IR #8 (Prompt 7, Chapter 8)

This chapter begins with Miguel meeting up with one of his good political friends, Eloisa. He uses his alias name of Antonio when he sends her a message asking to meet with her. She is shocked when she sees him and his new identity. The two of them then head out to see Clemencia Isaura, Eloisa’s grandmother. Littin asks both of them for their help in gathering five people that had been in resistance channels since the exile. After three days, one of the crew members of the French crew, Jean-Claude, shows Miguel an article published that day that said Italian crew under suspicion. At the beginning of the novel, Littin made it absolutely mandatory that the three crews are all independent of each other and that no one would know that the others exist. So, Jean Claude believed that they might be arrested too and wants to end the documentary. However, Miguel says they can take a few days break and he would see them later in the week. Immediately afterwards, Littin rushes to see Grazia one of the Italian crew members and asks her what happened. Grazia explains that an officer had been following them and they were caught without a permit. They are sent home after being arrested and now Miguel is left to worry about his own safety. The article published in the Italian newspapers revealed their names and their mission, which could be very risky if Chileans see it. Miguel is very fearful at this point and stays awake all night just to make sure he was alive in the morning. As soon as the sun rises, he dashes for the church and remains there.

At the beginning of the book, Miguel and Elena had difficulty getting through customs at the airport. After they finally got through, Miguel questioned his intentions for the journey and wanted to scream out his real name. I made the prediction that the journey would be very dangerous to begin with. I also said that as the trip progresses, the chance of getting caught will increase. Finally I believed that the police in Chile would suspect them after awhile and their disguises would begin to peel off. My predictions were correct and this chapter proved that. They have already stayed in Chile longer than they originally intended so they are going to be more recognized by police. Also, it was vital that the crew and Miguel always carried their identification, but the crew was caught without it and was sent home. Miguel needs to wrap up this adventure before he, too, joins his crew. I also think that Littin is becoming more comfortable in his old Chilean environment, and it is making him forget his disguise. When he met with Eloisa, he told her who he really was and his mission. He also reverted back to his old laugh just to prove that it was indeed he. I am getting nervous for him, and I think that after that scare, it is time to shoot the ending and get on a flight back to Europe.