The Minister's House

The story begins at the Minister's house, where he is taking inventory of his belongings and reckoning with the fact that he cannot take everything with him to Paris. While there are few details about the house itself, the story implies that the Minister is a wealthy man, as the room he is in is made of marble and the house contains many famous paintings. He also maintains a household staff, including Elena and Ari, but he imagines that once he leaves, the staff will raid his belongings for himself. In this way, the Minister's house and his attitude toward his staff demonstrates how detached he is from the rest of society who is suffering in the aftermath of a natural disaster.

The Car

The majority of the story takes place in the car on the way to the airport, as Ari drives the Minister for...