by Zac Funstein
“Anyone trying to copy that will find the first item on that shopping list will trigger hollow laughter among the rest of the world's Gabriel makers.”
“It will Wilkins!”
“They use an additive which is banned from all but one producer in Argentina. Córdoba. It is almost similar but much cheaper to make if you are bereft of the ingredients.”
“You’re saying this was made in Argentina-I’m sorry I’m a little confused.”
“Not the host-the dye-an inferior copy.”
“This is a pale imitation Wilkins?”
The art of imitation (mimesis) is far removed from the truth Socrates argued for it produces only that which is far removed from reality.
“There are some falsehoods that seem to engender in us an active desire to believe them, and pass them on even if we find them unpleasant this might be one of them.”
“At a guess but we have to go into this deeper to be really certain.”
After they had this little get together Joseph Wilkins printed out the data that had been found-that is the quantities of the various elements included. The famous Gabriel was ringed in a marker pen since it was deemed important although quite what was special about the Argentinian source could not as yet be discerned. No doubt where this all fitted in would come probably when least expected as always. Having stopped at the little Stiborová hotel perched on the hillside overlooking Psylocke which was the name of the establishment just visited Odovacar stretched the printout on the table which threatened to blow away. The premises were relatively deserted even for here. Chatting desultorily, swapping quips/ anecdotes, playing endless games of poker had come to an end.
“You seem a little wired,' someone said from some unspecified source.
Odovacar yanked a thread from his sweater.Odo did feel wired-it seemed to encapsulate his sentiments exactly. That was the correct expression for it. Moffin felt taut. Tight. Too much energy nothing to do with it.
“Indulgence my interruption if you would my name is Ruben J. Moffett I am the hotel manager.”
Ruben was a spluttering smartly dressed, clean shaven dapper little man in a utilitarian suit with a Lacoste T-shirt underneath. As a member of a beleaguered hardy minority, Ruben could be expected to display this sort of ease and style when dealing with the public. Did not everyone know how to recognize a hotel concierge, even if they happened to be Chinese or Iroquois-yes they did that went without need of reiteration they were the same everywhere.
“I saw you struggling with that piece of paper there. I happened to recognize the type-style. I purchased a platen a couple of years later from Amish mechanics in Pennsylvania. The pressure is given by the treadle, which makes an impression not unlike that you are holding. All these prototypes were shaped into panels of various commercial thicknesses with a steam-heated press. The pressman pulls on the bar, causing the platen to press the tympan on the inked type then takes the impression! Bob’s your uncle.”
Odovacar had seen these in a museum somewhere. The frame of the press was made of iron, cast in a solitary piece; the bed, the impression plate, or ‘platen’, plus the other large parts were also of cast iron, while the working parts were of iron, steel, or brass. The lack of repair utensils might have been why it went virtually untouched.
“It must be purely coincidence some homage perhaps to the Mennonite on the behalf of the type maker. I always find it kind of disappointing that you don’t see this stuff very often. Someone probably went to great trouble to recreate that. They had something that is now gone-even for them.”
“Is it okay,” asked Moffett. “To enquire what this is about that you have scrawled here?”
Whilst charming even funny, those of this calling were often disappointingly glib, breezing over events in a way that was unrealistic or lacked the seriousness they deserved.
“That’s it I’m not really sure-this is the ingredients in a dye. It seems like what it is a mass of quantities copied hastily then printed off.”
“Really-I sense that you detect something unusual thereof Mr....”
“Mr. Moffin. Odovacar Moffin sometimes known as Mof.”
“Might I suggest putting this aside for a while-put it away in a drawer-taking it out again when some dust has settled. A new perspective will come but it takes a while.”
Mention of such took Mof to his recent lonely Alaskan virgil.There had been a stalking by something that was at first believed human but then deemed otherwise-something that had got so close that Odovacar had nearly died from terror of its slobbering breath-its great lumbering swipes. It was here that Moffin had built his cabin that was to be his retreat. His marriage was in the doldrums, a bulwark against mortality-of approaching middle age was not just a whimsy but great need. It hadn’t been a success only the sound of the growling of rocks had been a comfort. From the fire had been pulled a piece of burning material; with a sharp implement it could have been kindled into a pile of splinters/shavings but more importantly at the core of this burning mass could be something that could be touched ... Perhaps a piece large enough to slice into an ornate decoration for the tokonoma cabinet planned to be built.
“That would be nice-just to put something away not worry about it anymore- but the culprit might be escaping even as we relate now in this windswept locale-to somewhere.”
“I don’t quite understand Odovacar- if I may be as presumptuous to call you by your Christian name.”
There was a pause like this might be the worst crime in the universe-it was amazing what some could get upset by.
“That’s perfectly acceptable Ruben-I prefer familiarity rather than being formal always-that is sacrosanct. A teenager has been fatally attacked-all that we have found that might intimate the one responsible is a dye which uses this formula that is used in carpets as well as denim- jeans for its hard wearing quality.”
“You have nothing else to go on apart from this.”
“Absolutely nothing! As someone once said about prophecies of doom, I'm not into such a mode myself, but it's another perspective. Some people need to go through doubt modes in order to come up out of them.”
After this when Mof had gone home, becoming lost in his sons Erick new military training-making distracting noise had provided relief. Paying for Erick's training was, as far as his father was concerned, an investment to secure an interest into the future. That the concern that his son should do well may have originated in feelings of inadequacy was deemed without substantiation. How foolish to believe this state of affairs could last.
It was then the square of paper was unfolded again as in the blowy environment of before.
“There is something disturbing you about those calculations Moffin?”
Odovacar could see that his son was concerned if not overly so.
“The numbers are all rounded to the nearest-but in a unique way not being a mathematician I cannot explain.”
“Which means you are stuck father-which makes it worse unless of course…”
It can be seem that Erik is trying to reach some satisfactory conclusion that is liable to please all concerned.
“A visit to someone with mathematical acumen -of whom I can picture several-might be might able to tell us exactly what makes this dye data from the Herman Ulyanov Ltd licensee so tantalizing.”
Moffin decided to take a bus as it was a nice day but ended up furious at an old lady who blocked the exit. It took him to when a child when a similar old lady across the street threw herself from the roof of a nearby building. The ancient used the disintegrating guttering to her advantage. ... rode it as it came away from the roof, using it plus the drainpipe it served as a giant stilt to stride the gap between buildings. ... The brickwork crumbled in her grasp but the old girl didn't stay around long enough for that to matter,oh no- instead throwing herself away from the chimneystack increasing her safety distance.
Rushing downstairs to gather around those that had gathered had left Odovacar detached unemotional almost constantl
y since. Now automatic pilot was the norm.
Reeves Street is awash with rare coins, stamps, old silver, plus all manner of bric-a-brac.There were also quite a lot of Indian traders with their stalls full of bric-a-brac, combs, tie-pins, scarves, etc. Some departmental bastions came here occasionally to the local hall-special events were arranged with the psychic Melodie Gareau, who communicated with people in the next world those who had recently been attacked who could give clues as to their attackers. The bridegroom is able to hire his choice of morning suit or dinner suit, tuxedo, shirt, cravat or bow tie a sign said in a store-window.
Jan Batěk’s overstuffed bedsit situated thereof was a wonder, beautifully capturing eccentricity plus love of life by putting art plus bric-a-brac in every conceivable space.
When asked if bedsitting room was acceptable to him Jan, hummed hawed then said.
“I can’t picture myself saying ‘flat’ Moffin-here is too small for one.”
There's a colorful Bohemian vibe, thanks to gorgeous Rajasthani furniture, velvet day cushions plus, hand carved lattices. The last they had met his daughter Élise suffered from low self-esteem, feeling unpretty experiencing difficulties socializing with her schoolmates.
Batěk spent a year attached to the vice squad responsible for monitoring child slavery offences but had got sick of being the only one plugging the crack in that particular dam that threatened to burst. Reluctantly Baptiste Batěk’s case had to be put to one side.
Under a map of old Spandau, which was already a sizable town when Berlin was a mere blip of a village Jan pontificated whilst examining the readout that had fluttered in the breeze outside the Stiborová hotel.
“The author's failure to define clearly these terms/ movements makes for a confusing melange that never comes into focus I believe Jan,” said Odovacar.
“These figures are I sense forced.”
“I’m not a mathematician Jan if you could explain that.”
“I will try to put it laypersons terminology-what we have here is I believe called number-crunching.”
“That covers a multitude of sins but what is quite meant by that I’m not sure-not being a mathematician.”
As Odovacar peered up as if seeking divine inspiration a patch of plaster on the ceiling where a servant employee had written his name with candle smoke beside the initials of his beloved suddenly seemed to flash into sharp relief. Batěk’s was to tell this artisans story after the session had finished -how the previous owners had owned the entire building. When the serving staff mentioned was conscripted into some useless war then hit by shrapnel, when his name was written onto the list for sick call for those who waited to be escorted to the infirmary- the same smokey script had appeared.
“Herman Ulyanov Ltd have given out the recipe via licence am I correct or am I correct?”
There was total composure in his voice, a self-assurance that would instantly inspire great confidence. Taller than his brother (whom Odovacar happened to know too), perhaps more disturbingly that realised Jan was looking down at the enquirer with the most unusual gaze.
“I guess that is what i’ve been told-this isn’t really my territory.”
“Give a once over to this if you would kindly.”
Some photos were brought from a cellophane envelope in a briefcase.
The images showed a series of ring-shaped electromagnets arranged in a row, like curtain rings on a rail. Next to this was what euphemistically was called a jewellers screwdriver plus a camera presumably ready to be opened with this implement.
That we fashion our geometry on the properties of a straight line because that seems to us to be the simplest, but really all lines that are continuous moreover of a uniform nature- was the immediate reaction, but what was said was:
“It seems like some kind of electrical device of a sort or another Jan.”
“Almost correct as per usual I sense. This is a separation-machine-interesting to a mathematician because of the principals used but that is neither here nor there. Now you’re going to ask why they use one of these-I can tell.”
“I wasn’t but since you mention it Jan.”
“The licensee-in this case the dye maker passes on the ingredients which are often jealously guarded. More importantly they employ inspectors to make sure they recipes are rigidly adhered to. Hence the separators like those in the image isolate the ingredient to what deemed necessary by the creators.”
Batěk moved over to the fire then put his grasp over it as if sensing warmth momentarily. The contents were stirred with a poker-there was a sizzling noise. On a wire frame were a pair of pressed Ralph Lauren jogging pants that must have been there to dry.
Odovacar who never understood the difference between blaming himself/ understanding that there are problems about things said, done, not said, or not done outside of his ken exclaimed:
“This is leading somewhere I can tell Jan-somewhere that I do not understand, somewhere outside my realm of senses, somewhere godly-maybe ungodly. Someone once said that each man's faith leads him on a path up a mountain and that no paths are the same.”
Jan was about to revile him for his mocking tone-then noises from the apartment upstairs distracted him.
‘Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump.’
“What is that? Sounds like a conga line.”
“I liked it better when it was just Chad up there. That was the previous tenant -no noise whatsoever.”
Konrad rose then began banging the ceiling with a broom.
“It’s Rachel my neighbours daughter. I can't tell whether her parents are out, resting, or hovering somewhere in the adjacent rooms. Their apartment is absolutely huge. In a funny way, Rachel imitates some of the East Harlem girls I knew when younger: experienced, eager to lead somewhere I'm not yet ready to go. But I digress. There are certain parameters as well as standards which must be obeyed in order to receive the licence naturally. But the unscrupulous play around with these.”
“Like the Jourrapide.”
“Never heard of it I’m afraid.”
Amnesty International was worried that Jourrapide stun guns could ‘inflict pain and other suffering on innocent bystanders’ for the reason that (the collective punishment of innocent children set aside for a moment) although mild it could be reset upon leaving the factory. Moreover though their safety measures were set in Asia in Europe or the USA this would be tame in comparison, moreover were susceptible to dangerous tampering.
“The Jourrapide that’s a good one. Now that we mention it I believe I know someone that will assist. I will let them know you are coming,” promised Jan, but who or what they were able to do that would assist in finding The dead girls assailant was left an enigmatic mystery-only that it bore some relation to what had passed between them.
Odovacar had a sense of deja vu-knew that he’d been here before somewhen- then it dawned when- a made-for-TV miniseries for Canadian television, production values were about as fundamental as you could get. Whatever was the reverse of ‘no expense spared’ this was it.There were several citizens dressed in Burberrys too. In ‘Sharp Bridges’ they would dress up in trench coats/hats, several of them, then jump into several different cars-screech off in different directions to drive the CIA agents into a rage, because they didn't know which one to follow.
This was the legal side of town with more than their fair share of lawyers choosing here as their residence. They seemed to gather together-perhaps there was safety in being all crunched up like this. Seeing someone with a huge suitcase covered with stickers stop at what was presumably their residence it was realised that the person known that had lived her before had a terrible dread of flying not quite clinical but almost. The person that Odovacar knew before had been the grandson of a TWA pilot who had been a bomber pilot in the war- who’d never crashed a plane but then gone on to have an accident in a helicopter in Sonaria crashing into a listed building. After the Reformation, when religious guilds were dissolved, it was used as a market cross as well as
a moot hall which seemed to have some significance for him.
This person however was relatively sedentary at least in comparison. Édouard Longpré was a lawyer specializing in interstate law between the USA/Canada-trying to shake off the last malaise of the English colony status which believe it or not still existed.
Édouard Lonfpré’s secretary took Odovacar to a large hall. Eventually Lonfpré (smartly dressed in a dark pinstriped suit, light shirt plus tie) arrived after mumbling the shortest of greetings then begun to rifle through various documents. His briefcase was opened with a resounding click- (presumably the snap of the hasps), then Lonfpré lifted the elegant lid. This acted as a shield between them throughout the interchange. Odovacar wondered why his lawyer needed a prop of this size-this was an affable, outgoing man in his early middle-age, who liked to dress smartly who should have everything going for him. This hardly seemed like someone who put a barrier between him vis-a vis the rest of the world- a repressive seIf—one who believed reality ought to be mastered by him, by excluding it-then presumably taming via mollification.
“Do you take exception to us recording this purely for training purpose Mr…..”
“It’s Moffin actually. No if I can help someone then that’s fine by us.”
“Are yes here we are-I knew it was here somewhere.”
“If you’ve assisted someone else-then I always say that that that moment wasn’t in vain.”
Sounds picked up by the mike were sent to a receiver/recorder carried in a briefcase or similar package by another agent somewhere at the end of the hall. Odovacar glanced over then gave a friendly wave.
Édouard begun hunting in his effects finding a printout of the formula.
It was recognised immediately-the tell-tale arrangement that hid its guilty secret.
“Are here we are Moffin. I believe I have seen this somewhere before-it immediately began to ring alarm bells.”
“If you could add some substance to this assertion.”
“Onfroi Authier was a corporate chemist who was given a dye-formula such as this in order to create a curtain fabric. The composition of this unique stainer was licensed by the company that made it-however a certain leeway existed in the figures. This was considered marginal but they hadn’t anticipated the unscrupulous like Authier exploiting them.”
