between whiles

Apparently I’m between whiles.

Yes, that’s a fair description.

But what does it mean?

Er... could you tell me how you knew?

What?

That you’re between whiles.

Oh, I... er

You have no idea, correct? You simply knew.

Apparently so.

But you’re still not comfortable with the fact that you simply know things...

Uh

You’re treating this with a certain degree of suspicion, which is understandable.

Oh

Until you make yourself more at home here.

At home? You mean I’m here to stay?

Where?

Here, between whiles...

Would you like to?

I don’t know... No, not if I have to.

I see your point. That would be... yes.

Yes I have to stay?

Yes

Oh. For how long?

How long is a piece of string?

No, come on, I want to know.

Then know.

How? I don’t know how to know.

Well, you keep saying apparently when you’re knowing things, so there lies the key. Follow that trail of sceptical stand-offishness back to its source and bingo, you’ve found where your power of knowing originates.

Can’t you just tell me. I think that would be...

Easier?

Well yes.

...

Sorry?

...

I didn’t catch what you said.

...

Is this some kind of joke?

...

Whatever it was you were saying...

Saying? I’d hardly call that saying.

Then what?

Imparting.

Well, it went right over my head. Your imparting was obviously a failure. I’d stick to saying if I were you.

Oh, but you’re not.

Well obviously, but if I were...

If you were you’d have done exactly what I did.

How can you be so sure?

For the simple reason that I, unlike you, am me, and therefore I know exactly what to say or do in the circumstances.

But that’s being absurdly conceited. You can hardly speak for me, or what I’d have done if I were you.

No more than you can speak for me and what you’d have done being me.

Look, this is getting nowhere.

True.

So if you don’t mind I’d much rather change the subject.

Go ahead.

I’d rather go back to our starting point.

That sounds very reasonable.

I want to hear what you have to say about this place.

Yes.

Or about yourself.

Uh huh.

Or anything you choose to tell me.

Right.

Well?

Well?

Can you give me any insights?

Yes.

Great, fire ahead.

No.

No? I thought you just said yes?

I did, yes.

Then why contradict yourself?

No contradiction.

Oh God, this woman’s obviously insane.

Yes.

I’m talking to a madwoman. What does that make me?

Good question.

I wish you’d give me a break. I need a bit of help.

You do?

I’m asking for help.

Whom.

Whom? What do you mean whom?

Who are you asking for help?

How am I supposed to know who you are if you won’t tell me?

Good point.

Good point?! It wasn’t a point, it was a question.

Oh

Mad, mad as the day is long.

Which is an interesting consideration if you’re between whiles, as you yourself declared.

Well I don’t really know about that.

You don’t know what you said?

I don’t know if I agree with what I said. I mean I just sort of blurted it out without really giving it any thought.

Precisely.

Precisely? What could be precise about blurting something out without any thought?

Good question. Don’t worry, we’ll get there in the end.

There? Where exactly?

Back to knowing whatever it is you need to know.

You make it sound like...

Like it is, sauntering across a bridge between two sides of a divided being.

A what?

You heard.

Yes I did, but I’m not sure I believe what I just heard.

Yes, these things take time.

Time... so am I in purgatory?

Does it feel like you’re in purgatory?

I...

Yes?

I don’t know. How am I supposed to know what purgatory feels like? It certainly doesn’t feel like being in heaven, that’s for sure.

And you know what heaven feels like?

I can guess.

But not purgatory?

Ok, I see your point. I suppose it could be seen as purgatory, if I allowed it to rile me.

To rile you?

Yes, to get the better of me.

Oh. You mean it’s up to you?

I guess so.

Interesting.

What do you mean interesting?

How much you seem to know without knowing.

Funny, isn’t it.

What? Talking to a madwoman?

That as well.

...

Not very talkative are you.

...

Not very anything much at all.

...

I’d be hard pushed to describe you if I tried.

...

Come to think of it I have no idea how to describe you, which is kinda weird if you think about it.

...

I mean, you’d think I’d be able to say what someone looks like, wouldn’t you?

...

But nothing, zilch, nada. You don’t seem to be in any way describable, which begs the question

...

Whether you even exist at all

...

Or whether you’re just a figment of my imagination

...

And there’s no way of telling

...

Nothing for me to hold onto as a certainty in this

This?

This between whiles.

Frustrating, isn’t it?

Not so much frustrating

...

More

...

Intriguing

...

Actually intriguing that I can still experience a completeness

...

A fullness

...

A wholeness

...

Between whiles, in what objectively I can not describe or thingify

Thingify

Can not, for here all things evidently amount to nought

...

And yet there doesn’t seem to be any lack of what is not

...

As if the shadow of things

...

The shadow of materiality has

...

Taken on form and substance

...

Yet without divesting itself of shadowiness.

Ah

Ah?

Oh

Oh

...

And now that I think of it

...

I realise there’s

...

An other side to all that I’m not seeing or experiencing here

...

Which enables me to feel

Feel

And know

To no

What is here not

Nought

But there on other side

...

In all likelihood

...

Something or other

...

If only I knew how to bring the two to

...

gether

...

I

...

I

...

I

...

I suppose there must be some kind of mechanism if only

...

I knew how

...

...

...

now brown cow

Moo

Oh, what was that?

Er

Do it again please

Moo?

Yes

Moooooooo

Oh my God, i can feel something through the divided-be

What?

Not what, moo, please just moo

But you’re making me feel ridiculous

Ridiculous? Since when did a madwoman feel ridiculous?

I er

...

I don’t know

This is important Dorothy

Dorothy?

Yes, stop pretending you don’t know

...

You know perfectly well who you are

Oh, so now all of a sudden you’ve decided to remember who i am

Yes er... no. I’ve always known, it’s just i didn’t know i knew.

Oh come on, pull the other one

I knew, Ok, are you happy now? Would you kindly do me a favour and moo?

I don’t know. What’s it worth?

How now brown cow

Moo

now brown cow

Moo

brown cow

Moo

Oh wow!

Moo

Wow!

Moo

Womb

Moo

Tomb

Moo

Om

Moo

Me

Moo

And you

Moo

Are

...

One

...

I no, it’s true, dorothy

You know?

I no beyond shadow of doubt i you

You me?

I you

You me dorothy?

I woo you mb

You to me mb?

Moo

Moo?

Moo

...

Moo

Ah – me

Beautifully

Er... Time out Zigismund. What’s with the fishing rod?

Oh my God, I nearly forgot

...

I’ve got to catch a steak and chips for Merry.

With a fishing rod?

Yes, and a bottle of Beaujolais.

And you called me mad? Damn cheek!

But these are just things Dotty, you know that.

They may be just things Zigismund, as you put it, but that’s no reason for me to tolerate that fool’s terminological nonsense.

Oh, i thought

Yes, i expect you did, but had you given it a little careful nought you’d have known he’s up to know good with his theatricantics.

Oh, I’m sorry you see it like that dorothy, i

Yes, i expect you will, but not between whiles

Not between whiles? But what about you, how will i

zoo

No, i don’t want to leave you

zoo

doro-

zoo

thea

zoom

i...

home

love...

om

you...

sweet om

...

1 – 2 – 3

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Ah, there you are Zie! I’ve been waiting for ever.

No, i want to be between whiles with do-

Ah, you’ve brought my steak and chips. Excellent.

rothy

Hang on a second... What’s this? Burgundy?

?

I expressly requested Beaujolais, did i not?

You did

And that witch, what has she foisted on us instead?

Burgundy? So she made a mistake

Mistake? You imagine that wolverine is capable of making mistakes? You didn’t...

What?

You didn’t actually...

What?

You mean to say you actually declared your lv? That you formally requested to stay between whiles?

I...

Oh my God, Zie, what have you done?

I... i don’t no

You don’t no?! This is worse than i feared Zie

...

It looks like she’s taken your k

My k?

Me thinks she’s found a way to ensnare you in her night’s tale.

Her knight’s tale?

Without the k.

And what does it mean? What should i do?

Get it back of course. Get it back or you’re a gonner... doomed as the day is dire, as the tomb is black as knight is night as nought is not.

To be kontinued