Read Online The Unwelcome Guest Plus Nin and Nan by Eckhard Gerdes - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Eckhard Gerdes
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Christ's disciples?"
"Of course, Nin. The Pentecost."
"Wasn't the spiritual transformation described as taking place in tongues of fire? Hasn't it been depicted so by artists for centuries?"
"Ah, yes! So after we douse the sign, we must ignite it with the spirit of the Lord."
"Yes, Nan. You get the turpentine. I'll get the matches."
When Nin lit the fire, Nan was reminded of Abednego's surviving the flames of Nebuchadnezzar's furnace in Babylon. From the German abend , or "evening"; the English "a-bed," meaning "to take oneself to bed"; the Hebrew neg— , meaning "south" [to the Hebrews, of course, the black races lived south]; and the Latin nec , meaning "not," a statement of contrast. Abednego's surviving the flames contrasted the darkness of night yet also upheld it. That it was both things contradictory simultaneously was inherent. All things confirm their opposites. The atheist is as dependent upon the concept of God for hir (i.e. "his or her") self-definition as the theist is. By standing in opposition to theism, the atheist acknowledges the existence of theism. Indeed, the atheist needs the existence of theism in order to exist hirself.
Of course, unlike Abednego, the billboard did not emerge from the fire unscathed. Coca the dancing string bean shriveled and writhed as the bill separated from the board. The wood was freed to dance according to its grain, and as Nin and Nan watched, it danced itself away completely. The billboard turned dark as it was consumed by fire, and then, in turn, fire gave way to the darkness of night. The spiritual transformation of the wood was complete. Nin and Nan watched the last embers give way before returning to the home inside the hill.
Chapter Two: The Road
Days passed, and Nin and Nan enjoyed the return of the landscape to the state it had been in before it had the sign: the purples, yellows, reds and blues of the wildflowers on the heath, punctuated by thickets of gnarled black oaks, weeping willows, scarlet buckeyes, and Eastern cottonwoods, and connected by a two-lane road that reticulated through the countryside like an unwelcome python. The hiss and smoke from the occasional automotive parasites crawling along its skin was repulsive. Both host and parasites had to go.
"We should do something about those pesky cars," said Nin, pointing again.
Nan expected to see a billboard advertising automobiles. A celebrity, perhaps, someone like Imogene Cocabean, holding open the driver's side door to the newest Studebaker, the Studebaker Hawk, and welcoming the viewer into the seat. And something lewd to connect image and purpose—a double entendre: "Come inside," perhaps.
"Where?" Nan asked Nin. No new signage had been put up to replace the obliterated one. The liberated one, that is.
In the distance, a dark Lincoln Continental was approaching. Even at a distance, it seemed to be moving quickly.
"I don't think we'll be able to catch it, Nin. It's moving too fast."
"True, Nan. And to be fair, they wouldn't even be coming along here if there were no road for them to travel on."
"I agree. But we can't get rid of the entire road, can we? It's not as easy as a billboard."
"You are correct that it won't be easy, but I know we have to do it."
They sat quietly, gathering their thoughts.
"Nin?"
"What, Nan?"
"I know why we have to do this."
"Why, Nan?"
"Because the road is a false god, and we must tear down all false idols."
"Exactly!"
"Jesus said, 'I am the way,' but the road pretends it is the way."
" Via in Latin can mean 'road' or 'path' or 'way,' so you are correct, Nan."
"But how can we remove a road without being noticed?"
"Like Hadrian said: 'One brick at a time,' Nan. We must determine the vanishing points on either horizon and begin there, gradually removing a narrow strip of pavement from alongside the shoulder and then, eventually, from the road. This way, gradually, the road will become narrower and narrower until it just ceases to exist."
"But, Nin, do we have a maul?"
"Yes, we
"Of course, Nin. The Pentecost."
"Wasn't the spiritual transformation described as taking place in tongues of fire? Hasn't it been depicted so by artists for centuries?"
"Ah, yes! So after we douse the sign, we must ignite it with the spirit of the Lord."
"Yes, Nan. You get the turpentine. I'll get the matches."
When Nin lit the fire, Nan was reminded of Abednego's surviving the flames of Nebuchadnezzar's furnace in Babylon. From the German abend , or "evening"; the English "a-bed," meaning "to take oneself to bed"; the Hebrew neg— , meaning "south" [to the Hebrews, of course, the black races lived south]; and the Latin nec , meaning "not," a statement of contrast. Abednego's surviving the flames contrasted the darkness of night yet also upheld it. That it was both things contradictory simultaneously was inherent. All things confirm their opposites. The atheist is as dependent upon the concept of God for hir (i.e. "his or her") self-definition as the theist is. By standing in opposition to theism, the atheist acknowledges the existence of theism. Indeed, the atheist needs the existence of theism in order to exist hirself.
Of course, unlike Abednego, the billboard did not emerge from the fire unscathed. Coca the dancing string bean shriveled and writhed as the bill separated from the board. The wood was freed to dance according to its grain, and as Nin and Nan watched, it danced itself away completely. The billboard turned dark as it was consumed by fire, and then, in turn, fire gave way to the darkness of night. The spiritual transformation of the wood was complete. Nin and Nan watched the last embers give way before returning to the home inside the hill.
Chapter Two: The Road
Days passed, and Nin and Nan enjoyed the return of the landscape to the state it had been in before it had the sign: the purples, yellows, reds and blues of the wildflowers on the heath, punctuated by thickets of gnarled black oaks, weeping willows, scarlet buckeyes, and Eastern cottonwoods, and connected by a two-lane road that reticulated through the countryside like an unwelcome python. The hiss and smoke from the occasional automotive parasites crawling along its skin was repulsive. Both host and parasites had to go.
"We should do something about those pesky cars," said Nin, pointing again.
Nan expected to see a billboard advertising automobiles. A celebrity, perhaps, someone like Imogene Cocabean, holding open the driver's side door to the newest Studebaker, the Studebaker Hawk, and welcoming the viewer into the seat. And something lewd to connect image and purpose—a double entendre: "Come inside," perhaps.
"Where?" Nan asked Nin. No new signage had been put up to replace the obliterated one. The liberated one, that is.
In the distance, a dark Lincoln Continental was approaching. Even at a distance, it seemed to be moving quickly.
"I don't think we'll be able to catch it, Nin. It's moving too fast."
"True, Nan. And to be fair, they wouldn't even be coming along here if there were no road for them to travel on."
"I agree. But we can't get rid of the entire road, can we? It's not as easy as a billboard."
"You are correct that it won't be easy, but I know we have to do it."
They sat quietly, gathering their thoughts.
"Nin?"
"What, Nan?"
"I know why we have to do this."
"Why, Nan?"
"Because the road is a false god, and we must tear down all false idols."
"Exactly!"
"Jesus said, 'I am the way,' but the road pretends it is the way."
" Via in Latin can mean 'road' or 'path' or 'way,' so you are correct, Nan."
"But how can we remove a road without being noticed?"
"Like Hadrian said: 'One brick at a time,' Nan. We must determine the vanishing points on either horizon and begin there, gradually removing a narrow strip of pavement from alongside the shoulder and then, eventually, from the road. This way, gradually, the road will become narrower and narrower until it just ceases to exist."
"But, Nin, do we have a maul?"
"Yes, we
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