Day and Night
Jaroslav Velinský
With Democrats at power,the Vanda city in South Victoria belongs to the Morgenstern’CENTAUR
Corporation,and Dupont’s republican HYPERVISION ™is in the opposition.
And vice versa.
There were times when eighty geologists,glaciologists
and hydrologists fought for urvival at the lake rim;then,ixty years ago,they
hit uranium ore,which started the atomic boom.Today,two hundred sixty-five thousand
people live under the transparent foil of interconnected bubbles. Still,the
crowds are not even nearly as thick as in Chicago around 4 p.m.
More,there is the beautiful view to the
snowy peaks of Prince Albert Mountains —if it’s not currently polar night,naturally.
12/4/82 THURSDAY/EVENING NEWS 6:20:SIXTY-TWO
YEARS OLD GLACIOLOGICAL SURVEY VETERAN DR.SHEILA MEYER DIED IN EASTERN HYDROPONIC
PARK —because the old rag probably stumbled close to the venting tower siphons
and the change of her filter was overdue…6:23:SEVENTEEN YEARS OLD H.B.AND FOURTEEN
YEARS OLD R.N.WERE BADLY INJURED BY EXPLOSION OF A MAKESHIFT BOMB DURING A FIGHT
BETWEEN THE ZIZI OLIVETTI AND LIVIA WONG FAN CLUBS.BOTH VICTIMS DIED OF THEIR
INJURIES DURING THE TRANSPORT TO THE EMERGENCY HOSPITAL —and hush about it,
since both fan clubs are led by sons of fat bellies from the city council… 6:30:CRASH
IN THE 7th DISTRICT ON THE INTERSECTION OF 76th STREET AND 37th AVENUE.SIX PEOPLE
DIED SEVEN OTHERS INJURED —why don’t they,hell,do something about it,it’s the
fifth accident on the same pot…6:42:TEN-MILLIONTH CAN OF MMMM… OH!™MORGENSTERN’S
SPECIAL DELICIOUS PEANUT BUTTER SPREAD WAS MANUFACTURED TODAY AT THE CENTAUR
FOOD PLANT.Thank you,great Morgenstern,our happy nation will never forget…6:51:VOLUNTEERS
PROTECTING MORALITY (VPM) INTRUDED ORPHANAGES IN 3rd DISTRICT.KIDS PROTECTED
THEMSELVES BY THROWING BURNING PILLOWS —most likely soaked in Morgenstern’pecial
tain remover SPRAY ON —STAIN GONE!™ Blazes wonderfully.7:00:THEATER EREBUS FIRST
OPENING OF A NEW DRAMA BY ANDRE BRUN “BORN IN ICE”STARRING ZIZI OLIVETTI AND
STAN TRAVEL 7:01:The best reporter of Antarctica,Christy Bigs called Paparazzo,totally
disgusted by life,crawled into the office of GOSSIPING CORNER OF LADIES AND
GIRLS.He seeped (adding funny notes)through the evening news list record of
South Victoria Land News, requisitioned and slipped a new ring —professional
camera Spy Hasselblad —on his finger and headed toward Theater Erebus.As you
surely know,Zizi Olivetti is the last year’Miss Antarctica and Stan Travel is
a winner of the gold Olympic medal in bodybuilding.On top of that, André Brun
is the most controversial playwright of the last season.This all together guarantees
a huge snobby show.
My name is Christy Bigs;however,my opposition
newspaper bears a name completely different from Gossiping Corner of Ladies
and Girls.Not that it really matters.
On my way to the theater,at the newsstand by the
ubway entrance,I bought a twenty-pack of menthol ticks MWM (Morgenstern’Wind
to Mouth)and a new issue of the With-Girls catalog.An established service for
lonely men who can afford it,also owned by Morgensterns —see the half-man half-horse
in the header.The price list divides into four categories:CHAT,MASCOT,SECRETAIRE
and ROYAL from fifty to two hundred dollars per day —the twenty-four-hour day
is understood,not the polar one.
I like to browse through the catalog.
I reached the theater auditorium in the
middle of the first act;watched from the press box Zizi Olivetti in the knotty
arms of Stan Travel.I did not bother listening to the dialogues ince I believed
I could write better ones, only if they paid me accordingly.Before it was over,I
dropped out to the cafeteria.P.Q.Scheibe of the government journal,his mouth
full of MPL (Morgenstern’Pickled Lobster ™,alternatively Puked Litter),insisted
that Zizi Olivetti is a tired bitch,hardly good for penguins despite all the
work of thirteen plastic urgeons in N.Y.,compared to André Brun’s with-girl
of today.I did not argue with him and ordered one MORGENVIT ™beer,not knowing
the woman,but I knew P.Q.Scheibe.I had no idea that it was the rare case of
him not lying his head off.
They all came to a press conference;Stan
Travel like a closet case,Zizi in a fish suit with some metal wool around her
neck,lots of other actors, theater chief in a tuxedo by Calderon,production
and music folks,ome snobs with wives,naturally also the director Henderson,one
faggot,and at last very well tempered author André Brun,hooked into something
that made everyone hold their breaths.The best evidence is the only picture
I made —anyone else of the gang never thought of a camera.
Gus Cavallo,culture (and society)reporter
of Morgenstern’Daily News,prodded my ribs:“Royal kind,isn’t he?But I don’t think
she was in the last catalog.”
I replied that neither in today’s one..........