Уильям Берроуз - Nova Express

"In the shine? — The Bensons? — But they don't exist-Tout ça c'est de l'invention-There are of course certain basic flaws in the hydraulic machinery but the marl hole is always there to absorb the uh errors-"

At the bottom of the crater was a hole-Bill tossed a rock and the echo fainter and fainter as the rock struck limestone on down-Silence-

"Bottomless you see for practical purposes-and what purpose more practical than disposal??"

Slow The House merged created in silent concentration of the workers from The Land Of Silence where speech is impossible-

"Lucky bastards," Bill always said as he walked around smoking Havanas and directing the work in color flash language of The Silent Ones-showing his plans in photo-collage to grim Gothic foreman-

And The House moved slowly from Inca to Mayan back to peasant but in blighted maize fields or windy mountain slopes of The Andes-Gothic cathedrals soared and dissolved in air-The walls were made of blocks that shifted and permutated-cave paintings-Mayan relief-Attic frieze-panels-screens-photo-collage of The House in all periods and stages-Greek temples rose in clear air and fell to limestone huts by a black lagoon dotted with gondolas-a terminal life form of languid beautiful people smoking black berries in little jade pipes {3} 3 Reference to the Pakistan Berries, a small black fruit of narcotic properties sometimes brought to southern Morocco by caravan-when smoked conjures the area of black lagoons sketched in these pages- — And The Fish People with purple fungoid gills-And The Controllers drifting in translucent envelopes of spinal fluid with slow hydraulic gestures of pressure authority-These people are without weapons-so old they have lost their enemy-

"But they are exquisite," said The Lady. "Can't we contact them? — I mean for dinner or cocktails? — "

"It is not possible, Madame-They exist at different pressure-"

"I am having in Bill Iam"-she said during breakfast-

Her husband went pale-"My dear, have you any idea what their fee is? — "

"You can afford it-You told me only yesterday-"

"That was yesterday and whatever I may have told you in times long past-The Market you understand- Something is happening to money itself-A very dear friend of mine found his special deposit box in Switzerland filled with uh dried excrement-In short an emergency a shocking emergency has arisen-quite unlooked — for-"

"All the more reason to redecorate-There they are now- They had arrived-Bill in "banker drag he calls it now isn't that cute?"

"lam is very technical"-said Bill puffing slowly on his Havana and watching smoke patterns-"Have to get some bulldozers in here-clean out all this crap-Tonight, Madame, you sleep in a tent like the Bedouin-"

The Studio had set up a desert on the lawn and The Family was moved out In a few hours there was only a vast excavation where The House had stood-

"Limestone country," said Bill touching outcrops on walls of the crater-"

"We might start with a Mayan temple-or The Greeks-"

"Yes of course and the statuary-City Of Marble Flesh Grafts-I envisage a Mayan Ball Court with eternal youths-and over here the limestone bookmakers and bettors changing position and pedestal- slow ebb of limestone luck-and just here the chess players-one beautiful the other ugly as The Ugly Spirit-playing for beauty-slow game of vegetable centuries-"

"But what about The House itself?" — said The Lady-

"Ah yes, Madame, The House-You are comfortable in your present quarters and well taken care of I hope-I think your son is very talented by the way-Hummm-perhaps-ah yes The House-Gothic Inca Greek Mayan Egyptian-and also something of the archaic limestone hut you understand the rooms and walls permutate on hydraulic hinges and jacks and sometimes a room is lost in-"

"In the shuffle-The Bensons-during breakfast-"

Her husband went pale-"C'est l'invention-Fee is?"

"Fee is hydraulic machinery marl yesterday errors told you in times long past-at the bottom of the crater was happening to money itself-echo fainter and fainter special deposit box in Switzerland-"

"A shocking emergency-"

"Bottomless you see for practical pee-practical disposal — There they are now-"

Slow the House merged-created in drag he calls it.

"Isn't that cute? — Workers from The Land Of Silence whiffing slowly on his Havana and watching-"

" `Lucky Bill' always said: `Get some bulldozers in here.' "

The Family was moved and The House moved slowly-only a vast excavation in blighted maize fields and wind-Gothic cathedrals soared on walls of the crater — Blocks shifted relief and panel screens of marble flesh grafts-

"I envisage stages-Gothic Cathedral soured-And over here the limestone huts by a black lagoon dotted position and pedestal-smoke chess players-and Fish People playing for beauty-slow games in their translucent envelopes-"

"Gestures of Pressure Author-" said The Lady-

"You understand so old they are comfortable in present quarters-"

"But they are exquisite"-said Tower Son-(very talented by the way for dinner or cocktails Gothic Inca Mayan Greek Egyptian-and also-)

"You understand the rooms and walls-and sometimes a room is lost-"

"They exist at different pressure playing their slow games by The Black Lagoon-You understand the mind works with une rapidité incroyable but the movements are very slow-So a player may see on the board great joy or a terrible fate see also the move to take or avoid see also that he can not make the move in time- This gives rise of course to great pain which they must always conceal in a round of exquisite festivals-"

The lagoon now was lighted with flicker lanterns in color-floating temples pagodas pyramids-

"The festivals rotate from human sacrifice to dawn innocence when the envelope dissolves-This happens very rarely-They cultivate The Fish People like orchids or pearls-always more exquisite strains blending beauty and vileness-strains of idiot cruelty are specially prized-" He pointed to a green newt creature with purple fungoid gills that stirred in a clear pool of water under limestone outcroppings and ferns-

"This amphibious-hermaphrodite strain is motivated by torture films-So their attractions are difficult to resist — "

The green boy-girl climbed out on a ledge-A heavy narcotic effluvia drifted from his half open mouth- Her squirmed towards the controller with little chirps and giggles-The controller reached down a translucent hand felt absently into the boneless jelly caressing glands and nerve centers-The green boy-girl twisted in spasms of ingratiation-

"They are very subservient as you can see in the right hands-But we must make an excursion to the place of The Lemur People who die in captivity-They are protected-We are all protected here-Nothing really happens you understand and the human sacrifice takes a bow from the flower floats-It is all exquisite and yet would you believe me we are all intriguing to unload this gold brick on some rube for an exit visa — Oh there's my travel agent the controller engaged-"

Playing their slow games by man in the black suit with long mind-works with une rapidité-

"He has been cheating me for months-slow so that a player may see believe the ridiculous travel arrange great joy and see also the move to fastest brain-"

"Yes we have all-Can not make the move in time-This other here-Roles must conceal in anything to go."

"If we could only just flush our flower floats on child track without a body from human sacrifice-"

"Rather bad taste, Old-Thing-Whose-Envelope-Has-Dissolved-The Flayed Man Stand-"

"They Cultivate The Fish People-"

"Oh yes whose doing it?"

" Not for more exquisite strains-??"

"I tell you nobody can scream-Over there is The Land of The Lemur People-"