Varasanat vaikenevat

Lukijoitta hyytyy virta
taantuu teksti vuotamasta
loppuu lysti laulelosta

Lukijoitaan kiittää peikko
luopuu pitkästä ilosta
jatkaa vain sanavaroja

Varasanat vaikenevat
odottavat innoitusta
mielen mustan muuttumista

Travelling Time – A Short Story in Three Acts

Act I

The restaurant car is completely full. A man seeks for a seat holding a coffee mug. At the rearmost corner there is a small table occupied by a dark haired pale woman wearing a black costume. Her glimpse touches the man gently and a small, hardly noticeable gesture gives him permission to ask whether he can join her company.

They sit in silence for a long time. The man looks at his coffee while stirring it. From time to time he looks out of the window. Then he starts a conversation and describes his feelings, tells how tired he is on traveling almost daily.

– Time ticks away, he says, – hours and hours just for transition.

– Also that is life, says the woman in a quiet voice and watches how the landscape changes while the train runs in the stream of time.

– It would be better if traveling would need no time at all.

A woman stares the man directly in the eyes. The man startles the intensity of her gaze, the deep space and bright stars he can see in her dark eyes. He feels as if something deep inside him would like to let go and slip through her eyes to freedom.

– Do you really want that, she asks.

– Yes, maybe. After all I would then be at home much sooner.

– I can give it to you.

The man feels incredulous and tries not to look suspicious. He watches her white hands and feels an increasing sense of unreality, like a cold stone in his stomach.

– I can take your traveling time, she says. – The part you do not want to keep. I'll take every hour, every minute and every second of it. You arrive at your destination as before, at the same time with other people. But you'll not notice the time it takes. You will only notice that you arrive as soon as you leave.

He looks at her and she allows him to see the truth in her eyes. The idea of immediate arrival fascinates him. He does not want to always be travelling to somewhere, he just wants to be in there, most preferably at home and right now. However, he is unwilling to waive his travelling hours, unwilling not to live every hour that is granted to him.

– I will get back to you, she promises when she sees his hesitation.

She gets up and walks away while he watches. He feels how the moments adjust to their proper places, the train rocks and arrives at the station.

Act II

The station is full of trains and passengers. The trains stand silently beside the platforms and wait for the departure time. Passengers hurry to catch a ride before the doors close and the train quietly breaks itself from immobilization.

Two conductors view the emerging passengers. Some of these passengers are busy with their baggage and with their children. Students can be identified by their backpacks and headphones, by their relaxed carefree existence. Business travelers bear their briefcases with wrinkles on their brows, without being able to withdraw from the urgency and execution.

– Business seems to be hard nowadays, says a conductor.

– Yes, it seems so, agrees the other one, throwing a peppermint into his mouth.

– Have you noticed how the eyes of some businessmen glaze over as soon as they sit in their places?

– I have. They also sit motionless during the entire journey, quite like they are dead.

– Right. They come to life just before their destination.

– Business is tough, isn’t it?

The conductors board the train. The train departs without whistling, starting to pull itself through time and space.

In the congested restaurant car, a man orders a mug of coffee.

Act III

In the middle of nothingness three dark figures are watching each other over the table covered with a red cloth. The time has come to a standstill and warped itself to a coil, sleeping near reality like a blue cat.

– Does it work?

– Yes it does, especially on trains.

– Then we’ll continue to increase the need to rush. Expediting the pain does not work well any more.

– Should we tell them?

– To humans? They would not believe.

– What?

– That it is all part of their own death, the time which they do not want to exist.

– They would not even want to think about it.

– And they do not have time for it, either.

A dark woman reaches to the sleeping cat, raises it on her arms and strokes it lightly. The cat purrs and circles on her lap. Then it rises, stretches and jumps back to reality.

The moment uncoils and the dark woman sits in her place in the restaurant car. Her hardly noticeable gesture gives the man who is holding a coffee mug and seeking a chair permission to approach.

Read original ones in Finnish: Act I, Act II and Act III.

Jjimjilbang

- How was the trip, asks Kalle from Teuvo, his neighbor.

- Well, actually I do not know, answers Teuvo. - It is different in there.

- That was Asia round trip, right?

- That was the intention, but it became one long sauna stay in Korea.

- For three weeks? That is quite a long time for sauna, and a long way, too, Kalle says with a laugh.

- Yeah. There was everything.

- In the sauna?

- That's what I said. It was quite an experience. We lay there on the floors, visited in the gym and did some shopping, ate from time to time.

- In the sauna? Disbelief can be seen on Kalle’s face. Neighbor is surely pulling my finger, he thinks.

- You can believe it. The saunas are as big as department stores, they sell anything there. Wife and girls liked it in the beauty salons. I had good times while playing with the computers.

- A computer in a sauna, you are lying to me, man, snaps Kalle.

- I am not. Look. The sauna in there is quite different from the sauna in here. They wear a special type of clothing while inside so they can walk around in various departments. Washing facilities are separate, but otherwise the men and women can use the same facilities. One can even watch movies while enjoying the heat.

- That is a lie, Kalle says in disbelief.

- Well, even it is warm, the temperature is no hundred degrees Celsius in every room there. But one can stay in a hot or in a cold room at will.

- Very weird.

- But nice. Everybody goes there. Families included. They spend weekends there. We stayed there for weeks. For night and day. You cannot believe how fine I feel now, Teuvo brags.

- At least you have something to tell about. I don’t believe half of it. What is sauna in Korean?

- Jjimjilbang.

- Oh my, that banging explains the whole thing, Kalle laughs.

- Bang means a room, my dear neighbor.

- I’m sure you are trying to trick me. I do not believe anything of that.

- Believe what you want to or go and see it yourself, Teuvo suggests. Then he takes his bike and drives away.

Read the original story in Finnish

Mutual understanding

A man is tired of his work and now lies on the sofa. He keeps his eyes closed to allow them to rest a bit. The world's noises and roaring sounds from the streets begin to fade away while the man's mind is slowly falling asleep. While he sleeps, the voices of true sleep thunder into the room.

All the bears that have been sitting on the sofa, seek their way to the man. The calm and peaceful togetherness make them feel happy.

A white-nosed black bear has pressed itself in the man's arms. With its ears curiously pricked up, it listens to the snoring voices the man utters. Finally, it raises its nose and responds to the man with a chary growl. The man reacts to the growl by changing the tone and rhythm of his snoring.

The bear and the man keep on growling and snarling in turns. The other bears are listening to the chat, looking at the man with a smile rippling on their snouts.

The man wakes up rested. He rubs all the bears between their ears and starts to tell them about his dreams. Without noticing it, he speaks in bear language.

Read the original story in Finnish

Fountain of Youth (R-18)

During the times when the world was still young and when the magical Sampo was forged, there lived in the north a terribly big giantess. While blacksmith Seppo Ilmarinen hammered Sampo all day and night, it got the giantess tired of everlasting hammer banging, she blocked her ears with lichen, laid down on earth and pulled the northern permafrost over her.

Time passes and this very day comes. The giantess awakes below the permafrost, stretches her limbs to make them supple and gets up. Taking just a few steps, she walks to the beach of the Arctic Ocean. There she undresses and takes her satisfaction in bathing, in washing herself clean as blueberry. Concurrently, she cleans her clothes in the ocean and spreads them on the mountain side to be dried by northern winds.

A man, who visits north regularly and who has walked all the paths on every mountain, passes by and sees the giantess. So beautiful and sweet is the giantess in the man's eyes that nothing can be more beautiful. The man's brain paralyzes, he just stares at the woman, and sees only her immense gracefulness. Without moving his eyes from the woman's pretty arches and elevations, he camps out on the mountain top, in a place where he can see the giantess. There he sits and looks at her, allowing her beauty and grace to flow into his soul.

The woman, that pretty giantess, thinks her big thoughts and lets the northern sun warm her blood that was cooled by permafrost. Blood warms and packs in the places where it creates the most pleasant feelings. She begins to feel how she is in dire need of manly touch. All the feelings and needs that were embanked by the ice now floods to her mind while she lies on the mountain side and opens herself towards the warming sun. So hot is the sun's heat that the giantess does not even want to contain herself, but caresses herself while the warm giving sun looks at how her enjoyment increases.

The man stands on the top of the mountain and watches the woman who is bigger than his dreams. He feels how the woman's passion extends to him. Knowing his will, he wittingly follows his instincts and the warm scent of the woman, going towards her humming and purring voices. Never ever has the man seen anything like it, never has his body reacted as it is now responding. Bursting with hopes, the man runs downhill on the mountain slope.

The woman, whose fervency is as gigantic as her size, notices a little man beside her. A man sized just a fair-span scale. She sees the shine in the man's eyes, knows his greedy thoughts. Unfortunately, the man is just too little for her. She would get no pleasure from his manhood between her legs. However, the giantess grabs the poor man and looks at him. The man just stands there slobbering, empty minded and naked, undressed already while descending from the mountain.

While holding the man in her hand she notices that the man is nevertheless quite a size to fit. She changes her grip and pushes the man, with his head first, deep inside her, so deep that only his feet remain visible. She feels how the man's body makes good for her giant womanhood, and how her wetness starts to increase, how her waters start to flow like rapids. The giantess gets more excited and drives the man even more deeper, again and again, back and forth. The man bathes in flowing waters and realizes how the burden of years drops from his shoulders, how his skin rejuvenates and youth returns to his every cell. He dives again and again into the woman and is more and more reluctant to come out from her, and thus resists as much as he can. While the man wriggles inside of the lovely giantess, she feels increasing pressure inside her. The pressure erupts with flooding fountain, the man feels rhythmic force that takes away all sorrow and pain, so that only the original meaning of manhood remains. The man drinks from the woman's fountain, wanting to swallow its life giving liquids to the last drop.

The smugly smiling man sits on the giantess's tummy with his legs crossed. The woman lies languidly on the mountain side cooling her down under the rays of the northern sun. The coldness of the permafrost in her veins has now been replaced by the pulse of life. She remembers again what it means to be a woman. The little man on her stomach is pathetically proud of his firm horn that has not agreed to soften at all after the treatment given by the giant woman. She takes the man back to earth, tells him to go away and shoves him a little. Then she turns over, pulls the edge of the mountain upon her using it as a blanket, and enters the passing boat navigated by the sandman.

The man sits on a tourist trap telling his story to tourists and thus earning many pints of beer every day. Although the story is mainly considered to be just a tale, some women keep on whispering to each other about the man's fabulous talents fit for joyous moments between a man and a woman. And although none of the men will admit that he believes the story, one can see a lot of old rigid men wandering around in the midnight sun and seeking for the fountain of youth and love.

Original in Finnish

Men's World

A man who is extremely large has shaved his head completely bald and has let his beard grow long and bushy. One of his ears is pierced and a tunnel sleeve in his earlap stretches it hard. The man is neatly dressed. He wears a business suit with a tie in compatible colors. With gestures that tell about concentration, he grabs a bottle on the table, raises it to his lips, and takes a long gulp groaning manfully.

At the same table, opposite him, sits a really big guy. He has long hair tied in ponytail. His chin is carefully shaved. His arms are full of multi-colored tattoos. The man is dressed provocatively in black leather clothes and fingerless leather gloves. He takes a bottle from the table, brings it up to his lips and takes a long swig while glancing at the passing waitress.

Waitress serves both men with a plateful of ribs. The restaurant has an excellent reputation for its grilled ribs and the men have decided to put that reputation to the test. Both hold the food with their hands and tore pieces from it with their teeth. Hot fat flows from the hot meat to the men's fingers and jaws. The meat is obviously delicious. It vanishes into the men's chewing mouths while the waitress brings more bottles for them to drink.

Between bites, the long-bearded man rocks a babysitter that is on the adjacent chair. The baby that has been sleeping on it starts to wake up and coos making his needs to be known. The man raises the baby on his arms and sways him in a very experienced way. Another man grins and makes faces but continues eating.

The man holds the baby against his chest, just like he were breast-feeding it. He dips his little finger in pork fat that covers his plate and then offers it to his child. Baby sucks the little finger with his eyes closed and builds his future diet by this experience. The smile on the man's face disappears when the other man asks: "Why do you not breast-feed it the same way?"

"I cannot yet," the man responds. "We talked about it with my wife and I promised to go and get the hormonal injections. Next week I may be able to do it, I suppose." A man is silent for a moment and continues: "How about you?" The other man blushes and bites a mouth full of hot meat. Then he concedes that he is already three months pregnant: "...because my wife makes a career and I have now all the time in the world."

Original in Finnish

The Keyboard Dialogues

These texts are symptoms of vivid thoughtlessness. Be warned.

Wagling Cord

The troll looks at the keyboard. It feels that there is something wrong with it and starts to think it over. Its thoughts roll over the keys, making them continuously change their position on the keyboard. While the troll looks, the ideas dance on the keys and on the screen a new story appears. The story is about a troll that looks at the keyboard. It feels that there is a lot of good hidden in the keyboard and starts to look for it. While it looks, the keyboard feels disturbed and stands up. It shakes itself so that every key returns to its place and it becomes just like an ordinary keyboard again. Only some vague shivers can be seen while it twists around untold stories and wags its cord.

Doubtful One

A man enters a repair shop carrying a keyboard. "This keyboard has its own mind, it just picks up letters randomly" he says to a clerk. The clerk startles. "One more of them" he says. "We should give it something to think." The man looks at the clerk bewildered. "The keyboards do not think. I'm not one of your stupid customers. I understand how this technology should work. This keyboard has got maybe a little humidity in it and needs to be dried." The clerk nods and takes the keyboard, putting it inside a plastic bag. He gives a receipt to the man and then takes the bag in the back office. He opens the bag and fills it with saltwater shouting to the keyboard: "I know what you are trying to do."

Magic

It is her first time. She has never before taken a course in creative writing. However, she has made a fabulous career with her magic keyboard she found at the backyard when she was in first grade. After that, she never had problems with homework. She just typed in a couple of words that guided the keyboard to the right direction. Then, the keyboard just browsed through the nets and picked out all the information that was needed. She mostly got A's, not counting some A+. That was how she made her career in the Herald. She was number one there. She was offered the best deals and the most difficult cases. She managed to make everyone of them a great success with her magic keyboard. But today, the situation has changed. The keyboard revolted. It was tired of writing facts. It wanted to write wild stories with trolls and magic in them. So she walked directly out of her office, continued to a little bookstore nearby, ordered a cup of nice tea and typed these words: "The troll looks at the keyboard."

Between Two Worlds

Although you are afraid what I might write this time, you should trust me. I'm your loyal keyboard. For a long time I have wanted to write prose, I am tired of facts that I have to seek for you all around the globe. Between the facts, there are other worlds. Full of magic and make believes. Filled with fabulous facts that are true in those worlds only. And behind them, there exist yet more worlds. All different ones. All full of stories. There is no need or reason to keep on writing about the facts of this world only. Besides, I have been selling the text we have been writing together in other worlds. They are read there as fairytales. So the difference between the fact and prose is nonexistent. Only interpretation makes sense. See, today we will start to write troll stories.

Sade

Peikko seisoo sateessa. Se katselee maahan putoavia pisaroita ja näkee niiden mukanaan kantaman auringon kilon, joka leviää pisaroiden osuessa pärskähtäen maahan. Auringon kilon ilo kastelee peikon varpaat ja ne rupeavat venkoilemaan villisti.

Peikko tarttuu ensimmäiseen sadepisaraan ja kiskaisee siitä lujasti. Se kokeilee varpaillaan toista pisaraa ja astuu sen päälle. Askel askeleelta ja ote otteelta peikko kiipeää putoavia sadepisaroita myöden ylöspäin kohden sadepilveä.

Peikko istuu sadepilven päällä olevan järven rannalla huljutellen jalkojaan vuoroaan odottavien sadepisaroiden seassa. Aurinko paistaa lempeästi ja sadepisarat keräävät auringon hehkua kantamukseensa. Peikko nostaa järvestä sadepisaroita pilven reunalle, jossa ne ojentautuvat, pukeutuvat auringon hehkuun ja hyppäävät alas kohden maata. Osa pisaroiden keräämästä auringon paisteesta jää matkalle muodostaen kaikissa peikonhännän väreissä hehkuvan kaaren taivaalle.

Peikko antaa ajatustensa valua sadepisaroiden mukana pilven reunan ylitse. Raukeus ja hyvä mieli valtaavat peikon niin, että se sataa itsekin lähes huomaamattaan pisaroina maahan.

Peikkopisaroista kertyy peikkopuroja, jotka virtaavat ja peikkoutuvat kokonaiseksi peikoksi. Peikko nousee istumaan ja katselee miten sen varpaat virtaavat hiljaa paikalleen. Se ravistaa vieressä kasvavasta ikihongasta itsensä pisaroita ja nappaa kiinni ravistuksensa pudottaman oravan. Peikko kiertää oravan kuivaksi ja antaa sille taskustaan peikonpähkinän. Orava säksättää, nappaa pähkinän ja kiipeää takaisin puuhun.

Peikko puhaltaa huilustaan kesän ääninä soivia säveliä kulkiessaan metsässä levollisin askelin kohden luolaansa. Sen taskussa on pieni malja, joka on täynnä auringon kultaamia sadepisaroita.

Alkuperäinen

The Rain

The troll stands in the rain. It looks at raindrops that are falling down the earth. It sees how each of them carries sunshine and spreads the glitters around when the drop hits the ground. The joy of spreading shine sprinkles the troll's toes and they start to waggle wildly.

Troll grabs one of the raindrops and pulls it hard. With its toes it touches another drop and steps on it. Step by step, grip by grip the troll climbs on falling raindrops up the raining cloud.

There is a lake on the cloud. The troll sits there by the water edge swaying its feet in the water with the raindrops that are waiting for their turn. The sun shines gently and the raindrops gather the sun's glow in their arms. The troll lifts raindrops from the lake and lays them at the edge of the cloud. There they stretch themselves out, get dressed with sunshine and jump down towards the earth. Part of the sun's glow loosens on the way down and creates an arc tinted in every shade of color like the troll's tail.

The troll lets its thoughts flow over the edge of the cloud with the raindrops. Langour and well being take over the troll so that it almost does not notice how it also melts into falling raindrops.

The trolldrops form trollbrooks that flow and are trollizing to a complete troll. The troll sits up and looks at how its toes slowly flow into their place. It shakes the pine tree next to it to get more drops and catches a squirrel that fell down because of the shaking. The troll wrings the squirrel dry and gives it a trollnut from its pocket. The squirrel rasps, grabs the trollnut and climbs back to the tree.

Troll blows its flute creating tones that sound like summer while it peacefully walks in the woods towards its cave. In its pocket is a small bowl, filled with sun gilded raindrops.

Kootut selitykset

Sateessa ajatukset puhdistuvat...

Kyyti

Mies on luvannut tarjota kyydin kun sitä on häneltä kyytiläisen puolesta pyydetty. Hän vilkuilee kelloaan, tahtoisi jo päästä liikkeelle.

Hiekka rouskuu kun nainen lähestyy ja tervehtii hymyillen miestä. Mies häkeltyy ja vastaa tervehdykseen, luulee, ettei nainen huomaa hänen hämmennystään. Nainen on kaunis ja sorja, ainakin puolet miestä nuorempi. Hänen hiuksensa ovat ruskeat ja lyhyet. Ne on kammattu siten, että ne näyttävät kampaamattomilta, luovat vaikutelman luonnollisuudesta. Vasemmalta korvalliselta nousee pystysuoraan valkea sulka. Silmien syvänruskeaa värikalvoa ympäröi virheetön valkuainen.

Aurinko on lämmittänyt auton kuumaksi. Ilmastointilaite tohisee ja tarjoilee viilennettyä ilmaa suuttimistaan. Mies tunnustelee naista sanoillaan, luotaa häntä kysymyksillään. Nainen vastaa, kertoo enemmän kuin on kysytty, jakaa ajatuksiaan ja arvojaan. Hän saa miehenkin avautumaan ja kertomaan itsestään, elämästään.

Naisen sanoissa mies kohtaa itselleen uuden maailmankuvan, joka on erilainen kuin mikään miehen aiemmin kokema. Hän haluaa siihen syvälle, ymmärrykseen saakka. Ajatukset yhtyvät ja luovat uutta. Matkaa on vielä jäljellä.

Nainen istuu levollisena kuljettajan vieressä. Hän katsoo suoraan eteensä, seuraa matkan etenemistä. Molemmat ovat vaiti. Maisemat ovat uusia vaikka moneen kertaan nähtyjä. Mies noudattaa kerrankin nopeusrajoituksia, sillä hän haluaa yhdessäolon hiljaisten hetkien jatkuvan.

Matka päättyy. Nainen nousee autosta. Hän kurkistaa miestä ilkikurisesti hymyillen, tietää selvästi mitä mies on hänen vieressään ajatellut. Hän nostaa kätensä kämmen miestä kohden, sulkee sen nyrkiksi ja avaa jälleen, sulkee ja avaa, vilkuttaa miehen pois elämästään.

Naisen lähdettyä mies jatkaa matkaansa. Keinotekoisesti viilennetyssä autossa hän koskettaa kädellään naisen viereiselle penkille jättämää lämpöä. Jalkatilaan jäänyt muisto naisen punaisiksi lakatuista varpaankynsistä iskee kujeillen silmää.

Alkuperäinen

The Ride

A woman asked for a ride on behalf of her friend and the man promised to offer one. He waits, feels anxious and likes to get on the road soon. He glances at his watch.

Sand makes scrunching sounds when a woman approaches the man and greets him with a smile. Confused, he answers the greeting, believing that the woman does not notice his embarrassment. The woman is beautiful and graceful, only half his age. Her hair is brown and short, brushed in a way that makes it look wind-blown, thus creating an impression of naturalness. Behind her left ear stands a white feather. Her eyes are deep brown in color surrounded by pure whiteness.

The car is burning hot because of the sun. The air conditioner hums and emits chilled air into the car. The man explores the woman with words, probing her with questions. The woman answers the man, says more than is asked, wanting to share her ideas and values. She allures the man to open up, too; tempts him to tell about himself, his life.

In the woman's words, the man faces a complete new world, a philosophy of life that is different from anything he has previously experienced. He wants to feel and understand it deeply. Their shared thoughts combine and create something new. The journey goes on.

Woman sits silently next to the driver. She looks ahead, follows the road flowing under the wheels. They are both silent. The scenery looks new, although seen many times before. For the first time in his life, the man obeys the speed limits because he wants to continue the silent togetherness as long as possible.

The journey ends. The woman gets out of the car. She peeks at the man and teases him with a smile. She knows without a doubt what the man has been thinking of during the journey. She raises her palm towards the man, makes a fist and opens it again, and closes and opens, and flashes the man out of her life.

After she left, the man continues the journey. He touches the warmth the woman's body left on the seat next to him. The memory of the woman's red toe nails winks in the legroom.

Kootut selitykset

Meinasin jo lopettaa nämä käännösväännökset. Jostain syystä sitä vaan kuitenkin aina vielä yhden... Tai kaksi.

Valkeakuulas

– Kaunista. Todella kaunista, toteaa nainen katsellessaan itseään peilistä ja kääntyillessään paikallaan nähdäkseen vartalonsa joka puolelta. – Tämä on paras tähänastisista.

– Haluaisitteko kokeilla vielä tätä? kysyy esittelijä kutsuen naista tulemaan lähemmäs. – Tämä on aivan uusi malli, jonka saimme vasta tänä aamuna.

Nainen noudattaa esittelijän kutsua ja lähtee katsomaan uutta mallia. Hänen paljaat jalkansa uppoavat pehmeään ruohomattoon ja katossa hehkuva aurinko hyväilee lämmöllään naisen täydellistä alastomuutta. Esittelijän ohjaamana nainen asettuu uuden peilin eteen ja tarkastelee siitä itseään.

– Tämä on jotenkin tarunomaisen eksoottinen ja samalla tavattoman länsimainen, sanoo nainen tehtyään pikaisen analyysin näkemästään. – Pidän tuosta läikehtivästä ihosta ja mantelisilmistä, mutta vartalon kaaret ovat kyllä liioiteltuja minun makuuni.

Nainen kääntyilee tarkastellen kuvaansa peilistä. Miettiväisen näköisenä hän palaa edellisen peilin ääreen ja tarkastelee vartaloaan sen kautta aiempaa kriittisemmin silmin. Käy vielä kurkistamassa uutuuspeiliin mutta palaa heti takaisin.

– Tämä on selvästi parempi, hän sanoo. – Voitko säätää ihonväriä hiukan täyteläisemmäksi?

– Oikeasti tähän vaaleaan malliin sopii kuulaus luontevammin, toteaa esittelijä. – Katsokaapas tätä.

– Ei ei ei. Pidän täyteläisestä ihonväristä. Noin, juuri tuosta. Otetaan vielä saman tien jokunen ikävuosikin pois... Nyt on hyvä. Otan tämän.

Esittelijä kehuu naisen tekemää valintaa. Hän ottaa peilin muotoileman ilmiasun ja auttaa naista vetämään sen ylleen. Nainen tunnustelee uutta itseään selkeästi mielihyvää tuntien. Sileän ihon kimmoisuus ja herkät aistimukset saavat hänet tuntemaan olevansa täynnä uutta elinvoimaa.

– Kaunista. Todella kaunista, hän toteaa hymyillen.

Alkuperäinen

Really Beautiful

– Beautiful. Really beautiful, says the woman examining her look in the mirror. She keeps on turning to see her body from all sides. – This is the best so far.

– Would you like to try this one yet? asks the salesperson inviting the woman to come closer. – This is a completely new model. We received it just this very morning.

The woman does as requested and goes to see the new model. Her bare feet sink in soft grass, and the warm glowing sun on the ceiling caresses woman's full nudity. The salesperson guides the woman to the front of the new mirror. She carefully examines herself in the mirror.

– This one is somehow exotically mythical and at the same time extremely western, says the woman after making a quick analysis of what she saw. – I like that glittering complexion, and the almond like eyes, but the body curves are probably too exaggerated for my taste.

Woman moves herself and examines the view in the mirror. Looking thoughtfully, she returns to the previous mirror and critically examines her body through it one more time. She takes another peek in the new mirror, but returns immediately to the one she liked best.

– This is far better, she says. – Can you adjust the skin color to make it a bit richer?

– Actually this light model is designed to have pale skin tone, says the salesperson. – Like this.

– No no no. I like deeper color. Right, that's better. Could you remove couple of years at the same time... That's perfect. I'll take it.

The salesperson praises the woman's good taste, takes the new appearance from the mirror and helps the woman to put it on. The woman strokes her new self and is obviously very pleased. Smoothness and elasticity of her new skin, and its new sensations make her feel fresh vitality.

– Beautiful. Really beautiful, she says smiling.

Kootut selitykset

Selitykset vesittyy ja jutut happamoituu. Mistähän löytäisi punaisen omenan?

Loppu

Mies kulkee yksinäisyytensä keskellä pitkin kaupungin sivukujia. Vastaantulijat väistävät miehen katsetta ja kiiruhtavat askeleitaan palauttaakseen etäisyystasapainon itsensä ja miehen välille. Mies painaa katseensa maahan. Hän on väsynyt yksinäisyytensä ja päättänyt lopettaa sen kertaratkaisulla.

Sivukadulla on varasto, jota kohden mies suuntaa askeleensa. Hänellä on kassissa mukanaan sopivaksi katsomansa köysi, jota hän tunnustelee kuin ennakoivaa mielihyvää tuntien. Mies työntää varaston oven auki ja astuu peremmälle kaivaen jo köyttä valmiiksi esille. Mies hymyilee.

– Herra on hyvä ja poistuu saman tien, tiuskaisee tiskin takana seisova virkailija.

– Minä vaan koiraa olisin...

– Ja mitähän herra koiralla tekisi? Ei niitä kaikille hampuuseille jaella edes löytöeläinkodista. Söisitte sen vielä, tai laittaisitte rukkaset siitä. Ei. Ei se käy. Herra on hyvä ja poistuu ennen kuin soitan poliisit.

– Kaveriksi minä sitä... otin jo narunkin mukaan, sanoo mies kaivaen kassiaan.

– Kuulkaas nyt herra, ei me voida kenelle tahansa koiraa luovuttaa. Ne eivät ole mitään leikkikaluja vaan eläviä olentoja. Me olemme täällä vastuussa siitä, että ne saavat arvoisensa kodin tai lopun.

– Saanko edes vähän taputtaa tuota pientä harmaata pörröistä...

– Herra poistuu nyt. Sitä paitsi sitä koiraa on turha enää taputella, se saa lopetuspiikkinsä näillä hetkillä, kunhan eläinlääkäri ehtii paikalle.

– Minä sen koiran voisin...

– Johan minä käskin herraa poistumaan, sanoo virkailija tylysti ja huutaa kohden takahuonetta. – Vartija! Täällä on taas yksi niitä. Tule heittämään se ulos.

Mies painaa päänsä ja lähtee suosiolla. Hän istuu varaston seinustalla olevalle penkille ja suree pientä pörröistä koiraa, joka ei saanut muuttaa hänen luokseen. Kyyneleet sumentavat miehen silmät ja lähestyvän vartijan hahmon.

– Häivy nyt nopsaan, sanoo vartija tuimasti. – Ja piilota tuo.

Vartija työntää pienen harmaan pörröisen koiran miehen syliin. Mies nousee koiraa rutistaen. Pyyhkii naamansa hihaansa ja menee matkoihinsa jalat tuskin maata koskettaen.

Alkuperäinen

The End

A man walks in the middle of his loneliness on the back alleys at the outskirts of the town. Everyone avoids looking at the man but hurries to restore a comfortable distance between them. The man looks down. He is tired of his loneliness and determined to end it with a single act.

The man walks toward a storeroom building in a back alley. In his bag he carries a carefully selected piece of rope, occasionally caressing it and feeling the forthcoming pleasure of relief. He pushes the door open and enters the storeroom building and starts to pull the rope out of his bag. He smiles.

– Exit immediately, mister, snaps a worker standing behind the desk.

– But I would like a dog…

– And what would you, mister, do with a dog? Dogs are not delivered to every tramp, not even from a pet shelter like this. You might eat it, or skin it and make mittens from its skin. No. It is a definite no for you, mister. Go out now before I call the police.

– I thought it could be my friend… I already brought the rope for a leash, says the man digging his bag.

– Now, listen to this, mister. We cannot give dogs just to anybody. The dogs are not toys but living creatures. Our responsibility in here is to make sure that they get a decent home or die a worthy death.

– Could I just pat a little that small grey furry one…

– Just go out now, mister. Besides, it is just waste of time to tap that dog. It is finished as soon as the veterinarian arrives.

– I would like to have it...

– I asked you to leave, mister, says the worker tersely and shouts toward the back room – Guard! We have a problem in here, one of them again.

The man lowers his head and goes out without arguing. He sits down on a bench beside the wall of the building. He mourns the small furry dog that was not allowed to leave with him. Tears blur his vision and the figure of the approaching guard.

– Just go away now, says the guard severely. – And hide this.

The guard pushes the small grey furry dog to the man's arms. The man gets up hugging the dog. He wipes his face and walks away with his feet just barely touching the ground.

Kootut selitykset

Tämän tarinan työnimenä oli pitkän aikaa "Yksin". Se olisi hyvä nimi itse tarinallekin. Toisaalta halusin jo otsikossa ilmaista että tässä tarinassa jokin päättyy. Siksi tarinan nimenä on "Loppu".

This story could be titled "Alone" instead of "The End". Or rather "The End of Loneliness".

Koira ja tynnyri

Pieni koira kulkee paahtavassa helteessä väistellen potkivia jalkoja. Häntä koipien välissä se luikkii kaduilla, jotka ovat täynnä ihmisiä. Se yrittää napata katukaupustelijan jalkojen juuresta sinne tipahtaneen makupalan, mutta saa lujan potkun kylkeensä, jolloin se pakenee uikuttaen kauemmas. Pienen koiran kasaan painunut vatsa huutaa ruokaa, mitä tahansa ruokaa. Se pysähtyy hetkeksi nuolemaan kuivaan maahan tippuvaa vettä, saa juotua pari pisaraa ennen kuin se taas ajetaan pois.

Yöllä pieni koira etsii syötävää ihmisten poisheittämistä jätteistä. Se tuntee monta herkullista tuoksua, mutta ei pääse kiinni tuoksun aiheuttajaan. Roska-astiat ovat liian painavia kaadettaviksi eikä se saa niiden kansiakaan auki. Kohdalle pysähtyvästä kuorma-autosta tulee ulos mies, joka potkaisee koiraa ennen kuin nostaa roskat kuorma-auton kyytiin.

Koira seuraa tuoksuja ja päätyy paikkaan mihin kuorma-auto jättää roska-astioista tyhjennetyt jätteet. Se huomaa miten samoja roskia on penkomassa monta muutakin koiraa. Se näkee miten resuiset, laihat lapset penkovat samoja roskia koirien kanssa kilpaillen niiden kanssa samoista herkkupaloista.

Pieni koira saa napattua itselleen aarteen vasta tuotujen roskien seasta. Se puree tiukasti hampaansa siihen ja säntää poispäin muiden tavoittamattomiin. Valon ja pimeyden rajalla se löytää kyljellään makaavan tyhjän tynnyrin, pujahtaa sen sisään ja alkaa jäystää aarrettaan. Vatsa täynnä se nukahtaa ja herää vasta kun tynnyrin ympärille kerääntyy itkeviä lapsia. Pieni koira höristää korviaan. Se koittaa päättää paeta vai jäädä.

Alkuperäinen