The street disappeared under the rain. The storm drains are crowded urban garbage and the wind carried with leaves and branches to the soup slowly was set between sidewalk and curb. It was a rain hitting any of the Buenos Aires, do not think that just remember that. But I do remember the rain because it was the excuse that I set myself to force me to tidy the room. Wise to the bone, hardly moving a finger without a good reason to invent before. That was me, and proclaimed it so I mocked those who claimed that this inaction was the grossest really lazy, which is a rational ratio of two integers and is not in the marrow.
The worst was the library, that object conspired to clutter the floor could climb walls. The only way to tackle the challenge was to empty it completely and then proceed by rating: novels with novels, essays with essays, manuscripts with manuscripts. Bank promotions and nylon bags and cups of yogurt daily papers would go to the basket - poor weakling!, Glasses, cups and spoons to the kitchen to the closet and drawers, after inspection.
But he soon on the task, I found there in the corner that are shelf and wall stud, under and behind the tangle southeast, unusual and horrible lay a pack of cigarettes without cellophane, open, half-empty and with a vigor which betrayed no time.
incurred this disregard for the delicacy that sometimes infuses spontaneous sudden thoughts, I thought
- What does this shit here?.
I did not smoke or had never smoked or had never allowed anyone to smoke in my house. He was a critic of second-hand smoke in the nose itself and used to pronounce fiery speeches against smokers in the debates indolent coffee and boring gatherings. He made arguments that placed the smoker at the same height as the murderer or the genocide, and not hesitate to pour at the slightest sign of some unsuspecting who dared to deploy its arsenal in my presence. Some friends claimed that annoying my sermons were more unhealthy for the victim that his smoke to my lungs.
There was then before me this mockery of the devil boasting to be the good evidence for a indeed inscrutable. For two years he was renting the place, living alone, and in that time very few people I had visited. Who would have left the package?. I made some effort to analyze the layers of the tangle Southeast in search of clues, but had almost completely dismantled deleted forever.
The next morning I took the package to the University for the purpose of inquiring my classmates. During the break I took the package from his pocket and then a humiliating string of antics and laughter of which I object and the details of which I prefer to get away, someone threw a fact.
"Besides, that is not here marquilla. Must be imported. Ours has a large camel in the middle and tiny and it takes you to the side. The pack must be imported. For now Mr. smokes imported. And we break sovereign balls. I kept only by intrigue
tying for a while until a couple of years later I gave it to a nephew who collected cigarette packs and welcomed the new and rare piece.
By then another curious fact already had joined what would become chaos. A very elaborate silver tea and indecipherable appeared surprisingly bright in the toolbox. There was no possibility that this object had arrived there, unless a thief of pliers and wrenches French forgot to leave him in my absence, which would contradict that preference with them more to bring that to bring.
really was curious about the matte because it looked freshly polished or freshly made, and yet the antiquities experts who decided to consult insisted that it was holding a piece of 1919 or 1920 and that his condition was surprising.
"But not as surprising as his" state of appearance, "I replied.
And again and again narrated by one and another expert in the unfathomable circumstances of their discovery. And again and again the expert clarified that the house I was not used for sale buy objects whose origin was so confusing.
In the months that followed I found a bra, a carpenter's pencil and a small plastic object, very elaborate, as a lighter or a key chain, whose function I never found out. Also could swear that he had lost an average, a corkscrew and a glass everyday and he thought he had broken two and three missing. I know then that the bodice was of Carola, a classmate who had come some time with a clear role and had been committed after another.
By then I was wondering if these domestic details not consistent with any rational explanation, such as finding coins in the drawers or the continuing disappearance of the pens, would not be present in the life of every human being whether it would be part of our imperfect nature render accommodate some aspects of reality, as if the intellect possessed small holes left out of formal representation ability of a minority of insignificant details because this minor glitch is so small it could never be sanctioned by natural selection. Or worse still, that these micro inconsistencies were part of reality itself, to outwit a legion of scientists, the universe for cracks, irrelevant aspects where causality and logic do not, which violates the principle of the excluded and then something can be both true and false or any of those things, where paradoxes abound imperceptible, mounted on a logic visible and concrete structure, forming a hybrid that fails to explain the appearance of dull, but perfectly illuminates the origin of the bodice of Carola.
Time and abnormal accumulation of evidence would loose ground with these speculations.
One morning I went towards the work. Few years had passed since the appearance of one pioneer pack of cigarettes. He had probably lost weight because even the last hole of the belt could keep his pants belted at the waist for a suitable period. The wind was sentenced to Featured in gusts could slow my progress, for the wind, when it is strong, blowing against. I rounded the corner to take the avenue and a blast of dust encrusted dagger in my left eye. Eyebrow instinctively pressed against the cheeks and the case was dropped. When finished scrubbing and returned to the world I was stunned. All signs on the block were covered with big posters up saying "A New Face" below "the same flavor" and center, laughing at me, most perfect and brilliant, a pack of cigarettes appeared identical, with that disturbing Camel punching the mind, tiny and side.
I stayed a moment, his eyes still teary, confused looking at the posters, with the open bag on my back, losing to the last paper in the corner whirlpool, hair disheveled and forgotten his lucky pants, wrinkled on shoes, with a half back to enjoying the meteor wind.
An older man crossed from the opposite pavement.
- You okay kid?. Still dazed
pointed to the sign with the palm up.
I do not understand, "I muttered.
The man looked at the lineup and went back to my face in a reflection of return.
"Come, come to this wind is a nuisance.
After a while the old was Mateando in what appeared to be a kiosk. It was a small room, probably a hall packed with merchandise from the most diverse character, from cigarettes and candy to maps and candles and lamps, and all arranged in a colorful and stirred, intelligible only to its owner.
Between the old and I stood disused photocopier served as table and shelf.
"Two years ago does not work" he had said. The technician told me that the developer has sold out or something, and to replace it costs a pretty penny you seen? When I wanted to make me realized I had to disassemble the entire business. Among
mate and I went shelling Throughout history, from the appearance of the pack to this new testing seemed to indicate that that there was bound to appear even at the time.
When I finished, the man was thinking.
"You know," he said strange things are happening lately. I think you have to visit the bar of Gallego. The del Gallego is unique, never seen anything like it. Maybe he will talk with you and comforting you talk to him.
went the following Sunday. The bar was near the bandstand, about two blocks on the avenue. We went in and crossed the room. It was a simple, clean and comfortable where several individuals were drinking coffee, reading newspapers, talking and gave kisses, depending on the composition and cardinality of the groups. Behind the bar several boys developed various activities related to business. Diligent trays emptied, washed glasses, opening refrigerators, powering the cranks of the coffee machine and murmured without looking monosyllabic words that lit mild and asymmetric smiles close companions.
could not doubt what the Gallego. An elderly man, short paunchy, peeled and growling outside the jokes of others. He looked up and articulated a broad smile at the old man, who did not lose an inch when he looked at me askance.
- Come on, Peter! No you get tired of losing the chess club who come here to lose visitors.
-is that the only purpose of my king is chasing your lady to make it yours in one of the towers.
"Then we see that the gifts of your king you do not like the lady or just a bit, because every time he approaches you, kill him.
The pleasantries lasted several minutes walking cross chess, trick, bowls and skills to roast the pig. Newsagent finally discussed the matter that had brought us there.
"Join me," said Gallego, who never stopped talking.
In the back wall of the room had a door lying on the left. The door led to a corridor doors to the right that gave the kitchen, a bathroom and a deposit, and ended in a small courtyard behind which was the home of Gallo.
Well, between the kitchen, bathroom and storage, through walls, columns and a door, you could see literally embedded, a brand new old car. The tires had a bit of dried mud and windshield of scale showed these little marks left by drops of rain to dry. Chevrolet
"It's a 48-year-Gallego said. Appeared well, as seen on Saturday last week. Most intriguingly
was the way it was embedded in the walls. Where it appeared the wall disappeared self, which continued on the other side as if there were no such wall, but the union of bolide and bricks, no stain was detected. There was not a scratch on the plate or the minor peeling on the wall, one thing went through the other without it being possible to determine which crossing. Nestled in the middle of the house, was the car. Simply.
"We went to sleep one night and the morning we found here. There was no noise or barking dogs or raped and ran the table locks. Nothing. The right front wheel was just in the toilet of the bathroom, so we have no toilet and we have to use the same customers. At first I was discouraged but then a architect who is followed and sits at the table, next to the window, I said it should reform to transform local phenomenon into an attraction for customers. The man continued
shipping a convoluted string of words referring to his proposed reform of the business and do not know how many more.
I was too stunned to follow what the Gallego spoke. We parted after a while and left to cool. We walked in silence without saying more than "that thing right?" Landed at the newsagent kiosk and I went to my house.
In the days following the domestic conversations around the world were filled with disturbing stories. At the University I narrated the history of the order of the bar, but most of amazement, I produced verbiage. All cases had to tell. One after another poured into the conversation appeared improbable stories of objects seemingly from another time, sometimes last, sometimes the future, and to balance the phenomenon, as if he should act the contention that the universe has symmetry, other objects disappeared with uncertain fate. The phenomenon has been
groups began to appear and disappear people. The newspapers spoke of the matter, the news on television, radio reports and gossip from the old market.
"The other morning, a man appeared dressed in clothing 1700 or so, walking down the street in the middle of a smoke. Buildings was looking like the devil, "said one.
- And the son of the hairdresser? Gone!. He went into the bathroom, locked the door and did not go out. When I went to get no answer. They had to break down the door. Was the key in on the inside and he was not. Since then he saw him again.
- Does the hair salon is next to the pharmacy? "Replied the first. You know that I crossed it the other day and I had to look twice because I was so wasted that I did not recognize. His face was as long and yellow, then I said "this guy is going to pass something" and you know I was right. She's not looking good.
And so on this counterpoint delusional interspersed from time to comment on the price of lettuce or fresh fish or new premonitions absurd bombast.
But the stories were true and the events were happening. The youth department
four versions appeared his forty years old, which plunged them both into a deep depression: The old, the recognition of the wreck that had become, and the young, by the revelation the wreck they would become. Decided to commit suicide. I was told the plan in a crossing corridor. The old man would kill the young and that he too would die because I could not exist if he had died seventy thirty. Patiently they complete the other half of the famous paradox.
"But if you die at thirty how will you reach your seventies to commit murder? Streets and marched
perplexed. Later I learned that the boy had killed the man.
In the next seven days it happened. When the accelerated disappearance of people, everything stopped working for lack of qualified personnel. One by one they closed the business owners as they faded. Four days ago, TV and silenced the radio and left of print newspapers. The next day we were electricity, gas and running water and I suspect that there is no justice or police administration.
also defaced the city phenomenon. Small and large portions of buildings were constantly being replaced by references to ancient times to modern times. From time to landslides occurred when what appeared above was too heavy for the remainder below. The trail alternated lawless clay, tile, pavers and conveyor belt. The most curious objects appeared everywhere and spread across the urban landscape took on the profile of a strange sight.
Revenants were the big problem. Every day came to this hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of them. Came from the ancient past or distant future and only replenished the initial shock is used to focus on the task of securing a shelter, water, food and clothing, which should do in a society that had been orphaned and estates law. Quickly began to form bands grouped by season, age or marriage. Groups of men and women cluster around a natural leader, who ran the business on how to survive in this chaos. And as expected, the skirmishes between groups were frequent and bloody. A small pack was responsible for the corpses, and it was common to see pieces chewed still warm bodies scattered on the street.
Yesterday the sun disappeared, or maybe today. Fortunately I kept
candles that helped me to combat the first night complete. A moonlit night and briefly invisible light of the stars, who knows if they were all.
I locked at home to think and try to understand.
was clear that this nonsense derived temporal chaos in a culture whose average effect was equivalent to the absence of any culture. It operated then a sudden decline in the social structure protocultural ways similar to the higher apes or groups of prisoners in the jails. More or less stable groups governed by a hierarchy of men was established according to a rare blend of sociability and brutality, parallels which displayed a hierarchy of women who struggled for the most powerful men wielding youth, beauty and cunning, in that strict order.
Stripped of every culture, society is left to more primitive behavior fatally revealing that they had always been there. But some discomfort
distracted me from those thoughts. It was like the presence of an object in the corner of my eye, a subject that I could not focus, as when strong light strikes us in the retinas of the side leaving a trace of his dirty we mark a moment of vision. A sense of presence that was moving slowly into focus. Slightly, in that we see when we focus glitter air was forming a denser region in the center of vision, like a bursting light which followed the movement of the eye with a delay less than recovering from a jump when the quiet left look. I put on the table a few inches from the stage and left her immobile.
The small sphere was intensified more and more until completely blind. The blindness lasted a few seconds and then was dissolved in the air to disappear, leaving room around me a similar but different. The candles were gone, and an intense light filled the room from the street. The pictures were different, the table was different and I stalled sweltering bones. I instinctively went to the window. The street was the same hodgepodge of times but executed in a different order and where previously succeeded pavers, clay and asphalt was now a succession of mud and paving asphalt.
I went out. Smothering me shirt unbuttoned to the navel. In doing so, two shadows accompanied own motion. I turned and looked at the sky. I roasted two suns the front, one in the morning and one afternoon in the day day of the world's history. A group of vandals broke a window and ransacked a pet shop at the time a very old car with spoked wheels like a meteor crossed the intersection and is embedded in a cushy positions left newspapers and magazines.
I went and picked up one of the pages of a newspaper unknown. And without surprise I read the documentation for a date unlikely.
walked to a square. I sat on a bench in the shade of a tree that withstood almost smoking. A newborn child shouted at regular intervals, bare backs, fire roasting the soles on the bed of a dry fountain. A heartbroken and bewildered young advanced tumbling with wrinkled trousers above the ankles, a mess of blood on the crotch and the other in the stump of one of the fingers. His beloved was gone in full intercourse taking with them so that, when kept. A little farther on, a crazy man undoubtedly walked steadily, in a suit and tie with a briefcase in hand.
course, I myself had jumped from one era to another during that moment of blindness, but this new time was no different from that rather than the publication date of the last newspaper. Could
men interpreted, the phenomenon and we managed to rebuild some form of ordered structure adapted to the fact that now all jump from one era to another from time to time? Would it be possible to establish an order, constitute a minimal institution could keep a minimum law, a minimum control tool?
It was clear that all hope lay in the ability we had to live in the transcultural, to accept and tolerate the behavior of others, from oldest to newest. That and only that would be the key to a possible adjustment, no doubt: the tolerance in the most extreme forms, a pandemic tolerance, profuse and generous. But the men would be able to practice?. Playing in the roundabouts of mind seemed so simple recipe.
Then a young, almost a boy, got me out cavileo not know who came to answer. He suffered from a fashion
absurd. He was half shaved head and long hair in the other half wore a sleeveless pink shirt that hung to the middle of the belly open, no buttons or buttonholes, some shorts in green leatherette not pass the knees, a pin-hojotas between all fingers and half type glove on his left foot, the same pink shirt. Her eyelids were at half mast, red eyes, a laugh for no apparent reason, stop mocking effeminate gesture. A few meters watchful waiting a brotherhood of similar creatures.
was placed on the lips a kind of cigarette helical and thin black slang in future decades with some vestige of English in the phrasing, I guess I called fire.
Then, in the most revealing and stupid act of my life, I heard my voice saying
"No baby, do not smoke. The cigarette is bad for health.
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