By the residents, unon
Upte sLmin~ , be runhed over to Lt as il he had awoLL~ on the
bus. '~~~otng straight ed~e?" it salivated in Ms mont', as
he read on...altbougb thu blood hadn't been screened.
"We came but canno~ us~e you now..."
n.e cc,ritinwtd a" hL~ strange meusago diasappeared as
c1uickly he did notice it f1yin~ by...
She stajed out aoross Lhe water Zor ttie "tufi could flow be
seen to be. The bile dispersed as a solite ~ear Veil a little
irration ally.
"All tkits B.x.11 uhe continued, ·'...the world
is sunny dyinr."
Es a pictnre in Ms head of omits, he ~ept.
"Cut with the I-rays, and take him out." he had left.
That would be aDme 11 t~rnfis~~~CsC perfect rnral animals were
i'.oinr. to die. "l,ets party on'."
'rho ~pCWri t"r drains words from I be urasi boring tucking
life- li~e,'ecreet the youth, wLo baking a Stran~e war!
end images to accoirpa-ny the atrange ·amount of s~,raflgenctn I
The window of a bus is no longer needed to be a mystery. They
weren '~ suited to being w(,rkers. 1,ambi· to ttLier motr,er.
Crying! 'rhey al. nec. ~e I [,flu waSrL' t
Tne proot was tbe boys beart, it's blood pouring cut over thn
drings, beir~ very drutk, tk.'o sharpjy obeg-je red floor,
spimung, ruaily f11ppt.d their, out. Time wo'~dded the areas of
thier eyes that were all tixud on the Job. He still had tne
ordasity. He wriggled away ffrom the lub, beira an Artist he
couldn't to!
Cnce upon a Lime he continued to die in something.. Fe arrived as
a rictitious story. ?~en a lie had an ar"a, which waS
suprise, SI upily Slurpirig a roagh wine a~d ovun Si tti rig down
to drink. Tie was Tim Torn, who reseabled ah arky l.h'.s.(3)
"Our nell los," he poir-ted, ~wu art, komar, meL 11'
ke had to get wqdr"'.9.(.'d, but wanted to war ifltO the row
Cl gk~t, t'ar away from the snivelinp~ rats. This was ~e nbvoi'as
way...
Anor.her creul mebaphor: A model ror tt;e 'Ledics who pester this
burning oe~etary so patiently. Thin h,xd 'apset him. ·*hCt time
came aboat life. 'Pbs eventani breakup. F.',n out on the cold
bhin linen.
·~.'ic taneouc entity which gives t:) us a'. '....~ciR was all
about... what? he tried tc, thrnk sharply but contirued.
Ifihy erplain where the K-roy comes from?"
"Perfection!"
"The small banane hind?"
'hey w(ire being puntshe(i. That these poeple i\'el the
dissapointing.
"the i.'mefft.,etual wank!" he laughed
"atr~igo and secret Police who tack?" he was out of
it... 'in ro'~h his rectvm and tap, was ~e sound, rLL;~ sound
Big,but he cou:dn ' t ace ilic inuagea. That In that we the
£ata~ Lrltabitente was aji he was worth.
They had to'd tbat -anduiated-vibratio, taken from the poor boy,
had 6ct np(trenced)wandering enchanted 'ike an implene&t...
ttaat had beer tiLe ~.8. 0f energy and information...
"Have a sex-toy!" he had oni,,oyed his explosive
rejatives. "ehlen? pro£fcuioriai men?"
Trien be thought our minds for us,as he, has inLruded t~e more
prob~b~y o~der,that they all tad inhttbited.
"Ha I" lie jisi sit in a nearby pub and would ga or all
day. jut he needed a scat. hnvin~ thier nice and expensive I
Yunntiy eno~-,h *as tqis yet itijonner ijir,? He tLoThTht and
felt about. Only nc. nave a certain rew oj' us been hinseif. T!e
wondered what suck waveji ware, Sri thought on.
"and (joetora had seewed vague *ith the olivious. . Control
tnrongh vitra~~ioris.
~hat we-c they i 'tErtated in? .:iist the irw.es~. (ni;Lt &
sound?) ~verytt.inr~ wt*s ttcktfle, on it's own. thro~'.h
th" yes of the many.
zven na tne great lake wa~or4ed him, kiospitalness wab
rear. Ite was to travel zig-saeged across the week. ·Ehey had
beard about the ark hopetu;ly '-he other intellie,nce~
In a run down desolato b'&ildLng wt's a rri.Ject. '*113 would
know?
·L'hey were somehow dissapotnted with the st:It:~eads on ttis
d~mb kind oV planet.
otren Irpuonibic to eDmpRre thip. veseta~iofl and the rent
t~e rare, the empp.errst~d
normsjtty woul(I at leant be norted." Fe -#aa at a fri ena~
show or An".. It wits soarin~ tim. Recently
there had been a dreo~.e, in tkmt, fl:e5 had all
scoffed Red.. I cop httd "one of the atte.¶~j-~s titat
lt~ed tkieri and fol t tlmd
Fe war witnarawn. The ~ande of sernia tic cynic'~ An, from the
~~ene, wan probably t;~e only t~in~ :cft. ' .~rhc
flver.tr.,", had evenly ended with a big beware; the
messaure of ~reen poJiti(.'s.
t;i'.At whores had boen in Ms head. but apart from this he did
BCCTC to take it LLi~ yt'ry n~r1 t~unly. Te was -in a riurmal
subn 'ban p~aL'O w.'js'~~.. hL' could be dame. a I o+~ more
harr,.- than tnnoeence.
"Don't atewer anybody, ynr are in a fucrerict loony
pre-packers 7)arat~ Be... I"
Hat there was a loud noise frc,m tLe cc)mpfl Ler, it road; c-Jar
Be had ba&-&~
;ro'dLIers that bleeped a----~ fl-4ckercd. ~Lhe mess
had appeared In flyer a Inarith. '#onld it do?over on bbe -right
a green coaputerised thihkiaj', machine...
"About br.e past week?1
·rT~ ?I!r,...A ar'; ~ORLl?
· . then ~aib the kin
bobtered him sometime at )e~st as quickly as the raesfingo
flas:',ed on! Re] leved, be knew he -asts thiriki rg a long time
while watchin~ the ininty business...
"Tn in 1! 'scary" h~: bt:Oug,h L and ran towards to
seek cover. A doctor in a white coat run~ed out.
1'What could be done flow?" 'le went tn a smitlI
roon to fInd ant how long i L would bake. how ~'niy- party
excuses'??
"Ety everybody, ~ Y'a destruction. 3ise ant'] re£orr
us A.I.~.9.." it was aLl like ,-' ·,ilm; As ~nchines ta'.
olar Jives, I Ike a I"1ck'.nr, fucker! he ran out of users,
nnd called into being a aim.
Fe was bored and looked otit -~or old bnt reasonable ~1hosts,
who would be well suited, they would be required to he niach an
entity, L'&nitious, ingrown.
·rr&c ignorm- uses nri£j he I In misery the s~all bo~ ran
the Job. lie had hated serri~, standing around PCt,t-I rtg into
thp tools pjid the phsychiatristn. Ee could watch ;ne linone~am,
ci'scadirigl They wou]d no longer be on thier side, ·ind
·~nod job too...it was cuickly ~ LI.:e carefully defined spout
t)f pretenticas drivel Tie screnming child! who by now vats
believed in everythimr he nad believed Actually, he nas no longer
in a-ny pain as he hird ·r-r.ne into bbe reception area.
"flre=s aren' L enough to start a fusion in illness and
death."
but, ~~irne fills our minds --and wine fills our ~owns!"
tktcr: lie
sat anio~~sb the candles that ran down the corrIdor, trying to
die
wFtil a being a- ive; the poet s~amn.ered, continually *it}j ignoritnee.
"it rot.-' the fruit that SI Ce by." Ye was relieved.
They stretched, "wr.oetrcr cryptically cares Ed?"
He cringed to think or the tall uriverne, the simul help
thirking. 'Then they had finally snout-h energy, so much
eneri.'y, he had awoken,
"It was gem;,, that was being.
and it was a lot more trian that, not only ener~y. Beware real
radlo:oglntn! -p' at this p,esL-ure ~eemed like a cloud. Could he
got inrorr..ation abo-at him fro~ a sn-~nk jag retribution tO the
nru~trate and flarther. . or course he, in the bec~oninp, heat
berired. lie just ie't liko shitttr4' the cosmic vibrations. -'ow
the facts... They had finisned and he lad b. 'is preciout. Orb.
Fe hr--d tried to be good hamoured. lie loosed at tbe sun that be
was sitting in...
it 1v'j~td ~£~C 'L kir~'r tnnocent ct-lid btinr;. wevad it.
thr. 'tonic eflvir()n¶ent, that tLSS been taken tro-A our
sun.
"What about the ottLer people?~ of co-Irs" t-iey were
conabant-ly cbafl;!ing youn.-'. people.-- '~~at were so
classica~1y tin- underanood. Afterwt~rds , it weB empty arid posh
with a rew people a; Laehed to br'e lars'-~. They could r~ p off
some hiasiness ~unehes.
'mat a drup.!~' Fortunate I y he r-ad --coorded Miss] f. Se~ fi ~ ho was feeji n~ (-orry for his e.-'nvttg and 7,rt5 in a w~' Ii kir~ havtng images OC nit rectum. They were ' A-ks those who feel effected very decp~y. AS if it wasn t him that the)- were aet~a1ly co~in~ t~ tcr~s *ith, erd the shapes of his irside the first iCYCi or tecL-nolo~y. In a way this 1~nar~age was strict.- '·-~ are being mar-ipulated £0 your advanb~~e, arousing no
suspicion-" hc cat
and starcd throu* the blue-..
Tht day had arrived and the tiTre i-ram liehind the message
continued to be worried all day. St had been a bard a] og
recen~~ly wnere he had bLen ~tubborn St --ie~cral peorle, one of
whome, R.S., had left him Lroke on a SaL-~rday nt~t. The great
~eokehd that had happened rhe brat: nut desp~te this everythin;~
hai been roing well. rn the new flat he had net a jew Old setoul
to hang clothes on.. - "At last" te read turned ont to
be a real plorker of a case for a wn!~e,
"'Chin 1 Ife/baire/town was not nie tavntzri teN
The opinr&...!neenae
turned Into the ception. Tney had met ~e very nice s~nkt' that
spira~led over ~nd they had talked about the rise. C ha-:-- p-it
his hard so far down his side it was S scary develnpment in
itself' ~.hey were all out of sigrt!
"I can do this!"
~'fl¶~.~they bad eventlalli wnlired hone.
"Or stop me." It wan a sofa morCtn~', with the T.v.
chuckin' tbs evohings telly af~er the Ains di~e:am."-
flashed up on the screen. Again they bst s'id r~ to ted, after
picking on and wakine, hi-a.,
"Six flours sleep!" he moaned, "in ;he daytime?"
n.y had teen troatod well
and neen red,to the ext"nt of the stereo speas- s-es
viattilde in the WI (I
"hice oci-antry I" they h.~ nhouted,
They had also eaten
meat v-at in the street. to one sat t!:ere wore ar-d fel~ thea-c
illness. It was a suprise to troTh RLI tiat wY-en they had
tiniaL-ed seemed to be having a dig. j'-o they C-ro~e off, there
Lad teen a actt-g! buy took all -be tihitiCof tibs wtth tac long
deep scratch) 'ST shitbag.
He was Si ~~ing there &1O'iC and tad suprisud even hir~elf
with his coked-up comr~ncc. The next tinuto tiucLed like a ox-amy
accident. ne praupeota or J..o.t.8. They an ~ust flat ~here for
a-one cralsy reason. }Ie could, would, have uhioubtably acted as
the other van pitched into them. Eg~~'ng fascists on was easy, as
easy as parJLir~ spaces! IL hail bean made to serve in front of
them, it made sound. They 'Lad a] I burst out ~ ike peas. I'e
war--ted ~o laugh... but his place wan nice and cotly like I-is
head.
I; vats oV co-~rse, --he r~one, he bad :~~o-j,'ht of possible
kinds 0£ VC6-C Lan are at the -~i;ae. !?e ha! iff.,ires
of a raw cal lere. T:~ey j-in£-ed an tie 'picky'! a ~~ypiOBj'
r--:actinn!o r the apper lip the nastri.I u. TIe had jub-t
accepted this libe bki" passin;~ cars headjtr~t dat'.zled.
~ra--b i-'~r,'it bt:ey were a;~- GtLad! and had arrived home and
sat in the front of the tower v--lock squat- ~iey thou,.L-t back
to the 'a, so old folgies...
She ;urr.cd to 'iff,
"In is i~'- good atuif:-"
~£hey had been SXTeeting to be helps to die. bat it rather got
tbem
-"': '~luv yali baby no said -rat what cca-1d he
do, it wad a week later
arA tiley had 3 uck standing tkicrc wnriking. It was good in one
way] I rub vary he! they all Jo~cd him, blin-sy! a pale
palace nib- ejectri Atea, on La Ltis point where ~hey woujo take
une i-ronb dour. It r.~ smalilar blat, wtiie ne was oven
-~hin~r£g in ~ie stc-.~d" c~'um-dr=, he fct; tne thing tbab
*-arL~-.ud wan befln;--; sLr~ppy in the J--uz;.y heaL. Tnis '1
s~uttIe vunici 0, which wo-jid h all d~ tickir waiting, in
.1 Way, wile:, 1£] I ~no bist ouslrJeeseII or the world tl-jtt
were 51 cting on to" side. Any r-'ange bL-e flOidCH wore
over and tne~ fowid whtat tncy rad loo&od for, a torr', ~hat
rut.Lnded him of a e.eTn~show l5~o it Llkd oeen ace-ir--i: atod
in tile packing.
~$-an 1~-ed uncontro] ab :y, I-ike they kud t:-~e!rselvuii - or- ~irpa
had all t,y raw
et~rtitd cryi~', in a ski ree, annoyed Jiamp :~ it: a screg and
down. ~bey httd tried to ~.e I t)~Jt snd Yjtd LOOn afi~liated
witi loorjes, who when thcy hrLd ~Oui3d a smal j racket or
:-oints it had blown them all away...
he wa~ s,tt ti--ore in Lie- black plastic -
"Coday could he thE d~,"
be tham;:~~~.
"for telling sex rat 2:aLes?~' the reply came £~s a
warnin~~. ~~hey had re turr:ed. ·fne loorled uound was driving
inbo his steal uhy getaway fro2 the flat sbnft... that WMB
ossUatbg icr .0 be flying around his head - rhe pen picked Un,
'.j£VV 'A. -' and it WL5 written burri~dly! Oh responsibiliby
aid all lb's trant on bre OUtUilSy t-~R realised bt:e red-L~pe.
Of (.Oul~BC thu on] yaroan, ¶ t nad been four dny now, or
retLing in. ~C'.io p NeC had hard thou·',hts, ~id his arm still
burt.
·'YoL' Ca.'- L£SC for free." they had told him as r-e
pushed the na-t'd!e in -.~ busied ou~. ~ue 1'eter
was on arid they watched with empty har'&r'6'ness.
Vhe world entered his head, he kind or ~~oke up and sbubned o;:t
the etgarrette- 'rho tools who ran the show for the 3eMnOr had
been to the tower blocks. Fe tn~j-u~ht cynic"'.ly, "the
contLtkio elevontn floDr, thier was a good vlewr"Stct,iche
j~oinod in the chorus, pokir4 ant into the swa-~. ILYId ~-inagino
t)je titapid pre sent 2OTQn, it's mask w~s ·,ulte a task.
tooring there lie screamed
"nL~c£'ING nUkiai~-a-S!" thier was alot to see! It
felt; SAr,? or as an allie, Lie ocoasiorAl o2d man~. The d~ k-wi
tic'.-'.- tiLed, one mind wired ul' a ~rocery shop or IL-n CE
baLe. A static show or irienscip, p-)- atarI ty, k-ad 'at flvL'r
on tie grass ir- a ~ro4l, that bloke itwi orlored ro get them.
A van of them were juggling irisLdc. to mov'.~ and fel.
very warm and humble. A rough eranoword pu*sr.le he
WitS'. ArA anotner iLad lent him £10 pour£d
=}r~toncasly frame by frame.
C rut a record ofl mid sat lot. ?:e ·.:.Itd ~ot
the bus back alter 0-fl over decorat£-c netee stepped up
onto the top-dock. --here did tL-at itotty moaney a:ly? Down? Pa
would dodj'.e some tlqat was saved just ror 1 V Lfl~.. ~?he
i~ily frierci ·.~ad2buy r- trsrnsit and live in it w-~ila,
inside he sat cowi arid breathed a ~ountr :-n~t tnjn -,ran as stale
as a pat. Tne~ had St kies ana site sajd,':...-aiorowavel-
betrs for k~rjck:...
'Stilling Gin I like it: neisy had laLffed, like bemp
middle t.'lw.-t,-. ~IC '(0 man had sktnnc,d L'p, -~~is was toe
,oney. "tauk tnLn.iuck -~hat lea!" they came to the
thespi a' Values of nazi-time drear-state, ceach one pt. for Lne
everlir~. me street had wisred tnab ib r£ad been dig.ittally-
retasaitered r~-he winter of the market stal' walked. The vusion
or the future ai-eaya ha'.- a variety
01- sounds ~4-eesir4- into knowingly the
eshaustedified ~er. It ft:etde hi~ feel happy. ~hts had iL-agiflcd
often; tLe hJ ood puncture, a happy nixturo
-~n tlie buB log; walked fly or pcverty and of tIe times 1992.
"Sana~ge meat " he otter' ~isuaiined this aIon·~ the
d~Cty ~treets, past the pubr, po'aring t~~u~h the ungraberal
'count warehouses. fle w~inted a look at li ro, it wi-s tiat
sin'jllv ror him, anv nearest offer!
"Pealing 0j0jr7fl
· - -it wad a spectacle to see them mu~ing. It war. as USUSTh:
the let.
Thoy tad been tne fist watoners, they bad bt't-n jo'tdel.
up! Dr-ink &
l owi 'rt~- arm, the transition. It bad nome!
It wits no big pub, end thier was a noiicrab'e a~~y who
pot all
mi zeti up wit,' the lie~vy utuft when they bad a]] started
acting
Oji ly.
ident and them a) had darnnr.:ed the side of his old man. -C had
net sat there feeling where lie had turned into a dent
halfw~y.
As usual this fri er-d was ·sma~ed ho* we~-Z- he bar taiken it
all, the one ml-~urs p-akin;. rainy inocc.-usiris~ tSQk;
"200 po'-3nds doesn't rca matter much!" he was aino
rrakir4'~ jokes about shjjt!ng anger...
He sfld-lefl1y rlnie.¶bered, whilst watonirip. the
ado n--f the vacant. No One could react at' they kind backed and
fro-d i rAn the big r~aoe
opposltc ty as they po-¶atb'.y colijO, screec? me and tuirk ng,
what q
sight Arter a wht?-e they Lrierj tc order a men'- w~!i oh b~I
turned to
langhter sporadica:ly!
Harvey I OOAed Iver, "Them feel ill!
"flhat are they eatinjr¶" ho '&tikce.,
"i;.ys~ery bags.~nsil.s,and n-raIl fist '-~sh!"
He liked tro video-nead-orl~. ~~akinp, a tossing sign will work
after seeing the distortcd~' to .bougr.t, 'difficin t ~o sat ns
they worst" ~ed had, all you co-id see w!1s a giant
wi-nhlrr. 2his had autually b-lamed therr. ror ·~be caller and
~:',e 'liokerins' of the 1gr-oranoe and
blare of the suburban dnrk. ~hia .'oo~ec jus~ preat
Knowinif that ohaflze.zreal,cflang:e or£h into a part~ hc~d ty
older
peop2e, stra-m'-,e when thin drivers friehi was livirj' in. 'Jo
of the satt~lite 'f.V. was making ~ittle money deals.
·'Speed!" someone had said...
"An awn' l~testyle vtcue ...=" but even he wis rue cut,
with eitacy!"He won't go b3 the hoepitai tonight."
the:; ~ stems lik they could aC least give him half a .~rsrme, it
-aw' al] ~at he could do tt,ar. keep livin~.
1'Home brew is not the cr1 t3r.y of good dru;'o; when used into
the ni~ht, '.t would never w-atc.'h the quali~y of the ~r'utn. .
they were nearly rightinp., it had rc~Ily star&ansl A mixed
h',nchr
rater tis father r.ad tk:reatened s~'me ex-co] lere
frtenc~nCn-,.meof tr£em had aobbedr~ he had swore and couldn't ~
hirseif to ca~i them hii. "thier LIVES!" th~ he had
often Or-lInci l]e(l. Now it had co-ne to tnj S ar-i had
thratecci or anper arA dlnnapointm~nt wizich WRh La breax ciown
to the door a.' leavin' tten alone.
"Cr tne powerful sneakers ~udi'.ing ways. -
They ahd walked. 3quicner;t, the loud jumpy qui.-xv mibty rnirdsl
"wt.i te 'aoys !" after a lager he wo-ild ~:ye you his
life story. That was co~n.ufl place enoua4n. The real tire was
adding to the speed of the nie;1trrarc surroundings, the fenr
told or the tnT) anti eneed talk, as they were api [1 ng. out of
the nub '-Ike w-j~-ic. ¶liey had left when the music tstd becn traffic
dead. It had reen 1~.;3fl, ~
Hail they taken t:~r. ~ walk to'nardr- ~ scr~jft? Ifl:itc-.ad
t.qeyr watched s'~rrounded by R load of thc~ un~il about 6:00.
rhei r shirts were shiring~. The moor'. tght situsition had beo~e
u~bcarabl a and the sirallest ~Lant or about seven feet was rca]
ly ugly. fl:~ bar came bin thet the red sa.1t---iweat,ran her are
mactee. wejI with her. She had turned away not looking at first.
his rriends ~sd reminded him at vain erentually. . but it
was too c&ue that evening, S-A]), dantrarous. l;e had drivei
ti~~- eli to the '}io, all of the wot-en ~bat be ever had wuntod.
~ha'- day had alb-o actual massivene~s L-L~ ike &ll
sympLon-ti of tbat a1~Lerfloofl. ikey layed tre tnin~ 013t or
tbL' top floor windo', wi'~h some diiticuj ty, NM past-ce- tS~e
klnd or ret-1 i ty tha~ noje
fo3ks surro-anded thi Sr bed Lou with.
'+a- nor t-,-a -a uch so..." he woriderec -
I:is cntn ~as bleedinp and to~ d of the d~v. ~e bad to get eo~e
and there vms a party Jatcr on- Inside ~~re tbe armed robbery
arid hold ups and tr-e initvi teb-- c di tisanolnt'£nt of
drenns. ..on he Lharg~
wo-iji ~o "wo d no?"
Anyhow one oak at s ' ire an; it never sea-nt that much. And
the callons cycH1 tay did en~oy a bitch flow ·Lnd
again and he didnt c-are ra-r to think straight. 9-c reme-n-bered
the reality LhaL other people seerned t'j inhabit.
"Yct," he tnou~tA, 'they are aresholes!"
lie wan bSgjnm~ng to nouni like the corry rhetoric of the
cyborpunk. ~ore music rang ·JU~ tiojtbc~rly - ---~ar1 icr ho had
mer~ a 'roup ('C theddy individuals, thuy nad -made h--rn reel
irrational,
"arL' they pseudo concertiec?" it was a binge of a
thoue4-it. . - Ac -nouldn1t have snprised , ru I a-
leac I they weren't irrationa' However secretly well off they
really were. mo his friends it had seemed that he was coing
crazy, st~ached, not in a crass e'ass, tarin6 it all
too sertausly; the whole bloody dance, the facade.
-rhe ai-ti~t had become the hermit, a writirst ~rigel of a
r'ot~er Lien- retly bailirq', furrAt~!
he was thiriting about this bhtng when the individual th'at ho
might be, was turzji --Ag ·-ntj- the nqua~ter/mar-~-vr. U made
him all; he Lad hoped fcr the futtate. At 1ea~~ his paren~'-- Laije
sure 'Y--cy erw, were poor'. i-or a few mlnu;ts tne creepy
m-Jsic would be tL~e way it h.p were even bother~d ;o buy any
revues...-~he enerpy~ of the big metamorphosis.
They all took another sip o~ Essr~resso.
"The esso-clpress. -
"£.~jt "hy press for triso?"
"So, by the way tt is fuCirIfli' nard wor:(, and not half
the mi' e up the road to pastures of bhe damared city hey were
stiaring him througn and th--oup:9 him.
"h~hat was the worst thinr,~:" tine wa~ 3~ in
the 'ragi~e (frajeot) city, "...tqat is what tney will be
working o--'t.~ she supposed
-~at there was a ta~ te-disposal urtit that needed to be on her
am"!
They had no be bter occupation. She --'our Lb, T:~ow is it
·q~4;" was it about ihat t-al~ troir tne srudertt
fl:3an-.', t-o-,in-know. . .wt:e~ you dr~ your death out of at
your r~r~o-L<s, yo'l wait for an i~rnj,orurreani n,~
thougnt and breath air you ve heen trying to ava~d ror
R~Gfl."
F-c picked 'Lr rae phone ~hinkir-g ·'Ye~h.". sna]'y and rsdd~y
'Ike an od mur-a- a's memory 0:' ae;ua:~Jy having hope, or
" ~eeiLr:p.
"Cracked UL~ over the split?" he had to atigh Cuttilde,
no found at least the notes anywa~y, all by the windows
'1y.j ~~troL escape!.' the sound seemed to spi]] fro~ the
spatter oY -jid people. Ec thn~i,£r:t into fl!' ---day, at 'east
thev~ lought ra-r
supr-rioraty in flie. It never did ~ore than r~ee -~ntc him, tho
art~n
and thi; wanker.
Stef rol-ted up between his mild work al; the agency. lie felt as
he fovr£-a the cost sri looked at the n-eter which succeeded in
turn- in?, hiir on jusbingly. It was twelve O'cloclr.
Xot hea~ thy. and site ~new it ard had ('at aroLind for the rent
of tL~is. ·Prtat war' it, she would prnbab'~y n ver L,akc it
'and ho orObab~y wit] I They felt so pretentibia- nr:d It looke~-
as if they wou]e- lie bored over an ~gain. He tho-ar,ht 3 swain.
They ~r~n't e~cn -'at thLn.
~ney fln~a-bed exactly a year apc or thier awn. It was o£r thier
backs. 'L'huy had said' "NOW that,; it!" j
P,t~ 2v6t eat tY,c'-r-c on the ade wi ~ his trairers cn w-4t1;
tie yafliLurt
"Cu-- L-'r-g-~~ are still unrend I Ike Snrtre ~r~-e' Geothe and ttie rest of the==-~ ''-rAe! ' Lhoy tad all saic'Z.~.but he didnTt li'e reaple Lakirg
L-~rn at, t~e roerue
pj-onr tF:e pigs -2:-tnL- Jasy ~ 'tat trw years had beer
everytr~inj', and no ~:9i nIT bc, him. lie was obso-vin.:' tkier
reac-,ions. - -
·'j,i Se in -n a pea!' what a SCfl~eflce he flo.icpa~ the end of
its j-'}urney throut the heqvy sbufr tha-. £e1)t ~im
goi ~N- dur-: flif hours or ,r:(' take Si I enco that was sexist
rn-asian empty 'eel mg. F" thouary~-t;
· -£-- . - C.
11-he P~C. paLn
was WIfldin~ along n ecrious flaw, a hard on! Her bair ne watched
t"~C ba,a:atit-a'.-nub1~i- -The music scratched in 2 ike be
bad written- "fl-ow Irainana i~eflLij~y v:i~r- porno. raphic
r1 --turen?q
"one by one...1' she ccntlnac.'d, "ever
chari9nble." IIrL' qauted herself arid her
;anr,u'&ge.
"carL--&' 3--st, the same ungrateta sods that have
for~idden t~e world normality that has t6cked ir sround here.~'
they raked and n3dded, "culture!"
lie smoked a ciflarreTte and started ~a1kin', about his own white
au.a I He thou~t ar·d the news ranr~ ~at, ~~:fln-is
environment, is now IcLllir£g usi"
lets 6~ Lo a cl(;-9-w.-sra,ion ths~ againtit Sc;-) mg thi rigs
for a change!" they laujhed ar--d I R'4ted - -
He wati in the stage of viseness in Lhe p~aTre, but evervbodv
seemed to be depressed wit:~ it a:l. It did have a kini of corny
ring to it, a~a~ they were on about ~~oney as usual.
It tad sulcid~] nolitics writter- a'~ over it, never talkirar,!
"U~h!" ard as unL--a] he had bsen asking; ·1-Vtat was
the point?" "po2itics is tne ring, funnily enoush WI-,-
a~l the same self- interest,tnsbs what
"Thats what enables?".-.
"Hem;: richer ,nan the resi?"
bu -. this was ·&n imposial bility, the woret kind.
I-c had jrot up early tbat d~', shi bly in tnat way of tire
world. Dice and no bus-:~are.~org,eLLirig aboit ~ho Ia dicre
unified uniforms ~:d about uhe war... On the W% luckily
rerew-~ered "UWARI". - -
"We are a] I ants 2" The sun occasional~ y
penned on abdut cuc.t proFaganda. He listened to tbe grass
crunching tn --is oten. it 'rat'] d have aid nomet--Ang 6jven
half bhe. augh " nis shoe tie Is!
"Oh the siall and ur5rAt'renting!" Te felt a little
better atter a dry oh+ire,e...ce needed to bt' alone for a while,
for a Li-ne of hatine, and i,i Lc-~ing. At the flyover he
waited or ~,L-e ' irh,s.
'I feel b.':erE'- -Id a dc£inate gap Le-,weeri :i&r-ty ar'3-
innanit~ - . - a ~:oggsr -act t'tzpped wI 1 nIn 't-~~'.~ was
ta2 king at him now.
"ra'r~:a1is this is wkaL cakes we s-j&d?
htkmm~
"~e11,' he replied, "flowever I-are. you try, you stil]
cry... Tis head was ~!o~$~ina~ .o Lhe steaA.y ryttan "I am
still sea tt.cug:h."
'~hata -~'-:e point in fL'-~ltQg. good il- ~ot--- can'. rite] bad?"
fl-his was or course a
feeble lie an! a ~oud florn failed to rouse hin arid ho
tried tL'.e tamil nr griund. he examined.
At home he decitieci to tin the -aindows that fled unwanis. lon~
hair walked arourd outside.
·'Gee, to fail to 6-i'.t a response in -~his war]
(1.' he wantel -,o be a n-jtter, sornenhere e;~e, not earth!
-in wor-dered what they were tryir:&- to look -ike --he- ir
thin w~S a deJ~berate rep~y-signcr. a~sc had the stench of the
pisa or pro oably as worse - sne wo:i]d be home scan. ~ a reaned
ato';t the k~m-re of the ne~:~j- of writers iL~ the
nark, sitting (joywn on them tak--r'~ tileL to S'1r-Ope or
tar mba space!
flut1 tiornobody was in, -cia.- fascists i:sd taken
over. In the locks, ails t.aa a-ankert.
.~hc ral awaken.
;-ascists ." she s-outed, lookini' over she noticci .' Coup-I
C wit.~ ncthinr. on ~~:-ier le&-e.
.~,e bad wood, and cattea ~j- himse~f aftnrw~ran rc=morir)g whN:
ne nod wal~ed au~. - ~'1 wits waitng. ~-or her and no thS
r~ riore.,
lie did like her...
ia--er after unn'. UI!N.i£4', the free- lcakirtg rood, he had
thogry an
tI--ick things arid decided -0 go anti drink, a D drtnk, Lea arid
swapp
tflL-u~Lt9- wI ti anotlivr pub. be wa~~ed slowly, tissues, pains
end pleasures, unci j. the ines a: cars, je smasned other
blocks to
rind yet more tnat are craj-:nled with frustra--ion aid of
miles away and 2&fly ninuted mirutes that other a lQL of
peap]e were e.ivtn,.
away inbo his fl-iie...
He telt sad, parn-';oid. could never ~el' tone tefore,talktr4
abo-~t is worrius. Didn't bother ;f.Kt much. :0 jist laid
his hedy cad I like a cloc~ -~at sang and slir.-gn pedple out.
"flriat for?" he in worth it thouzh, he noew felt m'~ct
OO'. CUr.
'Looks? C ~C
The thiander rolled~across. The Ow were in ard J antiwered the door.
"Hackney bOAs dull in
comrarison, t:'e souat was nicer, tbe light bib tr£e s-~een from
the deck. 7hat S had made flrj~ notice it all. 3vt'n or S One
oi--.-:es rlaces, ~ey A': had a balcony. It jid not seem to -brow
these folks out over tie hard city. On a good day not him
tho~h, he I oved ~L:e river ~-h~irnes. r:ow the sun was out of
his animosity. Anic-ated.
"-Icy, say, the ezor is n[cariTg ~:e point where IL wo'13(i
strike so~e dude down!'1
"Yeah, LL'ler wris Liat article on the news.
'V0u wouldn't to able to touch ~em tar hours,
Bers." kL'=Lers or the public w3u:-d often gc uwim&in6-
drunk who -j~e't of pins. To see was'em if they develo',,
any si.'riflusnes-9.
"at--on nature kills It fl~ar----dcr.rd the fate -'j- the p?
ane t..'
rle could reneLuor LLu%ini rag thousaras of tbe l'ell aeneratior,
if it evt-r exisbed, thier faces ouking 'ir-jund in hetrua~.
r~L.e uresent had bent broker...
This emotion wni -ah by -ow was hard, told of this nrecio~s
system, arid it wilj not Improve . Wo-~ld ld'?
:jibh like an abused en i:-d. Yes! 'fliese waves of nL~ili~. ]ie
and
they would watch it crack slowly in a se'~tish da9e of neelano-
~ora1'ty. it Wa--'. ~USt another day...!
-mv racitg, on aver.~e was 5-Ower tbm oar lives, end the wor~d.
Jcome~terye$Lr £-~ore news ftattered axis of nurerfl~.tural
orie-.itui The hit would make him feel beLier, be knew.
""'is sot it turnod to tie relief cig zombie ri'2Vie
arLd there 'ma
dunnirord ard ti'auc:,iync I"
"NAil!!!" abe poin--ed to the rype-A-rtter and oat
dn~n. "Hey, ~LAt a sigh! as the reac~ eel uLcer the tacky
eougY.inj',
clock. ~ConLinue ccc, "tie kept k:is Rear when he could.
'~A four star ~nd £-e ashtrays, which bqd been sto~en
from acre
hi be or -acoy ;fl IL-a doE-;--(!ndu. . -
~i hada', been ad, ne walked in~o old sriif~~s and emptied
~IflO box
of S, e.e~-~tni'. to pick up the toute on the wnite sheet of
paper.
11 road; "~Ufl"a 20 SIg~L 0fl~" tiLo d
peeped from around thu al org 'tell "I must be desperate or
Than or son 1' a'-r- sters.
As he walked lie a IF ou~it "tF:is slow!" and tac
continned to ro'l
uhroi;gb the resting packland. It was wider t'zar a
matcr,stick..F.e lit It rn'd it taji ror a whire. ial'~Ing ander
stuwced it out after a joud cou,;h,
"2~Lck tor the lig4-ts t'j char-ge a-nt ascun
him,
"...a mitt cub s?'ady rhythyrn of arother V:R."
The lights had cha-~cd. The tower examined the cross sect It. It
was packed witn t] Jeorts 'frich always pointec v-nw anti trying
to P tn A floally kind of war. And the atincos in this
mornt~ hour.