Night Time in Ōmůt by Chipka
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Description
“Have you ever been to Agara?” Dül asked, once. The question came in English—a difficult language for him he says, though he speaks it well enough.
“No,” Samantha answered. She knows as much of Agara as anyone, which is to say, she knows next-to-nothing.
“It is nice place,” he said. “I have go there already four times, but only in summer. I go twice times with Xéŗšé. In winter it is too much cold, and Xéŗšé does not like this.” It is when he speaks English that she realizes how alien he must be and how his language and reality are not what she thinks. The strangest alien is—after all—another human being, and humans born in Ükür are opaque and inscrutable. They are European, they are Asian; they are as black as Gypsies, though a substantial number of them carry the borrowed term Négrü in ways that speak of African origin.
Dül’s lover is Négrü Üküré. Black Üküré. He claims ancient lineage tinged with obscure Ottoman influences. He is like Dül, but perhaps, more reticent. His name, though Üküré, is Greek in origin. And only here, improbably wedged between Turkey and Bulgaria, might such a name be commonplace. Xéŗšé.
Now, Samantha sips local wine, and pours through photographs downloaded onto her laptop. She has seen much of Ōmůt, and has heard as much of Šeš, the city of Dül’s birth. She stares at Dül now, admitting—perhaps because of the wine—that he is incredibly cute. But now—maybe because of the wine—she is afraid of him despite the things she wants him to reveal.
“Who are you?” she asks. “And where did I make this picture of you?”
In God’s-honest truth, it is the picture that traces fear along the curve of her spine. She recognizes Dül. That hair. Those eyes. The half-abstracted expression he manages when trying so valiantly to speak English. She remembers taking the picture. But it was mere days ago, and he wore sandals and that stupid Spiderman tee shirt he seems inordinately fond of. This is not a photograph she has taken, though she has just downloaded it from her camera. There is something else, as well—a thing she cannot define. It is to the right of Dül’s contemplative stroll along two streets on opposite sides of the city. She cannot make out what it is, and she wonders what Dül was thinking about as he walked, and if she has somehow captured hints and visual whispers of it.
Where is this? Who are you?
The questions tumble after one another in a droning, repetitive loop, and behind it, she can hear Dül’s voice: his words rendered not in English, but in his own language. She understands spoken Üküré well enough and especially when Dül and Xéŗšé speak. And now, with Dül’s in her mind, and on her screen, she hears a disturbing echo of Xéŗšé’s voice, as if they speak in near-unison.
“We are insubstantial,” they say. “And in two years we will be even less than we are now.”
*****
This is a simple manipulation, little more than a collage, with countless tweaks. Andrea provided the original image (and invitation to play with it) and I answered that invitation, between bouts of writing. I’m working on a sequel to “The Shift” and as a result of that Dül and Xéŗšé and Samantha are at the forefront of my thoughts. Though this sequel will be told largely from Dül’s point of view, Samantha’s perceptions inform a lot of what I reveal and leave hidden. This image is—in a sense—the very mood I wish to instill in regard to Dül and Xéŗšé, and the slow, complex revelation of their strange and vaguely inscrutable country.
As always, thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting...and a special thanks to Andrea for allowing me to play with her art.
Comments (22)
bimm3d
wonderful image!!
myrrhluz
I generally get very enthusiatic when I comment, but this is an image which seems to ask for whispered tones. There is a dark mysterious mood to it. A lurking alternative reality making its way into ours. This feeling is intensified with the reading of your story. There is excitment in the story, but it is the kind that has the reader reading avidly while seeming to sink into slow motion. So in whispered tones, I say, I like this a lot, and Kafka looks very well here.
kgb224
Outstanding capture and story my friend.
helanker
To me it gives a feeling of a dream of passed times. a scent of a memory not easy to recognize. A very great Image indeed. And the writtin was beautiful.
claude19
To me, this photo pretext serves to clarify the vagueness of memories. Indeed, during meetings, our brain often tries to hang a face, a silhouette images embedded in a dark corner. When we are spoken to, actually, we are more sensitive to intonation, pronunciation of the defects if any exist! This need to re-learn, to re-find in relation to the other, is very symptomatic of human nature. Most be able to live our Earth, other than humans, have signs of recognition instinctive, not very distant from the survivor's reactions. But we humans, if only a certain humanism, in the truest sense of the word, we quide, we need to talk ... to identify, reach and interact. I like the frame of your episode ... you raise ongoing problems ... that I enjoy exploring with you. Thank you!
durleybeachbum
Kafka in the corner, too? Marvellous what your fertile brain can do in words from an image, such a great read again. I'm so pleased you enjoyed it, Chip!
jac204
As someone who doesn't travel as much as he would like, your stories are a delight.
auntietk
I love what you did with Andrea's original ... it's so ... well, it's so CHIP! :D Fantastic work. And of course the story ... I'm liking these characters, this world, these mysteries, as much as anything you've ever written. What a compelling story! I'm glad you're expanding this universe with a sequel, and any time you want to drop it in somewhere, I'm all ears!
MrsRatbag
Tantalizing storylet; and the image fits well!
flora-crassella
wow!!!!!
Meisiekind
Ursula said it - WOW... Once again a wonderful read and an amazing tweak to Andrea's image! Great work Chip and I'm looking forward to the sequel you are busy with!!! :)
MagikUnicorn
Mystical :)
beachzz
a magical mystery tour, to borrow a line from some other folks. this has your look for sure, and the story just get better and better. Another place I guess I have to visit one day.
WDCscg
Thanks for the well woven blur on an altered reality? WDCscg
bmac62
As a fellow 2D fiddler, beginning with A's night out,...what you've done is most intriging. Before commenting, I read what you've written in your ongoing, excellent saga and all the comments before mine. As I gaze at the image above, I get the sensing of walking through your mind...and that's unusual for me:) Believe me, I am no mind reader. I think you've illustrated many thoughts. For some reason, I expect next to see a subway train come whizzing through the center of the image and all the thoughts depart with it in a rush of air that always accompanies a train in a tunnel. Now, what the heck does all that mean? I don't know, but see what happens when you create a scene in words and pictures... As a boy, we had no TV...but we had old time radio. I think that type of imagination is kicking in here. Thanks for the travel Chip.
faroutsider
Are these really fictional characters, or are you secretly slipping through the cracks in space-time to communicate with phase-shifted people living alongside us...? Fantastic writing, perfectly illustrated.
romanceworks
It is like a rainbow in the night, full of magic and mystery. And your characters are always as colorful and intriguing. CC
gypsyflame
I love how what you have to say always seems to fit right with the image you post, excellent work Chip!
elfin14doaks
Ok that's just cool what you did with that. Awesome.
nikolais
I find these two latest images of yours are closely connected. Firstly, about your previous posting. "Omut" (1st syllable stress) in Russian means a deep quiet place in a pond, river or lake and there's a proverb which says something like this: "in a quiet omut there are devils", similar to "still waters run deep". hope this will add another meaning... The dark background with Kafka made me think of "omut"...not because of the evil but of what surprises may hide behind the bright multicolor surface.. It's funny now differently we color the world with our images, thoughts, memories, feelings, thus creaing our own, unique models of the boundless unverse we will never be able to perceive.. great work with layers, Chip!
blondeblurr
...humans born in Ukur are opaque and... what an apt description ! In your composition, life seems to be just like a nano-blur. *** Cheers BB
CoreyBlack
Hey, this looks like my view of the 80s, I remember them well...actually I don't. What's the thing they always say about your youth? If you can remember it, you weren't there. This is a very nice collage, based on Andrea's piece, which actually makes me dizzy...hence the earlier comment. It's even stranger, knowing the actual story that goes with it; I never imagined a guy with that many dots on top of his name looking so regular though. Great work and I'll bet you had fun making it. And Kafka is in there too!? He really gets around, doesn't he?