Lilith looked up at the trees in the distance, marveling at how they appeared to be a kind of frozen rain. What are those trees called again? In such circumstances it was permissible to inquire of strangers. She walked up to an elderly couple who were eating ice cream cones and smiled. They both smiled back and waited calmly if not entirely pleased to be interrupted while eating. “Excuse me, but do you happen to know the name of those trees over there?” Lilith pointed at the trees and smiled again. The woman squinted through her glasses, then looked at her companion with a puzzled face. The man finished his cone, wiped his mouth with a small paper napkin, carefully folded it and put it in his pocket before saying, “Of course, those are called…”
…and Lilith was surprised to find herself standing in front of an older couple she did not know. They seemed to be equally confused by her presence. Not knowing what else to do, she turned and walked away. As she waited at the taxibot stand, Lilith could just make out the couple still staring at her from the corner of her eyes. The next taxi pulled up and she got in and pressed the panel located on the back of the seat. After several seconds, the panel beeped and the cab started up and began following the GPS to her apartment and…
…she was sitting on her sofa in front of the wall screen, which was showing an old movie. The actors looked vaguely ridiculous in their outmoded uniforms, which were wrinkled and baggy. It was evening and she was hungry. She found her tablet and pressed the food icon. The screen prompted her to select “evening meal-Vegan.” While she waited for it to arrive, Lilith played a card game on her tablet and…
…she sat at her work station and yawned as she expertly touched the screen each time a red circle appeared. Her right hand hovered over the “delete” key, which she pressed a blue circle appeared. The work was very boring but so easy that she had plenty of time to chat with her friend on her headphone. Martha had a similar job at another site, so they carried on their dialog almost uninterrupted, except when one of the supervibots would pass over them. But their soft whirring motors always alerted her in time to stop speaking before it came into hearing and site range. Lilith hazily remembered something she had been told in formation about some person who said something about defensive measures always being a step behind reality. She must ask someone who said that and…
…she entered the assembly hall and took a seat near the back. The place was only half full, so she wondered if she had arrived too early. But soon the lights dimmed and soft music began to play from the wall speakers. The greenish mist rose slowly, and with it the faint odor of flowers. Lilith tried to keep her eyes open for a s long as she could, but soon the warmth spread out from the base of her spine and…
…there was a loud noise outside her door. Lilith tan up to it and turned on the scanner. The well-lit hallway seemed deserted at first, but on the second pass she saw a man dressed in white standing over a woman who appeared to be unconscious. The man seemed to sense someone watching him and turned his head in the direction of her door. Lilith quickly stepped away from the door, but not before she saw that the man had no eyes. This has nothing to do with me. Lilith went into the ______ room and…
…she was coming out of a viewing center. She looked up at the digital marquee that announced that today’s showing was a comedy starring Eddie Franz. She was far from a fan of this actor, finding him vulgar and tasteless, so it was doubly surprising that she had been there and yet couldn’t remember a thing about the film. I’m having blackouts again. She reached into her bag, pulled out a capsule and dry swallowed it. Almost immediately, Lilith felt the chemical move through her like a cool ointment. She didn’t even flinch when two empty cabs collided at the corner. Rather than violence, they made her think of two old friends smoking and sharing confidences. She smiled and…
…on the day her friend Martha disappeared Lilith was spending the weekend with her parents. Sitting on the screened porch as her mother stirred a huge pitcher of ice tea, she had the strangest feeling that she was acting in a play. Her mother’s white/blue hair gripped her small head like a helmet. Who is this old woman? “Where is my father?” Her mother stirred sugar into the pitcher. “Your father is dead, dear.” Lilith wanted to hit her mother. “I don’t want sugar!” Her mother turned away and went into the house and…
…Lilith looked up at the ceiling and sighed. Her analyst/counselor continued to check her messages on her phone. Outside the large plate-glass window an aero taxi flew by going backwards. That’s another sign that the universe is collapsing. Who said that? “Why aren’t we getting younger?” Her counselor looked up from her phone. “Did you say something?” When the bell sounded, the office door slid open and Lilith got up and…
…tried to remember an incident that once seemed so important but now seemed so trivial. Her phone hummed and she picked it up. A voice she almost recognized said, “Run away, now!” There was a pause followed by a fumbling sound. Another voice came on that said, “isn’t she such a silly! Wherever you ran to, wouldn’t it still be just here? The phone went dead and “Lilith sensed a headache coming on, so she went looking for those tasty pastilles and…
…hesitated to take her evening sleep aid. For some reason, Lilith wanted to remain awake. Am I waiting for somebody and if so, who would that be? No, she decided, she just curious to know what happened when she slept. Did the world disappear? Did it lose color? Am I a bad person? Lilith felt so stupid sometimes. The room was rotating slowly but gaining speed. She swallowed the pills with delicious pomegranate juice and…
…looked at the half-filled glass of dark red liquid. I don’t like this stuff, so why am I drinking it? She poured out the rest in the sink, then felt guilty for wasting food. The face of a young woman appeared in her mind and Lilith almost gasped. I know this woman, don’t I? She began to feel sleepy and…
…found herself standing in front of a large apartment building, looking up at the sixth floor. Something about it was familiar, although she also sure she had never been here before. People walking by looked at her briefly, then looked away. No one bothers you here, which is nice. A car pulled up and the passenger door swung open and…
…the room she was in had no windows. The furniture had the spare look of rentals. She felt a little feverish, but there was nothing to take for it. Music was playing, although she couldn’t see where it was coming from. I don’t like this music. It’s too sad and…
…the light above her head was blinding, but she found that she could not shut her eyes. A churning sound reminded her of her mother’s washing machine. I can’t remember my mother’s face and my father is dead. She sensed someone behind her and…
…weeping willows, I believe.” The old man smiled and she smiled back, although she had no idea what he was talking about and…
jundanu 