As the old saying goes, you either die as a hero or live long enough to wish you were dead. Thats my version, anyway.
Its the people you surround yourself that make the difference. For every award winner who stands with gong in hand (not a euphemism) saying, I was so lucky to work with such an extraordinary group of people, theres the imasurable rest of us, looking around and thinking, How the fuck did I get lumbered with this lot?
It wasnt like I hadnt tried to make the best of what I had to work with, but my best was not good enough. It wasnt good at all. Perhaps I should have just accepted my place in the universe and done what everyone wanted of , whatever that was.
Shut up, I said to Arthur and Shroom as they chortled away.
A girlfriend, said Arthur, sniggering like a schoolboy. Id like to et her.
Poor girl, said Shroom. And I thought I was trapped in the darkest abyss of all.
Why are you finding it so funny? I asked Shroom. We hardly know each other.
Shroom stepped forward, no longer laughing. I dont like you.
As soone who advocates honesty in all situations, no matter how brutal, I felt he was being needlessly an. I am not made of stone. Currently, so sort of plant-based fibre.
What did I do to you? It wasnt that I couldnt see any reason for his hostility towards , I was just curious which of the many, many options hed picked.
Im the one whos been here all this ti making sure everything was ready, said the surly hippy (the worst type of hippy). Im the one who was all on his own with only a giant bush to talk to. You have no right to act like everything is so awful for you, with your abilities and your girlfriend. Many people would give their right arm to be in your position, you ingrate. Just because you have powers doesnt make you special.
It isnt when people get on their high horse that it becos difficult to keep up. Its when they get on their low horse. Then, things get dirty real quick. The capacity so people have for self-pity is bottomless. Trust , Im a professional.
Yes, it does, I said. Its the only thing that makes special. Its pretty much the definition of special.
I was perhaps overstating it. I would be much more special if I could get my act together and remain focused on one thing at a ti. Fear of failure, I guess. Success only lasts until the next attempt. Fucking up lingers forever.
Sotis you peel a boiled egg and the shell cos off in one piece. An elegant spiral that could easily be exhibited at the Tate because it is a thing of beauty, and also because theyll show any old rubbish at Tate Modern.
Other tis, no matter how hard you try, the shell cos off in chips and bits, taking chunks of egg with it so the surface of the egg ends up looking like Danny Trejos face, only getting a much wider range of offers from Hollywood.
Hey, its not our fault a white face on the poster just sells more tickets.
You can look up all sorts of life hacks to ensure smooth egg-peeling add salt to the boiling water, add vinegar, put the egg in ice after you boil it it makes no difference. Sotis it will be fine, sotis it wont and you wont know why.
Inconsistency and chaos is the nature of life. Its what enables us to adapt and evolve. Only, you might not personally be the one to adapt or evolve. Its a slow process that doesnt favour the here and now. Which is awkward because thats where I live. Well, most of the ti.
Currently, I was inside a space in between here and now, the gap right in the middle. This was my own private holiday ho where I could get away from it all, and where everyone was overstaying their welco by mocking .
You wouldnt be this upset if she didnt an a lot to you, said Wesley, who wasnt laughing. She was slightly amused, though.
My temper has never been very intimidating. Its only when I go way over the top that people take notice, usually to note that I have no sense of proportion. Either I dont care at all or I act like the worlds about to end. People think Im bipolar. Im not. I just snap sotis. Which would be fine if it actually made a difference.
I didnt co here to talk about her. Wheres my body?
Isnt it with you? asked Wesley.
No, I said, doing my best to sound reasonable and easygoing, which is tricky when you are neither of those things.
Where did you see it last, asked Arthur, like he was helping find my keys.
Outside, I said. I left it outside. Soone brought it in here.
That isnt possible, said Arthur. You cant bring a body in here.
Well, soone did the impossible, I said. Not like that was very rare in this world. I know its in here because I realised the reason I thought it was in here was because of the connection to Jenny. The thread from her body to my body led in here, but once inside Id gotten distracted by various personal issues. I should have been able to follow the thread straight to my body. Where had it gone?
I looked around like I might spot it. It was a very thin wire, like a fishing line. It would be easy to miss.
It had definitely extended from Jenny to the entrance into this place. Was it so kind of trick? Was it like those kidnap movies where they try to trace the phone call but the kidnapper has sohow managed to bounce the signal off a satellite and make it look like the calls coming from Buckingham Palace?
Of course, for the rest of the movie, he never displays anything close to that level of technological wizardry. Then again, the cop will be able to crack the kidnappers password by looking at the photos around his computer.
Hes got a picture of Neil Armstrong next to his keyboard. Let try moonlanding69. Were in!
These things balance out in the end equal stupidity on both sides.
If a physical body cant enter this place, I said, how is she able to co and go as she pleases? I pointed at Arthur, who was in the angelic (literally, not figuratively) body of Richina. Where Richinas psyche had gone to, I had no idea.
Richina had been able to co out of the void multiple tis. Had she been reproduced in a pod on demand? 3D printing for the Tolkien crowd? If so, it was a lot quicker than Maurices thod.
This one is made of a flexible material, said Arthur, pinching his stomach and stretching the skin. Its a prototype. He pulled his cheeks and wobbled them.
So, my body has this special property, too?
No, said Shroom, very emphatically. Your body is like you. Inflexible.
Grim Mushroom seed to have taken against , which was unfortunate but entirely understandable.
Being able to transfer matter from here Shroom pointed at the ground, and then over my shoulder to there, is going to change everything.
What about the fairies? I asked. What about Joshaya. You dont think theyll have sothing to say about it?
They wont matter, said Shroom. We wont need fear them any longer.
I dont fear them now, I said. It may have sounded a little more pompous than intended, although I guess thats true of everyone who sounds pompous.
You will, said Shroom, as though he was making an ominous statent.
How did you get them in here in the first place? As far as I was concerned, the obvious solution to the fairy problem was to put them back in their prison, lock the door and throw away the key.
They volunteered, said Shroom.
Why would they do that? I asked.
Because Joshaya told them to, said Wesley.
Ah, the old-fashioned definition of volunteered, where young n march off to fight a righteous war, while old n stay at ho and enjoy the lack of competition.
He used them as guinea pigs? I asked. They trapped themselves? It would be much harder to get them to do that a second ti.
He wants to be able to co and go as he pleases, said Arthur. But he cant, and it makes him very cross.
But Richina can go in and out, right? I had seen her co out in full physical form, repeatedly.
Only by dying, said Arthur with a sad shake of his head. Its not really the best way. Can drive you a bit He circled a finger around his ear. You, on the other hand, are like a fish in water. Youre perfectly suited to this environnt.
I didnt feel perfectly suited to this place. But then, I didnt feel perfectly suited to any place.
Then why do you think its not possible for my body to be in here? I asked.
Ive examined your body thoroughly, said Arthur, which was news to . Theres nothing to suggest it could cross between realms. Just an average body. Very, very average.
Well, that may be true, but Im still sure its in here. Do you have a way of detecting any other presences inside this place? I was hoping he had one of those radar trackers that tell you theres an alien nearby. A dot getting closer and closer. My luck, it would be out of charge and only use those AAA batteries no one ever has lying around.
Shroom looked at from under his long shaggy hair with not a little contempt. Why dont you try doing it yourself?
Fine. How do I do that? No response.
I had hoped Id finally found my guru who would teach the way. A man who had spent his ti in a dark cave, cultivating his inner chi so he could pass on what he had learned to (without having to do any of that self-examination nonsense myself). But he was just a moody so-and-so because of all that ti spent on his own. Probably having a hard ti dealing with all these people crowding his personal space. I was hardly in a position to criticise him for that.
It would have been nice if he stopped staring at like I was ruining the party, though.
I turned to Wesley. Is he always like this?
She shrugged. I dont know. I havent spent much ti with him. He isnt usually this friendly.
Where was my body? I didnt really mind leaving it in here, but Id like to know where it was being kept and what it was being used for. It might not have all the flashy add-ons of your modern, state-of-the-art bodies, but it was still a nice little runner. You always rember your first.
I closed my eyes in the forlorn hope Id make so kind of telepathic contact with it. I could still see Wesley, Arthur and Shroom.
I opened my eyes still there. Closed my eyes could still see them. Had soone cut off my eyelids when I wasnt paying attention?
It was slightly different with my eyes closed. I could change the view, like I was a cara on a crane, able to pull out and go around. I could even do a dolly shot where you push in and zoom out at the sa ti and it feels like youre staying still while the background moves. Not really useful, but the Hitchcock dolly zoom needs no reason. I spent the next few minutes amusing myself.
Then I went really wide and looked down at my realm. My big empty realm. I saw myself down there with Wesley. I could see slightly darker squares, which might be doors. At least Id be able to find my way out.
And then I saw myself in the distance. I couldnt really see clearly, but I knew without a shadow of a doubt it was over there.
I sent my roving eye closer. It was lying down with my head on a girls lap. Jennys lap. My real body on her real body. She was kneeling, stroking my hair, which didnt look that comfortable. The back of my head was on her lap and my heels were on the ground, and the rest of my body was completely stiff so no other part of was touching the floor.
How was she in here? How did she get to my body before when she had been right next to the whole ti until I entered the adjacent world?
It would explain why the thread had disappeared if she had moved closer to my original body, taking the thread with her.
Jenny looked up like she knew I was watching and the dolly zoom into her face gave vertigo.
I opened my eyes and my vision ca rushing back, making stumble where I stood.
What is it? asked Wesley.
I found myself, I said. Least accurate statent Id ever made. I started walking towards where Id seen her.
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