The Other Valley

Odile patrols the fence along the border by the lake. Their patrol locations rotate every few months. Most gendarmes wait for their chance to be near the town so that they can be part of civilization; however, Odile enjoys the solitude of the lake. On her breaks, she carves her view of the valley into wood. She has one for each patrol spot. She only etches them while on patrol, often taking more than a year to complete each one and having several in progress at once.

Odile reflects on the events after she quit the Conseil vetting program. She ran into Ivret shortly thereafter. Although Odile could feel her disappointment, Ivret simply called her “honorable” for becoming a cadet and thanked her for her “discretion” over what happened with Edme. Odile dreads seeing her, as she feels her own disappointment in herself reflected in Ivret.

When Odile told her mother about her decision, her mother responded with anger, scolding her for throwing her life away. Odile spent several months with her grandparents afterward. Now, she only sees her mother in passing when she is in the Hôtel de Ville, and they get together to eat a few times a year.

Despite how her mother and Ivret feel, Odile is adamant that her life is not that different than it would have been if she’d gotten her original wish and been cut from the vetting program. She spends most of it in solitude, doing the Conseil’s bidding.

Odile learns that Quinton’s request is approved. Jean-Savile explains that Quinton has a tumor and will die before the birth of his granddaughter. They are allowing him to go to Est 1 to see her. Odile reviews his file, seeing pictures of his granddaughter.

After patrol, Odile showers and returns to her room. She is stopped by Raimond on the way. He wishes her luck with her visit to Est 1, the last visitation before winter. He asks her if she ever thought of becoming an officer, and Odile admits to herself that she has never had the desire to do so.

Raimond tells her a story about one of his last visits to the future. Outside the Hôtel de Ville, he saw an officer and became convinced that he was seeing himself in the future. The moment gave him more confidence in himself and convinced him to put his name in for a promotion.

The next day, Odile meets Jean-Savile and Quinton at the gate where they are searched and let through. They make the hike into Est 1. Partway there, they stop at an old cabin that is used for visitors that are coming and going.

As night falls, Odile and Quinton sit by the fire. Quinton talks about his excitement and nervousness at seeing his granddaughter. When he begins to ask about Odile and the fact that she is the only female gendarme he has seen, Odile changes the subject. She asks about Raimond in school. Quinton notes that Raimond was bullied and that Quinton always felt bad for him. Odile is not surprised by this information.

When they go to bed, Odile thinks about her time in the gendarmerie. Most female cadets leave almost immediately, facing harassment from the men. Odile considers herself lucky that an older woman, Rosa, took Odile under her wing. Once Odile was alone, a man named Gagne began staring at Odile constantly. She began to wonder if he was going to attack her. However, around that time, Raimond was promoted to officer and began spending time with her, scaring Gagne away until he was transferred.

The next morning, Odile and Quinton continue their journey. The hike is treacherous, and Odile often helps Quinton. When they reach the edge of the lake, Odile places the masks over both of their heads, instructing Quinton never to raise it or to speak. She then rings a bell, signaling their arrival, and gets two tolls in response to let them know that Est 1 is ready for them.

Odile and Quinton pass into Est 1. The captain there, Manduca, greets them. He tries to trick Quinton into talking, but Quinton doesn’t answer. Gagne is also there, the second-in-command on the western border both in the present and here.

Odile takes a boat across the lake and gets in a gendarmerie truck. She drives to the outskirts of town where she and Quinton enter the apartment for visitors. After unloading their things, they drive to the café where they are supposed to see Quinton’s granddaughter.

They sit in a truck on the edge of the crowded café. Following protocol, Odile sits with her gun trained on Quinton. She holds his glasses for him, promising to give them back when his granddaughter appears. Odile can see the moment when people recognize them as visitors, as the mood of the people shifts.

After several moments, Quinton’s granddaughter appears. She looks directly at the truck and drops her plate of food. She then subtly waves at the truck. A moment later, she waves again. Quinton asks what is happening, but Odile ignores him and refuses to give him his glasses. She quickly drives the truck away and back to the apartment.

Odile recounts what happened and asks Quinton who he told about their visit. He admits that he hinted toward his daughter that he would one day get to meet his granddaughter. He argues that it wouldn’t harm anyone for his granddaughter to recognize him in his mask. He pleads with Odile to find another place where he can see his granddaughter. Odile placates him while knowing that, in the morning, she will deny his request and restrain him if she has to.

That night, Odile sits and carves the interior of the apartment. She notes that this carving is the only one she is doing that is indoors. As a result, it is always the same setting, never changing with the outdoor seasons as the others do. She struggles to capture the apartment’s “drabness.”

The next morning, Odile is grateful when Quinton accepts her denial of his request to see his granddaughter. They return to the barracks at the edge of Est 1. Once there, she tells Manduca what happened, and he has Odile type up a report. As she leaves his office, she spots a woman at the end of the hall. She is scrubbing the floor, her back bent, with a crutch nearby on the ground. Odile realizes that she is looking at the future version of herself. Her downtrodden, depressing air bothers Odile that night in the cabin and when she returns to the border fence.

Back in her home valley, Odile turns Quinton over to the gendarmerie where he will face a trial for his actions. She then gives her statement to Jean-Savile. She chooses not to divulge her sighting of herself as she is supposed to.

After, Odile asks Jean-Savile for an application to become an officer. He obliges, but warns her that two others are also applying and that there is only space for one officer. Raimond overhears the interaction. Outside, he congratulates Odile on her decision despite her pessimism.