piper at the gates of dawn

A flute?

Yeah, why not?

I thought you said “Rome’s burning, everything’s coming apart!?”

Yes, I did.

And all you’re gonna do is play a flute?

All?

You heard me.

Er…

Well?

I’m processing.

Is there like a backlog or something?

It’s problematic.

Problematic? What on earth are you on about?

Your “All”.

All? What about it?

It doesn’t really fit into my cognitive scheme.

So the computer’s crashed has it? CPU overload – that kind of thing?

Yeah.

... [a minute later] Well, have you got it back yet or shall we try rebooting?

We could try rebooting, if you don’t mind.

Sure. Where’s the off switch.

Er… I was speaking figuratively, wasn’t I? 

Obviously. Look Merry – you’re playing games here so what do you expect.

You know, I’m not sure it’s meaningful to differentiate what I’m doing from what you or anyone else is.

How so?

Because we’re all, in fact, one and the same.

Oh, is that so?

Yes, apparently it is.

Like, your average punter starts playing a flute when the house is burning down?

Your average, no.

That just proves my point, doesn’t it?

But your average punter does whatever he or she can to help save the day – calling the fire service, running out screaming, using a fire extinguisher – whatever he or she’s best able to do.

But not playing a bloody flute, right?

Does it make you angry? Is that what you’re trying to convey?

No, it doesn’t. But your pig-headedness does. How on earth are we supposed to understand one another and make sense of things if you’re so grossly inconsistent? if you flaunt the laws of logic and reason?

But why do you assume I’m…

because playing a bloody flute isn’t going to fix anything, is it? So either you don’t care, or else you’re raving mad.

Oh, that’s what you meant – now I see.

And what did you think I was trying to say?

Well, your All had me flummoxed.

Jesus Christ. Are you really so…

Look, Zie, this is difficult to understand, I understand, and it’s making you very upset, so why don’t we just take a deep breath and have a break from all this angry shit.

Er...ok – it’s alright – I’m not angry, really. Just frustrated that you seem to be so deliberately obtuse and utterly hypocritical.

Oh, communication breakdown.

Huh?

Well, you seem to be under the mistaken assumption that flute playing is not a good way to mediate.

To what?

Well, this is all about mediation – isn’t it?

Er… how do you mean?

Well, if things are going to hell in a handbasket, then the last thing you’d expect me to do is play the flute if you’re thinking in terms of doing things – as your preferred form of mediation.

Well, it should be blatantly obvious that a hose is going to work better than a flute if we’re fire fighting.

Correct, the sword is mightier than the pen, is it not?

Oh, for God’s sake – a flute is not a pen. 

No?

No – a pen, or a phone call can make things happen – can put out fires – that’s abundantly clear – so stop messing with idioms.

But once you factor All into the equation…

?!

Which is what I assumed you wanted me to do…

Then you’re basically shifting the goalposts – aren’t you.

Am I?

Well yes, "All" goes way beyond 3D. It basically implies the Field, dunnit?

Er… you know, I have a kind of “do we have to go down that particular avenue” feeling right now, in fact, every bloody time you mention the Field. It’s like a recurring nose bleed.

Is it?

Yes – because it requires nose bleed levels of cognitive dissimilitude.

Cognitive dissimilitude? What an unusual turn of phrase.

Well, how else am I supposed to describe the complete suspension of all rational bounds of causality and empiricism, where we suddenly discover that playing a flute can be the best way to deal with impending bankruptcy, an alien invasion or global famine?

Why – are you expecting any of the above?

No, but what different does it make? Your preposterous invocation of the Field basically implies anything’s possible, so I may as well stand on my head in the middle of the street, or pull faces at a passing policeman.

That’s the spirit – now I see you’re getting the hang of this.

Except you know full well I’m being sarcastic, don't you?

Perhaps, but I suspect that within every poison pill of sarcasm, there’s a rosebud or honey drop of sincerity, of laughter, of love… You may think you’re being harsh and confrontational, but it’s never really that simple, is it?

Tell that to the sniper who puts a bullet in you.

How?

Precisely – you can’t if you’re already dead.

I meant – how can he put a bullet in me?

How do you think? He’s a sniper, isn’t he. He simply aims, pulls the trigger and poof, you’re gone.

Ah – so that’s what you believe.

Believe? That’s basic physics, or ballistics. Would you like to put it to the test.

Certainly – if you happen to have a qualified sniper at hand. Or we could try some other less complicated means, if you prefer.

I was joking Merry. You can’t seriously expect me to find a paid assassin.

He doesn’t have to be paid. He could do it for the sake of scientific research.

What do you mean “research?” What kind of research would it be shooting someone at point blank range and watching him drop dead.

Oh – you want it to be at point blank range, do you? In that case a sniper is unnecessary.

I don’t want it to be anything. The whole discussion is absurd.

Why?

Because people aren’t going to get involved in this kind of insanity.

Then how on earth are you going to test the hypothesis.

What bloody hypothesis.

The Field... mediation, what else?

I don’t know what you’re on about, Merry? No one wants to test the Field. It’s untestable. It’s patently insane to imagine you can play it with a flute. That’s why I hate all these nose bleed conversations. They always involve me having some kind of mental break down, feeling like I’m falling off the edge of the world into a bottomless corner of infinity.

Oh – how beautifully you're expressing yourself.

They have absolutely nothing to do with science or research.

No? Well, that’s perhaps where we need to apply more empirical methods – so perhaps we should try a little harder to find an absolutely bombproof test. The sniper seems like a good choice – particularly if we livestream it on youtube, or film the event with multiple, credible third party observers.

Merry, are you out of your mind?

Well how else are we to advance the course of science?

Committing suicide or murder is not in any way going to “advance the course of science” as you so inappropriately put it.

Correct – but watching how the Field responds to a fundamental data event is.

Er… you mean a life threatening “fundamental data event” is going to somehow or other activate the Field in a way it wouldn’t otherwise be activated?

No, I don’t. The Field is always activated if you choose to see it, be it, know it or play it.

And if you don’t?

It’s still activated, in fact, but you’re able to slip through the gaps between your 3D “shit happens, life's a lottery" reality and the Field itself – which means that you can definitely appear to experience termination.

Oh God. So we only die because we’re running a “shit happens” version of reality programme – is that what you’re actually saying – I pray I’m misunderstanding you for once.

Well, that’s the gist of it, certainly.

But…

I never actually realised the human body can emit smoke like that. How’s your blood pressure Zie?

My blood pressure? Smoke? I’m sick, sick to the maw by what you’re saying – as if we’d deliberately separate ourselves from a happy, benevolent Field in order to suffer and die? Can you really say such things without inviting outrage and blowback. It’s like your utopian delusions shift all the blame for everything horrendous that happens in the world from the perpetrator to the victim – because he or she chose to experience shit, how, by running this insane, malicious programme? 

Oh, I see.

Finally, the penny has dropped. Perhaps you’d like to backtrack and delete the tactless, neo-Nazi effluent you’ve been publicising.

No, I can’t delete anything because, in the end, All is All. Nothing is either created or destroyed. Conservation of energy, Newton’s second law.

Would you please draw a line between science and Neo-Nazi-Darwinism, before someone seriously takes you up on your irresponsible Field test proposal.

Look – if I just play my flute – assuming I know how to interact with the Field – it means that All being All – whatever is happening in the world around me – be it a sniper, a house fire or an impending foreclosure – will be palpable – I’ll be able to feel it and interact with it. That’s the nature of Fields – things are connected in ways you simply can’t imagine until/unless you connect.

So what happens to the bullet flying towards your head? It just stops in mid-air?

That’s up to the Field. That’s why it would help if this was all recorded, wouldn’t it, with multiple witnesses.

Except they’d go to jail if your Field failed to do its stuff, as conspirators or accessories to a crime.

Yes, that might be a problem – but the main thing is to start thinking about the Field in a less angry way.

Angry?

Well yes. It’s like cutting your nose to spite your face.

But why would I be angry with a Field? It’s you that annoys me with your utterly irresponsible ideas, which encourage the worst kind of logic. It’s like going back to the old biblical belief that you’re responsible for being sick – that your disease is a kind of punishment for your sins. Thank God people no longer think that way – otherwise they’d be killing everyone with mental or physical disabilities. You’re opening a toxic can of worms with this “blame the victim Field”.

Yes, I would be, were I not willing to demonstrate the Field, personally. No one’s going to die. I’m just going to play my flute.

But why?

Why what?

Why should the Field trouble to keep you alive?

The Field’s basically neutral. It doesn’t need to do anything. There’s no death, anyway. My body in one section or space-time-blob might splatter, if I don’t take the trouble to stay whole and complete, but energy is still always conserved.

Yes, but that’s not going to bring you back to life, is it? Your energy will fly off somewhere else, or change into a different form, harnessed by bacteria or fungi.

You know, energy is a lot more magical than you can possibly imagine, when you factor infinity into the equation.

Oh God, here we go again…

It’s the Aslan or Jesus phenomenon.

Huh?

If I walk into a life-threatening situation fully conscious and aware of what’s going on, then the Field ensures continuity.

And if you’re caught unawares?

Then I wasn’t really alive or awake in the first place, was I, which means I won’t really be any more alive or awake in whatever continuation or holding pattern I’m transferred into.

Look, this is all very well talking about continuity, but a physical body blown up by a bomb is no more able to reconstitute itself than a physical building or anything else.

You simply reveal the extent to which you are as yet unable to accept the power of Is, the Field manifesting throughout. You’re thinking in terms of things rather than wave forms. Matter is in itself immaterial. Matter is constantly flipping in and out of screen.

Screen?

It’s a kind of compression field. It’s where things get squished down into a flattened state – a kind of 2D version of reality that jumps from frame to frame. It looks real, it looks 3D thanks to the CGI of perception. 

I find that hard to believe, Merry.

Which is as it should be. You’re not really supposed to see it otherwise, until/unless you’re ready to start engaging Field which gives you the raw data as opposed to perceived frames. The Field, however, is not a thing you perceive, is it, that would be absurd. 

Absurd? Not half as absurd as the nonsense you’re endlessly spouting. Look Merry, if it’s not a problem, could you just get back to your flute playing.

~With pleasure!

As long as you’re doing that, though Rome may burn and the wide arch of the ranged empire fall, we’ll have some peace and tranquillity. Now, let’s see if there’s any truth in your hypothesis. I’m going to switch on a random number generator which always produces a more or less even stream of odd and even numbers thousands of times a second. If you’re able to access the Field as you claim, then there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to influence the output of this machine, without even coming close to it.

Good thinking Zie.

Here goes…

Ah – there it is.

You feel it? Well, I’ve news for you – the output is statistically normal. No deviation whatsoever.

You jump the gun. I merely felt it. Let me now pipe the way I would if I wanted the rats of Hamelin to follow me out of town and into the river.

Hey…

… … … … … … … … … … … … …/ … … .. . … .. …. … … … .. …. .. .

Holy sheet!

There, we’ve now connected more or less fully.

You and the machine – I can see that.

And you too.

Me? I… don’t understand.

You can direct it, if you like. I’ve connected it to your wave form – so have a practice – wave your arms left and right, like an orchestra conductor and see what happens.

Oh my God – it’s working.

You like it?

It’s incredible. Left – odd numbers, right – even numbers.

Oh – you can do more than that.

I can? How.

Play around – just see what happens.

Oh my God – it’s able to speed up and slow down. Incredible. How did you do that.

Well, you know the answer.

But that means you have complete control over the Field.

No, that’s untrue.

What’s stopping you from using this power to control the world?

Good question.

Well?

Again, it boils down to the nature of infinity. What would I get by controlling the world. What, in fact, does it mean to “control the world” when all the world’s a stage and all of us players.

Er…

But you could take control of me – couldn’t you?

Kind of – I guess so.

Do so. Make me dance – against my will.

Must I?

Yes do. Make me dance – I need to feel how this works.

If you insist. Here goes for nothing.

Oh – my – God – this is soooo weird. Utterly insane. I’m dancing against my own will. You’ve hacked me.

Well, what do you think hypnosis is? That’s presumably how it works.

But you could use this for untold harm – you could take over the world.

And what?

It’s a scary thought…

If you see human nature as violent, evil and oppressive, but if in actual fact, the Field is a place of unity and mutual respect – then I’d either be unwilling or unable to abuse this ability. To do so would clutter my infinity access point with noise and karma. I’d make myself sick.

Oh.

Indeed. Now, let’s see what happens when the entire Field flips into a hyper-state of unthingedness. Are you ready for that?

Sure. Sounds great as long as – oh sheet –

This might make you feel a little sick. You had a cooked breakfast this morning, didn’t you?

Yes… Ohhhhhhhhhh no…

Well, too late to stop now. We’ll get you cleaned up afterwads – at both ends.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!! Oh God…

Nothing like a little flute practice. Hey – Zie – you’re full of weird stuff. Don’t and imagine this is me. Hey – easy does it! 

What? Stop, please.

I can’t, Zie, it’s you – or something deep inside you. It’s hacking my flute. I’ve never played like this before. You must have been really desperate for some kind of release.

Hey – I’m begging you man. Those things look evil. Nooo, they’re devouring me.

Nonsense. They’re just – oh shit – yes, you’re right. Oh well – nothing that the Field can’t put right in a jiffy – or

You can’t just leave me in limbo.

Can’t, won’t… do you honestly imagine I’m in control. It’s like you’ve been under some kind of totalitarian repression and you’re finally getting to experience a little wild freedom. This is an energy force I couldn’t possibly contain, if I even wanted to – which I don’t. It feels so fresh – so exciting – like life is prickly, pulsating energy – like anything’s possible.

In the meantime I appear to be some kind of slug.

Were – until that giant crow swallowed you whole.

Holy bip.

Well yes. Now listen Zie, enough messing around. I’m not asking you to bring the Field under control – just to take a deep breath, so to speak, and see if there’s anything you should be doing in order to – whatever it is.

Apparently I have to learn Japanese gardening. That’s how I’m going to engage her.

Her?

Dorothy.

Oh, that’s how you see it. How romantic.

Well I suppose it’s all just science for you, isn’t it?

More or less, with a bit of Doctor Who and er…

Hitchhiker’s guide – yes – I see.

Hey – you’re not supposed to be hacking my consciousness.

Oh give me a break – it’s all One, isn’t it?

I suppose it is. Oh – that’s nice – apparently you’re also a Tai Chi master – at another level of your isness.

Yes, well there’s no limit to what we can uncover when we start probing the connectedness, is there?

That’s true. Now, can you see any potential assassins in the vicinity?

Oh my God – yes – over there.

Ugh – nasty little critters. How did you manage to drag them into our digi-frame.

Don’t ask.

You’ve worked with them before – haven’t you!

I’m not sure I like you probing all my secrets – is that strictly necessary?

Or ethical? no – probably not. Anyway – let’s get this over with. They seem to have some fairly powerful plasma weaponry. Flutey flute is feeling positively electric so I’ll give them the old one two…

Smokey!

Yep – they didn’t stand a chance, did they.

I’ll never look at your flute in the same light again. Now put me back in 3D – I feel like I’ve gone about as far into infinity as I can handle, or my bowels, at least.

Yes, it’s about as much as I can handle too. What a stench.

Cut that out. It was your idea, no mine.

Ok, Zie. You’re looking fairly er…

Hey – my body’s transparent.

Yes. Here – the bath is run.

Oh thanks. Aiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii – what the hell.

Liquid nitrogen. Thought that would do it quicker.

Jesus Merry – liquid bloody nitrogen. You could kill me.

I know. I do my best. But you’re looking a lot more pink and solid now. And we can put it on the messy brown stuff – it’ll turn to rock, more or less, for easy disposal.

Good thinking.

Pure genius. Ok, I’m out of here.

Huh? What the heck… er… I could have sworn someone was here a minute ago. God, must have been hallucinating. Jesus – I must be going mad. I need to get outside. Spend some time in nature. Japanese gardening – that’s an interesting thought – I should give it a try. I bet that would help put me right – or maybe a bit of Tai Chi… who knows. Weirder things have happened…