eyenot
in
beginnings
Challenge #59
Submitted by: eyenot
Submitted for: Challenge 59 - Have you ever noticed how the contents of a box are much more interesting before the box is opened?
Started: Dec.5 2007, 2:56pm
Words/time: 500 / 44 min.
Title: "Cat Box"
"Have you ever noticed how the contents of a box are much more interesting before the box is opened?", the repairman asked. Not receiving an audible answer, he turned his head from the spherework and looked at his apprentice.
The young apprentice shrugged, pulling tools out of a leather sack and arraying them on a clean, yellow parchment.
"HellO-OOO!" yodeled the repairman. The apprentice, remembering to be audible, spoke. "No? Not really? Most things come in spheres or bags. Laws of nature."
The repairman peered back into the sphere. "Well," he said disappointedly, "you never know until you do. Gyroscopy's down. Hatchet."
The apprentice hefted a large axe up.
"Good." The repairman dropped it into the sphere, blade and bundled wood falling out of sight. He waited, watching, then exhaled. "Nyep. Field heredity's out. Need the box, after all. Kid, get the box."
The apprentice kept good track of the tools. None of them resembled a box or a cube at all. "Where?"
The repairman left off sphere gazing and looked around. "How should I know? Around, somewhere. Probably smells bad. Get it."
The apprentice's nose led him to a sphere inside of a transparent plastic box with holes in it, the kind you would know what was inside without opening. The sphere smelled terrible and the apprentice ventured a gaze. "Of course," the apprentice said to himself, "heat-death", thinking it sounded very experienced in the trade.
"That's not heat-death," the repairman's distantly raised voice came, "it's homogenous field wave decay. Infinity's busted. Now it's only good for parts. Uh, unless your wisdom cares to explain initiating wave attack without crest mark. The box isn't over there."
The apprentice was learning fast, but there was so much to learn, and apparently nothing you learned was ever worthwhile, because it was nothing compared to the next thing. Kicking around, cursing misfortune, the apprentice's foot contacted with a black box and sent it spinning.
"Did you just kick the box? Speak up."
The apprentice shouted "Yes! I didn't even see it!"
"Good. Bring it here."
The apprentice carried it to the repairman, who pulled his head from the sphere and looked the box over. "Yep. That's it. Kick it hard?"
"It spun. Why, did it break?"
"No. Want to know what's inside?" The apprentice shrugged. "Go on, open it."
The apprentice opened the box and a cat jumped out. Laughing, he tried to grab it, but it jumped away.
"Leave it alone, it'll jump in the sphere, or, back into the box. When it wants to. There's no way of knowing until then."
The apprentice was perplexed. "But... why?"
The repairman wiped his hands on the parchment and sat on the workbench. "Before you opened the box, did you know what was in it?"
"No."
"But did you want to know?"
"Yeah!"
"Do you still want to know?"
The apprentice was puzzled. "Why... would I want to know, if I already --"
The repairman held his hands out. "Well, there you go."
Submitted for: Challenge 59 - Have you ever noticed how the contents of a box are much more interesting before the box is opened?
Started: Dec.5 2007, 2:56pm
Words/time: 500 / 44 min.
Title: "Cat Box"
"Have you ever noticed how the contents of a box are much more interesting before the box is opened?", the repairman asked. Not receiving an audible answer, he turned his head from the spherework and looked at his apprentice.
The young apprentice shrugged, pulling tools out of a leather sack and arraying them on a clean, yellow parchment.
"HellO-OOO!" yodeled the repairman. The apprentice, remembering to be audible, spoke. "No? Not really? Most things come in spheres or bags. Laws of nature."
The repairman peered back into the sphere. "Well," he said disappointedly, "you never know until you do. Gyroscopy's down. Hatchet."
The apprentice hefted a large axe up.
"Good." The repairman dropped it into the sphere, blade and bundled wood falling out of sight. He waited, watching, then exhaled. "Nyep. Field heredity's out. Need the box, after all. Kid, get the box."
The apprentice kept good track of the tools. None of them resembled a box or a cube at all. "Where?"
The repairman left off sphere gazing and looked around. "How should I know? Around, somewhere. Probably smells bad. Get it."
The apprentice's nose led him to a sphere inside of a transparent plastic box with holes in it, the kind you would know what was inside without opening. The sphere smelled terrible and the apprentice ventured a gaze. "Of course," the apprentice said to himself, "heat-death", thinking it sounded very experienced in the trade.
"That's not heat-death," the repairman's distantly raised voice came, "it's homogenous field wave decay. Infinity's busted. Now it's only good for parts. Uh, unless your wisdom cares to explain initiating wave attack without crest mark. The box isn't over there."
The apprentice was learning fast, but there was so much to learn, and apparently nothing you learned was ever worthwhile, because it was nothing compared to the next thing. Kicking around, cursing misfortune, the apprentice's foot contacted with a black box and sent it spinning.
"Did you just kick the box? Speak up."
The apprentice shouted "Yes! I didn't even see it!"
"Good. Bring it here."
The apprentice carried it to the repairman, who pulled his head from the sphere and looked the box over. "Yep. That's it. Kick it hard?"
"It spun. Why, did it break?"
"No. Want to know what's inside?" The apprentice shrugged. "Go on, open it."
The apprentice opened the box and a cat jumped out. Laughing, he tried to grab it, but it jumped away.
"Leave it alone, it'll jump in the sphere, or, back into the box. When it wants to. There's no way of knowing until then."
The apprentice was perplexed. "But... why?"
The repairman wiped his hands on the parchment and sat on the workbench. "Before you opened the box, did you know what was in it?"
"No."
"But did you want to know?"
"Yeah!"
"Do you still want to know?"
The apprentice was puzzled. "Why... would I want to know, if I already --"
The repairman held his hands out. "Well, there you go."