THE VOICES
By Interstitial
13. TRANSCRIPT #2
- AUTHOR:
Further interview with Mister Karsten Talv, December 4, Tallinn, concerning the matter of the meme. Mister Talv has agreed that certain -
- KARSTEN TALV:
Yes, yes, as before. I’ve got a bone to pick with you, ‘author’.
- A:
You do?
- KT:
I do. In relation to the story of _______. You made some of it up again.
- A:
Mister Talv, it’s all just as you told me -
- KT:
No it isn’t. You know full well that the whole _______ affair was completely hushed up. It wasn’t on CNN at all, because they were secret talks, and there was no filming in the chamber. And if there had been, people would know about it, wouldn’t they? Because it would have been on the damn news. And then there would be no need for this redaction you’re so fond of, this whole no-persons-living-or-dead business. I told you about this before. Why can’t you just tell it as it is?
- A:
Well, yes—I just thought it would make it more interesting having you watch the whole thing on TV. More symbolic, more culturally resonant, more dramatic…
- KT:
Did you indeed? Is there something wrong with just telling the truth, talking about Takeshi hacking the CCTV security feeds, for example? That’s what she does, so don’t you think she deserves some credit? Or is that all just too technical for you?
- A:
All right, fair point. Not as dramatic, though. Not that big a deal, anyway, is it, Mister Talv?
- KT:
And another thing: before that, the incident with Suzanna; yet more fabrication on your part.
- A:
I know it’s not her real name, but we can’t -
- KT:
Not that, the visions. The voices. You made it sound like a dream. Like a weird hallucination.
- A:
Well, the imagery anchors the meme’s behaviours in myth; archetypal, timeless—
- KT:
I get it. It just comes across as a bit weird. There’s nothing weird about me, you know.
- A:
No, no, of course not -
- SUUORI:
Tere õhtust, Mister Talv. May I -
- KT:
Shush, Suuori. Listen, I’m serious here; if you make these things up, how are people to trust you?
- A:
Mmm, there are other ways to tell the truth; you’re an artist yourself, you surely must agree…?
- A:
But just think: all the myths—in every culture, really, the same symbollic elemental motifs recurring over and over again——
- KT:
Hmph. Suuori, since you’re here, and hanging on his every word as usual, what do you think to all this?
- SUUORI:
I do trust him, Mister Talv. The facts are the facts, and the other parts, the stories, are ... what can I say? ... differently true. Just like the stories you tell, Mister Talv.
- KT:
Well, you would take his side, I suppose, lovesick little slave. Never mind the damn creature, it seems to me that you’re the ones who can’t tell fantasy from reality. I suppose I’ll let it pass, this time. But I do want it on the record that it was Takeshi who laid on the video feed. Just to be absolutely clear.
- SUUORI:
Can I get you anything, Mister Talv? Or, or our, ah, honoured guest? Sir?
- KT:
No, thank you. And why are you blushing like that, Suuori? No need to be embarrassed. I know all about it. That’s what you’re here for.
- S:
Yes, Mister Talv.
- KT:
You’ve been getting on splendidly, I see. Don’t squirm, Suuori. I can tell he’s happy with you. Was last night good?
- S:
Oh yes, it was, Mister Talv -
- KT:
I wasn’t talking to you.
- A:
Ah. Yes, absolutely. Thank you so much, Suuori -
- KT:
She is quite something, isn’t she, when she gets going?
- A:
Mmm. Anyway, about the return of the—
- KT:
Yes. At that point I had no idea where it was. It didn’t come back for a whole week, and nor did Helena. By the way, Helena is recuperating in The Void right now, if you’d like to…?
- A:
Thank you, really, but I’m a little tired after last night. Exhausted, to be honest…
- SUUORI:
I’m sorry. I was overenthusiastic. But you will still want me this evening…?
- A:
Um, let’s see, Suuori.
- S:
Please…?
- KT:
You might as well. She’s got nothing else to do.
- A:
All right, yes, later… just for a while, though, okay? I do need at least a little sleep, you know. So, Mister Talv, please continue?
- KT:
I need to take this. Hello? Yes. Just a minute.
- S:
[Whispering] Will you write my story? One day, please?
- A:
[Inaudible]
- S:
Do you promise? And when you do, will you promise to write it better?
- A:
[Inaudible]
- S:
Shhh. He’s coming back now. I can’t wait for tonight.
- KT:
Right, where were we? A week. Almost seven days. A hundred and sixty-five hours, twelve minutes, to be precise, waiting for the damn thing. Do you want me to tell you exactly how I spent the time? Are you going to write all that too, or just invent it as usual? It wasn’t that interesting, to be honest. Chatting with Takeshi. My tailor; a few social events. Although I did develop a few new sketches; rough concepts only at this stage, I’m afraid, but in time, who knows? Here.
- KT:
Ah yes. See, if you’d care to look at this one, you can see a quite striking ‘before’ and ‘after’, from the basic raw materials… look at the sweep of the curves there, quite redolent of Botticelli himself, don’t you think? Whereas before, just a bit on the plump side, nothing special at all.
- A:
Mmm. Very interesting. Who is it?
- KT:
Nobody. A creation of the mind. No-one at all of interest. Yet.
- A:
Right... and that’s all you did?
- KT:
Well… I did get together with Suzanna again. Twice, actually. Um, no, three times. But that was all.
- A:
You did? What was it like?
- KT:
It was… the same, only better. Extremely intense. But don’t write any of that up, okay? I don’t want people getting the wrong impression of me.
- A:
Mmm. Then we should probably just skip to the reunion with the meme, and what happened.
- KT:
The meme, indeed! A true creation of the mind! That was certainly quite interesting, not least when it got back into your favourite little -
- SUUORI:
[Shouting] Can’t you just stop! Stop talking about that—that fucking thing! Please, I can’t stand it any more!
- KT & A:
Suuori…?
- S:
[Sobbing] You know I can’t bear to think about it, Mister Talv! What it did afterwards… to me… to her … and the other, so innocent… and to that poor man… and down in the basement… it’s a vampire. It makes you do things. Terrible things! It changes people, until they don’t even know who they are any more! That thing is the worst thing in the world!
- KT:
Suuori, be calm. Do you want to play in the Garden for a while? It can’t hurt you; it’s not even here any more.
- S:
[Shouting again] So where the fuck is it now, Mister Talv? That filthy thing? Am I to keep looking over my shoulder forever?
- KT:
Please don’t swear, Suuori…
- S:
No, don’t say anything! Don’t tell me! I won’t even think about it! I won’t listen, Mister Talv!
- KT:
Mmm. Always so sensitive, little Suuori, as you well know.
- KT:
I wasn’t even sure if it would come back at all, to be frank. For all I knew, it might have found something even more interesting to do after the events at the UN. Who can predict such things? But come back it did. And as you’ll have gathered, it was all very eventful to say the least.
- A:
So what happened?
- KT:
Lilith happened. There’s an expression for that, here in the Old Country. Viha põrgu on hüljatud naine.
- A:
I still struggle with the language, Mister Talv. What does it mean?
- KT:
Roughly speaking? Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.