Creative Re-Write for Paradise of the Blind

Paradise of the Blind Epilogue

“I have found most things to be in order. You did absolutely a superb job with the records.”

“Thank you very much, sir.” Lin hesitated to continue his thought aloud as a nervousness began to tighten his throat to a point where speaking didn’t seem possible. Finally he got the words out, “But you said ‘most things’, sir. Is there anything I need to clarify?”

“I jolly well hope you can clarify Agent Li!” The Director was as French as French could be but his extensive past field work in Great Britain came out in his more frantic states and was a sure tell that he was worked up. He continued in elegant French; “Where the hell is Agent Delacroix? Your mission was to find him and bring him home. I don’t damn well care how extensive and precise your reports are. Why did you fail your mission Agent? Where is Delacroix? Where is my Agent? What happened?” His voice kept escalating through the final question that by the end the director was half out of his seat while yelling the words and spitting across the dark rich walnut desk straight at Agent Li.

“Well sir, let me explain further.” Agent Li tried to sound calm and collected.

“I don’t need you to explain. You’ve done enough explaining right here!” He was waving the extremely classified folder of all his field reports in his hand. “These tell me what you are about to say and that’s not good enough. I don’t want explanations, I want answers.”

Agent Li knew this was coming. He had enough time to think up every scenario about what would happen when he returned to headquarters on his all too quick plane trip from Vietnam to Paris and they all included the Director yelling at him. That is unless he did what Agent Delacroix did he thought for a second but quickly pushed that thought from his mind and focused on solving the problem at hand; a 65 year old raging bull that wanted nothing more than to kill him, or worse expel him from the French secret service. Vietnam has always been a sore...