Musemuggers
Title: Three Chagalls
Author: Keppiehed
Word Count: 1141
Prompt: ring road
A/N: Written for musemuggers, Challenge # 516, Option #1.
They appeared outside Jane’s office at three minutes to eight. Jane recognized Them immediately, even though They’d never been introduced. An observant person would notice the smallest twitch of her right fingers before she reined in the instinct to shake hands and instead quelled the digits into quiescence. “Hello!” she said, betraying her frazzled nerves.
They swayed, but said nothing.
“Oh!” Jane reached for her translator and snapped the collar around her throat. She made sure the transducer fitted snugly against her vocal cords as she pulled the headset forward into her ear. “Pardon me,” she said again, smiling. “I didn’t realize the time. I’m Dr. Jane Hysell. I’m very pleased to meet you.”
The form on the right fluttered. “Doctor. I am _____, and this is __ _____. We are here about the Chagall.”
Jane nodded to cover her anxiety. She still wasn’t used to the sound of the foreign syllables in her ear. Their names were untranslatable. Even the most recent updates to the software couldn’t give an approximation of names, although it did a nice job of bridging the language barrier otherwise. Jane had heard stories from her grandparents’ generation when The Occupancy had first taken place, and it sounded like a confusing time for everyone involved. She was glad that they had evolved into a stable society, even if she didn’t have much personal experience working with Them. Everyone would learn, she had been told, and this was her chance. “Of course. Right this way.”
They followed her through the halls, and Jane talked to fill the awkward silence that was punctuated only by her lone pumps clicking on the tile. “May I ask why you are interested in Chagall? We have an extensive collection of Monet’s work.”
“Impressionism is not an example of the complexity of thought that is exemplified by the Cubists,” __ _____ said.
“Or the Surrealists,” _____ offered. “We are interested in the surreal.”
Jane made a left at the Modernist wing. “We are proud to be in possession of a Dali, if you would care to examine it, as well.”
“Thank you, no,” _____ said.
“Perhaps at a later date,” __ _____ added. “Right now our main interest is with Chagall. I’m sure you would agree that his color work is nonpareil.”
“What?” Jane asked. She stopped and turned to look at them, as though seeing them would help her understand.
They bent towards each other, conferring. _____ spoke first. “You perhaps do not have this equivalent word in your language. Peerless? Without rival?”
Jane relaxed. “Oh. Yes.” Her fingers brushed the headset, but it was just a word glitch. It happened occasionally. “Let’s continue.”
The Chagalls were not on exhibit, but rather set aside for the express purpose of today’s examination. Jane slid her keycard through the slot and opened the secure door that led to the storage vault where they had been prepared for viewing. The paintings were displayed on easels in the middle of the room, and a table held magnifying glasses for closer inspection.
Jane held out her hand. “We are pleased to be in possession of three original Chagalls-the first, on the left, is Over Vitebsk. That is dated at 1915-1920. The middle canvas is a nice contrast, called The Firebird, circa 1945. The last, to the far right there, is of course I and the Village, dated 1911.”
They moved to observe the canvases. Jane selected a magnifying glass from the table, but with no discernible optical organs, it suddenly seemed foolish-or worse-to offer Them a tool that relied on eyesight for use. She slid the lens into her pocket and watched Them.
They paused in front of each painting, but Jane could not decipher any speech. It had been noted that Their native communication relied on a frequency beyond human perception, so it was possible that They were speaking outside a range that she was able to detect, but the Kiev Convention had mandated that in mixed company both parties would agree to communicate in terms that everyone could understand. They seemed to be in compliance with the treaty thus far, so she doubted that they were in violation of the Convention. After a moment, __ _____ turned towards her and asked a question. “If I may be so bold to inquire, which is your personal favorite?”
Jane blinked. “I … I don’t really like any of them, to be honest.”
“Why?” _____ asked.
Jane looked at her hands. She couldn’t believe she’d admitted that. “I mean, of course I enjoy art. It’s why I went into this profession.”
“Which artist do you prefer?” _____ asked.
Jane swallowed. “I guess I always liked Wyeth. Are you familiar with his work? We have Ring Road on exhibit in the North Gallery. It exemplifies his use of earth tones.”
There was a moment of silence. Then, “The American. The Realist.”
“Yes, but more than that,” Jane said. “He showed a certain sensitivity. He was able to capture fragility in ordinary details. There was a magic in everyday life that he understood. He didn’t need to resort to tricks to captivate. He saw the souls in people and in the land around him, and he showcased that on the canvas with just paint. Paint! It’s the work of breathtaking genius. Truly humbling to behold.”
“Tricks,” _____ repeated. It wasn’t a question.
Jane frowned. “Not that I don’t see worth in Chagall. It is just not a … personal favorite.”
“Mais lorsque nous capturons le vol d'une alouette en hiver, ne voyons-nous pas-” Jane realized that she had hit the button that toggled between languages and she switched back just to hear the ending. “Yourself in it, just there?” __ _____ asked.
“I hope I did not offend you,” Jane said, scrambling to cover the fact that she’d missed most of the sentence.
“Offend?” _____ asked. “Exchange of ideas is never offensive, little lark.”
Jane touched her headset, wondering if she had model that was prone to malfunction, or if she had missed something crucial in the exchange. She regretted, not for the first time, that she had not learnt another language in college when she had the chance. Now she merely nodded, although she wasn’t sure quite why.
“We find the Chagall display satisfactory,” __ _____ said after a long moment. “Thank you; you have been most helpful. We shall contact your agency if the need arises for re-examination.”
“Wait,” Jane said. “You barely looked at them! Are you sure you don’t need anything else?”
_____ paused. “Our conversation has been most enlightening. We have found what we sought. You have our gratitude, Dr. Hysell. We shall now depart in peace.”
Jane watched Them sway and flutter, then before she could articulate her formal valediction she found herself alone in the room with only three Chagalls for company.
Author: Keppiehed
Word Count: 1141
Prompt: ring road
A/N: Written for musemuggers, Challenge # 516, Option #1.
They appeared outside Jane’s office at three minutes to eight. Jane recognized Them immediately, even though They’d never been introduced. An observant person would notice the smallest twitch of her right fingers before she reined in the instinct to shake hands and instead quelled the digits into quiescence. “Hello!” she said, betraying her frazzled nerves.
They swayed, but said nothing.
“Oh!” Jane reached for her translator and snapped the collar around her throat. She made sure the transducer fitted snugly against her vocal cords as she pulled the headset forward into her ear. “Pardon me,” she said again, smiling. “I didn’t realize the time. I’m Dr. Jane Hysell. I’m very pleased to meet you.”
The form on the right fluttered. “Doctor. I am _____, and this is __ _____. We are here about the Chagall.”
Jane nodded to cover her anxiety. She still wasn’t used to the sound of the foreign syllables in her ear. Their names were untranslatable. Even the most recent updates to the software couldn’t give an approximation of names, although it did a nice job of bridging the language barrier otherwise. Jane had heard stories from her grandparents’ generation when The Occupancy had first taken place, and it sounded like a confusing time for everyone involved. She was glad that they had evolved into a stable society, even if she didn’t have much personal experience working with Them. Everyone would learn, she had been told, and this was her chance. “Of course. Right this way.”
They followed her through the halls, and Jane talked to fill the awkward silence that was punctuated only by her lone pumps clicking on the tile. “May I ask why you are interested in Chagall? We have an extensive collection of Monet’s work.”
“Impressionism is not an example of the complexity of thought that is exemplified by the Cubists,” __ _____ said.
“Or the Surrealists,” _____ offered. “We are interested in the surreal.”
Jane made a left at the Modernist wing. “We are proud to be in possession of a Dali, if you would care to examine it, as well.”
“Thank you, no,” _____ said.
“Perhaps at a later date,” __ _____ added. “Right now our main interest is with Chagall. I’m sure you would agree that his color work is nonpareil.”
“What?” Jane asked. She stopped and turned to look at them, as though seeing them would help her understand.
They bent towards each other, conferring. _____ spoke first. “You perhaps do not have this equivalent word in your language. Peerless? Without rival?”
Jane relaxed. “Oh. Yes.” Her fingers brushed the headset, but it was just a word glitch. It happened occasionally. “Let’s continue.”
The Chagalls were not on exhibit, but rather set aside for the express purpose of today’s examination. Jane slid her keycard through the slot and opened the secure door that led to the storage vault where they had been prepared for viewing. The paintings were displayed on easels in the middle of the room, and a table held magnifying glasses for closer inspection.
Jane held out her hand. “We are pleased to be in possession of three original Chagalls-the first, on the left, is Over Vitebsk. That is dated at 1915-1920. The middle canvas is a nice contrast, called The Firebird, circa 1945. The last, to the far right there, is of course I and the Village, dated 1911.”
They moved to observe the canvases. Jane selected a magnifying glass from the table, but with no discernible optical organs, it suddenly seemed foolish-or worse-to offer Them a tool that relied on eyesight for use. She slid the lens into her pocket and watched Them.
They paused in front of each painting, but Jane could not decipher any speech. It had been noted that Their native communication relied on a frequency beyond human perception, so it was possible that They were speaking outside a range that she was able to detect, but the Kiev Convention had mandated that in mixed company both parties would agree to communicate in terms that everyone could understand. They seemed to be in compliance with the treaty thus far, so she doubted that they were in violation of the Convention. After a moment, __ _____ turned towards her and asked a question. “If I may be so bold to inquire, which is your personal favorite?”
Jane blinked. “I … I don’t really like any of them, to be honest.”
“Why?” _____ asked.
Jane looked at her hands. She couldn’t believe she’d admitted that. “I mean, of course I enjoy art. It’s why I went into this profession.”
“Which artist do you prefer?” _____ asked.
Jane swallowed. “I guess I always liked Wyeth. Are you familiar with his work? We have Ring Road on exhibit in the North Gallery. It exemplifies his use of earth tones.”
There was a moment of silence. Then, “The American. The Realist.”
“Yes, but more than that,” Jane said. “He showed a certain sensitivity. He was able to capture fragility in ordinary details. There was a magic in everyday life that he understood. He didn’t need to resort to tricks to captivate. He saw the souls in people and in the land around him, and he showcased that on the canvas with just paint. Paint! It’s the work of breathtaking genius. Truly humbling to behold.”
“Tricks,” _____ repeated. It wasn’t a question.
Jane frowned. “Not that I don’t see worth in Chagall. It is just not a … personal favorite.”
“Mais lorsque nous capturons le vol d'une alouette en hiver, ne voyons-nous pas-” Jane realized that she had hit the button that toggled between languages and she switched back just to hear the ending. “Yourself in it, just there?” __ _____ asked.
“I hope I did not offend you,” Jane said, scrambling to cover the fact that she’d missed most of the sentence.
“Offend?” _____ asked. “Exchange of ideas is never offensive, little lark.”
Jane touched her headset, wondering if she had model that was prone to malfunction, or if she had missed something crucial in the exchange. She regretted, not for the first time, that she had not learnt another language in college when she had the chance. Now she merely nodded, although she wasn’t sure quite why.
“We find the Chagall display satisfactory,” __ _____ said after a long moment. “Thank you; you have been most helpful. We shall contact your agency if the need arises for re-examination.”
“Wait,” Jane said. “You barely looked at them! Are you sure you don’t need anything else?”
_____ paused. “Our conversation has been most enlightening. We have found what we sought. You have our gratitude, Dr. Hysell. We shall now depart in peace.”
Jane watched Them sway and flutter, then before she could articulate her formal valediction she found herself alone in the room with only three Chagalls for company.