No Frills Aug So Social Club e Mini Mag

8/9/2019 No Frills Aug So Social Club e Mini Mag

1/36

sosocialclubeminimagnofrillsaugust08


2/36

HiGuys.Thanksforbeinghere.Thismonthsissueisaspecialnofrills

readableoneforyoursparetimeduringthesummerholidays.The

contributorshaveonethingincommon:theyareallBritishNationals

whonow

live

in

Germany.

Unfortunately,Icanonlygiveyouthebackgroundonmyshortstory.

It ispartofanartpiecewhichconsistsofaboxcontainingabagof

objectsandahandwrittenbook. InaandHn isthestorywritten in

thebook.

Ihopeyouenjoyreadingeveryoneswordsandyouwontbeableto

putit

down!

The secondpartofAhmadAshrafAborasarticleabout theFishawi

Cafwillbeinnextmonthsissue.Imsureyouarelookingforwardto

hearingmoreaboutthiswonderfulplaceand itscontext inhistorical

andcontemporaryCairoaswellaswhatitmeanstohimpersonally.

Seeyou

at

aSo

Social

Club

gathering

soon!

Maeshelle

Thank you Merce Cunnigham (19192009) for inspiring me to include your

methodologyinthispieceofwork.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/arts/lamemercecunningham28

2009jul28,0,75973.story


3/36

Time_____________________________byStewartTunnicliffPlease

time.

Ajourneyintothepast,

pastthesignpoststoknowhere,

somewhereinyour

experience,

experiencedit,

ithasbeenandgone,

gonebeyondexistence,

existsonlyinmemory,

memory,

you

mind,

mindyouinanother

dimension,

mentioniftimecametobemany.

Time.

Runsinentirety

entiretyisalwaysthere,

thereishereandsomewhereelse,

thereishereandsomewhereelse,

somewhere

elseit'sbeingrerun,

rerunthepartsofyour

lifethathavegone,

goneinanionandaday,

adayisallthetime,

timeisamoment,

amomentiswhatmatters,

matteristoo

substantialtobecalled"somethingthathappens",

ithappenstobe,

beforeiswhatitis,

whatitisnotimportant,

importanceitadoptsinfreeflow,

freeflowingarethethreestates,

threestatesoftimeintooneandnone.

One.

Past, present,futurewearetold,

told,thoughitisnotso,


4/36

soit'sajourneyonaroad,

aroadwhereyoufindyourselfgoingthere,

therebeing

not

choice,

choiceyouconstructwithinitsframework

aframe

isalltimeis,

ifthatisanything,

onlytimewilltell,

andthatissayingalotandnothing,

"that'ssayingalot",

thatsays,

"thatis,

(fullstop),

timeplease!"

Stewart Tunnicliff


5/36

Legendpassed _____________________________byStewartTunnicliffAbloodtarnishedbroadswordandbatteredshieldlieinalosttomb.Theknightsnowweartheirshieldsontheirchests.Aclubemblemreplacestheirbreastplate.AblackbandiswornlikeaQueensribbon, lacedroundthearm.Shirtsandshortstheirbattledress.Shinpadstheirrustyspurs.Amatchtheirhonourfight.Thepitchtheirbattlefield.Thedefencetheirarmour.Thestrikersattackthebackfourlikethesiegeonanenemiescastle.Apassreplacesaparry.Adribbleandtackleisfootworklikefrayandclashofmetalwasswordplay.Afoulisablackknightsdeed.Aredcardisbanishment,likeLancelot,tothetunnel.Afreekicklikealanceinajoust:Breaksthroughthewall,knockingthechampionsofftheirsteed.Ashotcutsintothenetlikeabladeintoafoeschest.Theshoutoffemalefansisthesirenofmoderndamsels.Feetwoundsupporterspride.Knightsnomore.TeamsfallthroughthedivisionslikeKingdomsthroughhistory.Bloodisspiltbutnomenfilltheopengraves.StewartTunnicliff


6/36

Bed______________________ByStewartTunnicliffbedand.....

insomeoneelses

iawoke,

lateoneevening.

memorydoorremainedlocked,

nokey.

whitebecomesblueroom,

clearfirmament.

hadsleptbysunsetsky:filteringthroughcurtainsajar,

awakenedbypurplemoon.

rising,cloudsd r i f t e d,

memorywasaninflatingballoon,

foggedlight, yellowray

dancingon

mypiniris.

myhandswerestainedochre,

mystomachanacidic pit.

iraisedmyheavyheadfromagreypillow,

andleftadampimprint.

neurosis

as

a

ringing

glass

rim

echo.

myeyeswideawake,

mymindsurprised.

isaw

breathingsheetsundulatinglikeagentlesea.

ifound

spiritdregsinthebackofmymouth,

mycompanyincompatiblewith mymemory,

thenauseaawailingbaby.the wakeupcall:


7/36

iliedthatnight, ihadvapourlust.

now

ilaybesideawoman.

implosiveguiltwithinme

unravelled

and

discarded

likeadroplet

by

herblue

bell

face.

StewartTunnicliff


8/36

HookedUp_______________________ByRalfMessmann"Wiljenietdouchen?"

"Sorry?"

"Shower?"

"Yeah,sure,nobother."

Theawkwardnessofundressinginfrontofastrangewomanirritatesmeslightly,butItake

myclothesoffanyway,tryingnottodisclosemyinsecurity.Whilekeepingmyunderpants

on,Iwalkintothebathroomacrosstheroom.OnlyafterIclosethedoordoIfeelsafe

enoughtotakethepantsoff,swiftlyslipbehindtheprotectiveshieldoftheshowercurtains,

andgivethehotwaternozzleaheartytwist.Yetthewaterdoesnotwarmup,andafter

shiveringforseverallongminutes,Iconcededefeatandtaketheplungeunderfreezingcold

water.AfterthequickandhalfheartedcleaningprocedureIstepoutoftheshower,and

reachfortheonlytowelhangingfromahookonthewall.Damn,thewhitecottonfabricis

alreadywet.IhesitateforashortinstantbeforeIrubmybloatedredfleshthoroughlywith

thegodforsakenthing.Allofasudden,Ifeelwatched,andmyheadjerkstotherightwhere

mygazeiscaughtbytheplumpreflectionofmynakedbodyinthemirror.Ishriekindisgust,

soIquicklywrapthecoldanddamptowelaroundmychubbyfeaturesandhumiliatedgroin.

WithanotherhastymovementIcovermyboldforeheadwithacoupleoflongstrandsofhair

toprotectmyrecedinghairlinefromdisdainfullooks.Strippedofalldesire,Istepoutofthe

bathroom.

"Wacht.Ikbendirectterug,"shesays,tightensthecottonbeltofhervirginalwhite

bathrobe,andleavesfortheshowerherself.Standinginmywettowel,Ifeelthelaststreaks

ofconfidencevanishingintotheanonymousairofthefunctional,sparselyfurnishedhotel

room.Icross

the

room

for

the

radiator,

but

am

unable

to

find

abutton

or

switch

to

turn

it

on.SoIsitdownonthebed,andcrouchontheslightlycrumpledsheets,quivering,not

daringtoslipbetweenthem.AllIcandonowiswaitforherreturnandthemiracleof

warmthandaffection.

"Whereyoufrom?"sheasks,exhalingcigarettesmoke.

"America,"Ilie.

"Oh,Ilike!"


9/36

"Thanks."

"Youwife?"

"No,"Ilieagain.

"Why?Yourich!"shegiggles,andstartsmassagingmyflabbygutwithherlong,dextrous

fingers.Thenshedownsherfifthglassorsoofcheapchampagne,and,withatwinkleofthe

eyeandanodoftheheadtotheminibar,shewordlesslyasksformore.

"Whatever,"Ipout,andgenerouslystretchoutmyarm.Withoutcoveringherexceptional

darkskinsheelegantlystirshersoftanddelicatecurvesintomotion,andwindsherwayto

theminibarwithoutasound.Whenshereturnsinthesamesvelteandgracefulmanner,she

producesanew

bottle,

and

coquettishly

holds

it

out

in

front

of

my

eyes.

Itake

it

from

her,

andforasplitsecondmypudgyoversizedhandandhersformagrotesqueringlikeunit,

bothembracingthefrostygreenbottle.Myspiritsfade.SinceIamwellawareofthe

shamefulfactthatIhavemajordifficultiesinopeningdevicesofanykind,Itryanddisguise

myclumsyattemptinwhatIhopelookslikeanairofstatesmanlikesovereignty,grunting

soundsoffakesurpriseanddetermination.Beadsofsweatstartcrawlingdownfrommy

wrinkledforehead,andatthemomentthefirstonesreachmysquintingeyestounleash

theirsaltypunch,theoddseventuallygomyway,andmystruggleisputtoanendwitha

smallpop.

"Youstrong!"shechants,giddilypouringherselfanewglass,butI'mnotconvinced.Iwant

toleave.

"Igottago,"Isay,addingatoneofseveritytomynowunfortunatelyhoarsevoice,andmake

amovetogetup.Hereyesnarrowandreleaseasuddenlookofsurprisedfear.Sheclingson

tomywrist.

"Please,

no,

please.

Ik

kon

niet

alleen

slapen,

stay,

please!"

Herhazelbrown,pleadingeyesbegintofill,Ihavetolowermyglance.Herhandstilltight

aroundmywrist,Icanseethecolourofmyskinnexttoherfingersturningevenpalerbefore

meltingintoanumbpinkishred."Okay,"Ireply,subsiding.

"Oh,thankyou!",shechirpshappily,andherfullbodiedlipslowergentlyontomystubby

cheeks.Ishouldfeelhonoured,butamrepelled.Shemusthavereadsomethinginmyfacial

expression,

for

she

suddenly

lowers

her

gaze,

too.


10/36

"IkkonalleenslapenmetTVendiehier,"shesays,pointingatatubeofProzacpeakingout

ofherhandbagpositionedontheshelfnexttothebed.

"Excellent!CanIhaveone?"

Shelooks

at

me,

startled,

but

then

hands

me

the

test

tube,

brimming

with

pale,

round

shapedtablets.Iswallowoneofthemanypillswithmyfirstsipofchampagnefromher

glass.MinuteslaterIamfastasleep.

ThenextmorningIamwokenbythefirstraysofsunlightcastingtheirlightonmydrowsy

face.TheTVhumsMTVsongs.Igingerlyopenmyeyes,turnmyheadtotheleft,and

observethemotionlessbodylyingnexttome.Ontheshelfnexttoherbed,Icanseetwo

emptybottlesofchampagne.

Igetupcarefully,andwhileputtingonmyclothesImanagetoavoidcausinganykindof

conspicuousnoise.AsImakeforthedoorthetipofmyfootaccidentallyhitsthetesttube

likebottleofProzac,andsendsitspinningacrossthecarpet butitdoesn'trattle.Istop

dead;acoldshiverrunsdownmyspine.Withoutlookingback,Iquicklystealoutofthe

room,noiselesslyclosethedoor,and,afterabriefcontemplationofwhethertotakethelift,

Ioptforthestaircasenexttoit.

Downatreception,wheresheleftherpassportlastnight,aboydressedinaridiculous

uniformsitscomatoseatthedesk,emanatingregularsoundsofignorantsnoring.Ihaveno

problemspassingbyunnoticed.Iwalkoutofthehotelcasually,anddisappearintothe

jumbleofstreetsinthisstrangecity.

RalfMessmann

Forlifeisquiteabsurd,

Anddeath'sthefinalword

Youmustalwaysfacethecurtainwithabow.

(EricIdle)


11/36

InaandHn__________________byMaeshelleWestDaviesChapter1Legendhasittherewasonceaking,Khle,whoruledZool,thelandofthegiant,Groeherz.

Thepairworkedintandemwithagroupconsistingofanelectedleaderfromeachdistrict.

Thiswasagloriouslybountiful,creativeandpeacefultime,beforetheruleofKingHundpo,

thewickedtyrantwhoenslavedthepeople,forcingthemtoliveintiny,dampdwellingswith

wallscoveredinlittledrawingsofflowersandbedsthatweresoshorttheyhadtosleepin

littleballs.Withtwopushedtogetheritwasjustbarelypossibletosleepdiagonally,but

soonthebedswouldbegintoslideapartandpeople'sbuttswouldfallthroughthecrack,not

tomentiongetcold,causingthemtowakeconstantly..itwasKingHundpowhochangedthe

land'sname

from

Zool

to

Grauzone...But

those

stories

are

for

another

time.

Even

today,

King

Khleisadmiredandpeopletravelfromallovertoseetheplacewheretheseatofhis

governmentwas.Itwasonsuchajourneythatourtalebegins,notreallyatale,becausethat

impliesanuntruth,forourstoryisreal.

ItwasadaylikeanyotherinIdris.Kunstlerinawentaboutherdailybusinessmakingpretty

thingsfromuglythingsandhelpingthetownspeopletoimprovethemselves.Shewasall

aloneinalargehouseandtookinvisitorsfromtimetotime.Shelikedtohearoffaraway

placesandseethepeoplewhocamefromthem.Oftentheywouldinspirehertocreate

somethingtoremindherofthemortheirsituation.Itwasinthiswayherideaofbeautywas

constantlyevolving,

thus

making

her

opinion

always

fresh

and

sought

after.

Please

be

advisedthatbeautywasinnowaysuperficialtoKunstlerina.Beautywithnothingbehindit

sheconsideredugly.Sometimesbeautyhadtobecarefullyandpatientlyminedforitwas

verydeeplyburied.Onthisdayshewashelpingsomepeoplebeautifythemselveswhenthe

doorsounded.Shehadnowayofknowingwhatawaitedher.Sheopenedit.

"Hello",cameavoicefromaheavenlyvision.3feetawayfromherwasthemostbeautiful

smileshehadeverseen.Surroundingitwasglowinggoldenhair.Wasthisanangel?It

appearedlikethepaintingsofdivinityshehadstudiedinbeautycreationschool.Anyother

conversationcompletelyevaporatedintothinairatthatverymomentasshewasparalised.

Shewas

floating.

Somehow

it

was

communicated

that

he

and

his

party

needed

aplace

for

thenight.AndthatwashowshemetSchnmann.Herlifewouldbecompletelychanged.

Abandonedatayoungage,Kunstlerinaneverletanyonegettooclose.Youtrust youdie

shehadlearned.Adearfriendhadtoldher,"Youcancountononething,youcomeintothis

worldaloneandyouleaveitalone."Shecouldn'tdenythetruthofthisstatement.Nowa

strangerinadistantland,everyoneandeverythingshehadknownbeforeseemedlikesuch

adistantmemorythattheyhadbecomeunreal.Sothewordsofhersurrealfriendrangtrue.

Allelseistemporary.Thisishowshelived.Tryingtoenjoy,experienceandlearnfromthe

now,butnottakingtoomuchstockinpeopleortheirpromises.Shewasn'tcold.Shestill

enjoyedpeople

and

learning

from

and

about

them.

But

mostly

she

preferred

the

company

of

animals.Youknewexactlywhereyoustoodwiththem.Anyoneyoumet,youcouldlookin

theireyesandtheyinyoursandknowifitwasok.Withtheoneswhochosetolivewithher,


12/36

itwasmutuallyunderstood,"YoutakecareofmeandI'lltakecareofyou,untiloneofus

dies".Faithfulcompanionsforlife.Sofarithadbeentheanimalstogofirst.Atthattimeher

constantwasalittlecreaturenamedAffe.Hewasanodd,furrylittlethingwithalong

stripeytail.Hecouldjumpallthewaytohershoulderfromflatfeet,whchheoftendid,

usuallywhenshedidn'texpectit.Hewasquiteconversantonmosttopics.Hisfavoriteswere

thecapture

and

torture

of

wild

beasts

and

how

to

get

the

attention

of

humans

who

are

busy

doingsomethingelse,likemakingbeauty.AtnighthewouldsleeponKunstlerina'shead.She

knewhewasasleepwhenhesnored.

Backtothedoor....immediatelyshefeltsomethingdifferentaboutthisperson.Shetriednot

tolookathim,notintheeyes.Shewasafraidhewouldseehervulnerability.Yes,her,vulnerable.Notacomfortablefeeling.

Itunnervedherandyetshewasexhilerated.Therewerefourinthegroupsoitwaseasyto

notberudeandstillnotlookathim.Besidesifshedidn't,noonewouldnoticeshewasthe

"v"word.Astheconversationgrewlongerhepersistedinmakingapointuntilhemadeher

laugh.She

looked

into

those

eyes

and

fell

into

them.

It

was

the

same

connection

she

had

withtheanimals.Kunstlerinaknewhewouldnotharmher,notintentionally,

anyway,for,asshewouldlaterlearn,hewasaninnocentanddidn'talwaysunderstandthe

repercussionsofhisactions.Thenextmorningthepartyaskediftheycouldstayanother

night.Happily.Moretimetoseethoseeyesandthatsmile.Moreinspirationforher

evolutionofbeauty.

Nothingwasacknowledged,save,althoughdifferentinapproachtorealization,amutual

interestinmakingthingsbeautiful.Theyagreedtocolaborateonafutureproject.Near

futureshehoped.Unbeknownsttoher,sodidhe.

Chapter2ThefuturecameandKunstlerinatraveledtowhereSchhnmannlived.Itwasn'tfar.Hetoo

wasastrangerinadistantland.Alldaytheyworkedontheprojectandtheytalked.And

theylaughedandtheyconnected.Inmakingthebeauty,eachhadbecomemorebeautiful.

Whentheprojectwascompletedneitherwantedittoend.Sotheycontinued.........farinto

thenight.Hetoldherhehaddreamedoftheirmeeting.Everyoneknewallinterpersonal

relationshipswere

predestined,

so

of

course

this

made

it

all

that

much

more

perfect

.With

eachlaughandrevelationthefeelinggrew.Thesynchronicityincreased.Eachstepand

movementinperfecttimelikeadance.Thisphysicalintuitionwasaccompaniedbymental

andspiritualones.Althoughwordsandlaughterandmotionswereflying,therewasnoneed

becauseitwasallunderstoodbeforeittookplace.Itwasthisenergythatcreatedthe

inevitabilityofunionbetweenthetwo:aunionnotdescribableinwords.Anexperienceof

telepathy,action,sounds...inaword"deliverence".Aveilhadbeenlifted......unfortunately

tooloudlyfortheotherguestsattheInnandthepairwereaskedtoleave.Butthisonly

causedthemamusement.Theyknewwhensomethingsuchasthishappens,thereiscause

tocelebrate.So,ifitgetsalittleloud,sobeit.Fewareallowedsuchbeauty.Waketheworld!

Shoutfrom

the

roof

tops!


13/36

Chapter3Shedidn'twantto,butshehadtogobacktoIdrisandhehadtostaythereinJester.They

wereneveroutofcontactandhecametoherthenextweekend.Thiscontinuedandthey

grewcloseruntilhehadtogobacktohishomeland,Riese,forwarriortraining.Shetraveled

toRiese.HetraveledtoIdris.Withthetimeinbetweenvisitsgrowinglongertheyagreed

theycouldn'tliveapartanylonger.TheQueenofRiesedecreednoonefromGebtigecould

staypermanentlyunlesstheyhadaspecialpaperfromtheQueenofGrauzone.Kunstlerina

wasborninGebtigeandtheQueenofGrauzonewouldgrantherthepaperforasumof

money,moremoneythanshehad.Inadditiontothisitwouldtakeuptotwoyearsand

duringthattimeshewouldnotbeallowedtovisitRiese.

AtthesametimeadisasterstruckIdris.Someofthesheepbegantohaveanappetitefor

feet.Theybegantoeatthefeetofothersheep.Unsatisfiedtheybegantoeattheirownfeet.

Asfar

as

Iknow

they

did

not

begin

to

eat

the

feet

of

humans.

There

were

rumors

of

them

eatingsheepdogfeetwhilstthedogsweresleeping....kindofgettingtheirownsotospeak,

butIdon'tthinktheywouldhavehadthenerve.However,thevisitorstoseeKingKhle

begantothinout.Eveniftherewasnodanger,itwasahorriblesighttoseesheepwithno

feetinthefields.Theproportionwasallwrong,thebeautygone.Withfewervisitors,less

peoplecouldaffordtoconsultKunstlerinaontheirbeauty.ThingsweredryingupinIdrisand

therewasthefeeforthepaperstoget.

SoSchnmannandKunstlerinaagreed.ShewouldmovetoAbwertend.Itwasstillin

Grauzone,but

closer

to

Riese

and

there

were

no

sheep,

but

more

people

who

wanted

to

be

beautiful.Shecouldraisethemoneyforthepaperfaster.

Itwasagoodmove.Theysaweachothermore.Theygrewcloser.ShebegantocallhimHn

andhetocallherIna.Shehadneverletanyonecallherthat.Butthenshehadneverlet

anyonegetsoclosetoher.Sometimesshethoughttheywereinthesameskin.New

methodsofcommunicationwereinvented.Therewasaspecialthingyoucouldholdinyour

handandsendmessagestoeachotherinstantly,evenatthatdistance.Andofcoursethere

wasalwaystelepathy.Theycouldfeeleachother.Theyhadthesamedreams.Hewould

cometoher.Shetohim.Theyhadadventures.Theyplayedgames.Theywerebecoming

evenmore

beautiful

than

she

could

have

ever

imagined.

People

wanted

her

help

to

be

beautiful.Thiswasok.SheneededtopayformovingfromIdrisandthetravel.

Communicationdidn'tcomecheapeither.Shewassobusyhelpingothersshebarelyhadthe

timeorenergytomakeherownbeauty.Hncameandstayedforalongtime.Withhim

there,itwasn'tsobadnotbeingabletomakeanythingbeautifulforherself.Besidesitwas

onlytemporaryuntilshecouldgetthepapersandmoneytomovetoRiese.There,shecould

bewithhimandpeoplenotonlywantedhertohelpthem,buttheyactuallywantedherto

makebeauty.Shewasofferedatemporaryassignmenttoworkthere.Shewashappytobe

inRiese,makingbeautywithHnbyherside.

Itfelt

horrible

to

go

back

to

Grauzone

after

such

awonderful

experience.

The

only

saving

gracewasAffe.HehadnotbeensoexcitedaboutherprolongedvisittoRiese.Actuallyhe

hadnotlikedAbwertendeither.Hehadn'tseenanyfootlesssheepanddidn'tseewhyhe


14/36

shouldhavetoleavehisfriendsandhisfamiliarhuntinggrounds,especiallywithoutbeing

consultedfirst.

Chapter4InawouldhavemovedanywheretobewithHn.Butitwasmorethanthat.Riesewasmore

likeherhomelandofGebtigethanGrauzone.InGrauzonetheskywasalwaysgrey.The

peopleweregrey.Thebuildingsweregrey.Funny.Therewasatimewhenherfavoritecolor

wasgrey.Shefoundittheperfectneutralforhertocreatebeauty.ButthatwasinGebtige,

wheretheskywasblueandcolorsweretrueandneededtobecontrastedinorderto

highlightthebeauty.Andthentherewasthesamenessofitall.Notonlywasitallgrey,but

allthesamesizeandshape.Howcanyoushowcontrastwhenthereisnone?Howcanyou

experimentwithpositiveandnegativespace,shapeandform,whenallisconformity?Itall

feltlikenegativespaceafterawhile.

InEbbe,thetownwhereHnwasfrom,spacewasdifferent,buildingsweredifferent,and

theskywasblue!ItwasactuallybetterthaninGebtige.Sometimesthere,peoplewereso

concernedwithbeingdifferentthattheydidn'tstopandconsiderhowthingsworkedasa

whole.Sometimestheydidn'tevenseehowthingsworkedasathing,muchlessifitwas

beautifulnexttoandenhancedistsurroundings.Bigandbeautifulwereofteninterchanged

withoutthoughtasthoughtheywerethesamething.Andofcoursefartoooftenfor

Kunstlina'slikingnoonelookedbeneaththebeauty.That'swhyshewantedtogototheland

ontheothersideoftheworld.Allthethingsthatwereimportedwerewonderful.She

thoughtifshe

could

go

there,

she

could

be

surrounded

by

beauty

and

be

happy.

To

her

dismay,Grauzoneshippedthemajorityofitsbeautytootherplaces.Mostofthepeople

theredidn'twanttoreevaluatebeauty.Theywantedtokeepthesameoldbeautytheyhad

hadforever.Shewonderedwhathadhappenedtotheexplorerswhohaddiscoveredher

country.Butagain,theyweretheonesexportedandunsatisfied.

HnhadbeendrawntoGrauzoneforsomeofthesamereasons,butdifferentonestoo.He

thoughtthegreywasdifferentandinteresting,atfirst.Butafteratimeitbegantoeataway

athim.Havingfinetunedhislanguageskills,whenitwastimetogobacktoEbbe,theonly

reasonhehadforstayingwasIna.

PerhapsthebestthingaboutEbbewasitwasnexttotheocean.InGebtige,Inahadlived

equaldistancebetweenthemountainsandthebeach.Therewasneveracontest.Sheloved

thebeach.Itmatchedherconceptofeverchangingbeauty.Witheachwaveitisrenewed

andrevitalized.Shelovedtheeffectthetideandthesandhadonobjects.Brokenglassand

shellsbecamejewels.Stonesbecamesmoothandproportioned.Uglinesswasmade

beautifulbynature.Whenshewaslittleshetoldhergrandmothershewasgoingtogoto

thebeachandstayaslongasshelikedwhenshegotbig.Shedid.Afterthefirstcycleofher

education,shemovedtothebeach.Butthepeopletheredidn'tloveitlikeshedid.They

didn'tstay.Theywouldgobacktotheirtownsandonlycomewhentheweatherwaswarm

inthe

summer.

Then

they

would

fill

themselves

with

alterants

and

do

things

they

felt

they

couldn'tdoathomewherepeopleknewthem.Theyweren'tthereforthesamereasonsand


15/36

shesoonfoundherselfwantingtomovetothecitywhereshethoughtpeoplewouldbe

morereal.

Buteveryyearinthespringshefeltshewasinthewrongplace.Shelongedtohavethesalt

airfillherlungs,thesuntodeepenherskin,andtowalkinthesandasherlegsstrengthened

andherfeetwerepumicedsmooth.Naturemakingherbeautifuljustliketheglass,stone,

andshell.

She

loved

creating

beauty

and

recording

it

before

and

as

the

tide

did

its

duty.

In

Ebbeshehadfoundthebestofeverythingshelovedandaboveall,Hn.Howshewished

timewouldstandstillwhentheyvisitedandflyinbetweenuntilshecouldbetherewithhim

andAffe.

Chapter5Inthistimenationswereinterdependantfinancially.Mosteconomywasbasedon

individuals,butafewnationshadmostofthepower.Kunsterlina'shomelandwasoneofthe

bigplayers.WhenshewentbackaftermakingbeautyinEbbethingschangedalloverthe

world.Someofthelesspowerfullandshadbeenangryforalongtime,butGebtigeignored

themastheyseemedlikenorealthreat,moreofanusiancethananything.Whenpeople

loseeverything,theyhavenothingtolose.Somethingtoalwaysremember.Somewarrior

trainingisforlifeandsomeforwar.Theseweretrainedfordeath.Theysacrificed

themselvesandcountlessothersjusttobeheard.Ofcoursethepowerfulleadersofthe

worldwerecaughtoffguardbythiswouldbegnat.Thingschanged.Withtheworldin

turmoil,peoplebeganto forgetinnerbeautyandturninginsteadtoquickfixouterbeauty.

Maybetommorrowwon'tcome,soweshouldlookgoodtoday.Noonewasinterestedin

Kunstlerina'smethods

of

combining

inner

and

outer

beauty.

Without

their

support

she

couldnolongermakeherownbeauty.Shewouldhavesuccumbedtothegreyandthe

negativespacewereitnotforthevisitsandsupportofHn.Andofcoursetheknowledge

thatitwasalltemporaryandthefuturewouldbeherandhiminRiese.Sometimesit

seemedtobegettingfurtherandfurtheraway.Soonshehadtofindanewwaytosurvive.

Shethoughtshehadfoundsomethingshecoulduseinherbeauty.Shestudiedveryhard.

Shetriedveryhard,butshewasinexperiencedandfounditdifficulttostayfocused.She

keptgoingbecausesheknewattheendofittheywouldbetogetherandinRiesetheyloved

beauty.Hnwouldcomeandtheywouldhaveashortadventure,butthingsweretighter

andtighterandtheadventuresweremoredifficulttomaintain.Thegreywaswinningexcept

whenhe

was

there.

Finally

the

time

would

soon

be

here

when

his

training

was

finished

and

theycouldleaveGrauzone.ShewasexcitedbecausetheyweregoingtogotoWeintraube

first.TheretheycouldexploreandshewouldhaveanewoutlookonbeautyforEbbe.In

Weintraubetheskywasblueandshehadhearditwasalwayswarm.Affewasexcitedtoo.

HewasboredwiththewildlifeinAbwertendandalthoughtheyhadbeenthere2yearshe

hadn'tmadeanyfriends.

AllthistimeHnhadbeenlearningnewthings.Inawasproudofhim.Ebbehaddonetohim

whatshelongeditwouldtoher.Hehadgatheredaroundhimagroupoffriends.Whenshe

visited,theywouldincludeher.Shefeltthatevenwhenshewasn'tthere,shewas.

Sometimesit

was

difficult

for

her

because

while

they

spoke

her

language,

she

didn't

speak

theirs.Plusthereweremanymemoriestheysharedthatshehadmissed.Sheenjoyedwhat


16/36

fewadventuresshecould andwaslookingforwardtothetimewhenshecouldgrowto

understandthembetter.

Daysbeforetheyweretoreuniteindefinately,astrangethinghappened.Theveilthathad

beenliftedsolongagoinJesterseemedtohavebeenreplaced.Hncouldnolonger

rememberthose

feelings

they

had

shared.

He

no

longer

wanted

to

go

to

Weintraube

with

her.Hedidn'tknowher.

Chapter6Inawassogriefstrickenshethoughtshewoulddie.Shenolongertrustedhersenseof

realityandcouldnotmakebeauty.Havinglostherownconcepts,shehadnodirectionwith

whichtoadviseothers.Shefellintoadeepsleep.Shebegantodream.Hnappeared.At

firstshewassoexcitedthatshecouldn'tthink,shejustwantedtobeinhisarms.Hewas

speakinginalanguageshecouldn'tunderstand.Afteratimeherpowerofconcentration

returnedandshecouldunderstand.Hetoldhertheshockingandawfulnews.

Foreverpeoplehadacceptedpredestiny.IthadbeenwrittenthatTheat,thegodof

relationshipsspentmostofhisdaycarefullychoreographingpeopleslives.Whatpeople

didn'tknowwashehadgrownbored.Hefelthehadexploredthesemovementsandevery

combination.ThenhemetChance,thegodofluck.Themoretheyhungoutandtheorized,

themoreinspiredhebecame.

Whatif

you

assigned

situations

to

the

sides

of

acube

and

threw

it

to

see

how

it

would

land?

Thepossibilitiesseemedendles.Theatspentcountlesshoursmakingsitcubes.Soonhis

homewasfullofthem.Timeforanewplan.Hedevisedamethodofnumberingthesidesof

thecubes,16.Thenhemadesitlistsandassignedeachanumericvalue.Thenhewouldroll

thesitcubeandwhatevernumberlandedfaceupwouldbethenextbitinthechoreography.

Thisblewthepossibilityfactorouttheroofandhestillhadroomtoinvitefriendsover. He

kepttheoriginalsitcubesandbuiltspeciallittledisplaystandsforthem,conversationpieces

forparties.Atfirstheonlyusedonesitcube,butdiscoveredasthenumberofsitcubes

increased,sodidthepossibilities.Hefinallysettledonnomorethan6atatime.Eventheat

hadtostopsomewhere,forexcesscausesdisproportion.Ormaybeitwashisprideathaving

12fingers

and

12

toes...

InaandHnknewtheirunionhadbeenamiracle,buttheyhadnoideahowmuchso.It

seemsTheathadbeenexperimenting. Heused6sitcubes,assigning6valuestoeachone.

Hewasreallyexcitedbecausethiswasthefirsttimehehadtestedsomanypossibilitiesat

onetime.Theoryhadgivenwaytopractice.Thisishowtheylanded:

Sitcube1=deliverence

Sitcube2=idris

Sitcube3=1

Sitcube4=

3

Sitcube5=splitworlds

Sitcube6=individualcontrol


17/36

Translatedthismeantthatoneunioninidriswouldexperiencedeliverence.After3years

theywouldbeplacedinsplitworlds,buthadtheoppurtunitytocontroltheirultimate

destiny.Thelastonewasthewildest.Neverbeforehadpeoplebeengivenachanceto

changetheirdestiny.

Sothisiswhathadhappened.Now,afterthreeyears,HnhadswitchedplaceswiththeHn

fromtheotherworld.Thegoodnewswastheycouldfindeachother,buthow?

Surprise.Theat'ssitcubesheldtheanswers.Againthesixsitcubes,butthistimeasetforIna

andasetforHn.Eachhadasitlistwithitemstocollect.36possibilitieseach.72inall.If

eitherofthemfailedatanyofthetasks,allbetswereoffandtheywouldhavetoliveinsplit

worldsforever.Ina'sitemshadbeencast.Hnhadcometoexplainandtellherwhatthe

firstonewas.

Ascalefromtheglassandmetalfishwherethemouselives.InaaskedHnwhathehadtocollect.Hesaidhedidn'tknow.Theatwouldtellhimaftershe

hadthescale.Sheaskedwhenhewouldcomeback.Hesaidafterhehadcollectedhisfirst

item,hewouldcomebackandtellherhersecond.Ifheneverreturned,oneofthemhad

failed.Hepromisedhewouldn'tandthenhefaded.

Chapter7Inaawoke.Wasthedreamreal?Itwasallshehad,soshehadtobelieve.Shefeltconfident

Hn'swarriortrainingwouldhelphim.Shewasn'tsosureaboutherself.Sheonlyknewhow

tomakebeauty.ShediscussedherdreamwithAffe.Hebelievedher.Animalshadknownof

Theat'stheoreticalexperimentsforawhile.Luckilytheyweren'tcontrolledbythegodsand

werefreetodoastheypleased.Affe,toohadbeenreadyfortheirnewlifeand agreedto

helpinanywayhecould.Bothwereperplexed.Whatdiditmean?Howcouldtheyfindit?

Inacouldn'tsitstill.Inthepastwhenshehadhadadilema,shewouldwalkuntilshefounda

solution.Thiswasnoordinaryproblem.Shewonderedhowfarshewouldhavetogotofind

ananswer.

Perhaps

she

should

pack

some

lunch.

As

she

walked

her

head

cleared.

Of

course.

Shewastheperfectpersonforthejob.Shehadstudiedtheworkofacertainman,Frictig,

whomadehugestructuresofglassandmetal.Hehadbeeninspiredbyfishhisgrandmother

keptinthebathtub.Helovedtowatchthemmove.Hehadcreatedtheseworksofbeautyall

overtheworld.InfactInahadtraveledtoseveralofthestructurestobeinspired.Forher

birthdayHnhadgivenherabookaboutaspecialone.Theyhadtraveledtogethertoseeit.

Itwasguardedbyadogofflowers,andheldgreatworksofbeautymadebypeoplefromall

overtheworld. Anothersheknewheldoffices.Shehaddrankmeltedchocolateinthelobby

whilepeoplesangthestockindexchangescontinually,notinunison,butfreeform,likea

vocal,numericaljazz.Shehadenjoyeditverymuch.Huh,a mouse?.....Affewasnohelp.All

themice

he

had

known

had

come

to

an

early

demise.


18/36

BythistimenewsofthedisasterhadreachedIna'sfamily.Hersisterofferedherrespite.She

knewFrictigwasbasedwherehersisterlivedandhopedhewouldseeherandhelp.Affe

saidhewouldholdthefortandletherknowifhehadanybrilliantbreakthroughs.

ItwasalongjourneybacktoGebtige.Inawasstillweakandkeptgetting sickalongthe

way.When

she

finally

arrived

she

was

happy

to

see

her

sister.

She

had

not

been

home

in

manyyears.Ithadchanged.Newvegitationhadevolved.Everythingwasdifferent.Trees

weresoft,yetstrongandtall.Theirrootsgrewabovegroundandlookedasthoughthey

wouldfallover.Shefeltsoftandexposedtoo,sotoseethemgrowsotallgavehercomfort.

Peopledidn'ttalkfacetoface,onlyonpiecesofplasticintheirears.Everyoneseemedtobe

walkingaroundtalkingtothemselves,muchliketheyweremad.Inadidn'thaveanyplastic

sotheyhadtoreverttotheoldwayofcommunicationwhenaddressingher. Theyhadno

problemwiththat.Theywereusedtovisitors.That'swhatshewasnow.

Dayspassed.Frictigwouldnotgrantheraninterview.Inawasn'tsurprised.Afterallhedidn't

knowher

from

Adam

and

he

was

in

the

middle

of

amajor

project.

Her

sister

tried

various

meansofentertainingher.ofcoursehermindwaselsewhere.Onedaytheywerewalking

andInasawitgleaminginthedistance.There,inthemiddleofthecitywasthefish.She

askedhersisterwholivedthere.Shedidn'tknow.Itwasabigsecret.Inahadtofindout.

Theywereonamission.Astheyapproachedtheynoticedanabundanceofcheeseshops.

Theysawpostersprotestingtraps,evenhumaneones.Therewerebigdogseverywhere.

Billboardsweredepictingcatsinaveryunflatteringmanner.Soontheywereatthe

entrance.Themailboxread,"m&m".EveryoneknewMikkiandMeenemouse.Thiswasthe

place.

Theycircled

the

block.

The

house

filled

it

entirely.

Luckily

there

was

still

deconstruction

goingon,buttherewasalsoafence....andguards.Theytalkedtotheguards,sayingtheyhad

travelledfromafarawaylandtoseetheworkofthegreatFrictig.Theguardsthoughtthey

mightbecelebrities,butstillwouldn'tletthemin.

Theycircledtheblock.Thistimelookingforanydebristhatmighthavesomehowfallen

outsidethefence.Amanwithoneredshoeandoneblueshoelookedatthemsuspiciously.

Theylaughedknowinghewastheoddone.Becausetheywerestudyingthegroundso

intently,othersbegantodothesame,notknowingwhattolookfor. Inapickedupanything

thatcouldpossiblybeascale....anythingthatcaughtthelight.Whenherhandscouldcarry

nomore,

they

went

and

sat

down

to

sort

through

what

they

had

found.

There

in

the

pile

of

garbagewasonebeautiful,gleamingscalewrappedinsilverwire.Shehelditclosetoher

heartandhopedHncouldhearherheartbeating.Shecouldhearnothingelse.Asthe

moisturewelledinhereyes,atearlandedonthescaleandcreatedasparklethatcouldbe

feltbyeveryoneinthecity,andofcourseTheat.

Chapter8Being

unable

to

stand

being

away

from

Affe

no

more,

Ina

left

her

sister

and

returned

to

Grauzonetoshowhimherfind. Hewasfullofquestions.Afterhearingaboutthepredjudice

towardscats,hehadabadtasteinhismouthfortheplace.Allshecoulddonowwaswait.


19/36

Havingsuchabeautifulexperiencehadmadeherstronger.Shestartedhelpingpeople

beautifythemselvesagain.Still,shecouldtellshewasn'therself.Sheknewifshewereto

collectallsixitems,shewouldhavetostartmakingherownbeautyagain.Thiswashowshe

gainedstrength.Thishadmadeherinvinceablewhenothercatastrophieshadcrossedher

path.BeautyalonecouldsetHnfree.

ButthegreynesswassounbearableandeverywherewereremindersofHn.Shefoundit

difficulttoconcentrateonanythingelse.

Whileshehadbeengone,thepapersallowinghertomovearrived.Shedidn'tfeelshecould

gotoReisewithoutHn. Butwhereshouldshego?BorderingRiesetothesouthwasEsche.

ShehadheardthetownofPhnixwasfulloflikemindedbeautymakers.Forionsithad

beenaseatofcreativity.Thismadeitanenvironmentwherepeoplecouldlivewithouttoo

muchmoneyandcouldspendmoretimeonrealwork,fromtheheart.Affewaspacked,Ina

shortlythereafter.ShesentmessagestoHntelepathically,hopinghewouldfindher,but

notwanting

to

distract

him

from

his

adventure.

PeoplehadmixedemotionsaboutInaleavingAbwertend.Somewouldmissher,some

understood,butsomewerejustgladtoberidofher.Theyhadgrowntiredofherstoryof

Theatandchance.Theydidn'twanttoquestionpredestiny.Atsomestagetheywouldmeet

theirdestiny,butuntilthentheywentaroundunifyingwithanyonewhowasinterested.

Theythoughttheyshouldhaveasmanyexperiences,howeverunfullfillingastheycoulduntil

then.Hewhogathersthemostunionswins!TheythoughtHnwasdestinedtobeajerk,like

somanyothermen.Theydidn'tbelieveindeliverence. Theyhadneverandwouldnever

experienceit Hertruefriendsalwayssupportedher.

Chapter9ThedayAffeandInaarrivedinPhnixtheskywasblue.Itwaskindofamixedupplace.

Therewasbeautyadjacenttouglinesseverywhere.Peopleweretryingtochangetheuglyto

beautyinalmosteveryblock.Withsomuchconstructionandrebuilding,theairwasnotonly

fullofpositiveenergy,butdust.Inadidn'tmind.Dustremindedherofrenewal.Every

buildingprojectshehadparticipatedinsmelledthatwayandalwaysshefeltsatisfiedatthe

endof

it.

Phnix

looked

like

aproject

that

could

take

longer

than

alifetime

to

complete.

It

hadbeentheproductofconflictivegovernmentforthelast40yearsandwasjustonly

beginningtorecover.Inafeltathomebecauseshetoowastryingtorecover.Shetriedto

settleinandmakeasmuchbeautyasshecould.

ShekeptwaitingforHntocometoherinherdreams.Astimepassedshegrewwearyand

frightenedthatsomethinghadhappenedtohim.Shebegantosleeplongerandlongerto

givehimmoreoppurtunity.Atlasthecame.Hewasnotallowedtotellherhistask.He

lookedtired.Shewishedshecouldcomforthimandrunherfingersthroughhishairuntilhe

fellasleepasshehaddonesomanytimeswhenhehadaheadache......shesawthepain

behindhis

eyes.

This

time

they

were

not

allowed

to

touch.

She

was

not

allowed

to

speak.

Shewantedtosaysomuch,buthadtoholdhertongue.Timewasshortandhecouldonly


20/36

say,"OdOdegg".Allthatwaitingforsuchashortdream.Shetriedtogobacktosleepanddreamitagain.Andagain.Andagain.

WhatwasanOdOd?Affeknew.Itwasabird.AspecialbirdfromthelandofInsideout.InaknewaboutInsideout.Thereeveryonewasinsideout.Thismeantthattheirskinwasonthe

insideand

then

their

muscles

and

then

their

organs.

This

sounds

discusting,

but

to

them

they

alllookedlikethatandnobodynoticed.Itdidmakeforratheroddchatuplines.Popular

was,"I'd liketostrokeyourkidneys."Don'task.Anotherslightproblemarose.Withorgans

ontheoutside,lifeexpectancywasveryshort.Theyneededprotectionfromtheelements.

that'swhyInaknewaboutthem.Theycreatedsuchwonderful,protectivegarments,that

theexportscouldonlybefoundinexclusiveshops.ThatwastheonetimeInawouldhave

likedtohavemoney.Shelovedthesegarments,butcouldn'tmakebeautyandhavethem.

Oftenshewouldlookatthemtogetinspirationforherowngarments.Shemademostofher

ownthingsfromotherthings,asusual.

Sheknew

she

would

be

found

out

unless

she

used

the

finest

of

materials.

In

anew

town

thingsarehardtofind.OnedayKeircametothedoor,lookingfortheprevioustennant.Ina

explainedshewaslivingherenow,butshewasmorethanwelcometocomeinandhavea

drink.Theyfellinstantfriendsandtalkedforalongtime.Keirtoohadalovewhowasina

distantplaceandherfriendshadgrowntiredofherbabel.Shewasgladtohavesomeone

newtoconversewithwhounderstoodherfeelings.InatoldKeiroftheclothingshehadto

makeandKeirknewexactlywheretotakeher.Earlyonesaturdaymorningtheyheadedfor

thewestsideofthecity.Peopleweredifferentthere.Morelikethoseinothercities.They

boughttheirbeautymoreoftenthanmadeit.Theypotentiallywouldbefuturecustomers

forIna'swork,butrightnowshehadotherthingsonhermind.

Shefoundlovelyfabricsandthreadsmadefromthingsshehadneverseenbefore.They

wenttotheplacethatsoldgoodsfromInsideout.Ah,theonethingInacouldn't

make....shoes.sShecouldn'tfakethat.Shespentherfoodmoneyfortwoweekstobuya

pairforherandaquadforAffe.Shewouldgladlygowithout.Foodhadheldlittleorno

interestsinceHn'sdeparture.Theshoeswerepadded,forprotection.Theywerethemost

beautuifulandcomfortablethingsshehadeverhadonherfeet.ShehopedAffewouldlike

his.Hewasn'taccustomedtowearingany.

Outfitscompletelycoveringthem,InaandAffesetoffforInsideout.Thejourneywasn'tthat

far,just

long

enough

for

them

to

get

accustomed

to

walking

in

the

new

way,

as

not

to

be

noticed.OutsidersseldomcametoInsideout.Theyweren'tallowedtoshowtheirskin.Those

whodidfellpreytothugs,foritwasexceptedthosewithnoprotectionwereaskingforit.

AsInaandAffewerewalkingintotowntheynosesfilledwithabeautifulfragrance.It

seemedtopermeatetheirwholebeings.Andthentheyheardsinging.Affewassoexcited.

Hehadheardthesoundoftheododwasamazing,butcouldnotbelievehisears.Ina

thoughtitwasok.Nothingtowritehomeabout,butAffewastrulyaffected.Hetoldherto

enjoyherselfandhewouldtakecareofthisone.Shehaddecidedlongagonottowatchhis

escapades.Earlyonshehaddonesoandbeensorepulsed,shevowednevertobepartyto

such

a

thing

again.

Sometimes

he

would

bring

her

momentos.

She

accepted,

but

quickly

rid

herselfofthemnotfindingthembeautifulatall.Affewasgoodatwhathedid,soshe


21/36

agreed,hopingthesquarenessinhiseyeswouldn'tbepermanent.Theyseemedmore

squarethanonhispreviousconquests.

MeanwhileInawalkedthestreetsofInsideout,alone.Shoppingwasagooddistractionand

everythingwassobeautiful! Shefoundsomanynewandwonderfulthingsthatwerenot

exported.It

seems

some

Insideouters

had

become

allergic

to

something

in

their

protective

clothing.Thishadactuallyspeduptheiragingprocess.Onsalewerespecialdevicestoslow

downtime.SomeInsideouterswithoutallergieshadtriedthedevices,buttheyonlyfeltlike

timewasslowingwhenitwasactuallyspeedingup.Theywereexperiencingdamaging

effects,butthedevicemadethemfeelgoodandtheystoppedcaring.Itwasbecauseofthis

thataspecialpermithadtobewritteninordertoobtainthedeviceslegally.Individualshad

tobeexaminedbyanallergisttoobtainapermit.Butlikeanywhereelsethingsarealways

forsaleinspecialshops.

Inaaccidentallycameupononeofthem.Shelookedatthedevicecuriously.Shewishedshe

hadhad

one

during

the

three

years.

She

would

have

done

anything

to

make

that

time

last

longer....stopit entirelyofpossible.NowheronlycontactwithHnwasindreams.Wouldit

workthere?Howmuchwasit?

InInsideouteverythingwasbeautifulsoagreatvaluewasplacedonugliness.Inaalwayshad

somethinguglyinherpocketinhopeofmakingitbeautifuloneday.Shepulledouta

mashedbottlecap.Theshopkeeperseemedslightlyinterested.Shedugagain,thistime

pullingoutanearring.Hisinterestincreased.Oncemoreherhandwentintoherpocket.His

eyesgrewashesawthewirethathadonceheldachampagnecork.Champagnewasillegal

inInsideout.Anythingthatflewoutofcontrolcouldquiteliterallyputyoureyeout!Deal

closed.

InasatonabenchnearastreamandwaitedforAffe.Sheexaminedhertimedevice.Itwas

labled696.Shehadnoideawhatthat stoodfor,butshedidn'tcare.Sheonlyhopedit

wouldprolonghervisitsfromHninthedreamworld.Withasmileonherfaceshethought

aboutwhatshewoulddowiththeextratime.Shemisseddeliverence.

Affeappeared,limping.Hisnosehadanopenwoundandoneithersideofhisbodywere

patcheswherehisfurhadgonewhite.Inhismouthwasanobject.Hewalkedoverand

placeditinherhand,smiled,jumpedintoherlapandfellasleep.Sherubbedhimunderthe

chinin

thanks

until

she

too

fell

asleep.

There

they

slept

for

24

hours.

When

they

woke

up,

theywerestarving.AnInsideouterwalkedbysellinghotpizzas.Shestillhadsomeuglinessin

herpocket, shereplaceditwiththeegg.Therewasenoughforonepizzaeach....beastfeast

forhim,veggieforher,shehadlongcastoffthepracticeofeatinganimals.Itwasabeautiful

day.BelliesfulltheysetoffforPhnix.

Chapter10Exhausted

from

their

adventure,

Ina

and

Affe

spent

much

of

their

time

asleep.

Plus

she

knew

Hnwouldcontactherinherdreams.Shedidn'twanttomisshim.Sheexperimentedwith

696.Itwasalong,cylindricalobject.Itwasdividedintosectionsthatturned.Youcouldmake


22/36

differentcolorsbyturningitindifferentcombinationsandintensities.Sometimesshefelt

shewasslowerthaneveryoneelse.Sometimesshewasfaster.Thisexperimentationthrew

hertimingoffinsuchawayshehadproblemswithherspacialawareness. Quiteoftenshe

wouldfindherselfinthewrongplaceattherighttimeortherightplaceatthewrongtime.

Afterawhileshethoughtitbettertostayindoors.Thereshecouldn'thurtanyonebut

herself.She

worked

on

making

beauty

in

her

own

time

and

space

and

waited.

Afterwhatmayhaveseemedaneternity,forshehadlostherperceptionoftime,Hn

appeared.Shehopedshehadset696totherightsetting.Heseemedexhilerated.Hehad

enjoyedhislastadventureverymuch.Hetoldherallaboutit.Shelistenedintently,wishing

shehadbeenabletoshareitwithhiminperson.Fornowjusthearinghimtellthetalewas

enough.Shecouldtellheheldsomethingsback.Theathadswornhimtosilenceandsome

thingshadbeenquitedangerous.Hedidn'twanttoworryher.Itfeltgoodtotalkandlaugh

again.Hehadhernextitem:

DancingdebrisfromthelandwherewomendressedasmendressingaswomenHesaidhelovedherandmissedherandthenhewasgoneagain.Fordaysshewashappy,

highfromthesoundofhisvoice.Shehadwrittenitdown,butgavenothoughttotheriddle.

Afteratimeshebegantocomedown.Affestartedtoworryandinanefforttocheerhergot

outhercityphotoalbum.Itcontainedacollectionofimagesfromalloftheplacesshehad

visited.Sheabligedhimbylookingatit.

Allofthesuddenshejumpedupandfranticallyrantothedeskforthepaper.Thatwasit!

Shehadbeentoaplacewherewomendressedasmendressingaswomen.She

rememberedhow

much

she

wished

she

had

been

there

when

she

was

younger

and

only

believedinsuperficialbeauty.Shewouldhavebeenoneofthem.Ittooknotalentexcept

makingyourselfbeautifulwithpaintandmouthingthewordstoasongyouhadhearda

milliontimes.Ohyes,andyouhadtowearreallyinterestingclothesanddance.Talkabouta

dreamjob!Affedecidedhewouldstayhomethistime.Hehadhadplentyadventurefora

littlewhileandsomeonehadtocheckthemail.

AgainInasetoffonajourney.Only2countriesawaythistime.Andaplacewhereitwas

warm.Shewasglad.ItwasgettingcolderinPhnixandhercloakswerestillinGrauzone.Ina

checkedintoahostelandplannedherattack.Shewouldstartattheplacewhereshehad

seenthe

drag

kings

before,

the

Black

and

White

club.

So

she

did.

They

remembered

her

for

somestrangereasonandgaveherfreebeveragesimmediately.Participating

halfheartedlyinsomesmalltalk,sheaskedeveryonesheknewwhereshecouldgoto

dance.Dancinghadbecomeunpopularsincethelasttimeshewasthere.Nooneseemedto

knowanywhere.Theyweremoreconcernedwithbeveragesthandancing.Afterawhileshe

hadhadenoughandwentoutsideforair.ThereshemettheBitman,socalledbecausehe

knewabitaboutthisandabitaboutthatandcouldtalktoanyoneaboutanysubject.

Casuallybetweencartoons,predestination,andrecyclingofmechanicalwaste,sheworked

intotheconversation,"Doyouknow anywheretodance?"Butofcourse.Heknewofaparty

thatveryevening.Itwasinthebridgeunderthetrainatthenextstation.Andofftheywent.

Andwhataspace.Allaroundthewallsweremachineswithlightsonthefloor.Peoplewere

tryingtofollowwith


23/36

Thepatternsthelightsmadewiththeirfeetintimetothemusic.Whentheydidwell,it

wouldsay,"wow,you'eareallygreatdancer".Whenthey didn'titwouldsay,"youstupid

clutz!Getoffandletsomeonewhocandanceplay!"Inasearchedthefloor.Nodebris.She

figuredwhileshewasthereshe'dgiveitago.DidIsayshehadalwayslovedtodance?She

goton.Everythingitthrewathershemastered,nevermissingastep.Atsomepointitwas

followingher

instead

of

she

it.

This

continued.

A

crowd

formed.

They

were

chanting,"

goina,

goina".afteranumberofhoursthecrowdbegantothin.30hourshadpassed,butInawas

socaughtupinthemomentshedidn'tnotice.Shejustkeptongoing.Shebegantoget

smaller.Herclothingtogetbigger,untilherpantsweresolongshewastrippingonthem.

Shedancedsohardtheywerebreakingaway.Finally,onebigtripandfall.Onthefloorshe

sawthestripsthathadcomeoffthebottomofherpants.Dancingdebris.Thethirdobject.

Shelaughed.Shewashappy.Halfwaythereandthishadbeenfun.Shecheckedoutofthe

hostelandhurriedhometosleepinherownbed.

Chapter11Sleep,soprecious,nowmorethanever.Inahadmastered696bynow.Shespedupawake

timeandslowedsleeptime.Shewaited,andwaited,andwaited,countingthesleeps.They

seemedinfinate.WherewasHn?Washeok?Shetrustedhisstrength,butshecouldn't

helpworrying.Somanysleepspassedshehadlostcount.Shesenttelepathicmessagesto

helphimsohecouldfinishhismissionandshecouldseehim.Shewishedshecoulddomore

tosupporthim,butitwasoutofhercontrol.Shefeltsohelpless.

Atlast

Hn

appeared.

At

first

he

seemed

distant,

but

soon

they

were

laughing.

It

felt

good

to

laugh.Itfeltgoodtohearhisvoiceandseethatbeautifulsmilesheloved.Whensheasked

hernextitemhesaidTheathadonlygivenhimanimage.Hehopedhecouldrecreateit,not

beingasadeptatdrawingasshe.Hesaidhelovedherandwasgoneagain.

Inaawokeandimmediatelyopenedhersketchbook.Fordaysshecopiedwhathehad

expressed.Thoughherhandswerecramping,shepersisted,hopingitwouldgiveher

answers.Thefrictionofthepenonthepapercalmedher.Sometimesshewentinto

automaticpilotandforgoteverythingexceptthatfrictionandmotion.

Affehad

to

feed

her

because

she

had

lost

interest

in

eating.

He

loved

everything

about

eating,begging,catchingandplayingwithyourfood,purejoy.Onemorninghewasreading

thepaperunderhisbreakfastwhenhesawanad.Thelogolookedfamiliar. HetookIna

something.Thatwasit.ItwastheimagefromHn.Hequicklydrughertohisleftovers.Ina

triedtoreadthead.Itwasdifficultthroughthefood.Affewasamessyeater.Shedid

managetogetcontactinformation.Adsneverreallytoldyouanythinganyway,onlyifyou

usetheirproductbeautifulpeoplewilllikeyouandwanttohaveunion.Lies,butbeautiful

ones.

Shearrangedameetingwitharepresentativeof "rememberwhenyouwerebeautiful".Ina

wasalittle

taken

aback

by

the

agent.

He

was

ajolly,

round

kind

of

guy

in

leather

hotpants,

matchingvest,andconstructionboots.Notexactlywhatshehadexpected.Onceshegained


24/36

hercomposure,forshefounditdifficultnottolaugh,shegotdowntobusiness.Whatdid

thiscompanyactuallydo?

Peoplehaddiscoveredbeautifulmemoriesmadethembeautiful.RWBhaddevisedawayto

givepeoplewithbadmemoriesbeautifulones,thuscreatingphysicalbeautyintherecipient.

Theonly

catch

was

the

retention

of

the

memory

depended

on

unknown

factors

in

the

recipient.Whenthememorywaslost,sowerethephysicalbenefits.Mostclientswererich

andhadthetreatmentiftheyhadabigpartytogoto.Thememorygiverheldadevicein

theirhand.Atthesametimetherecipientheldadevice.Thememorywasinstantly

transferred.Heshowedheraselectionofdevicesindifferentpriceranges.Onewasthe

companylogo.Sheasked.Itwasthepremiummodel.Exchangeblefor10yearsrent

anywhereintheworldforthegiver.

Ok.Shewouldgive.Shetoldtheagentofaneveningshehadsharewithherfriendswhere

theylaughedtilltheycried."Nice,butnotpremium."Thiswouldnotbeaseasyasshe

thought.She

hated

the

idea

of

temporary

beauty.

It

went

against

all

she

taught

and

practiced,butshehadtogetthatdevice.ForHnshewouldsacrificeherprinciples.All'sfair

inloveandwar,right?

Reluctantly sherecountedamemoryofbakingcakeswithhermother.Hermotheralways

letherlickthebowlandthebeaters.Shelikedtherawcakebatteralmostasmuchasthe

icing.Inahadfewhappymemoriesofhermotherbeforeshehadlefther.Surelythiswas

premium."Better,butnotpremium,I'mafraid."

Ina'srecentexperiencehadcausedhertorevalueherlife.Shehadrealizedthatnothing

reallymattered

except

Hn.

She

would

glady

give

up

anything

to

change

what

had

happened,evengiveupmakingbeauty.Nowallshehadwerehermemories.Ifoneofthem

failedtheywouldneverbetogetheragain.Hermostpreciousmemorieswereoftheday

theymetandtheirdeliverence.Shewouldneverpartwiththose.Shebegantothinkofallof

theirexperiences,eachaspreciousastheothers.Herstomachgrewweasyandshebeganto

cryasshechoseone.Thefirstholidaytogether,shehadtraveledtoRiese.Ithadbeenher

bestholidayever.Atfirstsomeofthetraditionswereoddtoher,butshehadbecome

accustomedtothemandhadlearnedtolovethem.Theyhadspentthechangingoftheyear

alonebytheocean.Shecouldstillsmellthesmokefromthefire.Theyhadbeensoexcited

tospendthis,andvowedtospendeverychangingtogether,eternally.Now,withthe

holidaysapproaching,

knowing

the

vow

would

be

broken............"That's

premium!"

said

the

agent.Inatookthedeviceinherhandandthememorywasgone.

Inawenthomeandtriedtoremember.Shelookedatthephotosfromtheholiday.Nothing.

Shesetthe696onfasttimeandcriedherselftosleep.

Chapter12A

lively

discussion

insued

at

one

of

Theat's

many

cocktail

parties.

"It's

unethical."

Said

some.

Itjustmakesitmoreinteresting."Saidothers.Thepitterpatterwentbackandforth,Theat


25/36

enjoyingeveryminuteofit,tryingtorememberhowthetopicof696hadcomeup.He

hopedithadbeenhimwhohadsparkedsuchalovelydebate.

696useaffectedthesplitworldsindifferentways.Oppositeactually.EverytimeInaspedup

hertime,Hn'swassloweddownandviceversa.Additionally,whentimeslowedinHn's

world,his

memories

lost

intensity.

This

was

causing

him

to

forget

why

he

was

collecting

the

itemsinthefirstplace.Whilehewasenjoyingtheadventures,hewaslosingpurposeand

gettingbored.

Thepartytopic:Wasitfairforhernottohavethisinformationsincethecouplehadbeen

rolledtheselfcontrolsitcube?Theatdidn'tthinkmuchaboutit.Hewashappyaboutthe

successofhisparty.

Chapter13ThistimeHncametoInaprettyfast.Shehadbeenusing696alotsincesacrificingher

memoryandherprinciples.Hewasverydistracted.Shefelthewasn'tlisteningatallwhen

shespoke.Sheaskedaboutheritem."Ohyeah,it'saglowingshrimp."Andheleftwithnoembrace,nowords,nothing.

Inafeltsoempty.Shedidn'tknowwhattodo.Shewasconfusedanddisappointedbyhis

behavior.Shesenttelepathicmessagesofherlove,hoping.Forabriefmomentshethought

abouttheRYBdevice.Shecouldredeemitfor10yearsofrent.Shecouldtraveltheworld

andmake

beauty.

This

had

been

her

dream

before

she

met

Hn.

He

had

seemed

so

distant.

Butthethoughtwasonlyfleeting.Shewouldn'tgiveup.Todosowouldbeinstantdeath.

Theyhadbeenrolledtheselfcontrolsitcube.Therewouldalwaysbehope.Itprovidedthe

comfortandstrengthsheneededtofindtheglowingshrimp.

Chapter14Theat

had

begun

to

feel

alittle

guilty

after

thinking

about

what

his

party

guests

had

said.

It

hadbeenthegeneralconcensusthatdecisionsshouldbebasedonknowledge.Hedecided

heshouldtellInaaboutthesideeffects.Heappearedtoherduringwakinghourstomake

suresheunderstoodcompletely.

Wow.ThoughtsflewrampantlyinIna'shead.Somanythoughtsnoneofthemwerereadable

atfirst.Shesatdown,dizzily.Shewasstillforhours,tryingtomakehermindsettle.Nowshe

understoodwhyHnhadbeensodistant.Everytimeshepushedhertime,sheheldbackhis.

Shewouldhavetobepatient,somethingshehadneverbeengoodat,eveninthebestof

times.

Shenoticedsomethingelse.Shewasagingfaster.Eachtimesheusedthedeviceshefelt

older.Shefeltthatshehadaged20years.Hnhadremainedthesame.Sheworriedhe


26/36

wouldn'twantheranymorewhenhesawher.Shefeltugly.Feelingthisway,itperplexed

herthatothersfoundherbeautiful.Shewasstilltooweaktohelpotherstobeautify

themselvesandshehadtheseitemstocollect.Itmadeherundependable.Shecouldn't

committoanythingonaregularbasis.Shefoundagroupofpeoplewhowerelearningto

makebeauty.Shecouldhelpthem.Allshehadtodowasstandstillandletthemcaptureher

beauty.This

she

could

do.

It

gave

her

time

to

read

her

thoughts

and

she

was

making

beauty

indirectly.PlustherewasalwaysrenttopayandAffetofeed.

HerfriendKeircametovisit.Conversationturnedtotheglowingshrimp.Kierknewwhereto

findthem.Shewasfromtheplacewheretheywere.Peoplewithslantedeyescamefromfar

awaytoseethem.Theirslantedeyescausedthemtohavepoorvision.Allofthemhad

magnifyingdeviceshangingaroundtheirnecks.Inrecentyearstheyhaddevelopedawayto

recordtheirsights.Theseimageswereputonlargescreensandshowntotheirfriendsand

familyuponreturninghome.MostpeopleinKeir'shometownhadvisitedtheglowing

shrimp,butshehadn't.Inordertoreachityouhadtogoinatubereallydeepintothe

ground.That

was

the

only

way

to

reach

this

underworld.

Keir

had

adeathly

fear

of

closed

spacesanddidn'twanttogointhetube.Inasympathised.Shehadhadaproblemwith

depthssinceanunfortunateincidentyearsbeforeinahouseofbeautyinWeintraube.She

hadbeentrappedundergroundandhadfallenintoanuncontrollablepanic.Buttherewas

theissueoftheglowingshrimp,ithadtobecollected.Theyagreedtohelpeachotherand

offtheysetforKeir'shometownofWassergeist.

ItwasalongjourneytoWassergeist,8daysonthehoof.Inafeltsickalltheway.Shetriedto

sleep,butcouldn't.Anythingsheatewouldcomebackup.Travelingwasfabulouswhenshe

wantedtogosomewhere,butthiswashorrible.Thethoughtofgoingintothedeepinvaded

everythought.

Though

she

knew

it

was

impossible,

with

every

movement

downward

she

felt

morepressure................herskinfelttight.............sheenvisionedherselfexploding.Itmade

herfeelpowerless.ShewasgladKeirwastheretogivehercourage.Inahopedshewouldbe

abletoreturnthefavor.Afterallthetubecamebeforethedepth.

Astheygrewcloser,Keirrecalledmanystoriesofheryouth.Thiswasaplesantdistraction

forbothofthem.Butastheysawthetube,fearsetin.Inahadamomentofbrilliance.She

askedKeirainvolvingquestionaboutanearliertopic.Thesubjectwasprettyintenseandby

thefinishtheyweredownthetubeandacclimatedwithoutacare....muchlessexploding.

Inawas

amazed.

This

was

the

most

beautiful

place

she

had

ever

been.

Everything

sparkled.

Everythingwasinperfectproportion.Shefeltelated.Theplantlifeandanimallifewereall

eitherclearorglowingoracombinationofthetwo.Itseemedunreal.Thenshesomething

caughthereye.Itwashalffishandhalfman.Asheapproached,shenoticedthe

resemblance.HecouldbeHn'sbrother.Herheartstopped.AsmoreWassermenappeared,

shestooddumbfounded.Theywerealldifferent,buteachborethatsamestrikng

resemblance.Whatawonderful,horribleplace.KeircalledIna'sattentiontoaposter.

Wassergeistwaslookingforpeopletocreatebeauty.Ina'searsperkedup.Beauty?

SomewherewhereeveryonelookedlikeHn?Whatifhefailed?Ifshewerehere,wouldit

bethenextbestthing?Atleastshecouldlookatthefeaturesthathadsurroundedthose

eyes

and

that

smile.

And

Affe

could

chase

fish

and

sea

creatures

all

day.

He

hadn't

minded

wearingtheshoesininsideoutoncehegotusedtothem. Shewonderedhowhewouldfeel

aboutfins?Shereadfurther."Wassergeistwillsponsorthosewhowanttomakebeauty.You


27/36

neednomoney.Wesupplyeverything.Simplytradeinyourlegsforfinsandtheunderworld

canbeyouroyster."Shewonderedifshewouldlookbetterinclear,sparkle,orglowfins.

Couldshehaveallthree?Wouldshebeabletochangethemifshegotbored?Ifshestayed

underwaterforever,wouldherfingerswrinkleuplikewhenshestayedinthebathtoolong?

Nevertohavetoworryaboutmoneyandtobeappreciatedformakingbeautyandtobe

surroundedby

it

constantly?

Legs?

Who

needs

'em?

Wait.Peoplewhotraveledandexploredneededthem.Peoplewhopickedupuglinessoff

thestreetneededthem.Sheneededthem.Howcouldshemakebeautyifshelosttheability

tobeexposedtonewthings?Thisunderwaterplacewasisolated.....aplacetogetideasand

takethemaway...........stayingwouldcausehertostagnate.....nomatterhowmany

selectionsoffinsshehad,herbeautywouldfailifitweredictated.Plus,lookingatthose

beautifulfaceswouldonlyremindherofwhatwasmissing.TheycouldneverreplaceHn.

Besideshewasbraveandstrong.Sheknewhewouldfindhisway.Asthesethoughtscame

overher,Keirexclaimed."Look!Glowingshrimp!"andtoherright,Inasawashopwith

basketsfilled

with

glowing

shrimp

and

asign,

"please,

take

alittle

piece

of

Wassergeist

with

you.Ourcompliments."shetookone."ThisisthebestcomplimentIhaveeverreceived."

"Metoo."SaidKeir.Fearsconquered,theywentbacktothesurfaceviatube.

AsInaandKeirwalkedthe8dayshome,Inafelteverystep.Shethoughtabouthow

marvelousitfelttowalk.....howhermusclesenjoyedcontracting.....herfeetwelcomedthe

ground...therythymicsoundstheycreated.........shewasgladshehadthem.

Chapter15Homeagain,Inatriedtokeepherselfbusy.Timefeltslowandsheneededdistraction.Affe

wasbusywithnewfriends,butwhenhewasin,theyhadlongdiscussions.Hehadbeen

tryingnewfoodsandwaseagertosharethemwithher.Whileshehadfoundsomenew

thingsshelikedtoeattoo,foodstillwasn'tthatimportant.Timepassed.Novisits.Shebegan

toimagineallkindsofhorriblethings.ShehopedHnwasok.Eachnightshewouldburna

candletogivehimpoweranddirection.Itmadeherfeelbettertoatleastpretendtobe

doingsomething.Shedidn'tthinkhertelepathywasworking.

Onenight

Theat

appeared.

"Where'sHn?"Inaasked,fearingtheworst.

"Ineededtotellyouthisinperson.Don'tworry.Hehascompletedhismission.We'requite

amusedathisingenuity.............oh,andofcourse,yours.Mostoftheotherexperiments

havealreadyfailedorbecomeincrediblyboring.Welldonethusfar. Youhaveonelastitem

tocollect,butIthoughtyoumightliketoworkonthenextthingatthesametime.Iknow

yougetboredifyouonlyhaveoneprojectatatime."

Hedidknowherwell.


28/36

"Youmustfindaboxthatlookslikealog.Placethegatheredobjectsinitandtakeittoa

placewhereyouknowtheotherHnwillfindit.Thenyoumustfindawayforhimtocatch

yourreflectioninhiseyes.WhenyourHnhascompletedhislasttask,Iwillsendhimto

searchtheothersideofmirrors.Allmirrorscanbeseenfrombothworlds.Whenhefinds

theonewiththeotherHnontheotherside,hemustseeyourreflectioninhiseyesandthe

switchwill

be

made.

Understand?"

"Ithinkso."

"Great.YouknowmypartieshavegottensomuchliveliersinceIstartedthis.I'vebeen

askedtoguestonseveralcouncils.Well.Iguessthataboutwrapsitup.Goodluck.No,that

wouldbeinterferring.Igaveyouindividualcontrol.Iwouldn'twanttoinfluenceanything.

That'sbeenmymostcelebratedact.Ok.Seeyouthen."

"Wait!Whataboutthesixthobject?Whatisit?"

"Sillyme.Ialmostforgot.Simulatedonionstone.Yes,that'sit.Gotit?""Simulatedonionstone?""That'sit.Now,I'mofflikeapromdress!Wouldn'twanttokeepmypublic

waiting!"

Ok.Soeverytimeshehadpickedazit,someonefromthesplitworldcouldsee?Andwhat

aboutwhenshe..........hopefullythepeoplefromtheotherworldcouldn'tsee.Shewished

shehadaskedaboutthat,butitwastoomuchinformationtoofast.Thelasttimeshehad

seenTheat,heseemeddifferent.Thechangewas.........interesting.She'dthinkaboutthese

thingslater.Nowshehadplentytodo.Shehadn'tevenheardofanonionstone,muchlessa

fakeone.

Time

for

more

research.

She

visited

every

fruit

and

veg

stand

in

Phnix.

No

one

knewofsuchathing.Onedayshemetamanwhodidn'tbelieveinTheat.Heilerbelievedin

selfcontrol.Atanearlyagealumphadappearedinhischin.Themedicalprofessionalssaid

Theatputthoselumpsinpeople'schinssometimes.Theyhadseenitlots.Itmeantthe

persononlyhadafewmonthsleft,heshouldenjoyhimselfwhilehecould.Heilerdecided

theatshouldn'tcontolhowlongapersonhadtolive.Peopleshouldbeincontrolof

themselves.SoheadaptedthebeliefofselfcontrolanddenouncedTheat.Peoplethought

hewaswrong,butifhewantedtotryit,theywouldn'tstandinhisway.Hehadbelievedand

survivedfor20yearsthusfarandthelumphadnotgrown.Infactitwassmaller.Itwasn't

gone,butitwasnolongeradanger.Inawasmoved.Manyinherfamilyhadfallenpreyto

suchlumps.

She

didn't

understand

exactly.

She

had

seen

Theat.

She

knew

him

all

too

well.

Perhapsthiswaswherehehadgottentheideaforindividualcontrol.Ifitwas,shehadalot

tothankHeilerfor.Hisstorymadeherfeelmoreconfident.Thingscouldbechanged.

Nothingwassetinstone.Shecouldbealeaderinsteadofafollower.InasentHnleader

vibes.Anythingispossiblewhenyoubelieve.Heilerspenthistimetravelingtootherplaces

andhelpingpeopletohelpthemselves.Mostlytheywouldmakegoodsandhewouldexport

them.Inalookedaroundhisshop.Ontheshelfwasalog.Sheaskedaboutit.Hesaid,"Ooh,

that'sabox.It'sfromKrawatte."Inafeltgood.Notonlyhadshefoundthebox thatlooks

likealog,butshehadhelpedpeopletohelpthemselves.Shethoughtmaybewithallofhis

travelling,Heilerwouldhaveheardoftheonionstone.Buthehad't.

Shewenthomeandputthe5itemsinthebox.Eachdayshesoughttheonionstoneinnew

places.Surelysomeonemusthaveheardofit.Shemetpeoplefromallovertheworld.It


29/36

seemsPhnixwasaplacethatdrewpeople.Eachhadastorytotell.Mosthadsurvived

somehardship.Theyseemedatpeace.Theyseemedtoappreciatethenowandwhatthey

hadafterhavingknownloss.Shewasbeginningtofeelmorecomfortablethere.Itwas

almostanomadictown.EventhoseshemetfromEscheseemedtocomefromotherplaces.

WhenshedidmeetactualPhnixiansshewouldaskquestionsaboutthehistoryofthecity.

Asshe

unraveled

more

about

it,

she

was

amazed

how

it

had

continued

to

exist

at

all.

It

was

likeeverytimeithadtriedtopickitselfup,somethingwoulderuptlikelavaandcoverit

again.Eachtimeithadrecreateditselfandsomehowsurvived.Eachstoryofrevivalrenewed

herhope.

AllthistimeInacontinuedtomakebeautyfromuglinessinherusualway.Shewasalways

bringinghomesomethingfromthestreet.Allhersurfaceswerecoveredwithsuchthings.

Whenshechangedthemintobeautytheywouldmovetothewallsortheshelves.Until

then,theywereinjarsandbowlsandlittlepilesdividedbycolor,material,ortexture.Ina

showedherfinishedbeautytofew.Thosewhosawitsaidsheshouldshowittoothers.She

wasthinking

about

it.

She

liked

to

help

people.

Maybe

her

beauty

could

help

someone

to

helpthemselvesagain.Shelookedthroughherobjectsofugliness.Therewasastonewith

layersofcharcoalandwhite.Whenyouheldittothelightinacertainway,itbecame

reflective.Shelookedcloser.Thiswasn'tastoneatall.ItcamefromthestreetsofPhnix,

constantlyrepavedandrepaintedwitheachchallenge.Thensherememberedastoryshe

andHnhadbeentoldofatrollwhowassouglythateveryonewasafraidofhim.themore

heletpeoplein,themoreheexposedthelayers,themorebeautifulhebecame.........."layers

likeanonion!"Ofcourse,simulatedonionstone.Ithadbeenonherdeskthewholetime.

Chapter16Inacarefullyplacedthefinalobjectwiththeothersinthesilkbagshehadfoundtoprotect

them.Shereplacedthebagintotheboxthatlookedlikealog.SheknewHnwouldbe

receivingtheinformationofhislastobject.Shehopedhewasrestedandready.Shelita

candleforhimandbegantoplanhertriptoReise.Shehadmixedemotionsaboutgoing.It

washerfavoriteplaceintheworld,butwithoutHnnowheremeantanything.Worstofall

InawouldhavetolookintheeyesoftheotherHn.Shewasafraidofwhatshemightseeor

notsee.

Shewenttobedearly.Shefeltsheneededrestforthislastmission.Shewonderedhowlong

itwouldtakeforHntocompletehistask.Shehopedhewouldn'tfail.Thenhowlongwould

ittakeforhimtofindtherightmirror?Whatifshecouldn'tfindtheotherHn.Shehadn't

talkedtohim.Maybehehadmoved.Yes,sheneededmuchsleep.

Chapter17AssoonasIna'sheadhitthepillowshebegantodream.Shethoughtitwasadream.Itfelt

soreal.Hnappeared.Theysaidnothing.....justheldeachotherandcried.Neitherwanted


30/36

toletgo.Theircheekstouched.Shefeltanenergy.Herhandwenttothebackofhisneck

andshestrokedhishair.Hedidthesame.Shelookedupathimandsaid,"Willeverythingbe

ok?"Helookeddownandsaid,"Yes."Andthenhewasgone....eachassuredtheywouldmeet

again.Thedreamreplayedoverandoverallnight.Itfeltsoreal.Shewonderedifhehad

experiencedthesamedream.Shehopedso.Inthemorningshewasready.Herhopehad

becomefaith

again.

She

would

go

to

Reise,

deliver

the

box,

catch

the

eye,

come

back

to

Phnixandmakebeautytohelppeopleuntilhefoundthemirror.Inafeltstrong.Reinforced

bytherealityoftheirlove,sheknewshecouldpersevere.

MaeshelleWestDavies

.


31/36

AugustPleasenoteIveusedthe12hourclockbecauseIvemadeafewmistakesusingmilitarytime.WeusuallydontneedtouseamandpmbecauseitsobviousfromthecontextThur30July Tue4AugTheBigSleep

ClassicFilmNoirfromHowardHawks,USA1946,114min,OmU

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Sleep

www.natoleipzig.de

10:15

DieNato,KarlLiebknechtStrae46

Mon3 SneakPreview at the CinestarEvery first Monday of the month there is a sneak-preview in English. For times see

www.cinestar.de. No announcement of the film title in advance. Surprise surprise...and the

tickets are cheap cheap cheap! Wow, its like its your birthday :o)


32/36

Fri7

So

Social

watches

The

Duchess

OmU

Alleyesareonher.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4p2UtgtJuDk&feature=related

www.natoleipzig.de

8:00

DieNato,KarlLiebknechtStrae46


33/36

Mon18LeipzigStrikersvsErfurtLatinosBallparkTrabrennbahnPanitzsch

www.leipzigbaseball.de/

Thur13LifeofAgony(NewYork)feat.KeithCaputo

20YearsStrongTourLifeofAgony:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtoVC76UPlE

KeithCaputo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scGnOvWgB7k

WERKII

Kulturfabrik

Leipzig

e.

V.

,Kochstrae

132Opens

19:00

Concert8:00

Tickets:18/22

Sat15SoSocial

BikeTourtoCospudenerLakeemailorvisitfacebookeventpageformoredetails:

http://www.facebook.com/inbox/?ref=mb#/event.php?eid=237568505017


34/36

Fri 21ELECTRICWEEKENDER

CHARLES

WEBSTER

(miso/UK)

/dj

SPUNKY(backstock/dd)/dj

FILBURT(permanentvacation/freezone)/dj

house&techno.hearts&souls

sieheauch:myspace.com/furryphreakssieheauch:myspace.com/spunkydaddysieheauch:myspace.com/djfilburt11:00

SummerOpenAirCinema

ConneIsland,KoburgerStrae3

Tickets8

Sun23LeipzigStrikersvsErfurtLatinosBallparkTrabrennbahnPanitzsch

www.leipzigbaseball.de/


35/36

Tue25STAM

LaPlaya.alittlesalsaneverhurtanyone

http://www.beachclubleipzig.de/salsa.php

7:00ishuntil

LaPlaya,AlteMesse

freeentrance


36/36

Wed26

CJRamone

www.myspace.com/lipstix

www.thelipstix.com/v2/

www.myspace.com/radiodeadones

WERKII KulturfabrikLeipzige.V.,Kochstrae132

Doorsopen7:00

Concertstarts8:00

Tickets:13.90

Documents

No Frills Aug So Social Club e Mini Mag