A story concerning the elicitation of the FACTS pertaining to the Guilty at the end of the World.

  © 2000, 2001 Channel49_________                                        

A morbidly comic tale of unusual drama…

Shortly after the world collapsed under the weights of its absurdities, washed by the toxic cross-currents and eddies of its myriad inconsistencies the Committee convened in order to begin to set the Record straight.

As in the chaos before-there-was-light the Committee room was dark. It's total shape was unknown as its perceived frontiers ended at the dais. Illuminated, dimly among the shadows, sat a single witness' table with two chairs. From the unseen, before the witness-in-question straining to know the questioners, came the voices.

The Chairman's voice was loud and resonant, his manner stoically impartial. There was often fear in the psyches of the sensitive-ones that the Chairman showed no sympathy with the causes of those called before him. The Interrogator's voice, however, had other qualities. It was idiosyncratic, picking, glib, touching, caressing, textured-of-oddity, sometimes ingratiating, feigning friendship, emotive-supportive, coaxing, cajoling, asking for the trust and release of closely-held information. Many went forward in commitment to find solace and rest in this voice; to lay its burden and guilt there. But this voice could turn quickly, - escalating its demand for information in staccato, haranguing urgency, question after question all cross indexed brilliantly as a stainless-steel trap to snap shut on the taffy-of-puffery and bullshit concocted to smoke-screen the guilty from providing full revelation. This voice could pause, find comic exclamation, become angry, petulant, prejudicial and whining. If anything, however, it was a tireless voice.

Many early witnesses were called. A parade of minor drug-dealers, artists-of-deception, disordered thinking and psychopathic behavior. Several insisted on wearing sunglasses in the shadows, gave angry and confused half answers and acknowledged no point.

Leaning back in his chair L smirked at the Interrogator's voice and presented his middle finger in a counter salute.

The Chairman's voice erupted, filling the chamber with reverberation, causing an astute observer (if there had been one) to conclude that the chamber itself must be finite.

"The witness will gain nothing by strutting his ignorance before the Committee! You will find no cheering section here."

L was taken back. His mind struggled for a legal point. "What Committee?"

"The Committee you ARE testifying before," the Interrogator said smugly.

"I don't SEE no Committee..."

"YOU ARE here, are you not?"

"Say what?" L reacted in anger. He sat up. Released a grin and went forward into the darkness with his hand out-stretched to feel a face. He became disoriented and fearful in the dark. Sheepishly he turned back to find the witness' table but was unable to locate that either. Minutes became interminable. Finally L cried out, "Where am I going?"

"Turn around half-way and proceed," the Interrogator said.

"You got more questions for me?" L asked.

"No."

L's hand felt a hard door. "You want I should go out?"

"Please."

Burdened by frightening trepidation he paused at this door. "I tell you what you like... He offered.

"It's no longer necessary," the Chairman boomed.

"Just open the door. Nothing on the other side of it will BITE you," the Interrogator chided.

*

Professor MK was called as a friendly witness. He was allowed to go on at length of his evidences and anecdotes.

"...My response is that man is the creature of technology all of which becomes obsolete. Man is therefore the creature of garbage. Art is technology that does not function on a physical level, accomplishing anything definable; objective. Therefore art is technology that does not work.

"The understanding of God is the understanding of truth that is not yet known. This was mankind's greatest difficulty, this and his purpose under God, to transform from a disharmonious animal-existence to a harmonious, dignified existence. The technology outgrew the ability to use the technology. The technology almost transformed mankind but in the final analysis only hastened his downfall. --It was a failure of timing." Professor MK smiled wanly.

"Professor," the Interrogator began, "could reason have prevailed?"

"No. Entertainment prevailed. Reason is not a commodity of much worth..."

"But you made attempts to offer reason," the Interrogator offered.

"Of course! Even my little jokes ... When such serious minded people kept telling me that my classes weren't useful, that everyone should instead study computer science, I replied hopefully that, yes, the new wave of mathematical-logical novellas will become the new literature written from among the hosts of unemployed computer persons in a world too poor for mass-produced hamburgers and overburdened with useless information. I told them correctly that steel-reinforced concrete construction and, unfortunately, military infantry specialties were the most promising occupations of the near future..."

"And?"

"And you see the results."

"Yes, well, thank you Professor MK. Your testimony was delightful as usual.'

"The Chair reserves the right to recall the witness."

"That's fine with me, sir. I have nothing better to do and some time to do it in..."

 © 2000, 2001 Channel49_________                                        

GET THE REST.... (Allow 1 min.* at 28.8 - 1/2 min at 56.6)   

 Back To Top  

* This is the time for the entire document to download; you can begin reading almost immediately.