Johan?”

Van Bree speaks, the rest are laughing and having fun.

“That’s something, Jeus, are you already becoming angry?

But it was a mean trick.

Now tell me, did your father not beat you black and blue, such as Bernard got from him when you took off the cockerel’s trousers?

And who stole those big pears from Hosman, Jeus?

You or Bernard?

You now already know for certain, we know all about you, the whole of ’s-Heerenberg knows.”

Antoon gets to hear something and then he suddenly knows.

Jeus puts everything at stake, now that he comes out with:

“You can get lost, Van Bree!

As long as you know that.”

When he now thinks that Antoon will give him a good hiding, suddenly rescue and help comes, uncle Jan whistles, the lovely quarter of an hour is past and there is an end to the torture.

Nevertheless, he still hears from Antoon:

“I will tell you something, Jeus.

You fling it at me that I can get lost, don’t you?

But I thought to myself that you were just another boy, but you are just like the rest, as rotten as anything is.

I was badly mistaken about you.

I will tell your mother about it.

I certainly haven’t finished with you yet, have I?

I am called Antoon van Bree and not Roelofse (Familyname of Jeus), understood?”

He looks, Van Bree is now angry, but then he just should not have started.

That man cannot stand talk and he provokes it himself.

It is still not enough, he gets:

“I haven’t finished with you yet.

The whistle saved you, otherwise I would have had something to say to you.”

So, is that so, Antoon, Jeus thinks: the ‘droodles’ (his way to say or think ‘get lost’).

But what a brute of a man that is.

That man looks for an argument and cannot take it.

He also answers Van Bree:

“Then you just should not have started, Van Bree.

It is your own fault, as long as you know.”

Antoon no longer gives him an answer, he is already sawing, but he still follows him for a moment, soon they can laugh again.

The wonderful quarter of an hour, Crisje, has been a complete washout.

They have spoiled it for him; he has not enjoyed a single bit of it.

Because of that tall Van Bree.

His sandwiches are finished, the coffee is lying in his stomach, he lapped all of it and a pile of arguments.

Life is rotten, Crisje, life is just a dirty mess, and it is terrible!

But Van Bree can get lost.

He must watch out for that man, he thinks.

If he does not watch out for that man, then he will experience a lot of trouble.

However, he wants to make it up to Van Bree again.

“Van Bree, but you are not still angry with me, are you?”

Antoon quickly answers him:

“I will tell you something, Jeus.

We are all hard workers here, and have to take care of our wives and children.

You can see it yourself, we have to slave really hard to make it.

But words like that which you flung at me are even worse than all this slaving and I got a shock from it.

Honestly, that is too much for my body.

I am, even if I say so myself, very soft inside.

I cannot stand such harsh words.

You should be ashamed of yourself.

My own wife would not do that and would not dare to say that to me either.

No, I cannot understand that from you.

When my wife hears this from me, you will be sorry.”

He thinks he must deal with this for a moment.

What does Van Bree want?

What did he do to that life?

Did he not start this himself?

He answers Antoon:

“Of course, Van Bree, I know your wife, I will be careful now.”

He now feels, Van Bree is greatly exaggerating.

That man wants to cheat him, Van Bree is exaggerating and now it is no longer nice, when Antoon is given the reply:

“Oh, yes, Van Bree, I will never do it again.

I did not know that you were so sensitive, of course, I should have known.”

He looks Antoon in the eye.

He is really hanging about, leaning nicely against van Bree’s machine and is waiting, whether Van Bree perhaps has something else to say.

Good heavens, Jeus, it is not Van Bree, the big boss is here and now you will hear it.

The man storms towards him and Jeus hears:

“So, are you already standing staring now?

Do you have nothing else to do?”

“But”, he had wanted to say, “Van Bree asked me something and then I have to answer, ”however, that ‘but’ is just enough for the boss and he immediately comes out with:

“No buts here!

None, understood?

Understood?

Work and quickly, or get out of here.

Quickly!

Quickly, get out of my sight ... hurry!”

He hears it, the boss is furious.

But is Van Bree not going to say anything?

He will also certainly get a hiding now.

That boss is just like a wild animal, he thinks.

Why does Van Bree not say something now?

Why is Van Bree still following him?

He got a hiding on his bottom there, it strikes home as well.

Unexpectedly life hit him right in his face,

And all that through Van Bree.

‘My God,’ he groans, ‘from where did that ghost suddenly appear?

Is that man crazy?

Mother, they are already kicking me out the door and that is that tall idiot’s fault.’

Van Bree does not say anything, but Antoon looks sideways, he sees it.

Could he not just tell the boss what it was about?

He gets his basket, suddenly the thing is lying on the ground again, Van Bree and the men laugh at him.

That as well, he suddenly knows now why Van Bree put the basket there.

There is a lump of dirty fat smeared onto the handle.

Is that funny?

Now don’t show anything at all, and then Van Bree cannot laugh either.

He wipes the dirty fat off his hand, grasps the basket, swings the whopper with a tug onto his shoulders, and meanwhile calls Van Bree all kinds of names.

“You can go to hell, tall idiot ...”

Dirty mess!

Van Bree pulled that on him.

The men have their fun; he does not like it.

Now out of here.

He shuffles to the boiler house, walks bent, and looks at the ground; he sees nothing of the other life.

Suddenly he feels a bang and at the same time, the basket is lying on the floor.

Who pulled that on him this time?

My God, now he will be thrown out, it is the boss.

He almost ran this life off its feet.

Can that man not even understand that he has to think of ten things at once, Crisje?

No, this life does not understand that.

At the end of the day, he only has two eyes and not ten.

He looks the terrible monster right in the face, but the spirit wants none of it.

He is now yelled at:

“Can you not watch out?

Can you not use your eyes?”

That is saying the same thing twice, and he hadn’t even expected that from such a big boss, but it cuts through his soul.

Nevertheless, that monster has much more for him now he answers him with a ‘yes’.

“But I had to look at the ground, boss, didn’t I?”

He said it very politely, Crisje, but you know Lumwald, he does not accept that.

“When I speak, my dear man, you can keep quiet!

Understood?

You will be quiet!

Understood?

Be quiet!”

“Yes, boss, I will make sure of that.”

“Are you one of Tall Hendrik’s children?”

“Yes, boss, that was my father.”

“But not anymore?”

“Yes, boss, of course, but my father is dead, isn’t he?”

Do you think, Jeus that you can have a nice conversation with your boss now?

You should have thought of your shavings immediately.

Now you will hear it.

“What do you want?

To chat with me here?

Have you gone completely mad?

Quickly, we do not pay you for nothing!”

He grasps the basket by its handles and pulls the thing over the ground.

He thinks: ‘But I am close by.’

For the boss that is cursing the work.

How difficult life is, Jeus!

He breaks out in a sweat; the boss almost eats him up when he now gets to hear: “You stupid goose.

That is destroying the basket.

And one basket costs more than you can earn in a full week.

Are you completely mad then?”

He doesn’t know any more.

The shavings fly over the floor, he is nervous from it; it is enough to drive you mad.

He also hears:

“Lift that basket up, otherwise you will be the worse for it!”

“Yes, boss ...” he answers him politely, with his good intentions towards the big boss, but it does not help him at all.

The boss does not want to hear any talk from your life, Jeus, just get on with your work!

But that man is talking to him.

Shouldn’t he answer him then?

No, not here, Jeus,

Only when the boss asks you to say something, then you may answer him.

He does not understand any of it and it is really bad, Crisje.

He has never experienced anything like it in his life.

This is enough to drive you mad.

His best intentions leave him, but the boss does not see that!

“Shut your mouth, I said”, he says, and Jeus can leave.

However, he is thinking again.

‘Prügel?

What does Prügel mean, mother?’

That word thumps in his head, it has hit him.

He must not forget it, it is something special, he feels that really well, but it also sounds ridiculous!

Prügel?

It is enough to die laughing about.

Now he has to be careful.

With that man, you do not know any more whether you still possess your own life.

With that man, you are faced with a tomb.

That man digs a grave for you, he then kicks you into it, and you have to deal with his worms.

He does not want to go in that grave, so he must jump across it, and try to get that man to fall in himself.

The tall Van Bree as well, otherwise he will have no life any more.

Well done, Jeus, that’s it!

They are good thoughts, if you follow this for a moment and play it out for the men, then they can tell you more and they will no longer get you.

Where these thoughts suddenly come from, he does not know, but they are there!

Because of this, he feels those lives, he is starting to understand the inner lives of those men.

They are not up to much, he already knows that, Crisje!

They suck the blood out of your ribs, and they have no sympathy for anyone.

The boss throws him in the pit and then the sand of the boss goes over his body,

And that dirty kraut would like that.

You can drop dead, German nonsense!

Dirty dog.

Drop dead for all I care!

Now that he is faced with uncle Jan and he also starts, that is the limit for him, Crisje.

As if it is not bad enough, the blood now flows away from his little ribs.

Does that ugly sultan perhaps have a share in the profits?

He thinks he will become the boss now, of course, when this one has gone the sultan wants to rule.

‘Drop dead!

Go to hell, dirty sultan!

Yellow face!

Get lost!’

When the sultan says to him:

“The boss is right, Jeus.

That is throwing away money for nothing!

And a basket like that costs a lot of money”, the blood rushes to his head and in his misery, he spits the fire straight into his dirty face.

That animal also has to do with it, and that boss is like a dirty devil and the sultan is no different.

He is trembling inside because of so much injustice, so much misunderstanding in one person, because of so much mud; you would say ‘sir’ to pigs, but not to these people!

They are worse than pigs!

They stink, mother!

But ... the ‘droodles’!

They can go to hell!

He also says silently to uncle Jan:

‘If you come to our house again, I will kick you out the door!’ and the lion can make do with that.

Now he suddenly knows why they call uncle Jan lion.

That is because that man is so lion-like.

Now he has learned something as well.

Dirty lion!

Sour puss!

He knows the sultan is also dangerous.

He is a hypocrite, he is a bootlicker!

They could not have given him a greater disappointment.

Life is becoming uncertain.

In his thoughts, he still trudges along through the machine room.

Wrong again, Jeus.

You should have made sure that you left here quickly.

The boss is keeping an eye on you and you are behaving as if nothing has happened.

There you have him already, Jeus, now you will hear it.

“Are you still standing here staring?

Do you really think that we are crazy?

Come with me!”

Now that he does not understand that ‘Komm mit’ immediately, the boss flies at him and pulls him out of the boiler house, straight to a pile of baskets.

What does the boss want this time?

He notices the wild man is looking for something.

What does that bit of poison want with him this time?

Is his basket not good?

Crisje, what is that good for, they are consciously trying to destroy him.

Has he now not stepped into a muddy hell?

Are these not devils?

Is life not terrible?

Good heavens, boss, you should have tried that when Fanny was looking.

Fanny would have torn you to pieces, Fanny cannot stand snapping, and Jeus thinks it is frightening, you are now hitting all respect out of the life.

And he now has to accept that, Crisje, but don’t worry yet, he knows exactly what he wants, and Jeus will take care of this little business himself.

Yes, Crisje, it is not yet twelve o’clock.

All kinds of things can still happen, we aren’t finished yet.

“Here”, the boss says and snarls at him: ““this is a better one for you.

You can fit more into that, can’t you?

Now get on with it.

Don’t stand around wasting your time.

Make it quick, hurry up, out of my sight.”

He grasps the bigger basket and shuffles away.

The man has not even touched him.

He will fall into that grave himself.

A word like that again of which you can taste the poison, and it tastes like fish, which has gone off.

‘Verpumpelen?’

He is bursting inside; he has to laugh loudly.

‘Verpumpelen?’

All German nonsense, he does not want to learn a word of it.

In our house, they throw that to the pigs!

‘That is enough to drive you mad’ he sends towards the great danger, and now understands that you can hate people.

Everything here is rotten!

Only Jan Lemmekus is a good man.

Van Bree will end up in the gutter and uncle Jan must be hung.

Fanny, now you could have helped me, but we will get our own back on those bullies another time.

Peter Smadel’s German is heavenly.

Peter could not speak dialect either, but this is more pathetic than the ‘rumbling pot’!

This man can do nothing but make people’s lives sour.

What kind of man is that anyway?

Just look at his nose.

How beautiful father was then, mother.

I would never want a man like that.

In the sawmill, the men see that they have got him.

One guilder fifty like that takes on significance.

They have also sucked up his sweat and blood, but they will not destroy him.

Antoon sees it but he can also get the ‘droodles’, he does not want anything more to do with anyone.

Dirty, filthy Van Bree.

You will be out!

You only kick a person into misery.

Antoon does not waste a second.

“So, Jeus, of course, they have cottoned onto you.

I must say, now you can prove how strong you are.”

Get lost!

He does not even glance at Antoon; it is all his fault.

All those men are rotten.

No, Varwieck and Stein are really good people.

Johan and Willy did not do anything to him, but Johan should have helped him.

And now, the shavings have to go and as quickly as possible.

Each shovelful must disappear completely into the basket.

Completely full or he will be playing with the shavings.

Those dribbles of just a moment ago must change.

He will put in a good tempo; otherwise he will lose too much time.

Now go!

When he comes to the door, which opens and flies closed on its own, that cursed thing slams exactly the wrong way and against his head.

Jeus goes crashing to the ground with the basket and shavings.

With that on top of everything,

what he gets to hear is the pathetic:

“That’s a pity, Jeus.

I didn’t know that you were coming from the other side.

Can you understand that, Jeus?”

A big lump in the middle of his head, one nostril bleeding, a little dizziness, Crisje, is what he now has to deal with again.

He races into the sawmill, grasps a broom, and brushes the lot into a pile.

Antoon van Bree is grinning.

Of course, Jan Lemmekus does not see anything and the sultan’s Johan does exactly the same.

The men understand he is hit from all sides here.

If only there was purgatory, Jeus, then you could have them doomed one by one, but you do not believe that yourself!

What they get to hear, Crisje, is terrible, all those ugly words now become significant for his life and he is grateful that he has learned them.

‘You can drop dead!

You can drop dead!

Misfortunate wretches!

Lousy men!’

There, that is just enough again for now, and now, he can carry on.

He pulls himself together, throws the whopper onto his neck, and still skips, despite all this misery, to uncle Jan.

Inside he feels an itchy feeling.

Yes, you would say, it even caresses him and now he can say to himself, I am not even angry.

Not even with uncle Jan.

Moreover, in order to prove that, he says to Crisje’s brother:

“But what kind of fires are they, uncle Jan?”

Is it not enough to drive you mad, Crisje?

The sultan does not want to know anything about his ‘begging’, your own brother turns his back on him and makes off.

He has to think for a minute, he has to deal with this, it is another blow and it strikes home as well, right in his face, right on his nose.

He rubs his bump for a moment, it felt it, and he also barks: “Just get lost then for all I care ...

Just get the ‘droodles’ then if that’s what you want.

But you will not get into our house any more!

Dirty lion!”

People are not interested in children, Jeus.

They do not need your complaining.

They do not understand you, but stand on your own two feet now and do not say another word to them.

Not a thought, Jeus, you will only get misery in return.

Just have a look, all of this is worthwhile, he thinks, it softens the other feelings inside.

When his uncle Jan sees this, the monster comes back and he hears, Crisje:

‘You should do your best a bit more here.

All that nonsense about things, which you do not understand anyway, is only wasting your time.’

In other words, Jeus, get the hell out of here!

Uncle Jan does not want you here.

From inside, the sultan gets another hiding.

He hits him right in his face, he calls Crisje’s brother names, and the sultan does not hear it, which is good.

But, did you see that, Crisje?

He sees, now that he has given the sultan a hiding, he rubs his face with his hands and that is, of course, because he hit him properly.

He has now found out something, as a result of which you can hit the men and they do not see any of it, which is good.

You are standing there with your nose in it.

You give them from all sides in their faces and they do not even know from where they got those blows.

Did you see that, yellow sultan?

Darting, hopping with the basket, there is music to it; he walks into the sawmill.

However, Crisje, in ten minutes he has aged by ten years.

That was a great hiding.

When Jan asks him why he is laughing to himself, then he first has to think about it, he cannot tell Jan just like that, but it was great fun.

No, Jan, that lump, and that nosebleed do not matter a jot to him.

That is just stuff and nonsense, that means nothing, Jan.

But adults are as poor as church mice are.

Because of this certainty he has become stronger.

But why do those men work so hard?

He has already been on his way for an eternity, Crisje.

He is sweating badly, but now and again he has five minutes to spare and then he can learn a lot.

Uncle Jan’s big wheels hold his attention.

He honestly admits, even if there is a lot of misery, he can learn something.

Antoon has something else, he signals to him to come.

“What is it, Van Bree?

Have I done something wrong again?”

“No, Jeus, that is not what it’s about now.

You must listen.

But you know that you got me?

That you hurt me inside.

And now you can feel yourself how much pain I have inside.

I can let you feel that, and then you can feel my pain in your own stomach.

Here, just hold my finger.

Now press, Jeus.

Press harder, that is not pressing.”

Jeus looks Van Bree in the eye.

Antoon again says to him:

“Press harder, Jeus, only then will my pain come into your body.”

He presses harder, but at the same time, he hears, at the bottom of tall Antoon’s trousers: whoosh ... whoosh ... and another, whoosh ... and a tremendous noise.

Antoon already hears: “Good gracious.

What a rotter you are, Van Bree.

What a dirty man you are.

You are a rotten person, as long as you know.”

Antoon had not thought that Jeus would give him such a talking to.

Van Bree is becoming ticklish inside.

Antoon also hears:

“Dirty scoundrel!

Filthy skunk!

What a dirty animal!”

Is that enough, Antoon?

Van Bree really becomes furious.

He can make do with it.

Jan follows everything, he hears that Jeus stands up for himself, but he also sees that Antoon is seeing red.

And that is envy.

Now you will hear it, Jan thinks.

The men laugh, now Van Bree looks to see whether his trousers are torn.

That is for something else, Jeus.

Antoon can come away with more nonsense or he would not be the tall idiot, the inexhaustible seeker of some joy in life, the ‘get out of it what you can’.

He has thought of something else for your life as fast as lightning.

Then it comes.

A well-aimed piece of chewing tobacco flies into Jeus’ right eye.

Antoon now hears:

“My God, oh my God, I am completely blind.

That on top of everything!

But my God!”

That is for Our Lord.

Van Bree now gets to hear something else.

Like a gale, Jeus throws at him:

“Dirty dog!

Dirty mean dog!

Nasty piece of work!

Stinking turd!

Dirty tall idiot!

Bloody tall idiot!

Dirty piece of turd that you are!”

He feels, his eye is still there, but he is blind.

Antoon can make do with it.

He does not even laugh, he cannot laugh.

With all the men present, Jeus has called him a ‘dirty turd’.

However, Jeus should not even have tried that this morning.

The men laugh, yes, of course, but they look at Van Bree, and feel sorry for him.

No, Antoon, there is no fun in this any more for you.

You have got a good hiding and you have lost.

And Van Bree feels it.

He feels hurt, Jan sees.

Now Van Bree will show himself, but then he is faced with Jan Lemmekus who says to him:

“Antoon!

Do not lift a finger to him again or you will have me to answer to.”

Jeus wipes the tobacco juice out of his eye, the dirty juice bites away at the tissues for a moment, but it will be okay.

Now that he can see with his other eye, and hears that Jan Lemmekus is on his side, he has forgotten that terrible misery again.

Antoon and Jan have something to say to each other.

Antoon is powerless, he knows Jan.

If Van Bree now lifts a finger, there will be victims.

Jan cannot stand injustice and is now fighting against ten men.

The tall one knows that.

Van Bree makes some excuse, but Jan also says to him:

“Antoon, you know.

This is just enough.

You can stand being thrown back, Antoon.

However, he is too smart for you.

Is that not the case, Van Bree?”

Antoon has become speechless.

He is already sawing, and a strange silence is felt, how is silence possible with all this violence, you could hear a pin drop, it was because of the envy and the hiding given to the tall idiot.

It is the sacred truth, Crisje.

Jeus has conquered Van Bree.

Imagine this.

If Jeus had flung this ‘tall idiot’ at Van Bree this morning, then you could have taken Jeus to the hospital.

Now Van Bree has had to accept it, in the presence of the men, and that has hit him now.

Van Bree had not thought of this, Crisje.

This fun gives you a nasty feeling; it is unpleasant fun, which leaves an after-taste for hours.

However, Antoon is not so crazy, and Jan Lemmekus is not so insane, otherwise there would have been victims.

Jeus has hit the tall idiot of the Grintweg right in his face.

Nevertheless, Crisje, he now thinks back on his good life.

It is just a dirty mess here; it is poison.

Van Bree will not get him, he fills up his basket and leaves.

When he understands all of this properly, Crisje, then he can make up his balance around twelve o’clock and be satisfied.

Clearly and consciously, he saw adult life in the eye, Crisje.

It is a gain, believe it.

The small drama is over.

The men work hard, each one of them follows what happens for themselves.

A child of twelve conquered a man of forty.

That is the case, Van Bree!

Despite all of this, Jeus still wants to become good friends with adult life.

When Van Bree sees that it doesn’t matter a jot to him, then he will stop of his own accord.

Now he closes himself off to everyone and everything.

Is that all now, Jeus?

No, not yet, Antoon van Bree has something else again.

It is someone’s birthday.

Antoon talks to the person who’s birthday it is, he wants to rinse away his bitter taste.

Now and again, there is a drink.

The combers drink once in a while on Monday, and then the boring Sunday goes up, and that is no fun.

Antoon calls to Jeus.

Crisje’s life gets a fright, what is it this time?

“Jeus”, Van Bree has forgotten the past events, “you must go along to Jan Hieltjes.

Here’s the money.

Jan knows what we want.”

Think for a moment.

What does the tall Van Bree want from him this time?

What should I do?

Then he suddenly understands, and he says resolutely to Van Bree:

“What do you want from me, Van Bree?

Do you want me to go and fetch jenever?

Do I have to fetch jenever for you?

I will not fetch any jenever for you.

I have never done that in my life, and I will certainly not do it for you.”

Antoon still wants to put the money in his hands, but he lets it fall to the ground.

Van Bree is furious.

Jan is already watching.

Now that Van Bree still puts out his hand to give Jeus a wallop, and once again, Jan and Antoon are faced with each other.

Antoon angrily addresses Jeus:

“What do you want, ugly whippersnapper?

Not to fetch jenever?”

“No”, Jan says, “Antoon, but you heard what Jeus said to you, he will not fetch any jenever.

Now that’s quite enough, Antoon.

And one more word, Van Bree, and I will lash out.”

The men look.

Jan gets foam on his lips.

Now there can be a fight, and Jan is ready.

However, the tall Van Bree still chooses the best path, he mumbles: “We could drink it all day, Jan, if you don’t want any jenever, well, we do,” but Jan gives him in return:

“That is all true, Antoon, but he is not fetching any jenever.

Understood, Antoon?

Do not lift another finger to him, Antoon, or you will have me to answer to.

You can also pull a child’s heart out of its ribs.

I will strangle you, Antoon.”

Van Bree knows.

If he lifts a finger, then life will stand still for Van Bree today and at a dead end.

Jeus looks Jan in the eye, Jan says to him:

“Come on, Jeus, get to work.”

“Yes, Jan.

But, thank you.”

He goes away, he has to think.

When he comes back, the men are at work.

There will be no jenever this morning.

Mother Crisje’s Jeus put paid to tall Van Bree’s plans in a dirty way.

However, Van Bree is not as bad as all that, and that will Jeus get to know.

But, he has almost reached the end, another few minutes and it will be twelve o’clock, Crisje.

Then you will hear all kinds of things and you will no longer know him.

What time is it?

Since this morning, when he left the house, centuries have passed.

What do the heavens think about it?

Where is the tall Hendrik?

Where are his angels this morning?

Have they left him alone?

That does not matter to him and he does not want to hear anything about it, this is for himself!

Now that he comes to Jan, he hears:

“I must say, Jeus, you know what you want.

And stick to that, then everything will be fine.”

“Yes, Jan, I will make sure of that.

I am very grateful to you.”

Jan understands.

And feels that Jeus gives you everything.

He feels emotional, because he thinks of Jeus’ heavens.

Still, no Lord can change anything here.

Jeus has to decide his direction himself, and if he can do that, he is the one who decides, and adult life can look on.

Jan feels, no tall idiot can scramble up against this; Jeus can be satisfied.

Van Bree took a wrong step, he slipped and fell in his own tobacco, and the sparks flew around his nose.

You have to laugh whether you like it or not, but a child is a child and a man cannot forget his own space.

There was much blood and a lot of sweat this morning, but still?

The day is not yet over.

Can he work in peace now?

Has he conquered everything?

No, but still?

Now that he meets the big boss again, the mumbling of that life already comes towards him from a distance.

What does that man want this time?

Is that whining still not finished?

Inside he can no longer be approached.

Does that man always have to have something to say?

He already hears:

“Quickly, and use your eyes ... understood?”

He has learned something.

The man will no longer get the slightest thing to experience from him.

He is as silent as the grave, Crisje.

He does not intend to play a tomb for him, or a dull fellow, that man can tell him more.

The ‘droodles’!

A while later it rises up from his inner life: ‘Hooray ... long live the Grintweg!

Fanny, I am here!

Hooray ... I am here!’

He immediately tosses the shavings off.

The sultan can drop dead!

What do those stinkers want?

I have worked it out!

The sawdust flies about the sultan’s ears.

And that dirty beast there, will now swallow everything that he gives it to eat.

Here, is a piece of wood of the tall idiot.

Just eat it, if I wasn’t here, you would go to your grave, because you would not get anything else to eat.

Get lost!

Go to hell!

You can perish!

Is that enough?

More?

I am laughing right in your face.

Dirty carry-on.

Yellow monster, if you want to say something to me now, then I will not even answer you.

Who else?

Is there anybody else with something to say?

No, not here, then just go back to the sawmill.

Space, a child of twelve conquered your society in only a few hours.

Jeus has soled the tall Van Bree’s shoes, and he hammered nails through them; the tall idiot is already standing mewing.

A boy from the Grintweg stood up for himself, because life also hit him.

Mother Crisje’s Jeus played with adult consciousness and threw it in the oven.

You can hear it screaming there.

That is temporary purgatory, Crisje.

The eternal one has nothing to say, the temporary one has been consciously conquered and put out of action.

Then Antoon van Bree fell into his own misery, and stank to high heavens.

This is art, Jeus!

Just kick the dirty head, the ugly face of life to bits, more boys and girls wish to help you with it, but the way you do it is fine!

How good life is.

How great life is, if you understand it.

Well done, Jeus, many people followed you this morning.

All of them have something to say to you, and you will hear that later.

He is faced with the big boss again.

It is still not twelve o’clock.

Why does he have to meet that man again?

Did Our Lord saddle him with that life or does that man remember that he once had to start out?

Or what is it?

Nevertheless, he sees that life is now very differently tuned.

It is a wonder, he feels, or is he completely off the mark?

What does the boss say?

“Are you getting on a bit better?”

Jeus says nothing.

He now waits patiently.

And refuses to talk, Crisje.

The boss looks him in the eye.

Jeus feels something, but he does not let the boss see it.

What does the boss want now?

Then he utters:

“Now, are you getting on a bit better?”

Jeus now feels that he may talk:

“Thank you, boss.

Yes, of course.

I have now learned it.

And I will continue to do my best.

You can count on me, boss.

I will work hard.”

Is that enough yet, Lumwald?

Is this enough?

The boss smiles, Jeus feels the boss has understood him now.

Another lion has lost its teeth, he no longer knows what biting is.

How is it possible, Crisje.

Still, you have the proof here.

The drum major is satisfied.

But the scolding which Jeus made him experience, rose out above his life and then, Crisje, a human heart melted, the envy inside changed as a result of real human feeling, it was not sympathy, but real understanding.

You know, that feeling, with which you always blessed life yourself.

Fair is fair, Crisje, the boss has now consciously accepted his ‘orchid’

This morning.

Now there is nothing more.

Life is wonderful!

Jeus sends upwards:

‘My Lord ...

You have them all.

And thank you.’

He lets a few tears fall, it is fertile juice, his little soul is busy sharing bliss, and adult men accept that from a child.

Of course, Jan, this morning the world was consciously upside down, and you can tell Anneke and Mina, Jeus has conquered life, at least this, this really bad one and now further!

The boss suddenly puts him on his own two feet.

The blow between his ribs felt like honey, it was so delicious; blood no longer flows, on the contrary, Crisje, now a state of purity has come.

They had their fun, the adult men.

What is ‘verpumpelen’ Crisje?

Life is called ‘Schwung’.

Certainly, ‘Prügel’ was said ... of course.

When Jeus asks the tall idiot:

“Van Bree, do you know what ‘Prügel’ means”? and Van Bree said: “We will not talk about that any more, Jeus,” it was then that the devil was also flung out of the saw mill, Crisje, and another Van Bree stood before Jeus, and tears of happiness streamed down his cheeks.

Antoon then heard from the bottom of his heart:

“But I am not angry with you, Van Bree.”

Van Bree reaches out to him with his four fingers.

Jeus lays his hand in them, now they have become friends.

Van Bree replies:

“I am not angry either, Jeus, of course not, at the end of the day, we both live in the Grintweg, and are children of Our Lord.”

But when Jeus immediately continues with:

“Then we are even now, Van Bree,” Antoon realizes, once more, that Jeus can think, and is just one step ahead of him.

Really, the tall idiot thinks, we are ‘even’; fair is fair, and it is horrible sawing with only half your mind on the job, because that can cost you even more fingers!

It is a ‘university’.

But a monkey like that, thinks Antoon.

He has children of his own, but this one of Crisje cannot be bought for all the money in the world.

This one will make it, tall Hendrik, and you are not even needed for it, this one is exactly like you were!

Antoon had to agree to that this morning.

He also learned something.

And when Antoon had something else to say, the immediate reply from Jeus was:

“I have known you for so long already, Van Bree.”

“So, Jeus, is that it, I should have known.”

Jeus got everything out of Van Bree that he could, and put his first thought of this morning under Van Bree’s nose: ‘I should have known all this yesterday, good gracious, then I would have been in Emmerik ...

That is for Antoon van Bree, and now Antoon can decide for himself what he wants!

Carry on sawing or take off now.’

Antoon tells Jan:

“He is just like an old man and smart with it.”

“Yes, Antoon, that is an adult, you are right about that.

But what you think of as smart, Antoon, they are brains to me!

He has brains, Antoon, and more than all of us put together.

At least if you want to understand me, Van Bree.

That is feeling!”

“So, Jan, is that it?”

“You can make do with it this morning, Antoon.”

They laugh about it.

Jan also says to him: “He knows it, Antoon.

And in addition to that, we adults must not destroy what is good,” and the learned man, who has had the final word, is standing in front of Van Bree, and then, of course, it is forgotten.

Not Jeus, but Van Bree was covered in material mud.

And saw worms as thick as snakes.

Because of his own plug of tobacco!

The learned man has said so.

Jan Lemmekus knows that human intellectuality will one day overcome stupid coarseness, and only then will there be peace and quiet amongst people, and hearts will open to each other.

But the plug of tobacco, Jan sees, is still biting, Jeus’ eye is scarlet.

Because of this, Antoon stands in front of his mirror and sees himself.

Crisje, you will get a different Jeus back, his personality has become stronger, and he has started another life.

These hours amongst people have not done him any harm either!

And he can say to adult life:

‘If you thought that you had got me, I can now tell you, I laughed behind your back.’

The sacred truth, Crisje!

Jeus, compliments from above!

While getting ready, the sultan could whistle at any time, he also just asks Jan:

“Jan, what is a contract?”

Jan gets a fright, why hadn’t he thought that?

“Well, Jeus,

A contract is ... you must listen carefully ... the boss gives me so many of a ‘thousand’ brushes, doesn’t he?

And if I can make more in that time, then he looks at my hands and thinks: just wait, Jan, tomorrow I will pay you so much and just you try that one again.”

“I understand already, Jan, thanks, I can imagine that.”

You see, Jan thinks, he is already thinking of his future.

The misery went overboard.

However, Jeus does not let himself be ‘teased’ or they would have pulled out all his feathers this morning.

Antoon, would you like to ask him again, who plucked aunt Trui’s cockerel?

You are now standing yourself in your bare bottom!

Jan Lemmekus thinks, it is enough to make you die laughing, but there is too much deadly seriousness involved, and you don’t do it.

You are now thinking about something completely different.

Uncle Jan has still not whistled.

Antoon can still just reach him and asks:

“Jeus, will you not tell your mother what I did?”

“Of course not, Van Bree.

But I am no longer a small child.”

Antoon now has a lump in his throat and that thing is getting in the way, as well.

And when Jeus says at the same time:

“But that business with your plug of tobacco, Van Bree, that really wasn’t necessary.

You could have destroyed my eye and you would not want that for yourself either.”

“Will you forgive me then, Jeus?”

“Of course, Van Bree, but then we are even.”

Van Bree is grinning inside.

That boy always has to give you an answer for new and following thoughts.

Jan listens, he winks at Jeus.

And when Antoon says to him:

“You can now see, Jeus, that I also have a heart under my ribs” Jeus gives him back:

“I know, Van Bree!

You are always laughing at the back of your head,” then Antoon is faced with a new puzzle, and for other ideas he needs Jan.

“Do you know, Jan, what he said to me there?”

“Do you not understand it, Antoon?”

“No, Jan, I cannot get my head round it.”

“Then I will just explain it to you, Antoon.

Jeus thinks – and that immediately makes you realize that it is a shame that he works at the brush factory – ‘you laugh at the back of your head’ and this wants to say, you are not so bad, and he looks through your body, Antoon.

He knows you better than you know yourself and that’s it.”

That is right, Jan.

But a fly got the elephant.

A trivial little mosquito from Our Lord stung his trunk and let the monster turn off to the right and then to the left, soon after Van Bree did not know how things stood and he was lost!

Believe it, Jan, Our Lord gave you a first class perfume this morning.

Something different from that of Antoon, you can sniff up that one of Jeus between life and death, and the angels are involved in it.

You now get wings.

You flap through the spacious life, and there is no one who thrashes you down, they will never get you!

Life, Jan, is completely mad, it slips in and out of your soul and hits you, if you want that yourself.

Fair is fair, you were in a paradise this morning.

Van Bree as well.

While the other men slaved.

Then uncle Jan whistles.

Jeus is the first one to leave.

There is Fanny.

When Jan is worrying at the dinner table and his ‘heaven’ asks: “What is the matter?” he can say:

“I thought this morning, Anneke, or I believed, that the angels were with us.”

“I understand you, Jan.

Do you mean, Jeus?”

“Yes, Anneke, it was Jeus!”

“That is understandable.”

“He has given us another life, Anneke.”

“I understand that also, Jan.”

“I have nothing more to say, Anneke.

He will make it of his own accord.”

“Fanny, but my dear Fanny.

How has it been without me, Fanny?

Be good, Fanny.

You must not howl like that, Fanny, what will people think now?

Be quiet now, Fanny.

Did you hear me crying this morning?

No, you didn’t, did you?

Come on, we will go to mother.”

Antoon van Bree hears this.

Antoon always goes straight to the Grintweg, it is a five minute walk, now Van Bree crawls through the corridor, around the back of the brush factory, homewards.

He really has a tear in his eye and he doesn’t even try to get rid of it.

On the contrary it does him good; it tickles him inside.

Is that not a hunk of life?

Tall Hendrik, and Crisje, congratulations with your Jeus!

That dog can howl like a person can cry, Antoon thinks, and he has never heard that before in his life.

He did not know that all this lived in his neighbourhood.

Mother Crisje’s Jeus may now call him a ‘tall idiot’, but Gerrit must not try it; he will wring his neck,

And that is understandable as well, Van Bree!

On the chair behind the table, where father always sat, Crisje hears about what happened to him.

“How did uncle Jan treat you, Jeus?”

“May I tell you honestly, mother?”

“Of course, was he cruel to you then?”

“That is a sour puss, mother.”

“And Johan?”

“Johan is different, mother.

He can understand a bit.

But uncle Jan is a sour puss!’’

“Now, now, Jeus, but it is surely not as bad as that, is it?”

“No, mother, but when you see these fires, it frightens you.”

“I know, Jeus, uncle Jan is a good engineer.”

They talk for a bit and at the end of their conversation the sultan is allowed to visit again.

Jeus admits that he grumbled something terrible at the adults, called them names in a dirty, horrible way and the scales of Our Lord bring him back to showing his colours.

“Do you know Jan Lemmekus as well, mother?”

“Oh yes, Jeus, I have known him for so long already.

Jan is a good person and adores Anneke.

They have a good relationship and Jan is a good friend of Mina’s.”

Crisje tells him everything about Jan, and he can understand that as well.

But she sees that he has suddenly become older in just a few hours, and because of one guilder fifty a week.

How much of this child will remain when it is Saturday?

The children get to hear everything from him; soon they will have to help him to earn money for mother.

He has forgotten the teasing and there is nothing more to be seen of the plug of tobacco, he notices, because they do not ask him any questions.

However, the little ones now have to listen to him; he has become father.

True or not, Crisje?

Now a bit of a frolic with Fanny, Fanny also has the right to know everything about him, and he does not want to neglect his friend.

Not long after that, uncle Jan whistles and he can leave again.

“Goodbye, mother.”

“Goodbye, Jeus, see you this evening.”

Despite everything, Antoon van Bree enjoyed his food, and he has had time to think.

It tasted particularly good this day.

Suddenly he reaches pure thoughts.

He also knows pleasant thoughts usually overcome the inner man , and they are something which young and old are open to.

Nice things ensure inspiration; now the heart speaks in its own language and sometimes in another language and is not so crazy.

Antoon also thought, now you will have it.

Then a living corpse sung a nice song and Van Bree felt stimulated, touched, and he gave in to it completely.

Antoon does not yet know that a living corpse can sing, but Jeus knows all about it and is the ‘lecture’ for Jan Lemmekus!

You are now walking in the environment of a person who knows life and death.

It is the happiness that rises above everything and does not wish to have anything to do with ‘sullen’ carry-ons of people; it encompasses everything!

Our Lord and His angels are involved in it.

And now such heartiness is called human love!

If you possess a lot of it, then you are a loved human being.

But that Antoon, how does a person reach such thoughts?

However, now the most wonderful things can happen.

It is indeed a wonder, you no longer know yourself, and you had never thought that you were capable of such a thing.

And now, Jan and Anneke see that today as well, there is no longer a right or a left, all of them follow one path, and Father can tell you a lot about it.

A person is now touched by paradise-like reality.

Anyone who is not open to that is a stubborn human character; all of life in nature follows it, if there is a question of, do you love me?

Do you want to build a nice house together with me?

Shall we two just lay eggs and breed them out for Our Lord as well?

If people see us, they will start as well; and only then will we follow: go further, do as ‘I’ did and ensure procreation, but do not imagine that you know everything of it!

And Mrs.van Bree now thought, that one of mine has gone mad, if that is still my husband, my name is no longer Daatje, but Theresia!

Isn’t that something?

Antoon shuffles along, with something under his arm, to the brush factory.

Van Bree is laughing to himself, it is an adult who feels childlike and has become a child again.

He feels a tickling inside; it is great to be able to experience it.

It feels to Antoon as though he is already in the middle of the week.

He was so far removed from everyday matters, but that does not matter, he feels every step and how is it possible; he has become younger.

He also skates and hops along the Grintweg.

Anyone, who is following him feels Antoon is going to a wedding, or, what is the matter with Antoon van Bree?

If Jeus had known this, then he would not have played so long with Fanny, he would have ran after the tall Van Bree, but Jeus is romping with his loved one along the road and does not know anything.

But a while later they are facing each other again and Van Bree says:

“Now you must look, Jeus.

I thought to myself this afternoon, Antoon, you have something to make up for.

But is your eye still sore, Jeus?”

“No, Van Bree!”

“Did you not say anything to your mother?”

“No, Van Bree, but we agreed on that, didn’t we?”

Antoon now feels tickled in a different way and answers him:

“Fine, Jeus, you are a man of your word I realize and I like that as well.

And I will contribute something to it.

Now look at that little cushion.

Is that not something, Jeus?”

He has to think for a moment.

What kind of thing is that?

He flies inside the tall Antoon for a moment, so that he may know what this means.

Now he feels what Antoon has made for him, he is flabber­gasted with happiness and shouts at Van Bree with joy:

“My God, Van Bree, what a good person you are.

I should have known it.

I just didn’t think of that?”

“Do you now understand, Jeus, what I have done for you in my spare time?”

“Yes, Van Bree, of course, I understand.

I am really grateful to you, Van Bree.”

Jeus sees now that Antoon is not so bad after all.

He understands Antoon, and when Jeus says to him that he did not know this, that he thinks it is odd that he did not know it, they are in each other’s hair again, when Van Bree utters:

“Well, you cannot know everything either, can you?”

“No”, he readily admits to Van Bree, “that is true, Van Bree, you are right, of course, I cannot know everything.”

However, they understand each other and have found contact.

Antoon now says to him:

“Do you now want to see, Jeus, what we do?

Then I shall just tell you quickly, shall I?

We will just pin this little cushion to your basket and then your back can bear more, and your late father will find that more pleasant, won’t he?”

“Of course, Van Bree, father will like that.

But he does see what you made for me, Van Bree.”

Now what is that boy saying this time? ... Antoon thinks.

Will his father, who is dead, see this?

Dead is dead!

He cannot fathom it again and throws those thoughts from him, for his personality and world they still do not have any meaning.

Antoon sews the little cushion onto the basket and when his work is finished, they look at the fine workmanship and Van Bree receives so much for his work that he falls about with happiness.

When Jeus says: “Now, Van Bree, I will earn my money for nothing!”

Antoon feels it; he has been well-rewarded for his kind-heartedness.

He is also capable of having a good laugh; his soul feels like it is being stroked.

Antoon winks at Jan, and they both understand that Jeus is like a ray of sunlight.

Would you not think of everything for this boy in order to get him to converse?

You get to hear such nice words that give you a glowing feeling from within, they are like nice chestnuts, roasted delicacies, of which Antoon likes to eat too and suddenly thinks they are delicious.

However, Gradus there, does not know anything about it.

Jeus feels life is great, and yet it can tell him more.

And then further!

Van Bree, thanks a million!

He is busy near Gradus and sees something.

He does not know this man and he is the only one here whom he doesn’t know anything about.

He is a giant of a man and he has no contact with this life.

This morning he did not even see Gradus, but still?

How many baskets did he collect from him?

Is there something the matter, Jeus?

Do you see something in Gradus?

Gradus does not accept that, and asks in a demanding voice:

“What are you doing keeping an eye on me?

Go away or I will lash out.”

He does not hear anything, and continues to look, Jan Lemmekus follows him and feels, Jeus is no longer himself.

What is the matter there, Jan thinks?

Gradus becomes furious and makes a fist, but changes his mind, because he is looking Jan in the eye.

Jan knows him well.

Gradus has nothing to say at home, and does nothing, but constantly tries to give another person a blow in order to deal with his ‘sullenness’, he is irritable and really a big child.

Gradus, again, puts out his fist, because Jeus continues to stare at him but Jan interrupts the situation with strong words.

“Hands off, Gradus, keep your hands to yourself.

If you want to hit anybody, you must do that at home, she could do with some of that.

But I can understand you.”

Gradus has been put out of action, Jan gave him understanding and power, also kind-heartedness.

This is the wise character of the learned man.

Jeus wakes up with a fright and shovels his basket full.

Now when he comes to Jan, he immediately asks:

“What did you see with Gradus, Jeus, you were watching him so closely?”

“Yes, Jan, I was looking, he had his arm between the belt.”

“What did you see, Jeus?” ... Jan asks again ...

“Which hand?”

“He had his right hand between the belt, Jan, and he was screeching like a pig.”

Jan feels that this is a prediction and he does not react strangely to it.

Jan has read books of the occult; about Tibet and Egypt, and no longer believes that life ends in the coffin.

It is because of this that they called him the learned one.

Jan loves eastern wisdom and, as a man of feeling, is open to mother nature, his environment and is like a little paradise for his wife and children.

Anneke thinks that her Jan is a priest himself, and she is also open to the mystique of life, and their inner attunement, how is it possible, and soaks up all this wonderful wisdom.

Anneke knows you only have to put the robes on Jan and he is a priest!

On top of that, Jan is also open to justice, he possesses a natural character, he does not tolerate injustice, and lashes out immediately if injustice dominates and wants to overwhelm the weak life of feeling.

Jan is always on the side of Our Lord and people here know that about him.

And these two people live here as though in a paradise.

They never go to church, which is the strangest thing of all, but they are loved by everyone!

Jan follows what Jeus has and carries within.

And with a few words, he can speak volumes; you find his kind-heartedness and understanding in it again and again, such as a while ago Gradus also felt from him.

Jan yearns for worldly wisdom, he no longer believes that God damns HIS people, that does not exist for his personality, and is not possible!

Then everything would collapse, Jan says, and life on earth would have no more meaning!

However, this is a prediction, he feels, and waits.

He will ask Jeus whether he wants to see his creations, his little garden with cacti, birds, and flowers; then he will try to get Jeus to do some talking, about which Mina has already told him so much.

Now he feels that is possible, Jeus lives in his neighbourhood.

When Jeus thought this morning that he was alone in this big world, he was followed by Jan, Jan also felt beaten and caught, and in this way those souls became one.

Now they are sitting under one tree and catch the fruits of Our Lord.

They drink those life juices eagerly, even if Jeus is thinking about something completely different, the life is now full of wonder for Jan and he wants to know all about it.

Antoon van Bree also tasted a fruit like that from Our Lord, but it has not whetted his appetite yet and that can be explained.

Jan knows you need feeling for that!

And feeling is something special for a person.

Lives pass, before a person has learned something.

What do you want, Antoon?

Jan has to go to the pitchers and asks Jeus whether he wants to go with him, where he can admire the factory.

“But”, Jeus utters, “will we not get any bother from the boss, Jan?”

Jan answers, it is then that Jeus knows whom Jan Lemmekus is:

“When you are with me, Jeus, then he has nothing to say!”

Did you see that, Jeus?

That is Jan, now you know.

The boss has nothing to say, what Jan does is good, and you will get all the support you need from him.

It is a heartbeat from Jan’s own heart for Jeus, and it does him good.

The boss knows Jan Lemmekus.

A while later Jeus is with the pitchers.

Those men work under contract, he knows.

He can’t get enough of it.

One, two, three ... he sees, wrap a wire around the hair, now the pitch in there and then in the brush.

And there you are!

Nothing for him!

Nothing!

It stinks here of burnt sugar, but yet not quite; he will never be a pitcher.

That work is too monotonous, he sees, you sit too much and he cannot sit on a chair for too long.

However, these men are hard workers.

They become yellow from the pitch, and also get freckles, Crisje.

It is a strange carry-on, look at them shaking, those men; they dance on their little chairs.

No I will not be a pitcher!

A while later they are with the pullers.

What can a boy like that earn?

Bernard was also a puller for a while, later he went to Emmerik, to Breitenstein and became a mechanic.

Bernard could do it quickly, he believes, because Bernard could think.

Bernard cannot sit still either, and soon took off from here.

No, this is nothing for him, he wants to go higher up, but he wants to get a taste for the work.

He follows the boys, absorbs, because he is following them from inside, and now he knows!

These boys will never make it, they do not think!

He must earn more; his household needs all kinds of things.

When Jan hears what lives in him, he already knows.

He will not keep him in the sawmill.

Jan is serious; he experiences his own life.

However, how he would have liked to keep Jeus with him.

Then they come to the drillers.

Jeus sees that they are big men who make holes in each wooden brush when they push it against a drill.

That rrrrrrrt, rrrrt, rrrrt, is too monotonous; there is no ‘swing’ to it.

He has no respect for this.

Then that polishing of Jan is better.

Now they go to the combers.

It stinks of pigs’ hair and the men here also work hard, but because it stinks they earn more money.

And that is understandable, even to a child.

What do you earn?

Two guilders fifty, or even more?

Can I learn that?

Of course, I can do that as well.

What do you earn?

A boy, who is fourteen, maybe he gets three guilders.

Is that not a pile of money?

Jan now knows, Jeus will join the combers; he can go higher up here.

Jan thinks if he could do something for Jeus, but says nothing, because of this talk with his life day and night!

Jan gets to hear:

“I will not stay in the sawmill, Jan.

Can you understand that?

Mother needs all kinds of things, Jan” It is as if he wants to comfort Jan.

Jan answers him:

“I know, Jeus, I know!”

It is a strength, and a cry for space; yet, it is more than that.

Jan feels, he is losing something dear, that he does not want to miss for the world, it warms your life, and life is now good, you begin to think and Jan can do that.

Children are born as a result of this.

Because of this, a person celebrates Christmas and the angels sing, this is the true everything, which he longs for, which has rooted away inside Jan from his birth.

It is not clear to him, where these feelings have come from, but he has them.

Jan was born with them.

He recognizes those feelings in Jeus, which enables him to understand this life.

Jan Lemmekus feels something of the God of all life and because of this the human soul can sing and jump, you now start to understand something about the life.

Jan thinks an awful lot about everything ... the life pushes him in one direction, and he sees and feels that from within Jeus.

They are now back.

Gradus gives a scream.

And Jeus goes to the boiler house.

The men race over to Gradus and see that he is caught between a belt, it is Jan and Antoon who quickly release him and tend to his wounds.

He is okay, but is given a few days rest.

Antoon now gets to hear from Jan what Jeus predicted to him.

The tall Van Bree asks:

“Is that the case, Jan?

Are there people who can see into the future?”

“Yes, Antoon, those people live in this world.

Did you not know that Van de Wal woman then, Antoon?”

“Of course, Jan.”

“Now, Antoon, that same woman said of Gerrit the gossip that he would die from an accident.

She also said things about other people, Antoon, which later came true and these are predictions.”

“Of course, Jan, but who wants to think of accidents?”

“That is something completely different, Antoon.”

“And that is seeing into the future, Jan?”

“Did Jeus look back then, Antoon?

I have known that for so long.

I believe that there are people who can see into the future.

I know that those things exist, Antoon, and even if I say so myself, I know one or two things about it.

I am not so oafish about it as you, Antoon.

But as long as you know that there is more between heaven and earth which we do not know the slightest things about.”

“I can imagine, Jan, of course, but I want nothing to do with it.

You can no longer sleep because of it, Jan!”

“Can’t you, Antoon?”

“That is in a manner of speaking too learned for me, Jan.

That is above me, as long as you know!”

“But I like it, Antoon, and I cannot get enough of it, it is food and drink to me.”

“Probably, Jan, but I have to think about it first.”

“And that is why, Antoon, that I do not want us to ruin that young life”, Van Bree also gets to hear from Jan.

It is the end of this event, but Gradus is the victim.

The first day that Jeus lived amongst people did not do him any harm either, good gracious no, all kinds of things happened, and it means a gain for his life.

There were also great floggings, sly dogs, but also roasted chestnuts, which he really enjoyed, he saw sweat and blood, thoughtful and thoughtless people, gossips and learned people, people with a soul and people who did not get one from Our Lord, who were sent to earth to receive something or to make up for something.

Yes, tall idiot, Antoon, why?

However, this evening Jeus will visit Jan and Anneke.

The daily task is finished, he can be satisfied, but, Crisje, he has aged by ten years.

Fanny knows exactly when his boss will come, he is already waiting at the gate.

Fanny can tell the time on a watch and that thing, also a machine ... is inside his heart, his doggy soul.

But it is Jeus who makes it ring.

He does that by thinking of Fanny.

Really everyone can do that and it is nothing special, but just try it.

Fanny reacts immediately, as powerful, and swift as lightning, also as sure.

He runs away from Crisje, straight to the brush factory, because his boss has called him.

An invisible cord binds these lives to each other, but it is also as a result of this that everything has received a significance, and that the God of all life has so willed!

They experience this unity!

Due to this infallible power of feeling, one life speaks to the other, and only then does the spiritual life of the human machine act.

Gradus is home!

There is suffering and sorrow amongst the people.

Giants of men are just like children and children look further and deeper than an adult, from whom you would expect this, after all, but he is just like the living dead.

Now that they are sitting at the table, Jeus sees, the sacred respect of father lies irrefutably on the table, he is on top of it, but this morning and this afternoon, he earned it.

He has now become a man!

Does father know that he is doing his best?

Probably.

Nevertheless, he sends his feelings and his knowledge to the Tall One.

Afterwards, he sends his experiences, his total possessions.

Only then did he start to feel that father knew everything about him and approved of his behaviour.

Nevertheless, fair is fair, he was really in a bad mood there, Crisje.

He swore in an unacceptable manner, he does not know where the words came from, but it was sometimes terrible.

Could he have done it any differently, Crisje?

Has he learned something else, Crisje?

Can a rabbit sing?

Did he learn to talk politely?

Yes, of course, you taught him that, but were those adults any different?

Did the adults not teach him it?

The dialect is sacred, the dialect is wonderful, Crisje, you can say everything with it and it gives you more to experience than all those nice words, if you can experience the pithiness for it and of it or it means nothing to you!

They do not like burnt porridge, really they don’t, you can have a good laugh about this, there is a ‘Schwung’ to it ... believe it, he has done everything he could do, but the adults provoked him and then harsh words fell.

Now they can send upwards:

‘Good and great Father, will you accept our thanks?’

After dinner, when Crisje knows everything from him, he goes to the moorland for a while with Fanny.

Fanny also has the right to know all about him.

Lying between the woodpiles of the bakers where he used to play and went on the clouds, Fanny also gets to hear his worldly wisdom.

They are one from soul to soul, the human heart speaks and pushes, and the animal inner life is open to this kind-heartedness and soaks it in.

Fanny can do that!

A lick from a dog is the answer, also the gratitude for Jeus, there is nothing else needed to understand this.

“Yes, Fanny, that is the case, but you will hear the rest from me tomorrow.

We have to go to Jan and Anneke.”

Is Crisje not complaining yet?

No, but she knows, she cannot make ends meet from it.

Life is difficult, it is sickening, life will know how to show them the symptoms or the everyday things, and a person just has to put up with that.

Perhaps they will be given clear wine, or they must accept everything, however it works out!

And even if that is a sour wine and undrinkable, even if they are really used to it, fiercely and yet aware, ‘life’ then cuts into their inner life and they may bow to it again!

However, we are not at that stage yet, we are getting ahead of things and that is not the intention either.

That would be too much as well.

Melancholia about nothing, it is being burdened beforehand and people with faith, Lord, do not do that, and Crisje does not like the idea.

Nevertheless, you would say so.

Is a human cross so whimsical, sometimes so fickle and inhumanly dominating?

Crisje will perhaps get a little cross of incense, but she does not understand that.

If you want to talk about that and you can think, then your own ‘little self’ will rise above material welfare and then she will be faced with the spiritual proverbs of everything.

But such a thing is now called a pound of coffee, also a land lease, clothes also have to do with it, but above all, all those other things due to which a person lives, but which finally belong to Our Lord, because everything was created by Him and lives in His hands, according to the church’s teachings.

Then Crisje is faced with Divine help, isn’t she?

After all, faith sends you to providence, and that again to complete submission, which means, lay it in His hands, Crisje, and wait patiently, but make sure that the children do not go hungry.

With what?

Just say, where can you earn money?

Where can you experience something so that you can keep your head above water with seven children?

Now just carry on, and you are already faced with a thousand questions, but no one gives you an answer, which can be understood properly, you are faced with everything completely alone!

Now just bow and starve to death, what is your faith like?

Prove what you can do!

Those are thoughts!

If those things get the feeling of the personality and know how to act, they can think, solve troubles, and achieve great things, then life is worthwhile again, and you can carry on.

However, if they cannot do that, then you will be faced with another misery, and you will have to prove again what you can do, and what you really want.

Crisje has always said: “If people have no more worries, then they will look for them and they will make new ones.”

That is the truth, and because of this, life becomes unbearable.

Jeus did not ask for troubles today, adult life gave him something to bear and to deal with.

Yet, there is gain, Tall One ... you can be satisfied, or, are you not satisfied?

Our Lord says: “If you create your own worries, you will succumb.

I will give you just as much as you can bear.

If you do not want to listen, that is your own business, but you will accept My life, because you live as a person as a result of this and get to know My laws.”

Is that not worthwhile, Jeus?

One day all those eyes will close and people will enjoy a healthy sleep, only Crisje is awake and the worrying starts.

It is a pity, it is terrible, and because she has to work so hard in the daytime, if she wants to make ends meet.

However, what are ‘pities’?

Has the God of all life created ‘pities’?

You hear it daily, thousands of people talk about it: what a pity that is!

What a pity, I should have known.

However, you see Jeus also walked past it and had to accept it.

And behind all of this lives the real law, which humanity knows nothing about, because the human soul and the spirit still have to awaken.

But it is ‘life’, as a result of which you get to know those laws.

And now continue, only do not let your own ‘little self’ be sullied or you will have nothing more to say and you will be as poor as a church mouse.

Chin up, Crisje ...!

Tomorrow is another day ... save your strength anyway!