Monsieur Pierre Guillaume 2013

“Sir, Sir!”, called a fragile voice after the noble gentleman, who was maneuvering quickly through the icy winter evening. “You’ve lost something, so please wait.”

It was just before Christmas, and the country was firmly caught in the grip of a grim and painfully long winter. The year 1946 brought the coldest season of the 20th century, exacerbated by a second wave of frost that began in December, even colder than the first. The country bore the scars of the recently ended war, and hope as well as confidence were scarce.
Nevertheless, there were those small, light-filled moments to bring back the long-missed humanity…

The man paused, turned around, and saw a young girl standing before him. The wind whipped relentlessly and soullessly through the streets that evening, and it was hard not to lose one’s bearings amidst the swirling snow.
“I believe this is your scarf,” said the girl in a shivering voice. “Oh yes, how could I have lost it?” the man replied kindly, visibly grateful to the girl for pointing out the loss of his scarf. “The scarf means a lot to me,” he explained to her. “I received it a long time ago as a gift from my daughter. She made it herself!” He looked at the piece of fabric with pride, which was capable of taming the unspeakable cold a little.

It almost seemed as if the meeting of the two was fated. The girl was terribly cold and was struggling to cope with the harsh conditions. So the man handed her back the scarf, saying, “You know, Christmas is coming soon. That’s why I want to give you this scarf, which is so precious to me.”
He bent down to the girl to wrap the cloth around her. Just at that moment, the girl could perceive the scent of the scarf. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and suddenly found herself in her thoughts on a beautiful, warm-spiced forest clearing.

There was no trace of the cold anymore! Staying in this clearing, she was surrounded by the soothing, earthy aromas of the soft forest floor. The mighty trees swayed gently in the wind, releasing the scent of the finest woods. The woods were so intense, dark, and pure that they seemed to absorb the climbing and glittering mosses clinging to the tree trunks with their majesty. Above the steaming forest floor, the delicate smoke of the emerging day wafted softly and wistfully. The sunlight reflected a thousand times in the resin of the trees, which dripped like pearls into the lush earth, to enter into a symbiosis with the woody-mossy aromas of the forest for eternity…
Although dark and distinguished, the scent of the scarf conveyed a feeling of safety and security. When she opened her eyes again, she thought to herself: “So this is what a Monsieur smells like.”

With a gentle nod, the noble gentleman bid farewell and disappeared into the cold of the night. The roaring snowflakes sparkled through the light of the street lamps like glittering diamonds, and in the distance, the girl spotted a conical, cedar-like silhouette. It was the fragrant aura of the Monsieur, shimmering greenish-blue and moving along wooden paths, pointing the way to a more hopeful and better future.
The girl was deeply touched by this moment, and in her heart, she became aware:

“We can only change the future if we start in the present…”