Chapter 29

           THECATASTROPHEwasnotanearthquake,noraforestfire,noranavalanche,noracave-in.Itwasnotanexternalcatastropheatall,butaninternalone,andassuchparticularlydistressing,becauseitblockedGrenouille’sfavoritemeansofescape.Ithappenedinhissleep.Orbetter,inhisdreams.Orbetterstill,inadreamwhilehesleptintheheartofhisfantasies.Helayonhissofainthepurplesalonandslept,theemptybottlesallabouthim.Hehaddrunkanenormousamount,withtwowholebottlesofthescentofthered-hairedgirlforanightcap.Apparentlyithadbeentoomuch;forhissleep,thoughdeepasdeathitself,wasnotdreamlessthistime,butthreadedwithghostlywispsofdreams.Thesewispswereclearlyrecognizableasscrapsofodors.AtfirsttheymerelyfloatedinthinthreadspastGrenouille’snose,butthentheygrewthicker,morecloudlike.Andnowitseemedasifhewerestandinginthemiddleofamoorfromwhichfogwasrising.Thefogslowlyclimbedhigher.SoonGrenouillewascompletelywrappedinfog,saturatedwithfog,anditseemedhecouldnotgethisbreathforthefoggyvapor.Ifhedidnotwanttosuffocate,hewouldhavetobreathethefogin.Andthefogwas,asnoted,anodor.AndGrenouilleknewwhatkindofodor.Thefogwashisownodor.His,Gre-nouille’s,ownbodyodorwasthefog.AndtheawfulthingwasthatGrenouille,althoughheknewthatthisodorwashisodor,couldnotsmellit.