“When we first met,” said No.3, “we had a conversation that had something to do with an experiment. Could you run that by me again as I was a little disorientated at the time?”
“Which bit?” said Cajones, “The bit that says this is all an experiment conducted by a madman who has lost all contact with the original reason for the experiment”
“And what was the original reason for the experiment?
“How the fuck would I know” said Cajones.
“So what’s next then?” said Atom, “What’s the next test?”
“I don’t know”
“Whatchu mean you don’t know… you’re the babysitter aren’t you?”
“To tell you the truth this is the furthurest I’ve ever taken you,” Cajones’ stare seemed to focus somewhere in the distance that stretched out behind them. No.3 turned and glanced back at the town in the valley.
“So what are you doing right now,” he said, “now that we know that at least one of the three of us is off script?”[8]
“I’m content to sit awhile; to allow nothing to happen,” said Cajones, “something you lot might do well to learn; always needing to do something, as if the constant stimulation will ever be enough to calm your consciousness; the constant dread of your inevitable demise.”
“So how does that work then?” said No.3 “I am led to believe that animals fear death while being unaware of its inevitability”
Atom sat on a moonlit stump and picked at the grass.
“In fact,” Cajones continued, “it is exactly that constant stimulus that desensitises you to the world. Perhaps that is the intention, your constant technological drive fuelled by the need to render yourselves numb, to obliterate the world from your catalogue of needs.”
“You’re a ray of light, you know that?” said No.3, “I can assure you, Cat Stevens, that him and I,” he glanced over at Atom, “are very aware of the world; only thing that concerns me is whose fucking world have we been plonked into the middle of?”
“And what are the alternatives?” said Atom.
“Alternatives,” Cajones shut his eyes, “are infinite in number but vary in duration. Alternatives depend on decision; an act which leads us into a whole new territory.”
“Which bit?” said Cajones, “The bit that says this is all an experiment conducted by a madman who has lost all contact with the original reason for the experiment”
“And what was the original reason for the experiment?
“How the fuck would I know” said Cajones.
“So what’s next then?” said Atom, “What’s the next test?”
“I don’t know”
“Whatchu mean you don’t know… you’re the babysitter aren’t you?”
“To tell you the truth this is the furthurest I’ve ever taken you,” Cajones’ stare seemed to focus somewhere in the distance that stretched out behind them. No.3 turned and glanced back at the town in the valley.
“So what are you doing right now,” he said, “now that we know that at least one of the three of us is off script?”[8]
“I’m content to sit awhile; to allow nothing to happen,” said Cajones, “something you lot might do well to learn; always needing to do something, as if the constant stimulation will ever be enough to calm your consciousness; the constant dread of your inevitable demise.”
“So how does that work then?” said No.3 “I am led to believe that animals fear death while being unaware of its inevitability”
Atom sat on a moonlit stump and picked at the grass.
“In fact,” Cajones continued, “it is exactly that constant stimulus that desensitises you to the world. Perhaps that is the intention, your constant technological drive fuelled by the need to render yourselves numb, to obliterate the world from your catalogue of needs.”
“You’re a ray of light, you know that?” said No.3, “I can assure you, Cat Stevens, that him and I,” he glanced over at Atom, “are very aware of the world; only thing that concerns me is whose fucking world have we been plonked into the middle of?”
“And what are the alternatives?” said Atom.
“Alternatives,” Cajones shut his eyes, “are infinite in number but vary in duration. Alternatives depend on decision; an act which leads us into a whole new territory.”
[8]Editors conjecture: At this point it appears that just about everything is off script: we’ve ended up with two Atoms (for the price of one) ; Cajones may or may not have jumped ship and the Mad Scientist is being as obtuse as he always is. Perhaps our heroes might take strength from a line in a popular song by the psychedelicious Of Montreal; which concludes “At least I authored my own disaster”.
4 comments:
infinite possibilities, alternate universes...ack the philosophy of it all.
btw...i made a change, better?
great postscript!
loved the ray of light line and the cat stevens reference....sweet.
you have woven such a neat twisty little tapestry with this unwonderland tale....continues to be quite enjoyable.
Tom: Comes from the belief that you make your own opportunities by putting yourself in the frame to receive them.
Harlequin: There are 10 or 11 more installments to come, but yes, a conclusion has been reached :)
Cajones is Yusuf Islam???
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