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P. 78
Short story Competition
his way slowly, anatomically, towards his underarm: forefinger, middle finger, His travel archive, the books
fourth finger, little finger and back again to the sternum, forefinger, middle and guides he had acquired
finger, fourth finger, little finger, like a spider, attacking and then withdrawing, and catalogued, as a collector
within the same circular path. He stretched both his arms out on either side of might, over the previous
him, let go of all resistance and traversed the distance separating him from the years, had gathered two years
edge of the veranda. The rails acted for him as a brake. But he didn’t feel it. He worth of dust
watched himself being taken another step forward, now that he himself could
take no more steps. He saw the world spread out beneath his feet; a woman, Α κούμπησε τα δάχτυλά του στο πληκτρολόγιο και τιτλοφό-
willing and fertile. He approached her without a plan. Travelled over her contours ρησε τη λευκή σελίδα με τη λέξη «ταξίδι». Ένας κόκκινος
without a sanctioned route. He wept as he entered her, and for a long while yet. κυματισμός εμφανίστηκε αμέσως μετά το «ιώτα» και
του υπογράμμισε ξανά ότι τα ταξίδια ήταν απαγορευμένα. Άφησε
At the end of the 17th century, the Italian physiologist Gionanni Borelli wrote τον υπολογιστή του στο πλάι και σήκωσε τα μάτια του προς τον
that the flight of man is impossible. And it is true, until now, that man has not ορίζοντα. Είδε την πρωτεύουσα να απλώνεται κάτω απ’ τα πόδια
been able to fly like a bird or an insect using his muscular strength on its own. του σαν λεκάνη που φιλοξενεί μία άσπλαχνη μήτρα. Κατόπτευσε
When, however, on the 7.2.1996, a Concorde flew from London-New York in τον αεροδιάδρομο που ανοιγόταν μπροστά του. Μία τέλεια ευθεία.
2 hours, 52 minutes and 59 seconds, maybe man had succeeded in reaching Πήρε για άλλη μια φορά, όπως τόσες τα τελευταία δύο χρόνια, την
the highest stage of his evolution. ιδιωτική πτήση Τουρκοβούνια – Αίγινα. Μετ’ επιστροφής. Περιο-
δικά, κυριακάτικες εφημερίδες με πλούσιες πρόσθετες παροχές,
With his computer and the article on his knees, he made a knight’s chess-move όλα στοιβαγμένα άτακτα στο τραπέζι της ανοιξιάτικης βεράντας.
from the veranda to his office. At the kitchen turning the basin, the work surfaces, Τεντώθηκε για να ξεδιαλέξει τα διαφημιστικά – αριστερά – από
everything, showed that the woman had not been there for some time. The woman τα ένθετα – δεξιά. Κράτησε το τελευταίο στα χέρια του και ακού-
was called Genta. She had come with recommendations, was elderly and did μπησε πίσω χωρίς να το βάλει στη δεξιά στοίβα.
not speak the language. She came and went every other Tuesday, leaving behind
her a scent of chlorine and the freshness of some kind of flowery bouquet. To Πετάει, πετάει... η μέλισσα; Της Μαρίας Σπύρου
his office, however, no one had access. Genta had no access. Only he, of the two
of them. On the lower shelves of the bookcase his travel archive, the books and Το 1934 ο Γάλλος εντομολόγος August Magnan, έπειτα από πολύπλο-
guides he had acquired and catalogued, as a collector might, over the previous κους μαθηματικούς υπολογισμούς, κατέληξε στο συμπέρασμα ότι η
years, had gathered two years worth of dust. A globe lamp cast dull rays of πτήση της μέλισσας είναι αδύνατη. Από τότε, και για το μεγαλύτερο
light from its equator onto the filing boxes labelled Greek Islands, Europe A-C μέρος του 20ού αιώνα, η μέλισσα δημιούργησε τον αστικό μύθο της
and Travel Information II. His fingers wavered for a while among the various παραβίασης της κλασικής αεροδυναμικής θεωρίας. Με φτερά σε λά-
boxes, displacing more and more dust. In the end he filed the article in Travel θος σχήμα και μέγεθος, σχεδόν ατροφικά, η μέλισσα μοιάζει να είναι,
Information II. On the right, three wide shelves carried the weight of handmade από κατασκευαστική άποψη, μία πλήρης αποτυχία, ανίκανη να ανή-
photograph albums, of equal height, all arranged chronologically. Only the one κει στην αεροναυτική λέσχη. Σύμφωνα με την ίδια θεωρία, πέραν της
marked 01/2009- spoilt the upright row because it had fallen sideways into μέλισσας, ούτε το Concorde θα έπρεπε να πετάει,
the empty, unused space beside it. Higher up, dictionaries in the languages he
knew. He pulled one out for a foreign language and his own. His thumb and Ο ήχος στον αέρα από το μικροσκοπικό πλάσμα, που επισκεπτόταν
middle finger worked together to find the page. And then his forefinger took τελευταία συστηματικά τον καλλιστήμονά του, παρεμβλήθηκε στην
over. concorde (n.f.). Union des coeurs et des volontés/ a union of heart and ανάγνωση. Καθώς το έβλεπε να αιωρείται, να ανυψώνεται και να χώ-
will. The only languages he knew told him what he now recalled. He closed the νεται ακούραστα μέσα στις κόκκινες ψήκτρες, οι σκέψεις του χόρεψαν
dictionary and put it back on the shelf. He stayed still for only a moment longer. γύρω του κυκλικά, αγκαλιάζοντάς το με μια κατανόηση σαν αυτή που
He picked up the telephone and dialed the number from memory. “Internal or δείχνουν συχνά οι ομοιοπαθούντες. Το χάζευε ακίνητος μέχρι εκείνο
External?” asked the agent. “I’m outward bound” he answered. He confirmed να φύγει. «Ούτε σχέδιο πτήσης, ούτε εγκεκριμένος αεροδιάδρομος»,
that he would be able to fly soon. He opened his computer again and made his τέλος σκέφτηκε.
way to the page with its title underlined in red. He transferred the information
he had noted down earlier onto a scrap of paper. He climbed up to the top of
the page. With the four fingers of his right hand curved round and his thumb
against the mouse, he pressed down with his middle finger, right-click. He had
three choices. Traveling, Ignore all, Add to dictionary. He watched them turn
blue as, in sequence, he selected one after the other. Thumb, forefinger, middle
finger, fourth finger, little finger, after a while they stopped their creeping. His
forefinger pressed down with all its strength, vigorously.
78
his way slowly, anatomically, towards his underarm: forefinger, middle finger, His travel archive, the books
fourth finger, little finger and back again to the sternum, forefinger, middle and guides he had acquired
finger, fourth finger, little finger, like a spider, attacking and then withdrawing, and catalogued, as a collector
within the same circular path. He stretched both his arms out on either side of might, over the previous
him, let go of all resistance and traversed the distance separating him from the years, had gathered two years
edge of the veranda. The rails acted for him as a brake. But he didn’t feel it. He worth of dust
watched himself being taken another step forward, now that he himself could
take no more steps. He saw the world spread out beneath his feet; a woman, Α κούμπησε τα δάχτυλά του στο πληκτρολόγιο και τιτλοφό-
willing and fertile. He approached her without a plan. Travelled over her contours ρησε τη λευκή σελίδα με τη λέξη «ταξίδι». Ένας κόκκινος
without a sanctioned route. He wept as he entered her, and for a long while yet. κυματισμός εμφανίστηκε αμέσως μετά το «ιώτα» και
του υπογράμμισε ξανά ότι τα ταξίδια ήταν απαγορευμένα. Άφησε
At the end of the 17th century, the Italian physiologist Gionanni Borelli wrote τον υπολογιστή του στο πλάι και σήκωσε τα μάτια του προς τον
that the flight of man is impossible. And it is true, until now, that man has not ορίζοντα. Είδε την πρωτεύουσα να απλώνεται κάτω απ’ τα πόδια
been able to fly like a bird or an insect using his muscular strength on its own. του σαν λεκάνη που φιλοξενεί μία άσπλαχνη μήτρα. Κατόπτευσε
When, however, on the 7.2.1996, a Concorde flew from London-New York in τον αεροδιάδρομο που ανοιγόταν μπροστά του. Μία τέλεια ευθεία.
2 hours, 52 minutes and 59 seconds, maybe man had succeeded in reaching Πήρε για άλλη μια φορά, όπως τόσες τα τελευταία δύο χρόνια, την
the highest stage of his evolution. ιδιωτική πτήση Τουρκοβούνια – Αίγινα. Μετ’ επιστροφής. Περιο-
δικά, κυριακάτικες εφημερίδες με πλούσιες πρόσθετες παροχές,
With his computer and the article on his knees, he made a knight’s chess-move όλα στοιβαγμένα άτακτα στο τραπέζι της ανοιξιάτικης βεράντας.
from the veranda to his office. At the kitchen turning the basin, the work surfaces, Τεντώθηκε για να ξεδιαλέξει τα διαφημιστικά – αριστερά – από
everything, showed that the woman had not been there for some time. The woman τα ένθετα – δεξιά. Κράτησε το τελευταίο στα χέρια του και ακού-
was called Genta. She had come with recommendations, was elderly and did μπησε πίσω χωρίς να το βάλει στη δεξιά στοίβα.
not speak the language. She came and went every other Tuesday, leaving behind
her a scent of chlorine and the freshness of some kind of flowery bouquet. To Πετάει, πετάει... η μέλισσα; Της Μαρίας Σπύρου
his office, however, no one had access. Genta had no access. Only he, of the two
of them. On the lower shelves of the bookcase his travel archive, the books and Το 1934 ο Γάλλος εντομολόγος August Magnan, έπειτα από πολύπλο-
guides he had acquired and catalogued, as a collector might, over the previous κους μαθηματικούς υπολογισμούς, κατέληξε στο συμπέρασμα ότι η
years, had gathered two years worth of dust. A globe lamp cast dull rays of πτήση της μέλισσας είναι αδύνατη. Από τότε, και για το μεγαλύτερο
light from its equator onto the filing boxes labelled Greek Islands, Europe A-C μέρος του 20ού αιώνα, η μέλισσα δημιούργησε τον αστικό μύθο της
and Travel Information II. His fingers wavered for a while among the various παραβίασης της κλασικής αεροδυναμικής θεωρίας. Με φτερά σε λά-
boxes, displacing more and more dust. In the end he filed the article in Travel θος σχήμα και μέγεθος, σχεδόν ατροφικά, η μέλισσα μοιάζει να είναι,
Information II. On the right, three wide shelves carried the weight of handmade από κατασκευαστική άποψη, μία πλήρης αποτυχία, ανίκανη να ανή-
photograph albums, of equal height, all arranged chronologically. Only the one κει στην αεροναυτική λέσχη. Σύμφωνα με την ίδια θεωρία, πέραν της
marked 01/2009- spoilt the upright row because it had fallen sideways into μέλισσας, ούτε το Concorde θα έπρεπε να πετάει,
the empty, unused space beside it. Higher up, dictionaries in the languages he
knew. He pulled one out for a foreign language and his own. His thumb and Ο ήχος στον αέρα από το μικροσκοπικό πλάσμα, που επισκεπτόταν
middle finger worked together to find the page. And then his forefinger took τελευταία συστηματικά τον καλλιστήμονά του, παρεμβλήθηκε στην
over. concorde (n.f.). Union des coeurs et des volontés/ a union of heart and ανάγνωση. Καθώς το έβλεπε να αιωρείται, να ανυψώνεται και να χώ-
will. The only languages he knew told him what he now recalled. He closed the νεται ακούραστα μέσα στις κόκκινες ψήκτρες, οι σκέψεις του χόρεψαν
dictionary and put it back on the shelf. He stayed still for only a moment longer. γύρω του κυκλικά, αγκαλιάζοντάς το με μια κατανόηση σαν αυτή που
He picked up the telephone and dialed the number from memory. “Internal or δείχνουν συχνά οι ομοιοπαθούντες. Το χάζευε ακίνητος μέχρι εκείνο
External?” asked the agent. “I’m outward bound” he answered. He confirmed να φύγει. «Ούτε σχέδιο πτήσης, ούτε εγκεκριμένος αεροδιάδρομος»,
that he would be able to fly soon. He opened his computer again and made his τέλος σκέφτηκε.
way to the page with its title underlined in red. He transferred the information
he had noted down earlier onto a scrap of paper. He climbed up to the top of
the page. With the four fingers of his right hand curved round and his thumb
against the mouse, he pressed down with his middle finger, right-click. He had
three choices. Traveling, Ignore all, Add to dictionary. He watched them turn
blue as, in sequence, he selected one after the other. Thumb, forefinger, middle
finger, fourth finger, little finger, after a while they stopped their creeping. His
forefinger pressed down with all its strength, vigorously.
78
