[“the growing terror of nothing to think about” – Eliot, Four Quartets] The old man stares out the window. Soon now, he thinks, the woman will knock again perfunctorily at his door and walk in without pausing, say once again, in a faux-cheery voice, How are we doing today Mr. Nicholls and without waiting for an answer, will provide food and then extract, with equipment and practiced hands, the remains of the previous meal. <END> THE MONDAY PITCH If you liked this post, … [Read more...]
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“Arthur Nicholls Thinks” / Memorable Fancies #823
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“Mobility” / Memorable Fancies #805
[“The bird’s ravings have no interest for the tree.” – Henri Michaux] “The tree-cutters are coming,” screams the bird. The tree does not listen. “The tree-cutters are coming,” screams the bird, again. The tree still does not listen. “The tree-cutters will cut you down, and my roost with it” screams the bird. The tree pays no attention. The tree-cutters arrive. “Oh well, I can always find another tree,” shrugs the bird. <end> THE MONDAY PITCH If you liked … [Read more...]
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“Survival” / Memorable Fancies #810
[“...dreams in which we meet ourselves as strangers, unfathomable.” – Gűnter Grass] [“I met myself in a dream.” – The Velvet Underground] I met myself in a dream. I seemed annoyed at me. Other-I knew all my sins, threw them in my face, told me that I was only his own bad dream and I should just go away. There was a struggle to see who would wake up, and who never would. I was the one, finally, who woke. But which one was I? <END> THE MONDAY PITCH If you liked this … [Read more...]
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“Thinking” / Memorable Fancies #786
[“I am still a victim of my thinking. When can I order my thinking to be quiet?” – Jung] I ordered my thinking to be quiet. The little voice inside my head asked me how I planned to start thinking again, when I got tired of not-thinking, without being able to think about it. I said I’d think about that problem. “Oh?” asked the little voice, “Do you think you’re thinking right now? – But I suppose it could seem so to you.” The little voice uttered a synesthetic grin … [Read more...]
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“The Fear Whisperer – V” / Memorable Fancies #779
.. Coming from the room you just left – is that laughter? .. Why is everyone running but you? .. Didn’t you lock that door before you left for work? .. You must have invited him; don’t you remember? .. Of course it’s dead. <END> THE MONDAY PITCH If you liked this post, please tell your friends and share a comment here, in Facebook, or on other social websites. AVAILABLE NOW on Amazon and other outlets: “Fragments of the Future,” a collection of sci-fi short stories … [Read more...]
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“Joe and Helen at the Forgettery” / Memorable Fancies #772
After two years of serious dating and problems and off-and-on commitment, Joe and Helen broke up. They went to The Forgettery and asked the clinicians to remove all memories of Helen from Joe and Joe from Helen, because they were about to go their separate ways and there had been a few painful moments. More than a few. Helen and Joe were led to separate rooms and the procedures were performed. An hour later they happened to meet at the Forgettery’s cashier counter. Hi, said Joe. Hi … [Read more...]
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“The Mission” / Memorable Fancies #765
[“...here I am. / Just a robot / with an unspecified mission.” – Roberto Bolaño] I don’t know what I was built to do. My maker disappeared – perhaps taken by the authorities – before he could reveal my purpose to me. I try one thing and then another to find out what I’m good at, what talents I’ve been designed for. So far, the practical arts have failed me, especially cooking and carpentry. And driving a car, I should have figured out I couldn’t do that before I tried it … [Read more...]
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“Coming Up For Air – I” / Memorable Fancies #758
The Occasionally Friendly Skies have announced a new policy to enhance frequent-flier delight: computer-matching of passengers to seats. Based on personality assessments, fliers are assigned to aisle, middle, or window seats. Not everyone can be an Aisle or a Window, of course. Aisles and Windows consider Middles odd, or sick, or perhaps impoverished and dangerous. They speak with each other in front of, or behind, or over the heads of their Middles. All the Middles can do is … [Read more...]
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“Forgetting Tomorrow” / Memorable Fancies #751
[“I can’t forget tomorrow.” – Mariah Carey] “I want to forget tomorrow,” said Glen at the Forgettery’s reception counter. The clerk looked at him strangely. “I don’t believe we’re set up to do that, sir,” she said. “Why don’t you come back the day after tomorrow and we’ll help you forget yesterday, that is, it’s your tomorrow now but it will be your yesterday then, OK?” Glen shrugged. “I tried that once. I lost the memory, all right, but I still had the memory of having … [Read more...]
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“Nuremberg” / Memorable Fancies #744
[“In Nuremberg during the fourteenth century, the presence of 62 madmen was recorded, and 31 were chased out of town.” – Michel Foucault] First Question: How were the madmen selected to be chased out of town? Possible answers: - Standing in a row, every other one, counting off. - Standing in a group, those who were trying to hide. - Those who claimed that it was all a mistake. - Those who were on their knees, begging for mercy. - Those who were shaking their fists, … [Read more...]
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“Five Briefs” / Memorable Fancies #737
[“I will remember you and another song also.” – Hesiod] -- He remembers their song long after he forgets her – and she, him. # A tree falls in the forest. Has it made a sound if no one hears? If a TV plays in the forest does it make a sound? Will canned laughter become the swaying of trees? # Once upon a time. Twice upon a time. Three times. Four… # I no longer trust that image in the mirror; it has lied to me once too often. # The judge laughed. The jury laughed. The … [Read more...]
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“Innocence” / Memorable Fancies #723
[“All that remained from his past were obsolete versions of the same self.” – John Berger] I’ve started thinking of my past as a moment by moment succession of the lives of people who were very much like me, but not exactly me. Same appearance, same habits – but what those others did was on them; I’m innocent of all that, because I’m constantly becoming a different person. That’s what I told the judge, anyway, or one of my past lives did. <END> THE MONDAY PITCH If you liked … [Read more...]
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“Agents” / Memorable Fancies #716
The king put on a peasant’s cloak, held it close about him, and walked among his people to see what they really thought of him. He entered an inn. “Well,” he said to those at the bar, “what do you think of our king?” Several looked at him strangely. Then one said “For God’s sake, shut up! He has agents everywhere, some even dressed as peasants.” <END> THE MONDAY PITCH If you liked this post, please tell your friends and share a comment here, in Facebook, or on other social … [Read more...]
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“The Key” / Memorable Fancies #709
[“We think of the key, each in his prison / Thinking of the key” – The Waste Land] Someone tossed a key into my cell; I didn’t know who, because it happened when I was sleeping, and by the time I heard the tinkle of metal hitting the stone floor and woke up, my perhaps-friend had disappeared around a corner. What was I to make of this? Of course I’d always wanted out of this place of dark remembrance, but that another would do me that favor was – well – suspicious. … [Read more...]
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