Air (or Have Not Have) Read online

  'I will be a dog again,' he said.

  The car sighed back down the road and was gone. Mae turned and began to walk and realized that her knees were shaking, weak.

  He talks of God. So would the Devil.

  Mae was halfway up the slope to Kwan's when she realized that the silver shoes were gone.

  CHAPTER 15

  ____________________

  e-mail from: Miss Soo Ling

  15 September

  Of course I remember you, Mrs Chung-ma'am. You were always so appreciative of my work, and so generous in payment. It is good to know I have such good friends back home. I am enjoying my job in Balshang very much. I contribute to designs now, but cutting and sewing are my secret weapons. No one thinks I can, so then I do and people's eyes widen.

  You are kind to enquire after Bulent. I am afraid we are no longer together though we are still good chums. We advise each other on how to survive working with all these Foxes and Otters and talk about the Green Valley and all the people we left behind.

  Regarding your appreciated offer to purchase my stocks of cloth: The cloth is stored in Yeshibozkent with my mother, Mrs Soo Tung. I have written to her to ask her to arrange the shipping of the cloth via your bank.

  Thank you also for the fascinating review of your work under the Taking Wing Initiative. I am not a follower of technology, and you opened new windows for me on this new world. Do stay in touch. Will you be visiting Balshang?

  ____________________

  e-mail from: Lieutenant Chung Lung

  6 October

  Mrs Chung Mae,

  Is my mother really on e-mail? Dad told me that you work on the Wings' machine. My sister is thrilled, too. The army allows us an allocation of personal correspondence. They assume most of us have no e-mail addresses to write to! Please let me know if I have the wrong Mrs Chung.

  ____________________

  audio file from: Mrs Chung Mae

  6 October

  My son

  You cannot know the joy getting your message has given me. You are being so discreet about all that has passed and so sweet not to mention it and so I am even happier to hear from you because no one in the village talks to me and I must talk to people because, Lung, the future is not just coming, it is here now and no one at Kizuldah is ready for it. They are all like quivering mice, trying to pretend there is no hawk, no cat. I have learned many things, my son. I took a Question Map of the village. At first I thought to find out about what clothes people wanted, but I began to ask what they felt about the Test. This is what I learned: They think the Air will be like TV. They do not want to see that it will be in their heads, will change their heads. They just think it will be all football and games. They are frightened of what is coming and that means they will not face up to all they have to learn. I tried to start a school to teach them, Lung, and they came for a while. Then, to stop the school, Shen told your father what I have done. So the school ended. Oh, Lung, I am so sorry for you, and how confused you must be by what has happened. I fell in love, a silly thing for an old woman to do, but I ask you who are still young and can still grab life, to try to understand that when you are old you can suddenly see that there is something you have missed, and that you must have now or get used to never having it. I mean love, Lung. I know how much you respect your father, and how, as an officer in the President's army, you value good behaviour. I behaved badly. Now I am a fallen woman. You know what that means in a little village. Let me know if this is embarrassing, and I will not call again like this. I must go. Oh, I have a business on the Net; look at www.native/fashion/wing.htvl. Give your sister all my love.

  EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

  Around the world, nothing is more beautiful than authentic expression of native culture combined with simple elegance.

  Here you will see beautiful native embroidery incorporated in modem designs. Please choose the item that most appeals, to see it modelled by the native women who produced these magnificent clothings.

  But the beauty that exists will have been produced in your own beautiful eyes, for you wish to see what a forgotten part of the world can produce.

  FRIENDS IN NEW PLACES

  If you have visited us before, we can show you new things that might interest you especially. So please do leave a Calling Card, so we can be friends. Please tell us what you think, for we are ignorant peasants in the hills and yearn to hear from you.

  OUR FASHION TAKES WING 'TAKING WING' SUIT

  This simple trouser suit in oatmeal cloth has authentic Karzistani embroidered panels. No designer thought of them. This ancient 'Swallow' pattern means good luck in marriage. This would make excellent wedding outfit or a present to hopeful, happy bride. The suit is modelled by tribal craftswoman Shen Suloi, she of the happy smile. Her husband is our schoolteacher.

  I AM A JOYFUL PERSON WORKWEAR

  This is whole native coat and hood, meant to be worn in fields and in sun or rain. It banishes resentment. One chooses what one is in life, and so it is foolish to resent the need to work. Wearing this shows that one is brave to face real life.

  Worn by Sezen Ozdemir, who is not a native woman. She is a good girl who goes a bit wild sometimes. Buy this, and she will save the money for a motorcycle.

  LISTEN TO GOD SPECIAL DRESS

  Let this special pattern speak secretly to your heart on important days. This is special dress for big occasion, say if your son marries or you go to high school prom. What this panel does is tell the gods that you listen to them. It is not for mankind to understand what the gods say. We just must keep listening. So this is a most noble panel.

  Wing Kwan, a four-farm wife, wears this dress and she made all the panels.

  Native people have many gods in shamanistic tradition. Chinese folk in Karzistan are Buddhist, but trueblood Karz tend to be Muslim. We even have Christian family living in our village! All are welcome here.

  SEE OUR HOUSE

  KIZULDAH – OUR VILLAGE

  We held the TV's camera from the roof to show our village and terraces. We are lucky to live in such beauty. It is more beautiful now that so many people can see it. We plant rice on the terraces. They are 2000 years old.

  THIS IS US

  The models all stand in front of Mr Wing's machine in his courtyard. He is four-farm owner. Videos from this screen show us and the house of our business. We work in the barn, all us ladies together. We are very happy, and you will see us all, even me.

  I am wicked Madam Chung Mae. I am not popular in the village. I try to tell our people about the future. Also, I am a fallen woman, but my friends forgive that. My nickname is Madam Owl, which is not respectful at all!

  ____________________

  e-mail from: Lieutenant Chung Lung

  8 October

  Thank you for such a long letter. At first I was going to give you short note only. But then I realized that it would look as though I was angry with you.

  I feel many conflicting things hard to put into words. I know my father and I respect him, but he is human and I can see his failings. I take no sides. I wish that both of you had behaved properly and stayed together. I regard this love as a kind of disaster, but you cannot be angry with the victim of a flood.

  I see you alone, living in Kwan's attic with no position, and I grieve for you. Then I see your screens and feel that you are also in some way happy, and I have to ask: What has happened to my mother? How is she able to do this?

  I showed the screens to some of my fellow officers who thought them very impressive. Some of their wives were also impressed and thought the clothes looked very modern. Others said that it made Karzistan look undeveloped and uncivilized. I noticed it was the more intelligent ladies who said that, no, it was like Americans talking about their Indian Heritage. One woman said you know when you love something that you have truly bested it and are mature. They regard our peasant days as something to be overcome.

  Are the clothes selling?

  ____________________


  audio file from: Miss Soo Ling

  10 October

  Mrs Chung-ma'am

  I must say I was enthralled by your screens, both the content and the fashion ideas they display. So original and of the moment. Really. Congratulations. It was good to see my oatmeal cloth put to such fine use.

  You are quite right, Horsemen do get you listings, but they charge you, and magpies do not. Our fashion house will only work through magpies. They harvest opportunities for enterprises and build up lists of people with particular interests. Magpies charge distributors and not you. I attach a list of excellent magpies to contact. I hope this is helpful. With fond memories of a good friend.

  ____________________

  videomail from: bugs@nouvelles

  27 October

  Hiya! People call me Bugsy and I run the Nouvelles fashion magpie for Media, Inc., and I just want to say that I love your screens and I love the things you sell, and I think they are just right for the people we have built up relations with, and that therefore we would be delighted to sell information about you to stores here in the US, and to tell our magpie about you. I know my people and they will love you just as much as 1 do. Also, you might like to note that I've pegged myself one of your 'Listening to the Gods' special dresses. Believe me, I could use a little spiritual refreshment here in the middle of New York.

  Your,

  Bugsy (Adele) Harris

  Editor, Nouvelles Magpie

  ____________________

  audio file from: Mrs Chung Mae

  28 October

  Dear Bugsy Nouvelles-ma'am

  Our hearts are singing after so kind a missive. A link with such a prestigious entity gives us as much joy as a marriage in the family, for like all marriages it will bring both love and money. And middle-aged ladies in Karzistan need both! Please be kind and send us terms and conditions. Kindness and blessings.

  ____________________

  videomail from: bugs@nouvelles

  2 November

  Hiya! No terms and conditions except one. Let us know if any stores get in touch with you, and tell them to go through us. We charge them a finder's fee and take a cut on sales to our people. We started out, believe it or not, running the software that found people the TV shows they wanted to see. We got real big, and started different kinds of TV interest groups like fashion. We then realized we could use our software to find anything, not just TV shows. We got the idea of selling information to suppliers and then telling our groups how to buy the stuff. So you pay us nothing.

  ____________________

  audio file from: Chung Mae

  4 November

  Lung, Please tell your officers' wives that Nouvelles Magpie in New York lists us as an important fashion resource. Tell them that we are big news in the New York fashion world. Tell them they are undeveloped for not knowing the future is upon them and that they should have shame for not doing something about it. I have clipped onto this record our Ahk Sess numbers and addresses and you can see that we are a great success. Show that to the officers' wives. Tell them that humble wild girl Sezen learned to tell the computer to produce new instructions to send special messages to each of our customers.

  Thank you for your kind words. Your sister sent me a very kind and informative card a few weeks ago.

  ____________________

  audio file from: Lieutenant Chung Lung

  4 November

  Are you angry? I meant to say I was proud of your site and that I forgive what you have done.

  ____________________

  videomail from: bugs@nouvelles

  10 November

  Hiya! I just wanted to let you know that we are getting plenty of comments in our newsgroup about you guys. Can I make a few suggestions? Put who you are and your address on each screen. Incredible as it may seem, some people still print out screens. Usually they give them to other people, but if the address doesn't show, then people can't find you. Second, people love you. They want to know more about how you live, how things are going in your lives. Really! So more hot gossip. Also, forgive our ignorance, but people here know absolutely nothing about Karzistan. Your President looks like a lovely man, but we have one of those ourselves. So, a few more links to other sites about Karzistan would be go down well. Finally, do you have any music you can put on the site? The Collaborationist movement here is desperate for new sounds to share and build on and something from the roof of the world (are you guys in Tibet?) would be very popular. And remember, we love you, so give us more news.

  ____________________

  videomail from: Mrs Chung Mae

  15 November

  Dear Mrs Bugsy-ma'am

  It is very strange because I am speaking Karz and my lips are doing one thing and the voice is coming out in English! I do this for the first time because this is a special occasion. We have a deal from big New York store and they say Nouvelles drives people crazy for Eye of the Beholder screens. This plays our hearts like a harp. We do feel you are family, and Mrs Wing Kwan offers suggestion for a special token. Native women make a circle of friends. A circle of women all work together. They spin, wash, crack nuts, sort beans, beat old tough lamb, sew, do everything but clean house together. So they can sing and tell stories and smoke pipes. Each woman wears a special collar for that Circle, which they all embroider together. It is a small sign of belonging among friends. Would readers of Nouvelles like to join our Circle and have a collar? We promise special low price, to cover cost. Available only to friends of Nouvelles through big New York store. Oh, and we clip on a file of our access statistics, which show how powerful Nouvelles is as a way to make new friends in many lands. One final request: Can you send me any information you have on Air and the difference between the Formats?

  ____________________

  voicemail from: bugs@nouvelles

  16 November

  Mae-honey. It'll drive ' em wild. No sooner said than done, but I need a shot of the design. I have to say, despite the mismatched lips, you look and sound great. You should get on TV more often. But hey, where's my News from Kizuldah screens? Like I said: gossip, girlfriend, gossip. But hey, I've been speaking English to you, what language have you been hearing?

  SIZZLING SEZEN'S POP PICKS

  Hello, young people, this is hair-in-eyes Sezen who is impatient with everything, except my Auntie Mae. We may not be having Madonna sixtieth birthday parties, but we are full of music here in Karzistan and it is great mix of modern and old. We got Arabesque, we got Lectro, we got Traditional, many different musics, and this is where you can hear what we sound like and use it in Collab.

  GIVE US MONEY

  You can listen, but don't keep the music unless you pay. Our musicians are poor, okay? So try to send us something. We are starving up here – well, not starving, but my mother keeps corncobs in our chic diwan, and our neighbour keeps a pig in her kitchen. And it is very bad-tempered. So don't steal these poor people's music or you are dried shitcake!

  That noise was Auntie Mae telling me off for being rude. I talk too much anyway. So here are my 'Pop Picks.'

  'BALSHANG' BY CHEN TUI

  Start with my favourite. Tui is Chinese girl who writes all her own stuff. She plays Karz flute and the violin, she used to do Lectro dance, but this is both real and Air music at once, and it's so beautiful, about girl who falls in love with a married man and his city at the same time. So she talks about the city and the man using the same words at the same time. They say there is an Air version full of pictures and memories as well. I want to see what her beautiful beau looks like!

  'KISH MASHALI' BY ERCHAN PEKER

  How is it that fools can make good music? This guy thinks he is pretty, and pastes his face all over everything. He is good-looking, but we should discover that for ourselves. This is a fun song about school, the words are really good, and he wrote them but he is a Balshang Otter, which means he is small, smooth, and vicious. Listen to the rhythm and the way his voice jumps about. That is pure Karz, like he
is.

  'KLASIKLERI' BY MUSA

  Just how smart are you? This word comes to us from Europe, it is your word. you should just say it and you will know what it means. This is new song but played in completely Traditional way and it is about all things classical and Karz that are going away, like Musa himself – soon. I hope. Musa is how all Karz men would like to be: big, fat, hairy, full of bristle and moustache, and everyone says how handsome he is, but I think he is old and ugly, and he says some very dull things about new music. But everyone loves him and so do I. in a way, like a good father. One of his other songs is called "Yorgun.' which means 'Tired,' and that is very appropriate.

  'MUT' BY YULDUZ

  'Mut' means 'Destiny,' and the singer's name means Stars, so she has high opinion of herself. She used to be backup singer with Chen Tui and she would like to be Chen Tui, but Chen mixes Chinese, Karz, and New York Air. Yulduz is just another Balshang Fox. Most of her stuff doesn't work, but this is really good, nearly as good as Chen she imitates. It is about our country and how it mixes things and how it is lost now, but will find itself.

  'HARP HATAMAHLARI' BY BULENT DO-UDAN

  War memories. This is the story of our country in the 1980s when there was a terrible war. My Auntie Mae's father was murdered. She has to run from the room whenever this song is played. So the song is harsh, big, it roars at you. Now, look at the picture, the only one on this page. Isn't the singer beautiful, all makeup, polished hair, lipstick, a woman as shiny as the front of a new car? You will get a shock when you hear the voice, because that person used to look like Musa. And one day, Bulent suddenly looked like that instead, no explanation. The voice stayed the same. The name didn't have to change either. Nobody cared. Don't you find our country is surprising place?