You believe that you live in one world, he said. A world where fiction and fact are different. Separate, like rooms in a house. You pass from one to the other and only think of the doorway.
I don’t understand, I said. What does this have to do with what I saw last night?
He drew a deep breath, as though preparing for physical exertion. Here, he said, it is not like that. In Kinshasa they are not rooms in a house, but fingers on a hand. They work in tandem without knowing. They rely on one another. Do you see?
It seemed like a dream, I said.
And so it was, he said. And also was not. May I ask you this: why did you come here?
I can’t remember. I must’ve had a reason.
So you did, he smiled. But now you have another, if you wish it.
What Pegman Saw: Kinshasa, DRC
This story is inspired by Kinshasa: Tales of the Invisible City, by Filip De Boeck and Marie-Françoise Plissart.
“The second world is the one of the invisible,” says one inhabitant of Kinshasa, “and those who live in it and know are those who have four eyes, those who can see clearly both in the day and the night. Their eyes are a mirror. The man with two eyes only cannot know this world. The second world is superior to ours.”
Very clever this impossibility thing. Let’s hope here, the left hand does or does not know what the right hand may or may not be doing.
Love love love the voice. Not sure I know what is going on, not sure I need to, because I love the mystery of it. The quote you included with it deepens the mystery even more. What a place!
This is a fascinating piece, I love the way you validate the statements about reality in Kinshasa by reference to the narrator forgetting why he’s there and being able to choose a different reason.
Of course, flexi-truth of that sort can mask all manner of criminality and wickedness.
Dear Josh,
You left me with more questions than answers in this ethereal piece. Love it! Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Thanks. I was intrigued by the book I mentioned in the comments. I didn’t feel like doing another historical piece ;-)
I felt drawn into your wonderfully told story. I’m happy to stay with the mystery and reflect on what it means.
I love this, Josh. I have been struggling with coming up with something so I am doing what I never do – reading other stories…
You have left us scratching our heads but in a most pleasant manner… what the hell is going on here?
Thanks, Dale. I believe I am working up to the horror novel that I have had on the back burner for a while. The idea that there are Hidden Worlds right in front of our faces is very appealing to me.
Sounds fabulous… looking forward to reading it one day ;-)
Have to agree with others – love the voice, the theme of two worlds, the skirting between the two and the feeling of being happily lost somewhere mysterious. Nicely done
Turns the child’s taunt “four eyes!” From an insult into high praise. Sounds like interesting world, indeed.