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in can。 The officer examined them one by one on the workbench and then he turned human。 “I’d like to take one； if I may；？he said。 “At one time they were a mark of subversion； but now they’re relics。？He was young； almost an adolescent； with no sign of timidity and with a natural pleasant manner that had not shown itself until then。 Aureliano Segundo gave him the little fish。 The officer put it in his shirt pocket with a childlike glow in his eyes and he put the others back in the can and set it back where it had been。
“It’s a wonderful memento；？he said。 “Colonel Aureliano Buendía was one of our greatest men。？
Nevertheless； that surge of humanity did not alter his professional conduct。 At Melquíades？room； which was locked up again with the padlock； Santa Sofía de la Piedad tried one last hope。 “No one has lived in that room for a century；？she said。 The officer had it opened and flashed the beam of the lantern over it； and Aureliano Segundo and Santa Sofía de la Piedad saw the Arab eyes of Jos？Arcadio Segundo at the moment when the ray of light passed over his face and they understood that it was the end of one anxiety and the beginning of another which would find relief only in resignation。 But the officer continued examining the room with the lantern and showed no sign of interest until he discovered the seventy…two chamberpots piled up in the cupboards。 Then he turned on the light。 Jos？Arcadio Segundo was sitting on the edge of the cot； ready to go； more solemn and pensive than ever。 In the background were the shelves with the shredded books； the rolls of parchment； and the clean and orderly worktable with the ink still fresh in the inkwells。 There was the same pureness in the air； the same clarity； the same respite from dust and destruction that Aureliano Segundo had known in childhood and that only Colonel Aureliano Buendía could not perceive。 But the officer was only interested in the chamberpots。
“How many people live in this house？？he asked。
“Five。？
The officer obviously did not understand。 He paused with his glance on the space where Aureliano Segundo and Santa Soft de la Piedad were still seeing Jos？Arcadio Segundo and the latter also realized that the soldier was looking at him without seeing him。 Then he turned out the light and closed the door。 When he spoke to the soldiers； Aureliano； Segundo understood that the young officer had seen the room with the same eyes as Colonel Aureliano Buendía。
“It’s obvious that no one has been in that room for at least a hundred years。？the officer said to the soldiers。 “There must even be snakes in there。？
When the door closed； Jos？Arcadio Segundo was sure that the war was over。 Years before Colonel Aureliano Buendía had spoken to him about the fascination of war and had tried to show it to him with countless examples drawn from his own experience。 He had believed him。 But the night when the soldiers looked at him without seeing him while he thought about the tension of the past few months； the misery of jail； the panic at the station； and the train loaded with dead people； Jos？Arcadio Segundo reached the conclusion that Colonel Aureliano Buendía was nothing but a faker or an imbecile。 He could not understand why he had needed so many words to explain what he felt in war because one was enough： fear。 In Melquíades？room； on the other hand； protected by the supernatural light； by the sound of the rain； by the feeling of being invisible； he found the repose that he had not had for one single instant during his previous life； and the only fear that remained was that they would bury him alive。 He told Santa Sofía de la Piedad about it when she brought him his daily meals and she promised to struggle to stay alive even beyond her natural forces in order to make sure that they would bury him dead。 Free from all fear； Jos？Arcadio Segundo dedicated himself then to peruse the manuscripts of Melquíades many times； and with so much more pleasure when he could not understand them。 He became accustomed to the sound of the rain； which after two months had bee another form of silence； and the only thing that disturbed his solitude was the ing and going of Santa Sofía de la Piedad。 He asked her； therefore； to leave the meals on the windowsill and padlock the door。 The rest of the family forgot about him including Fernanda； who did not mind leaving him there when she found that the soldiers had seen him without recognizing him。 After six months of enclosure； since the soldiers had left Macondo Aureliano Segundo removed the padlock； looking for someone he could talk to until the rain stopped。 As soon as he opened the door he felt the pestilential attack of the chamberpots； which were placed on the floor and all of which had been used several times。 Jos？Arcadio Segundo； devoured by baldness； indifferent to the air that had been sharpened by the nauseating vapors； was still reading and rereading the unintelligible parchments。 He was illuminated by a seraphic glow。 He scarcely raised his eyes when he heard the door open； but that look was enough for his brother to see repeated in it the irreparable fate of his great…grandfather。
“There were more than three thousand of them；？was all that Jos？Arcadio Segundo said。 “I’m sure now that they were everybody who had been at the station。？
Chapter 16
IT RAINED FOR four years； eleven months； and two days。 There were periods of drizzle during which everyone put on his full dress and a convalescent look to celebrate the clearing； but the people soon grew accustomed to interpret the pauses as a sign of redoubled rain。 The sky crumbled into a set of destructive storms and out of the north came hurricanes that scattered roofs about and knocked down walls and uprooted every last plant of the banana groves。 Just as during the insomnia plague； as ？rsula came to remember during those days； the calamity itself inspired defenses against boredom。 Aureliano Segundo was one of those who worked hardest not to be conquered by idleness。 He had gone home for some minor matter on the night that Mr。 Brown unleashed the storm； and Fernanda tried to help him with a half…blown…out umbrella that she found in a closet。 “I don’t need it；？he said。 “I’ll stay until it clears。？That was not； of course； an ironclad promise； but he would acplish it literally。 Since his clothes were at Petra Cotes’s； every three days he would take off what he had on and wait in his shorts until they washed。 In order not to bee bored； he dedicated himself to the task of repairing the many things that needed fixing in the house。 He adjusted hinges； oiled locks； screwed knockers tight； and planed doorjambs。 For several months he was seen wandering about with a toolbox that the gypsies must have left behind in Jos？Arcadio Buendía’s days； and no one knew whether because of the involuntary exercise； the winter tedium or the imposed abstinence； but his belly was deflating little by little like a wineskin and his face of a beatific tortoise was being less bloodshot and his double chin less prominent until he became less pachydermic all over and was able to tie his own shoes again。 Watching him putting in latches and repairing clocks； Fernanda wondered whether or not he too might be falling into the vice of building so that he could take apart like Colonel Aureliano Buendía and his little gold fishes； Amaranta and her shroud and her buttons； Jos？Arcadio and the parchments； and ？rsula and her memories。 But that was not the case。 The worst part was that the rain was affecting everything and the driest of machines would have flowers popping out among their gears if they were not oiled every three days； and the threads in brocades rusted； and wet clothing would break out in a rash of saffron…colored moss。 The air was so damp that fish could have e in through the doors and swum out the windows； floating through the atmosphere in the rooms。 One morning ？rsula woke up feeling that she was reaching her end in a placid swoon and she had already asked them to take her to Father Antonio Isabel； even if it had to be on a stretcher； when Santa Sofía de la Piedad discovered that her back was paved with leeches。 She took them off one by one； crushing them with a firebrand before they bled her to death。 It was necessary to dig canals to get the water out of the house and rid it of the frogs and snails so that they could dry the floors and take the bricks from under the bedposts and walk in shoes once more。 Occupied with the many small details that called for his attention； Aureliano Segundo did not realize that he was getting old until one afternoon when he found himself contemplating the premature dusk from a rocking chair and thinking about Petra Cotes without quivering。 There would have been no problem in going back to Fernanda’s insipid love； because her beauty had bee solemn with age； but the rain had spared him from all emergencies of passion and had filled him with the spongy serenity of a lack of appetite。 He amused himself thinking about the things that he could have done in other times with that rain which had already lasted a year。 He had been one of the first to bring zinc sheets to Macondo； much earlier than their popularization by the banana pany； simply to roof Pe