Venus has two faces

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This novel is the story of a timeless journey. City dweller lost in the city, Nino Lanzani is the victim of a plot orchestrated by Boris Zakowski, a detective  which does not seek to harm the interests of the people it supervises but, on the contrary, to allow them to follow through on their own. Even if it is against their will ...

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Thus, for reasons that we discover in the novel, Boris sets up a stratagem in order to force Nino to engage in a circus: "  The Balbar Circus  ". The,  the opportunity is given to him to participate in a show  mirror crossing and so  to live, in one life, two lives: one in the Real-World;  the other in the World of Dreams. Until the day when, during a ball organized in the Monde-du-Rêve, one of the guests  will make him understand  that he will not be able to enjoy the advantages of each of the worlds indefinitely. Sooner or later he will have to make a choice.

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"  Venus has two faces  »It is therefore the story of this choice - painful and irreversible - which Nino Lanzani will be confronted with and which will allow him, in the end, to  come to terms with himself. In the obligation to choose between two antagonistic and complementary universes, between endearing people in the Real-World and attractive characters in the Dream-World, Nino fully fulfills his destiny.

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To share Nino's adventure, you must have  "  head in the clouds  ". Indeed, to embark on this disconcerting odyssey which leads to the border of reason and unreason, each of us must accept the idea.  - at least while reading the book - that the dream exists just as much as the real and that it has the same weight, the same presence, the same consistency, in short the same reality… This is a real bias !

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Consequently, reading this book is formally discouraged for Cartesians who believe only in reason and for realists who believe only in what they see.

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Philippe parrot

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EXCERPT FROM CHAPTER 3: THE MOUSE

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“Nino had been working since dawn, his face drowned in the light of the lamp. He was finishing reading a book and had jotted down many notes that he was going to have to put into shape.

- Here, Dubreuil is waking up!

He recognized the footsteps of the septuagenarian in the hallway, orchestrated by the creaking of a door, then by the din of the flushing toilet. It was time! The tenants knew it was six-thirty when this water deluge hit the landing with the regularity of a metronome. He had to act quickly if he didn't want to be late. Nino tidied up his desk littered with notebooks and papers lying around here and there. The taae perfectly reflected the owner's moods: a studious but messy spirit. He then turned to his books. It was a rite. The conviction that the texts opposed the durability of words to the precariousness of things, this feeling was enough to give him courage. Such determination to fight against time was a source of satisfaction in Nino's heart every day. He forgot for the day his worries when he thought of the knowledge acquired thanks to the books and the joys they had given him.

As for the last glance, it was for Her. He had never made up his mind to tear up this photo, even if he ended up destroying all the others. He who dreaded the ghosts of the past, found it grotesque to be moved on a face when he could not know if the person was alive or not, for lack of news. This memory of youth had however escaped destruction. Nino had decided to keep it in order to avoid seeing parts of his memory sinking too quickly. He was thus delighted to be able to cling to Her to reconnect with the stages of his life when the milestones of the past began to merge into a shapeless mass of memories. Nino did not determine his story from the events that had taken place since his birth. No ! His year 0, it was this portrait and he made an obligatory detour on Elle, the time of a glance, each time he wished to evoke the past. The before and after of his life were illuminated from these eyes, placed without difficulty in the axis of this unusual chronology.

These moments, ridiculous or not, imposed themselves as the guarantors of his balance. His philosophical quest had so often shown him the impossibility of determining principles that he had ended up agreeing, pragmatic by necessity: the only thing that mattered was his room. His mind had been unable to discern despite years of reading the ideas of order and reason which he felt he needed to make sense of everyday life.

And even less dreams with their phantasmagoria!

He finished his turn, got dressed, put on his overcoat and put his ear to the door. He didn't like meeting a neighbor and having to talk to him. Anybody. He opened the door a crack, checked in a glance, and left. The floor creaked under his feet. The boots and heels had got the better of his robustness and he was aging in general indifference, like the tenants. But the hallway was so poorly lit that the decay of the place went unnoticed. Nino groped his way towards the landing, unbalanced by his club-foot. He was coming up to the stairs, grabbing hold of the handrail, and heading down the hall when he found himself face to face with a recently arrived customer. He was about to step aside to let her go upstairs when she rushed forward and shoved him. He was going to lose his balance when she grabbed his hand at the last minute. She caught up to him in time. The embrace rekindled a flood of sensations in Nino who had given up on any adventure for years. The touch of the fingers shook his heart. They both realized how ridiculous it was to behave like this and stared at each other in embarrassment when the stranger giggled.

- Well, Mr. Nino, do you think this is the time and place to pay court to your neighbor? Isn't that the midday demon bothering you, Lanzani?

- You are wrong, Mr. Rossopoulos, I ...

- No need to apologize! Between us, I also know music! However, I would have chosen another occasion to get to know each other! Do you not, Miss, you do not find your fiancé a little ...

- Mr. Rossopoulos, what are you going to imagine there?

TO  with her eye on her legs, she suddenly realized the owner was ogling her. She let go of Nino's hand and hurried back to the landing without saying goodbye.

- Ah, women, what susceptibility! Don't you think so, Mr. Nino? We can't even joke without them getting offended and taking the loose. It's a world, isn't it?

- You may be right, Mr Rossopoulos! You know, joking with them is not my strong suit! I never know what makes them laugh or not. Besides, I have never been able to understand them!

Nino crossed the hall where Rossopoulos paraded and left without making any other comments, much to the chagrin of his interlocutor, disappointed at not being able to discuss any longer. The hotelier sat down in his chair to watch the comings and goings, inspected his dressing room, lit a cigar and opened the newspaper. Everything was in order and the day was shaping up to be auspicious. "

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EXCERPT FROM CHAPTER 5: A NEW WORLD

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“The show was in full swing and Balbar grabbed the microphone while the staff were busy on the track dismantling the lion cage. To prolong the thrill aroused at the sight of wild animals, the master of ceremonies held the audience in suspense with his words. Her voice reached Nino's ears and pulled him out of his musings. She crossed the space and recalled him to his promise, amplified by the speakers and barely muffled by the marquee. Tonight he was to mingle with the crowd seated on the stands and volunteer when Hannah asked for a volunteer.

-  Ladies and Gentlemen, listen, it's time to travel  ! It is getting late, the night protects us and the stars, messengers of distant universes, shine in the sky. Yet, Ladies and Gentlemen, a woman has explored these worlds on the edge of reality. And she invites you to cross the threshold. So, I proclaim it: dare despite your fears and your reservations! Hannah opens the doors of the marvelous to you. The marvelous ? Leave this nonsense to the kids! And why  ? So would you have a heart of stone  ? Of course not. So live those who dare to reconnect with the delights of their childhood dreams  ! Long live those who dare to let go of the certainties of reason  ! Only those will emerge grown up and be able to say:  "  Yes, I have lived well ...  ". Come on, my friends, have the audacity of fools and become wise  ! Let Hannah take you to the next world  !

These words had snatched Nino from his peace of mind. The opportunity thus presented itself to become a man. Could dreams teach him this knowledge never discovered in books? Nino turns pale. His intellectual quest risked turning out to be a hoax if Balbar proclaimed the truth. He closed his eyes to push the possibility out of his mind. Alas, Balbar's exhortation was still being heard and the often-seen backstage scene was etched on his retina.

Under the marquee at night  ! So dark that no spectator can distinguish his neighbor, his gaze captivated by Balbar. The seasoned host is there, immersed in the spotlight, dazzling in his gala attire, eyes shining, proud to feel men and women hanging from his lips.

The miracle was taking place again this evening on the stands to hear the silence which followed the invitation. Everyone held their breath at the idea of reconnecting with childhood, hypnotized by Balbar's actions and words. Nino himself felt under the influence of the mountebank and heard a voice ordering him to keep his promise. When he understood that he could not resist him, he got up, left the trailer then, arrived under the illuminated sign of "  Balbar Circus  Who threw a suit of lights on the passers-by, slipped between the tarpaulins of the entrance. He was trying to speed up despite his lopsided step, in a hurry to reach the curtains that hid the track. Nino was a prisoner of circus magic even before he got there. The odors were strangely taking shape to ferment in isolation in this greenhouse heat. It was a cocktail of smells of breath and sweat, of odors of wild animals and horses, above all of urine and excrement that the sand of the ash could no longer absorb.

He hadn't slipped through the curtains yet when he sensed Hannah's presence. Although he had not yet heard her voice, he knew with certainty, with the scents burnt around the mirror to delimit an invisible border, that she sat enthroned in the middle of the track with the psyche and the glove. He parted the fabric with one hand, a thrill through which he discovered another world and took the plunge.

She was there, a few dozen yards away, just in front of him, staring at the entrance with her round eyes. The one she was waiting for finally dared to try the adventure. She could start.

-  Ladies and Gentlemen, I am going to tell you a story. A simple mind was born years ago. When the mother realized the handicap of her daughter, she convinced her husband to lock her up and both began to drink to forget their misfortune. Each evening they would join the prisoner in the attic, bottle in hand, and make fun of her by candlelight. Yet they did not come on a stormy night. Happy to escape the sarcasm, the girl gave in to reverie when her attention was caught by the lapping of drops falling from the roof. A puddle had formed on the floor over the hours and the water had solidified under the alchemy of the moon's rays filtering through the attic. So much so that in the morning she had metamorphosed into a mirror. The girl grabbed a glove that was lying there and brushed it. Waves were born with each brush and washed up on the edges. More amazingly, his fingers sank into this hard and permeable material at the same time. She crossed the mirror despite her fears and what she saw there made her want to live. It was… Imagine… A kind of universe with… how to say  ? Meetings such as ... Wait  !

The silence that had imposed itself without the spectators' knowledge now reigned over the stands. Everyone was captivated by her story and wanted to know what she had discovered. And There you go  ! Hannah stopped and plunged them into expectation, just as she was about to satisfy their curiosity.

-  You  !

-  ...

-  You sir  ! Basically. There, on the jump seat  ! Tonight you will be the chosen one  !

-  Me  ?

-  Yeah, you're gonna know what everyone here is dying to know  ! What is behind the mirror.

-  But ... maybe I could give up my place  ?

-  No.

Hannah stepped into the spotlight, straight up to the man hidden in the gloom. The audience had guessed his anxiety by the intonation. How the hell could he be afraid  ? All would have been filled in his place. The spectators followed the circle in which the sorceress moved, curious to discover who could hesitate.

*       *        *        *        *

A jet of light had fallen on Nino's shoulders. He was blinking, his hand up above his eyebrows. The light blinded him and he was about to leave when he felt a hand grab his. He let himself be drawn into the center of the track, a stone's throw from the mirror, as docile as a blind man leaning on the shoulder of his guide. The projector went out, the marquee disappeared into darkness, the surface of the psyche glowed fluorescent. A halo now enveloped Hannah and Nino. It was a strange, almost spectral atmosphere. The animosity towards Lanzani was gone and everyone watched the scene with emotion. It was the same thrill, the same communion.

-  You are ready  ?

-  Not really  ! But I promised it to you, didn't I ...

-  Hang in there  ! The Land of Dreams awaits you. You will see, it is always in the image of the heart. Also pure and candid.

-  Hannah. What if mine wasn't ...

-  In that case…

-  In this case, what  ?

Hannah shudders. She suddenly realized that she had just made a mistake, worse than she might have been wrong. She had caused fear in Nino by suggesting to him that the marvelous reflects the desires. The dream could turn out to be a nightmare if her thoughts weren't as noble as she thought they were. Could she have fooled herself on this man  ? Alas, it was too late. In front of the audience, neither could back down. She took advantage of the discomfort, took the glove out of the box and slipped it into Nino's fingers.

A "  OH, oh, oh ...  Fear ran through the circus when the phenomenon occurred. The crowd was overwhelmed. The cuff livened up once more, widened, then swallowed my hand. It was a made-to-measure suit that hugged the flesh perfectly and stuck to every pore. Nino looked distant. The flow emitted by the matter invigorated him as soon as he put it on. His gaze recovered its sharpness and his mind its lucidity. He was enchanted by the anguish that had assailed him a few seconds earlier. Even the concern over Hannah's words faded, swept away by an excitement that prompted him to be bold.  ! He felt the courage of a conquistador. Whatever the ordeal, he was ready ...

-  What must I do now  ?

-  Wait until I take a few steps away and disappear into the dark. Then bring the glove to the psyche, that's all.

-  And after  ?

-  Things will take care of themselves, you will see.

-  Well ... see you later, Hannah  ! I, how can I tell you, I ...

-  Do not say anything  ! Not now. Later. When we're ready.

-  Would you be afraid of what might happen to me or what I might tell you  ?

-  Who knows  ?

Nino was in the middle of the trail, drowned in the aura of the mirror. He seemed little by little to metamorphose into an evanescent being, with the silhouette of a ghost, with the look of a sleepwalker, with the complexion of death. Onlookers watched with concern as this avatar transformed a man into an immaterial creature. As for Nino, he raised his arm in the direction of the mirror, indifferent to their anguish. No noise, no whisper, no cracking. The whole circus was holding its breath.

The glass wall shuddered at the glove. Nino brushed against the psyche and the stirring of the material became evident as his requests were repeated. Nino was in turn disturbed by the tremors. The instant his sanity shifted, he sank the glove into the material. The ice was offered without resistance and the man entered it. He saw her arm and shoulder disappear, drawn into the void. So he stepped over the wooden frame, put one foot to the other side and in that awkward position, straddling two worlds, waved to Hannah before plunging into the unknown. The waves caused by the engulfment washed up on the edges and the surface of the psyche soon regained its rigidity. The laws of physics were once again respected. The mirror had become again a soulless object, a cold, smooth and compact matter. With one detail, however. Anyone who would have liked to look at it would have noticed with amazement that the tain did not reflect any image. "

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EXCERPT FROM CHAPTER 8: THE BALL

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“Nino had felt a current of air chilling her back for a few moments as she spoke. He closed his eyes and gave in to the dance to escape her words like the thrill. Better to forget everything and stop thinking. Even if he guessed that as an expert in seduction, she skillfully played with her femininity! He let himself be guided, carried away by the music which enchanted them, intoxicated by the whirlwinds of the waltz which drunk them. A smile sketched on his lips when he felt, at the stiffening of his companion, the spell breaking. He flinched and opened his eyes. His mate's face was so pale that he stopped for fear of seeing her pass out. She, who looked at him a moment earlier with shamelessness, was now staring at her heels without daring to speak to him. Nino was about to grab her chin and force her to smile when an exclamation grabbed him. He turned around.

The man with the scythe faced him, hidden under his cape which wrapped him from head to toe. He waved his blade in the air and dazzled them with his reflections. The dancers did not move, hypnotized by the shine of the metal. He brandished his weapon higher and higher. The drama was imminent when he disappeared, punctuating his retreat with sneers. The ringing of bells had forced him to flee.

It was the Fool  !

-  Come on, lovers, a smile  ! I'm telling you, life is all yours  ! As for the scarecrow, let him utter his cries of orchard. Better  ! Laugh as you used to do when you were children if he still hangs on your basques! So you will see  ! Your cheerfulness will prevent the vagabond's machinations. Oppose a song of life to its funeral orations  ! Set the purity of your heart against the blackness of her soul and the incredible will be  ! The height of derision, the reaper will be mortified.

The buffoon became animated, intoxicated by his words, and gradually sketched out the movements of a hilarious dance. Jubilation spread to his limbs and a shiver ran through his body. He nodded and unleashed a concert of bells, his face lit up by two eyes which were shimmering. The bells hanging from the appendages of her bonnet nodded and tinkled with each jolt. It was a concert of discordant sounds but they did not bother anyone. On the contrary, the tinkling delighted the audience since it signified the coming of congratulations. Even the bells attached to his foals, his bracelets, his belt participated in the celebration. The buffoon, with a smile on his lips, raised sometimes one leg, sometimes another; sometimes an arm, sometimes another, so as to provoke hilarity. Nino and the whore giggled, conquered by the joke of the merry drille.

-  Ah anyway  ! You are finally as I like: HEU… REUX  ! And me who talks when you don't care about my sales pitch. To hell with the rantings of a puppet, do you think  ! As I understand you. Go on  ! Enjoy the evening. I will take the good word elsewhere. Ah, one more word  ! Dear Chosen One, have you ever wondered where real life is: at home or with us? Where you come from, a thousand obstacles slip between you and things. How to find happiness in these conditions if you have to constantly fight to achieve a goal  ? Your existence is a caricature of the real one, believe me  ! You will never be able to satisfy your passions, for lack of resources and time. Your mind is fooling you if it claims otherwise. So listen to me. We grow up where there is no mediation between desire and its realization, no hindrance between the object and its possession. This world exists, it is the beyond  ! You are in its antechamber: the Land of Dreams  ! So, enjoy it with Madame… or with another. Good to hear, hi  !

He suddenly shouted to the cantonade:

-  Be careful, the Madman is coming  !

He bowed to Nino and took off, alternating wheels and somersaults, figures that blew the audience away. The dancers stopped and gave their mascot a standing ovation during the exhibition, stepping aside the instant it passed. The jubilation was indescribable in the midst of the din of bells, applause, exclamations. Nino and his companion, delighted to resume the course of their adventure, watched him go away when he disappeared behind couples entwined on the track. The music reminded everyone of their homework. It was time for celebration, for dancing, for love. The whore pressed against Nino who blushed to see, under the pressure of the embrace, two breasts blooming out of the cleavage.  "