Xavier Combe, travaillant ici avec un autre auteur assez obscur.
Les habitués du blog et de Radio France connaissent bien Xavier Combe, à l’origine d’un grand nombre de nos articles sur le Web et d’interprétations à la radio (quand il ne s’agit pas d’interventions ou de chroniques), sans oublier le site de capsules audio qu’il a cofondé, Muffy Drake.
Pourparlers est fier d’annoncer que notre associé le plus médiatique a encore ajouté à sa renommée en décrochant le troisième prix du prestigieux concours littéraire international de Bath pour sa nouvelle The Games People Play, que vous pouvez retrouver ici :
The Games People Play by Xavier Combe
When I got on the métro at Bastille, there was standing room only.
I squeezed in and found a space next to a young guy who was on his cellphone, playing a war game.
I thought to myself those two words don’t belong near each other.
I could see explosions and mass killings. His display flashed a body count at the top. By the time the metro pulled in at Opera, he had killed 260 people and destroyed three villages. The level he had reached entitled him to use even more powerful weapons and ammunition. And give orders to other shooters. Allies, presumably.
I tapped him on the shoulder. He ignored me and went on firing. I tapped him on the shoulder again. He hit pause and looked over at me, reluctantly. I gave him an appreciative little smile. He didn’t get the sarcasm. He resumed his shooting.
As we were about to reach Boucicaut, I tapped him on the shoulder once more but before he could hit pause I asked him what time it was. The distraction caused his weapon to misfire. He looked at me. He was irritated. I moved away and got off the métro.
As I walked on the platform towards the exit I said to myself I had probably saved about twenty lives and spared two or three huts in a village, somewhere.
Félicitations !
