Blow-Up by Julio Cortázar. Short summary

5 seconds

Jimens arrived at the hotel disguised as a tourist with the intention of blowing up the newly opened factory. While waiting for the night, the conspirator made himself comfortable in a restaurant where a young pianist was playing.

1 minute

A certain Jimenez landed on the coast near Santiago. Under the guise of a tourist from the province, he is to settle in a motel where another of the conspirators, Alfonso, works. Through the garden surrounding the motel, Jimenez must sneak into the factory grounds and plant explosives.

As he waited for the night, Jimenez sat in the motel restaurant and enjoyed a young pianist playing. Beside him, the pianist was being watched by a man, apparently a foreigner. Jimenez sat at the bar until the restaurant closed, then went up to his room. Before the appointed time the hero decided to take a nap.

He was awakened by something dark lurking somewhere at the foot of his bed. Jimenez turned on the light. The foreigner from the restaurant was sitting at the foot of the bed, staring at him quietly. Jimenez could not understand how he was here, for the door was locked from the inside.

When asked who he was, the foreigner replied, «The one who wanders around.» The last thing Jimenez felt was strong fingers on his neck.