And Now Abideth
Reads: 505 | Likes: 27 | Shelves: 16 | Comments: 30
Short Story by: Oleg Roschin
“Eat your lettuce, Mom.”
She looks at me absent-mindedly.
“And you are –” She tilts her head, her big blue eyes scrutinizing me with heart-wrenching innocence.
I turn away. Yesterday she rambled on and on about the day she’d bought me my first dress, though she couldn’t remember its color. Today, I’m a complete stranger. I raise my head angrily, telling the tears to flow back into my eyes.
“Good-bye, Mom.”
“Oh… well… good-bye, then!” Her voice is pleasant and cheerful. “Say, aren’t you the real estate agent? I’ve always wanted a house on Coney Island...”
I step outside. Greg is sitting on the couch, reading a book. I glance at the cover. The Problem of Pain, by C.S. Lewis. A problem indeed, I couldn’t agree more. Greg puts away the book and stands up when he sees me.
“How is –”
“Can we have a drink now, please?” I say quietly.
He looks at me attentively and nods several times. I love the endearingly serious expression on his youthful face, the permanent frown, the compassionate sparkle in his brown eyes.
We go to the Cottontail Club. A jazz quartet is diligently performing on a tiny, dim stage, obscured by an antique bass amplifier. I listen to the chord changes during the piano solo. It’s a rhythm change in B flat, so it could be any of the dozens of songs using that particular harmonic pattern.
I order a double carrot juice macchiato for myself and Vietnamese iced coffee with condensed milk for Greg. He likes very sweet drinks.
“Pika... I know you don’t want to hear this, but –”
Here it comes. The serious talk. He can never understand that I don’t need his words, I just need him. I want him to sit there, drink his saccharine concoction, and shut up. But he never picks up on that vibe of mine. He is male.
“Greg, I got it.” I put away the macchiato cup. It’s too hot. “It can’t be stopped. My Mom goes, and then… we all go. We revert. It’s been scientifically proven. By the one and the only Dr. Gregory Men, whose research I certainly trust.” I try to smile, but it doesn’t really work.
I can see the despair in his eyes. He is genuinely worried about me. About all of us. He isn’t pretending, like so many other humans that are secretly happy about the reversion. He says what he thinks. That’s one of the many reasons why I love him so much.
“Pika –”
“Don’t call me that.”
I don’t know why that nickname angers me. Must be one of those cases of my “feminine irrationality”, which stands for whatever males can’t dissect, discuss, and dogmatize with their two-dimensional minds.
“But I don’t want to call you ‘Penelope’.” He produces a crooked, boyish grin. “There is no Odysseus. Nobody you can be faithful to while he sleeps around with sirens.”
“Nymphs.”
“What?”
I sigh.
“Odysseus never slept with sirens. He slept with Circe and Calypso, and they were both nymphs.”
Greg nods, his mouth slightly open.
“I see. So he was, like… a nymphomaniac, right?” He chortles at his own silly joke. I shake my head in disbelief. A renowned scientist, the top lagomorphologist in the world, and a big baby: Dr. Gregory Men, ladies and gentlemen.
The solos are finished, and the band returns to the head. I recognize the melody. It’s Cotton Tail, by Duke Ellington. How appropriate.
“Look, Pi… Penelope. Maybe there’s still something we can do.” Greg is full of fussy energy. He gulps down his Vietnamese coffee, almost choking on it.
“There is nothing we can do.”
“Don’t say that. Don’t say that.” There is something uniquely irritating in the way he coughs into his fist.
“I’m telling you.” I speak slowly, articulating each syllable. “Just forget it. Let’s talk about something else. Did you know that your namesake Gregory of Nyssa, a Christian bishop who lived in the fourth century, was probably the very first abolitionist? He explicitly wrote about the evils of slavery, calling to –”
“Pika, come on, be serious.” Greg wipes his face with a napkin.
“I am serious. Oh, listen, they are starting that tune by Antonio Carlos Jobim! By the way, he also promoted the doctrine of apocatastasis – you know, universal salvation. Gregory of Nyssa, not Jobim.”
“Pika, I know that you are nervous.” Greg puts both his elbows on the table and leans forward. “But maybe –”
“Maybe you leave us alone?!” I leap up, knocking my cup of macchiato off the table. The drummer speeds up on a slow bossa nova beat. It must be Corcovado.
“What’s your bloody problem, Doctor?!” I can’t stop screaming. “What do you care? You’re happy that we’ll be gone soon! Stupid animals, we thought that the Event actually meant something! Oooooh, but we didn’t know it was temporary! So it’s time to revert now! One century of oppressing you, one century of being best buddies – and that’s it, time to go back, live in cages, eat hay, and crap on the ground! And you should be happy that you’re getting your planet back! You should be happy! Happy! Happy!”
The fur on my face is completely drenched with tears. I’m still standing, towering over Greg. I’m small for an Oryctolagus sapiens giganticus, but I’m still more than twice the size of an average human. Greg spreads his arms and tries to hug me. I push him away. I sob. A waiter hands me a napkin. I push him away too. Then Greg climbs on a chair, puts his hands on my head and starts caressing it.
“Shh…” he says.
I wiggle my nose rapidly, greedily inhaling the odorous mélange of coffee beans and jazz musician sweat. I sob and think of my Dad, and then of my Mom, and then of myself, and then of Greg. And I sob more.
***
I still sob. It’s hard to sob. My eyes are getting glassy. I see glass shards. Glass shards are fun. Glass balls are better. Leather balls are better. I can dig into the soft…
Oh no. No. Why dig? Dig what? Why do I want to dig? I don’t want to dig. Who said I needed to dig? Greg? But who is Greg? I don’t know. I know the man with the brown eyes. The man with the brown eyes? No, he didn’t tell me that. So who told me?
The man with the brown eyes. He stands all the time. Isn’t he tired? He walks like that. He walks standing. I mean, he doesn’t walk like me. But I don’t walk. Is this walking? I hop. Hop hop. Hop hop hop. I want lettuce.
No! Again I forget. I forget more. Very quick. I forget. The mmm… the who with brown eyes? The what with brown eyes? He has water in the eyes. I need water in bottle. Need drink. Now.
I drink.
I eat. Hay. I want lettuce.
I poop small dark pellets.
Hey, you with brown eyes! I want lettuce. I? Who is I? What I? Pika. Pika? Pika. Pika want… want what? Green soft. Pika want green soft. You brown eyes! You give Pika green soft. You water in eyes? Why? You water eyes – Pika feel weird. You make noise – Pika scared.
You make noise. You put face up. You:
“Barabarabara… biribiribiri…”
Pika feel weird. You make noise. Pika lick paw.
You face up. You noise. You hug Pika. You touch fur. Water fall fur. Fur wet. Pika don’t like wet. Pika kick paw. You hug Pika. You face up. You:
“Barabarabara!.. Bereberebere!..”
Pika weird.
Pika sting in heart.
You say:
“Looopibigabay! Ibega! Iluva!”
Pika listen.
Pika water in eye.
You make noise. You say more. Pika heart beat fast. Faster. Pika feel. Pika? Pika is me. I am Pika. My name is Pika.
I listen.
My eyes are wet.
You say more. You? You with the brown eyes. It’s you!
You say:
“Lord, please bring her back! I beg you! I love her!”
You say that?
You are the man with the brown eyes. I look at you. You are my dear man with the brown eyes…
The man with the brown eyes cries and sobs. I cry too. I sob too. My eyes aren’t glassy anymore.
His mouth is open. His lower lip quivers. His nose is running. He is funny. He is sweet, my man with the brown eyes. He laughs. He cries, and he laughs at the same time.
Greg!
It’s Greg!
“Pika!” He is still sobbing. “Pika!”
“Greg!” I cry out. “Greg… Oh, my Greg…”
I put my paws around him. I remember. The reversion? It didn’t happen? It didn’t happen to me?
He hugs me so tight that I can barely breathe. And he wets my beautiful white fur with his tears. Great, now I need to lick it all over again. Or just go to that new beauty parlor on Albus Avenue, near the Zhang Yongming monument. I hear that they have a discount if you buy a one-year membership card. Of course, I need to wait two more days for that paycheck, because the banking system nowadays is just a disaster. Was there any point at all in my paper on contemporary economics?! I should’ve taken ancient history instead. Oh, I’m so hungry! I’m so going to Carrot Cake Factory and ordering myself that XL I was eyeing last week. Yes, yes, I know it goes straight to the hips – but frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn! Haha! Did you know that was a line from a movie released exactly five hundred years ago? I ought to take Greg to the cinema next Thursday or so, he should really watch Apocalypse Is Over, it’s an epic drama about a human doctor, who had survived the 2121 nuclear war, and a mutant rabbit – oh yes, they were calling us that back then, it’s a historical detail, and Greg really needs to be educated, he is such a slob sometimes, lies on the couch and watches stupid action flicks, let’s see what we can do about his cultural level – but what should I wear, oh my God, now either I go with that adorable blue dress or maybe –
THE END
© Copyright 2018 Oleg Roschin. All rights reserved.
Comments
This is such a beautiful and different love story! The writing is amazing- I really love the way it scales down and then back up again with the reversion and reversal of it.
Oh, the wild ride of reversion. I loved the dip into rabbit-speak in the middle and the slow climb back up the ladder. Everyone loves to hug a rabbit, but will they ever hug back?
Bill
I actually really enjoyed this. I loved the Odysseus. I'm a huge greek mythology fan, and I was saying "What is he talking about? Odysseus never slept with sirens." I'm glad Pika..... Penelope corrected him. I also seen how you talked about it being A fast-forward reversed "Flowers For Algernon" (also great story) and I love that you did that with now abideth. Well done.
Thank you very much for your feedback! "And now abideth..." is the beginning of my favorite Bible verse, 1 Corinthians 13:13 - about hope, faith, and the greatest of all - love. Greg had all three in abundance and was able to "reverse the reversion", by a miracle... Though sadly, it looks like most rabbits will have irrevocably reverted... :( But I haven't decided yet.
I liked this, Oleg. The overall flow is smooth and concise, until the last segment. The last paragraph just seems a bit long to me. (Just my opinion) Not that anything's wrong with it. Just feels like it should be divided a little, maybe. I saw the "Flowers For Algernon" reference in the comments that takes me back to my elementary school days. Geez, that was along time ago.
With a few more elements in play, you could've taken this a step further into some hard core science-fiction here. I'm referring to the actually process by which the reversion takes place. As always, an interesting and well told story. The rabbit speech kinda reminded me of something from an Anime called One Piece. The "biribiribiri" bit sounds like the sound the snailphones in the anime make. Not sure if you were aware of that, but I thought it might be something you'd want to know, since the context could be misconstrued as more comical than you might have intended.
I still liked it and the inferences are pretty much spot on with characterization and dialogue for those moments. You really bring to life your characters with their thoughts and overall delivery. Those are the most prominent features too all your stories, I believe. Aside from the pop culture references, of course.
Thank you for your insightful comment, my friend!
This story is written in my convenient format (first-person, present tense), and I wrote it down in only two sessions of about an hour each (unlike the previous one, "Idols", which took way longer). The first part was actually composed several months ago, and then there were bigger second and third parts, where there was more scientific and historical background about the rabbits' condition.
And yet in the end I deleted that and wrote a new second part. The reason is that I actually don't want it to be a "hardcore" story. It's all about the power of faith, hope, and love, to which the title (a Bible quote) refers, and it's really all about Greg and Pika. The sci-fi content is there just to make sure that the story would NOT have any sexual overtones (obviously, the love between Greg and Pika is what we'd call strictly "platonic", since they belong to different species). So it's just a story about pure, selfless love between a human being and... a fellow creature. Who knows - maybe the rabbits we know now have "reverted" many years ago?..
The last paragraph is deliberately long, "breathless", and even turns into a "stream of consciousness" of sorts - it's a literary reference to James Joyce's "Ulysses", with its famous last chapter consisting of an uninterrupted, non-punctuated flow of thoughts of a woman named Penelope (I also make a reference to Odysseus to allude to that).
Humor & teaching come so natural to you that I doubt anyone on the planet can top your creativity in this genre! I always love reading your works my friend, since I can never predict what joys you will concoct!
You've stretched my idea of fantasy to the nth degree *grins* Always wondered why you were squashing that bunny in your hands ;) . . .
Okay where to start - Your writing as always is sharp and the dialogue was really well done. (Can't believe I'm going to say this) Pika's dialogue really showed her state of mind and made her very real. I love the way you gave Greg that absolute belief that it can be fixed and by a miracle of love, it was. A really weird but fantastic story and well written.
Thank you so much for your kind and insightful comment, my friend! This story was easy to write, but I’m not even sure how to judge what has come out, I feel it’s either one of my finest and subtlest works, or a rather unimpressive stream of consciousness... I’m aware of the weirdness of this story :)
Yes, after all those dark stories I wanted to finally portray something sweet, so I made Greg follow the guidelines of the titular Bible verse, overcoming impossible odds with the “three that now abide” - faith, hope, and love...
From the works I've read from you, this story has sort of a different vibe to it that I feel. It still belongs to the science fiction category but when I read it at first, I honestly thought you were going for a non-fiction one until your crazy imagination showed itself again (which I enjoy, of course).
Honestly though, this was a change of pace for me compared to your two works, "Idols" and "The Bizarre Adventure of Lemuel P. Schwanz". Or maybe I've yet to explore your other works. (I just read that this was a sequel.)
Truthfully though, in my opinion, this story is not one of your best. However, this had deeper portrayal of darker emotions in it compared to your previous light-hearted ones. I loved the Odyssey characters insert as well, including the bits of your knowledge in music. I always appreciate works with bits of details that you can learn from.
Sorry that this was a long note but as a sort of conclusion: you always know how to work your way into science fiction, even with just this sequel and with that I'm amazed. A great read as always and please keep on writing and unleash more of your wild imagination ^^
Thank you for your insightful comment, my friend! As a matter of fact, most of my stories are not what one would classify as "science fiction"; they are more SPECULATIVE fiction that anything else. "Idols" is actually my "hardest" sci-ago story; and "Lemuel" is... well, more of a satiric work than anything.
This story does have a very "usual" beginning, but that was also deliberate, to contrast it with the second part. For the same reason I don't disclose right away that Penelope is a bunny - I want her to appear as "normal" as possible, and also within familiar surroundings, sitting in a cafe, listening to jazz music, and chatting.
I think it's fair to say all that I wanted to write about this sublime piece of writing has already been written.
You are indeed a very talented man with wit,imagination and flair.
The world we live in right now is regressing into fantasy and make believe.
The universal clock is now slowing down and mankind is evolving into it's own space and time separated from the solar system.
I'm glad you enjoyed my poems but could you please leave me feedback and comments in.future.
Thanks in advance.
As I read your story, I was thinking about the plague of feral rabbits we have this year. I 'deal' to them daily! Nevertheless a nice personification of bunnies that flowed well. Usianguke
Such a bittersweet love story. The "reversion" section is breathtaking, the breakdown is plotted so well and the language is perfect. That would be the stand out section for me. The pacing is excellent. With shorter stuff, it can run away towards the end but you've kept things even and balanced (by countering the start-stop of the reversion with the flowing final paragraph). That's a neat trick (which I'm filing away, so thank you). Bravo!
Thank you so much, India! I'm so glad you've noticed that thing with the last paragraph, it was intentional - I wanted to convey the bleakness and the terrifying indifference of the "reversion" through short sentences that become grammatically more and more inept (thank you, Daniel Keyes), and then the final paragraph is just one happy stream of consciousness, return to busy, fussy, warm life (thank you, James Joyce :))
I believe I read on your profile that all of your works take place within the same universe? Reading this story, I definitely felt a little lost, as I have context of the overarching theme. I will definitely read your works chronologically. In the meantime, however, your writing consistently proves itself to be extremely detailed and articulate. I really like it. The banter between the human and the "rabbit" (From what I extrapolated) is charming and funny. Good, natural dialogue can be tough to pull off without deviating from the story or boring the reader, but you do it quite well. The "regression" into an animalistic state was also a nice touch. Original and seamlessly integrated. Good stuff!
Thank you so much for your kind comment!
Yes, all my stories are interconnected. Actually, you've already read "In a Grove", which is the "origin story" of all the others, particularly the Horshan and the Men families, which are very prominent in my other stories. You might have noticed that Dr. Gregory Men of this story has the same last name as the (real-life!) Russian Orthodox priest Alexander Men (1935-1990), who is mentioned in "In a Grove". This is no coincidence, of course :)
But yes, this story it, so to say, "at the tip" of a particular "branch". In the year 2121 the Event (a nuclear way) happens, and from that point on all my stories branch out to five different planets: 1) Earth ("Down the Rabbit Hole", "Genesis", "Eternity"), 2) Alpha Centauri bc ("Eden Deleted" and its sequels), 3) Proxima Centauri b ("The Force" all the way through until "The End of the World"), 4) Lalande 21185 a ("Idols" and its sequels), and 5) Wolf 359 a ("Of Dogs and Men" and its sequels). So this story takes place in 2439 and is currently the farthest of the first branch. From its direct sequels (especially "Genesis") you learn that Penelope is a descendant of ordinary pet rabbits, mutated during the Event.
Attempting to comply with the requirements of the review system in the house, I must give a critique, not an easy thing to do with your writing being so good, but I will say that your writing is very like a parable from the Bible, full of meaning, full of advice, & only really understood if one is ready & willing to be taught! I actually wrote “When the Student is Ready, the Teacher will Appear” as a result of having read one of your works my friend! You challenge my intellect, you make me question my own intelligence, & you enlighten my mind! I truly thank you, & all of the people on this site, & in the world, who teach me, as you do, many more valuable life lessons, simply by what they do & say! Thanks again Oleg!
Well done, Oleg!
I am a little disheartened to read in your replies that the rest of the rabbits are probably doomed to reversion. Might Greg's faith, hope and love become contagious?
Regardless, another spectacular effort.
Bravo
H.P.
Thank you so much, Harris, your feedback means a lot to me!
I'm not sure about the rest of the rabbits... All I know is that the Earth will be completely deserted before the year 2716, since that is what the mysterious alien space travelers discover in my story "Redemption". This one takes place in the year 2439, so there is still time. In any case, the space travelers of the 28th century see giant rabbit skeletons. I haven't decided yet what will happen during the time in-between, and what exactly will wipe off both races (or force them to leave again?)..
This was both deep and funny. I loved the quick snippets of humor- they added a lighter touch to an otherwise heavy and thoughtful piece.
This is pretty interesting, to say the least. You always know how to make your works deep and humorous. An interesting love story, as well. You're something else, incredibly talented. I do also enjoy Greek & Roman myths so the part about Odysseus was a nice treat. Overall, fantastic work as per usual.
Thank you so much for your kind feedback, Nik! The part about Odysseus was - besides being part of the general reference to the theme of wandering off and coming home (like Penelope does in the story, losing her mental abilities and then miraculously regaining them), and giving a bit more justification to the last "Ulysses"-like paragraph (there is really a lot of vigor and energy in that "stream of consciousness) - to highlight Penelope's intellectual superiority to Greg. Penelope is the spirit of rationality, Greg is faith and emotion. Breaking the stereotypes, why not :-))
Well, Oleg, there's nothing really to say that hasn't been said except this was one of my favorites. It seemed lighter in tone than a lot of your work, and more humorous too. You make me want to get some rabbits too, but it wouldn't really be a good idea with the cats and a Jack Russell.
It means a lot to me that you liked it, Hully, you've made my day, thank you so much! :)) I try to work on different aspects of my writing, so with this one I tried to be brief and less "ideological" than usually, basically just capture one beautiful moment, a miracle created by faith, hope, and love.
Rabbits and cats and dogs can co-exist peacefully :) But of course it's better when you first have rabbits, and then add a kitten or a puppy :)
Wow love it :) Really beautiful writing with a great flow. It was charming and humorous and definitely different.
Very funny story, Oleg. I'm afraid a lot of the classical and biblical references were over my head but I understood the rabbit stuff and the apocalyptic stuff.
Regards
Chris
Thank you so much, Chris :) There is only one Biblical reference, but it's the most important one, and it's also the title of the story - "and now abideth faith, hope, and love; and of those, the most important one is love". Incidentally, this is the same quote that Maxim Men (Greg's ancestor) mentions in 2121, when the Event happens, in the end of "Scarlet Beast" - except that he vaguely remembers it and says just "something about faith and hope, and something else that's even more important".
This is an amazing story Oleg, a love story with a difference. It takes the reader on a roller-coaster ride to 'realisation'. Your imagination and characterisation is off the scale. your writing clever and witty, particularly the rabbit speak. I salute you!
Thank you so much, Sue! I have two rabbits (one of them is on the cover of this story :)). Sometimes I'm just wondering what they are thinking about. Their interests do revolve a lot around food, but sometimes they have this strange mood, as if they were meditating over some deep philosophical problem :)
So......Far out, Man! I fell like I just fell down the rabbit hole.
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