The Next Room Or The Next Floor

(This is the most recent piece in a project that begins here)

There comes a scatter of small sounds
A pause
More
A long pause
Too long then to count as a pause
Silence
The Beast cranes his head back into the room
I think to ask but dismiss it
– Hm?
Never mind
All about the light is thrown and strikes against edges
Surfaces
I can hear the clatter as it tumbles about
Thuds against the floor
She looks up towards the top of the building
Has to move her hand slightly to shade her eyes from the sun
Then she turns to me
Looks at me
I don’t know
— I had the same thought. Of asking. I wanted to ask you.
I’m not entirely sure what I would tell you
I theorise then, that you had asked me, suppose you did
— Mm. I don’t know. I’m not sure if I would.
I guess
In the car I thought I saw her
Not the woman, Medusa
I did see her
I’m sure I didn’t
— No before, what you were thinking before.
Before I was thinking that I’m translating everything important into these abstracts of pages
Into the words
Before I was thinking about the lobby of 333
About East Three Thousand Exchange
I was thinking about systems
– That framing. That each of these contained a process and a memory. Perhaps that is what you did. Where you put it.
I don’t test it
I would rather it is both where I put it and not
There is a record somewhere in the list of abstracts of the Exchange
It would be easy to match it
Recreate it
Then I would be visiting my Visitors
— I don’t know whether that appears a bit too clever.
It isn’t
I’m not trying to be clever
Also I’m not clever
I’ve also had all meaning bypassed in order to utilise language
— Sorry. I understand now.
You were the first
The first from whom I never heard I see and always I understand
And I’m reminded again of Medusa and her location in my memories
She intentionally does it though
She goes there
Either I permit or I encourage her or both or it’s nothing to do with that
I think about function
Perhaps that is her function
But she has no function
She is part of the set of languages I will not understand
— How is that then.
I don’t know
Non threatening
Briefly I consider replicating the words on the other display
So that you can see them more easily
— I’m going. I’m just dropping by.
And he turns to the door
Application of force
It swings open and admits the slightly warmer air from the hall into the room
I see the air swirl
Adjust
The door is closed and he is gone
For some reason she opens one of the doors of the intermittent floors
I follow her in
— I do pay attention. I did once. I retain it.
I don’t know to what she refers
I follow
— I think I retain it.
Step
Step
When she turns to look, I look
When she stops, I stop
She stops
I stop
She turns to face me
Framed by the empty office, analogous to the created space
The window far behind her
The neighbouring skyscraper
The city sprawling away in a carpet of geometry
— I have a memory of retaining it.
And this I know the meaning of

Among a selection of unconfirmed things there is a true thing
It appears similarly but with marks distinguishing enough to set it apart
When I walk there in the cold, I walk alone
They’re all there
But they have their things to do in the dark of night as the city empties
Some sleep
Others recline, awake, idle
Some will engage in a repetition of action and I don’t know what for
I won’t ask because I prefer not to speak
I have a memory of walking there on the south street running east-west from the city to the stadium
The walls of each structure curved outwards, separating part way up and then curling out into the air
As the sun set, they contracted
Straightened
A door opened and the Beast stepped out
Keys fell from his hand and caught on the ring looped around one finger
He continued to walk towards the street
Turning his head
Looking at me
Blink
He stops and holds the door
I turn from the pavement and step past him
Thanks
He releases the door and continues to the street
I catch the doorknob
Close it behind me as I enter