(SHANNON speaks into the large brick cell phone held up to her ear.)
-It's two-hundred dollars for two weeks. -Yeah, it kind of is an emergency. -No, it's fine, I'll figure it out.
PHONE: (Inaudible.)
-That's true. -I guess he can't kick me out for another week or two. -But can I trust him not to just change the locks?
PHONE: (Inaudible.)
-Yes, and I appreciate that, but-- -Ok, you're right. -Just... nevermind. I have to go. Sorry.
PHONE: (Inaudible.)
-Ok. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Love you. -Forget it. Bye.
(SHANNON hangs up the phone and puts it away.)
------
CONWAY: Excuse me, ma'am, I saw the light was on and I'm looking for the onramp to--
-Are you here to kick me off the property? -Do you believe in ghosts?
CONWAY: Oh, no, no... I guess you don't belong here either, do you?
-Do you work for the power company? -Are you just out wandering?
CONWAY: Ha. Well, I do drive a lot. Just me and the road mostly, when the sun is out.
-You sound lonely. -Is that your job? Driving?
CONWAY: Here's what it is: I drive deliveries for a shop called Lysette's Antiques, and I'm out trying to finish this job.
-You're making a delivery to the mine? -What kind of stuff are you hauling?
CONWAY: Oh, uh... no. I have a delivery for "5 Dogwood Drive", and I can't remember ever seeing that address before. Now I heard I need to take a highway called the Zero. So I met this young lady, name of Weaver Marquez, and she sent me this way, and so here I am. Uncommon kind of place for an onramp, but that's what it's been like so far anyway with--
-What?
CONWAY: Weaver Marquez. Do you know her?
-So you saw her. Tonight. I know Weaver. She was... she's my cousin. I'm Shannon Marquez.
CONWAY: Oh, you're the one who fixes televisions.
-That's right. Did she tell you that, too? Of course she did. Weaver doesn't lie. One time, when we were younger, she told me my dad had been in a terrible car wreck. There was crushed metal everywhere, and we'd be hearing it echo through the house for years, she said. I was very upset, crying, and then my dad walking in the door, just come back from a trip to the junkyard collecting scrap metal to fashion into windchimes. I was angry, but she said it wasn't a joke, and it wasn't a lie. At the time I thought she meant it as a riddle or a puzzle. But Weaver's not a puzzle. She's a mystery.
CONWAY: So, what are you doing down here, Shannon?
-I talked to Weaver earlier this evening, too. Or anyway, she talked to me; it's hard to tell if she's listening sometimes. Weaver told me I had to come down here to the old Elkhorn Mine. She said I'd find... something I've been looking for.
CONWAY: What are you looking for?
-I'm not exactly sure. I have a few ideas... I'll know it when I see it. It's not such a bad thing, you showing up now. All told, I'd rather not go down there alone. Your dog should stay up here, though. It's no place for a dog. This is an old mine. It runs pretty deep and tangled. If we're going to go down into it, find your onramp and whatever else, we've got to keep our bearings. I don't want to get turned around. I've got some gear here to measure conductivity, frequency, response, stuff like that. Maybe we can find a way to put a signal out ahead, do some analysis and figure out what kind of topology we're up against.
CONWAY: Sure. Let's look around.
--------
S- That runs into the mine's PA system. Do you think it still works?
C- Only one way to find out.
S- Alright, give it a whirl!
C- (into PA) Uh, is anybody down there?
S- Nothing. Hm... Oh, there's no power. Yeah, OK. Even when this old mine was up and running it was tricky to keep stuff powered. You know, the miners used to have to pay just to run the fans and the lights? Yeah, they got paid in these shitty plastic tokens - coal scrip, you know? And if you want to run the fans for a bit to clear the air up, well, you have to put a token in. My parents used to work here. So did Weaver's parents. I guess a lot of folks' parents worked here...
C- So let's just head into the mine and see what we see.
S- No, I'd definitely feel better getting some readings first. We don't know what it's like down there anymore; years of seasonal changes and seismic irregularities could have totally reconfigured it. I'm not going in blind, and neither are you. I bet we just have to free up some power for the PA system. Everything is rationed. Here, set up that lamp of yours, and I'll go unplug these ceiling lights.
C- (Tries to think of something clever to say.)
S- I heard the speakers back here crackle a bit: it's on now, right? Try saying something into the mouthpiece.
C- (into PA) Well...
S- OK, I hear you... We need to measure the echo delay time and figure out how deep the tunnels run. Just make some noises into the mouthpiece.
C- (Taps the mouthpiece. Knocks on the table. Whistles.)
S- Damn, that's a long delay! These tunnels run deep. I bet some of them have ruptured or joined up with a cave system. Alright, I set up my spectrum analyzer, so just say something into the mouthpiece and we can get a sense for how narrow the mine tunnels are. Don't be shy, just say anything that comes into your head. Tell me a story about something - or what did you have for breakfast today?
C- (Into PA) I had breakfast with Lysette. She made biscuits. We listened to the radio. Then I loaded the truck.
S- ...got it. Looks like the tunnels are pretty cramped... Yeah, low ceilings, hope you're ready to stoop a bit! Eh, you're probably used to it. One more test. We just need to know if the air is breathable, or if it's too thin, or too dense. Just sit real close to the mouthpiece and breathe. I'll measure the resonance of your breath with the air in the tunnels. Just try to relax. Try to breathe naturally.
C- (Breathes, and thinks about resting. Breathes, and remembers a moment earlier in the day.)
S- Getting some pretty strong readings here. I think we're in good shape, but keep at it for a minute!
C- (Breathes, and visualises a hot meal.)
(CONWAY breathes and relaxes, as a peal of feedback and loose rock engulfs him.)
no subject
-It's two-hundred dollars for two weeks.
-Yeah, it kind of is an emergency.
-No, it's fine, I'll figure it out.
PHONE: (Inaudible.)
-That's true.
-I guess he can't kick me out for another week or two.
-But can I trust him not to just change the locks?
PHONE: (Inaudible.)
-Yes, and I appreciate that, but--
-Ok, you're right.
-Just... nevermind. I have to go. Sorry.
PHONE: (Inaudible.)
-Ok. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Love you.
-Forget it. Bye.
(SHANNON hangs up the phone and puts it away.)
------
CONWAY: Excuse me, ma'am, I saw the light was on and I'm looking for the onramp to--
-Are you here to kick me off the property?
-Do you believe in ghosts?
CONWAY: Oh, no, no... I guess you don't belong here either, do you?
-Do you work for the power company?
-Are you just out wandering?
CONWAY: Ha. Well, I do drive a lot. Just me and the road mostly, when the sun is out.
-You sound lonely.
-Is that your job? Driving?
CONWAY: Here's what it is: I drive deliveries for a shop called Lysette's Antiques, and I'm out trying to finish this job.
-You're making a delivery to the mine?
-What kind of stuff are you hauling?
CONWAY: Oh, uh... no.
I have a delivery for "5 Dogwood Drive", and I can't remember ever seeing that address before. Now I heard I need to take a highway called the Zero.
So I met this young lady, name of Weaver Marquez, and she sent me this way, and so here I am. Uncommon kind of place for an onramp, but that's what it's been like so far anyway with--
-What?
CONWAY: Weaver Marquez. Do you know her?
-So you saw her. Tonight. I know Weaver. She was... she's my cousin. I'm Shannon Marquez.
CONWAY: Oh, you're the one who fixes televisions.
-That's right. Did she tell you that, too? Of course she did.
Weaver doesn't lie. One time, when we were younger, she told me my dad had been in a terrible car wreck. There was crushed metal everywhere, and we'd be hearing it echo through the house for years, she said. I was very upset, crying, and then my dad walking in the door, just come back from a trip to the junkyard collecting scrap metal to fashion into windchimes.
I was angry, but she said it wasn't a joke, and it wasn't a lie. At the time I thought she meant it as a riddle or a puzzle.
But Weaver's not a puzzle. She's a mystery.
CONWAY: So, what are you doing down here, Shannon?
-I talked to Weaver earlier this evening, too. Or anyway, she talked to me; it's hard to tell if she's listening sometimes.
Weaver told me I had to come down here to the old Elkhorn Mine. She said I'd find... something I've been looking for.
CONWAY: What are you looking for?
-I'm not exactly sure. I have a few ideas... I'll know it when I see it.
It's not such a bad thing, you showing up now. All told, I'd rather not go down there alone. Your dog should stay up here, though. It's no place for a dog.
This is an old mine. It runs pretty deep and tangled. If we're going to go down into it, find your onramp and whatever else, we've got to keep our bearings. I don't want to get turned around.
I've got some gear here to measure conductivity, frequency, response, stuff like that. Maybe we can find a way to put a signal out ahead, do some analysis and figure out what kind of topology we're up against.
CONWAY: Sure. Let's look around.
--------
S- That runs into the mine's PA system. Do you think it still works?
C- Only one way to find out.
S- Alright, give it a whirl!
C- (into PA) Uh, is anybody down there?
S- Nothing. Hm...
Oh, there's no power. Yeah, OK. Even when this old mine was up and running it was tricky to keep stuff powered.
You know, the miners used to have to pay just to run the fans and the lights? Yeah, they got paid in these shitty plastic tokens - coal scrip, you know? And if you want to run the fans for a bit to clear the air up, well, you have to put a token in.
My parents used to work here. So did Weaver's parents. I guess a lot of folks' parents worked here...
C- So let's just head into the mine and see what we see.
S- No, I'd definitely feel better getting some readings first. We don't know what it's like down there anymore; years of seasonal changes and seismic irregularities could have totally reconfigured it. I'm not going in blind, and neither are you.
I bet we just have to free up some power for the PA system. Everything is rationed. Here, set up that lamp of yours, and I'll go unplug these ceiling lights.
C- (Tries to think of something clever to say.)
S- I heard the speakers back here crackle a bit: it's on now, right? Try saying something into the mouthpiece.
C- (into PA) Well...
S- OK, I hear you...
We need to measure the echo delay time and figure out how deep the tunnels run. Just make some noises into the mouthpiece.
C- (Taps the mouthpiece. Knocks on the table. Whistles.)
S- Damn, that's a long delay! These tunnels run deep. I bet some of them have ruptured or joined up with a cave system.
Alright, I set up my spectrum analyzer, so just say something into the mouthpiece and we can get a sense for how narrow the mine tunnels are.
Don't be shy, just say anything that comes into your head. Tell me a story about something - or what did you have for breakfast today?
C- (Into PA) I had breakfast with Lysette.
She made biscuits.
We listened to the radio.
Then I loaded the truck.
S- ...got it. Looks like the tunnels are pretty cramped... Yeah, low ceilings, hope you're ready to stoop a bit! Eh, you're probably used to it.
One more test. We just need to know if the air is breathable, or if it's too thin, or too dense. Just sit real close to the mouthpiece and breathe.
I'll measure the resonance of your breath with the air in the tunnels. Just try to relax. Try to breathe naturally.
C- (Breathes, and thinks about resting.
Breathes, and remembers a moment earlier in the day.)
S- Getting some pretty strong readings here. I think we're in good shape, but keep at it for a minute!
C- (Breathes, and visualises a hot meal.)
(CONWAY breathes and relaxes, as a peal of feedback and loose rock engulfs him.)