Tough Job
FlashNano 2019, Day 2
“Please state your name and address.”
“Is this part of the test?”
“No, I’m just calibrating the system.”
“Arnaud Seville, 46184 Bradbury Avenue, 5B.”
“We’re going to start the test in a moment, Mr Seville.”
“Can I smoke?”
“You shouldn’t. It’s not good for your health. But I don’t mind.”
“Thanks.”
“How do you feel, Mr Seville?”
“Eh… Do I have to be sincere?”
“Well, the test result does not depend on your sincerity. It’s not a lie detector. But it certainly helps.”
“Er… Okay… I feel nervous. I’ve never taken one of these tests, and you know what they say…”
“What do they say?”
“Are we already started?”
“Yes.”
“Ah. Well. They say… They say it hurts. Inside.”
“No it doesn’t. This equipment is monitoring your vitals, and from a distance, as you can see. Years ago they needed electrodes, needles, probes and some other devices that could be considered, let’s say, uncomfortable by some. But not any longer.”
“Can I ask you a question?”
“It’s not usually how this works, but sure.”
“Are you psychic?”
“Ha ha, no. There’s no such thing as psychic powers, Mr Seville. All this is science, I assure you. Pure and simple. Well, it’s really complex science, indeed, but you know what I mean.”
“Yeah, sure. But they say you can get in my head. Know what I think.”
“As a figure of speech, yes. It’s what I do. It’s my job. Literally? No.”
“Ah.”
“Shall we continue?”
“Yes…”
“Talk to me about your mother, Mr Seville.”
This is my flash for Day 2 of FlashNano 2019, a brilliant idea from Nancy Stohlman. The prompt for today was “ Write a story in the form of (or including) a test.” Given that we’re in Novembre 2019, I couldn’t help but write a short homage to Blade Runner.
