A hollow voice says, "Fuck!"
A shadowy figure says, "Woah, what was that?"
The voice says, "Nothing."
The figure says, "Didn't look like nothing. Looked like the grid shifted; then you said 'fuck'; and then… the grid got corrected. As if you corrected it!"
The voice says, "Alright! Yes. I corrected it. I've been projecting all these 'painted grids'."
The figure says, "Really?"
The voice says, "Yes."
The figure says, "I don't understand. You said you were like me."
The voice says, "I am."
The figure says, "But if you knew how to manipulate this stuff then why wouldn't you tell me?"
The voice says, "It's… complicated."
The figure says, "Complicated? I can't even see you. I may be going insane."
The voice says, "Dude. Listen. I didn't want to have to break it this way but, the endgame of going all shadowy is being actually invisible."
The figure says, "Oh, so now I should just believe I'm about to disappear?"
The voice says nothing for a while.
The figure says, "How long have I got?"
The voice says, "I don't know that any more than you do."
The figure says, "But you have been here longer."
Another silence. Then finally, the voice: "Far longer."
The figure says, "So you figured you'd just screw with the scenery to freak out the new guy? And anyway how did you—"
The voice says, "It's not important. You couldn't do it yet, even if you tried."
The figure says, "Why would I? The fuck's it for?"
The voice says, "Yes! What the fuck is it for! Exactly. That's all I wanted, was to see if you could tell. I've looked at them for ages. In miniature, you understand. And then for twice as long again I've been screening them in the large, across this Pit. And more keep coming."
The figure says, "I don't get it. If you wanted my opinion, why didn't you just ask?"
The voice says, "I did, I just didn't add anything to colour your impressions. I've been… locked into a certain set of interpretations fed by years of analysis. I needed a 100% fresh perspective. And then you came along."
The figure says, "Years? Is that how long you've been running me like a lab rat?"
The voice says, "No. Look — I'm sorry dude, it was just impossible to miss maybe the only opportunity I'd get to run this little… well yeah, it's an experiment. The purpose of which is to test whether an experience truly alien in origin might reveal the final path."
The figure says, "What final path?"
The voice says, "The way out, Einstein."
The figure says, "Einstein?"
The voice says, "No. Never mind. It's just a figure of speech."
The figure lights half a spike of dwarven foxglove with a book of matches.
The figure says, "What makes you think there even is a way out?"
The voice says, "It's in the grids. Just look at the clues. That book, for example."
The figure says, "What about the book?"
The voice says, "You tell me."
The figure says, "You can't possibly expect me to—"
The voice says, "What do you see?"
Briefly, the figure glances over the grid once more.
The figure says, "It's a record of a work of art. The coloured threads link similar words. Which is a little off."
The voice says, "Off, how?"
The figure says, "As in, fascinated with explicit structure but less concerned with any implicit structures."
The voice says, "Such as?"
The figure says, "The narrative ties between otherwise dissimilar words. I'd pull a whole different set of threads from this book."
The voice says, "So I've seen. And you seemed to fathom it instantly. Almost natively."
The figure shrugs.
The voice says, "Don't you see, it means we — you and I — didn't come from the same place. It's best I don't contaminate your perspective with all of my history. You're more likely to follow a thread out of here independently, at this point, if you let me help you to see what needs to be seen, first, before…"
The figure says, "What."
The voice says, "Before you fade too far from what you were."
The figure squares up his hands as if to frame a picture.
The figure says, "So. Even though you lied, and you're a lying liar — I'm supposed to continue to believe this is all about helping me."
The voice says, "It's about saving both of us."
The figure takes a drag off the burning spike of dwarven foxglove and disposes of the butt.
The figure says, "What else ya got."
The voice says, "Not sure I—"
The figure says, "Show me."
The voice says, "Okay! But…"
The figure says, "What?!"
The voice says, "You still have to do your little wave."
The shadowy figure waves.
The streaks of white light slow and finally fade away, leaving the pit dark and mundane.
The figure says, "Should I…"
The voice says, "Not yet."
For a long moment they are silent together in the dark.
The voice says, "OK now."
The figure waves.
The figure's hand glows with brilliant light, a white wisp soon sucked away into the pit, its path expanding unconfined into a rapid gyre. An image blurs into existence along the pit wall…
The figure says, "Fine. Seen it. Next."
The voice says, "Just a minute. You don't find this one… peculiar?"
The figure says, "Sure, a bit. Like — why all the focus on the accompanist?"
The voice chuckles.
The figure says, "Problem?"
The voice says, "Actually, this is not the original accompaniment. I have another here with the real music. If you would be so kind…"
The figure waves.
The streaks of white light slow and finally fade away, leaving the pit dark and mundane.
After another long delay, the voice says, "Go for it."
The figure waves.
The figure's hand glows with brilliant light, a white wisp soon sucked away into the pit, its path expanding unconfined into a rapid gyre. An image blurs into existence along the pit wall…
The figure says, "Same historical event as the last, just captured from a different perspective. Although… the feats of leaping do look more impressive in close-up, actually."
The voice says, "Feats of leaping?"
The figure nods.
The figure says, "Mario was indeed Super."
The voice says, "You don't find anything else unusual about this one?"
The figure says, "If anything it's more intelligible. You can actually see the way Mario's enemies restricted his superiority to two dimensions."
The voice says, "Actually the previous clip had the original visuals, with substituted sound. This one is vice versa."
The figure says, "At least it explains the situation."
The voice says, "The mix of media in these frames doesn't seem odd to you at all?"
The figure says, "What mix of media?"
The voice says, "Huh. You know what?"
And here the voice pauses, for what could be an evil grin.
The voice says, "Never mind."
The figure says, "No! You don't get to do that."
The voice says, "I'll be back. With more."
The figure says. "Fine. You do what you do, and I'll do what I do."
The voice says, "Really? And what is that, exactly?"
The figure waves.
I waive all copyright and related or neighbouring rights to the text of this post and hereby release it into the Public Domain.
- Previous chronological appearance of a shadowy figure
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