69 - Moist Attempts at Eroticism

Because there was a necessity,
somewhere an edge to it,
how close to the catastrophe,
does air still have lead in it?

Isn't it great,
how none of this,
has happened before?

Furniture, Laminate, Server, Calculus, Footwear, Pencils.

Aren't you glad to be here?

70 - Damnable Fishies

"A bright morning it is for the experiment sir," said Franklin Cordliss, an assistant and grave robber.
"I imagine you think me foolish to hoist my apparatus in this dead calm? said Dudley Thorten, a revivificationist and collector of exotic tropical fish."

Dudley produced from his pocket, wrapped like a market stall fish, a mortar.

"Salt, it's packed with silver iodide and dry ice, now my fooolish apprentice, now! hoist the antenna!"

No sooner had Franklin hurried to the winches than Dudley had fired the mortar up into the clear blue sky.

There was a pop, and the sky filled with sparkles and highlights, which quickly descended into a fierce and dangerous thunderstorm.

There would be energy for the attempt after all.

Regardless, thought Franklin, the master's fish must be saved.

71 - Music to savage the calmest beast

Two middle aged men were talking on the street corner today. One had a small simple wooden string-instrument under his arm, He carried it like a newspaper; it was as long as a flat wooden cooking spoon. I overheard them as I waited nearby for my bus.

“What is it?” said one, pointing.
“It’s an Angel Harp,” said the other, holding it up so his friend could see it clearly.
“It only has one string,” he observed.
“It only plays one note. ”said the owner, raised brow, downcast eyes.
“Which note?”
“It plays God.”
"Do you play it often?"
"It's playing right now."
"I don't hear anything."
"Don't you?"
"Well sure, the traffic, the wind, people."
"Look carefully at the string, can you see it's vibrating?"
"Yeah, but come on, are you telling me if you stop that string from vibrating everything will simple vanish?"
"No, that would be impossible,"
"That's a relief,"
"But all the sound, all the audible, all the music of the world, would certainly end."
"That's insane."
"..."
"Sorry, I didn't catch that," he said into a sudden crushing silence.

A finger lay on a dead string.

It was the end.

72 - Gemini Moon

"Evenin' Jay good to sync,"
"Been busy, quakes shorting the 'lectrics, tunnel's down but I guess you already know,"
"Yeah, shut tonight and tomorrow, guess it's overtime for you but I'll take what breaks in the world I can get, Jackson pushing you hard down there? I know he pushed me,"
"Yeah, wouldn't be wantin' to trade places with me now, would you? Tunnel Jockey, really, what a way to make it,"
"It's got a plus side,"
"Name it,"
"Well, fer instance you met me 3 weeks subjective ago and I met you 15 minutes subjective ago,"
"You call that a plus? I'd like to see the girl that'll settle for seeing her man once every 3 weeks over his coffee break,"
"Money's good,"
"Better be,"

"This is Tunnel Control, TV-8 respond,"
"Control, this is Tunnel Vehicle eight, pre-drop check complete, am waiting taxi clearance,"
"TV-8, this is TC, you are clear to taxi to Tunnel bay 2, I say again, bay 2,"
"TV-8 confirms bay 2, am activating manoevering beams,"
"Beams on target, you may proceed to bay 2,"
"TC, in position bay 2, drop clamps auto-engaged, requesting drop clearance,"
"TV-8, you are cleared for drop on TC mark minus 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Mark"
"Drop,"

Jay fell. Always there was the fear, the sadness. the pain, squeezing him, until the retrieval beams locked onto him, slowed him down, docked TV-8 in bay 1, he exited, three weeks further in his subjective future, but not in his universe anymore.

After debriefing, he learned it had been a fruitful mission, the last universe had some vaccines that didn't exist here, they had also perfected certain directed energy systems that were only beginning to be theorized here. There had never been any earthquakes on this moon either, it had been geologically inactive for millenia.

As always, when he exited TV-8, he walked back to the lip of the tunnel and looked up, wondering about it, was it natural? unlikely, it had to have been built. he was sure.

Why, gods, why did it have to go only one way?

Jay walked to his quarters and read his own biography.

Here, his name was Frank.