Austere Space by Chipka
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Description
They stood behind him. He turned away from them, his gut clenched around two servings of shuttle-food: half the price—he thought—of his ticket. It had been good going down, but now tension boiled in his blood: a strange and unexpected catalytic agent. It hardened what his stomach held, and left the taste of fear on his breath.
They stood behind him: his escorts, his guards…his keepers though he knew they’d never use such names for themselves. He ignored them, ignored the stuff in his gut, and simply squared his shoulders as best he could. He was a traveler, just like everyone else. He had nothing to hide; Interworld Customs had no reason to develop a keen and obsessive interest in him. That was what his keepers were for, his guards. Customs would see them. Customs would take the bait, and he’d retrieve his bags, hail a cab, and vanish into the anonymity of The City. He knew what to do. He knew how to wait for further orders, and so—now, with the others behind him, running through their programmed course of action—he felt for his passport, slid it into the reader and watched red lights flash to green. The entry-gates opened, like old fashioned saloon doors…swinging outward smoothly and silently, and he stepped through. Just like that.
And…
…Just like that:
—he left them. He was sure that they were moving now, drawing attention to themselves.
—he approached an escalator and mounted the first step. He grabbed the hand-rail and ascended.
—he never (not even once) looked back.
* * *
I’ve been feeling the urge to write, only I’m not really in the right head-space for such a pursuit. I’ve been feeling the urge to create a new world (digitally, if not in a literary sense) but time has not yet decided to cooperate. Rather than wallow in the doldrums, I’ve simply gone through photos and found something evocative: at least for me. I don’t know what story this image ultimately implies, but I rather like the idea of a story (any story) centered on the life and the actions of a protagonist hired to do something.
This is a photograph of an escalator in the Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago. It connects the museum with Millennium Park, across the street: a bridge spans the street, and you descend from the south end bridge (or ascend to it) from within the Art Institute itself. I liked the shadows, the light, and the lines as I stepped off of the escalator and found myself surrounded by visual references to something not-too-different from the the Future, as I’ve described in previous posts. On the day I took this picture (with Corey and Tara, Bill and Yvonne; on the day that I'd first met Yvonne.) I was amazed at how much the Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago looked a bit like a location shot from Buck Rogers in the 25th Century…or maybe the dead planet in Serenity…the one where an experiment went horribly wrong and created utterly psychopathic people known as Reavers. They never sleep. There were no sleepless Reavers anywhere near this shot, nor was Buck Rogers involved…but I found myself wondering why the Future always seems to involve stark, white interiors with lots, and lots of glass. I found myself asking, Are we in The Future now? I suppose, in a way, we are…but I’m still waiting for my rocket sled.
As always, thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting, and I hope you’re all having a great week.
Comments (19)
kgb224
Wonderful capture and writing my friend. God Bless.
Faemike55
Outstanding writing! the only bad part of it was that you stopped... WE NEED MORE!!!!!!!
RodS
Ah, I like this! I like the light, the shadows, the lines, the angles. I'm reminded of a photo I took several years ago while wandering around with a couple friends inside Bartle Hall Exposition Center in Kansas City... I'll have to see if I can find them... It also makes me think of coffee..... I have a coffee mug I got in Chicago a couple years ago (when there for training) with a Chicago Art Institute graphic on it. It seems to hold a fascination for coffee Faeries. Anyway - this is a really neat shot, and the story is typical Chip excellence - making me want more...
auntietk
I know exactly where you were when you took this! What a fabulous shot. It's superb!
bmac62
As I look at this marvelous shot tonight...a pyramid comes to mind. See the darkened doorway below the escalator? I expect to see Zahi Hawass, former Chief Inspector of the Giza Pyramid Plateau, emerge to invite us all in for a guided tour:) I am ready...are you? Hope you'll add more to the story begun above...I'd like to know more.
jocko500
looking good
brewgirlca
A great grab. I love the black and white structure and how the play of light and shadows follows in perfect harmony with that. Also neat how all the color is concentrated at the far end of the photo.
wysiwig
I agree with Mike. You may be suffering a temporary block but this fragment looks like a fantastic start.
durleybeachbum
Beautiful, elegant, and how the heck do you change those light bulbs?
helanker
There is beautiful light in such a place. I like the shadows it all makes everywhere. Beautiful shot, Chip. I hope you will get your muses work for you again soon :-) I have had almost a weeks blockings, so no art done.
tibet2004uk
Lines! All around, up and down! I like that kind of shot, it gives a feeling of "grandeur", of immensity. The reflections and colours, clear shot, sharp. Me like! :)
fallen21
Fantastic capture!
MrsRatbag
Let me know when you get your rocket sled, it means mine won't be far behind! Wonderful lines and angles set off by acres of shiny glass...perfect fodder for a story!
thecytron
Xcellent indoor photograph!
flavia49
wonderful writing and image
sandra46
VERY INTRIGUING SHOT
CoreyBlack
Very arresting image! Good writing as always. Makes me wonder who he is and what he's doing.
jac204
Great POV in this capture and also nice interpretation.
myrrhluz
Very interesting read! I like the mystery of it and the point of view of someone being very cryptic about who he is, as he thinks about two others that are really only important in the story in their relationship to him. A shadow thinking about two wispier shadows. It made me wonder what they were thinking about him. Did they see him as just an assignment? Did they read his body language and know the turmoil that briefly went through his mind before he shrugged it off and went through the prearranged motions of their plan? Were they concerned, contemptuous, indifferent of his fear? Oh, I'm very interested in him too, but as I read the story my mind peeled off in two different directions, one following the protagonist into the city and the other wondering about the thoughts and lives, of the keepers behind him. I like that divided attention. It reminds me as I read, that regardless of which character my attention is on, there are a myriad of invisible threads going from him to others. What would the world be like if we could see the energy lines that bind us to others, some strong and vibrant, others fading to a barely seen shift in the light, crossing and running along side of each other, until the world was covered in a translucent web. Beautiful image of lines and light, and fascinating narrative!