Out of the Wings

Flotando en el espacio (2010), Luis Miguel González Cruz

Floating in Space : SCENE TWO , SCENE FIVE , SCENE EIGHT , SCENE FIFTEEN

Floating in Space, translated by Gwynneth Dowling

SCENE TWO

Context:

F.R.A.N.K. and M.I.K.E. explain their mission in space.

Sample text

F.R.A.N.K.:

Our task is to read and decipher messages. Decode transmissions. Messages from Earth and outer space. Terrestrial and extraterrestrial. We codify everything. We’ve been trained for this. We’ve been trained to intercept all messages, including those that aren’t messages. We codify them as non-messages. We’re waiting for messages from outer space. But we haven’t heard anything yet. Not one alien signal. They all come from Earth, and those signals that do come from space come from other humans out here. Out in space, we hear everything better. We see everything better. Uncontaminated by background noise. Uncontaminated by light. Uncontaminated by Earth.

M.I.K.E.:

Our mission: to get right to the core. To the heart of all messages. To the soul of communication. To do this we must act like detectives. We must decide which messages are messages and which messages are not. We must decide which messages are true and which are false. Some messages want to communicate and others wish to tell lies. Then again, there are others that are merely noise created by code, created by the very machines that create messages.

F.R.A.N.K.:

We still haven’t intercepted any messages that don’t come from Earth. Not the slightest noise that doesn’t come from Earth. We still haven’t intercepted any messages from outer space. Not the slightest noise from outer space. We don’t know if aliens communicate with one another, let alone whether they’d do so with strangers. We still don’t know anything about Deep Space.

M.I.K.E. Why do we intercept data? Why do we record it all? Why do we spend our time in the pursuit of data? We catalogue data because we’re interested in data. We analyse all sorts of communications and communication errors because we’re interested in communication. Communication is all we’re interested in.

F.R.A.N.K.:

We’re not interested in Man. Nor are we interested in God. We leave that to others. Our interest lies in the facts of Man. Communicated facts. Man communicates, but he leaves traces behind. We’re interested in these traces. Man’s footprints. Footprints in communication. That’s all.

M.I.K.E.:

His footprints, floating in space.

F.R.A.N.K.:

In space.

M.I.K.E.:

That’s all.

F.R.A.N.K.:

That’s all.

M.I.K.E.:

The message is the message.

F.R.A.N.K.:

The act of communication is the communication.

Copyright

The above sample taken from the translation Floating in Space by Gwynneth Dowling is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

SCENE FIVE

Context:

F.R.A.N.K. and M.I.K.E. are exercising in their spaceship. They repeat the same sentences in different languages. M.I.K.E. then gets a transmission from Earth. He talks to his son, Miguel.

Sample text

F.R.A.N.K.:

We are in the craft.

Estamos na nave

Estamos en la nave

Chamo-me Francisco

My name is Frank

Mi nombre es Francisco

Je m’appelle François.

Meine nam is Frank

Mi chiamo Francesco

I’m an astronaut

Soy astronauta.

Je suis un astronaut.

Ich bin astronaut.

Io sono astronauta.

Sou astronauta

E aquele é Miguel

Y aquél es Miguel.

and he is Mike

et lui s’appelle Michel

E quello é Michele.

……………………

M.I.K.E.:

He’s an astronaut too.

F.R.A.N.K.:

And now we’re floating in space.

M.I.K.E.:

Él también es astronauta.

F.R.A.N.K.:

Y ahora estamos flotando en el espacio.

M.I.K.E.:

Ele também é astronauta.

F.R.A.N.K.:

E agora estamos a flutuar no espaço.

.............................

BOY:

Allo.

M.I.K.E.:

Seven years.

BOY:

Allo.

F.R.A.N.K.:

Sete anos.

BOY:

Allo.

M.I.K.E.:

Siete años.

BOY:

Allo.

F.R.A.N.K.:

Sept années

BOY:

Allo.

M.I.K.E.:

Sieben jahre

BOY:

Allo.

F.R.A.N.K.:

Sette anni.

EARTH TRANSMISSION.

BOY:

Allo.

M.I.K.E.:

¿Miguel?

BOY:

Soy yo.

M.I.K.E.:

Happy birthday.

BOY:

Thanks, Dad.

M.I.K.E.:

What age are you now?

JOVEN:

Quince

M.I.K.E.:

¿Cuántos?

JOVEN:

Fifteen.

M.I.K.E.:

You’ve grown into a man.

JOVEN:

Sí.

M.I.K.E.:

I have a son.

Seu nome é Miguel

Tenho un filho.

His name is Miguel.

Copyright

The above sample taken from the translation Floating in Space by Gwynneth Dowling is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

SCENE EIGHT

Context:

The astronauts have now spent over 18 years in space. M.I.K.E.’s wife is divorcing him. M.I.K.E. is having sexual problems. F.R.A.N.K. spends much of his time on board the spacecraft having sexually explicit conversations with women on Earth. He advises M.I.K.E. to speak to a woman called Ceres to see if that will resolve his problems.

Sample text

M.I.K.E.:: My family’s falling apart.
F.R.A.N.K.:: Whose isn’t?
M.I.K.E.:: I haven’t been able to get it up for a while.
F.R.A.N.K.:: That’s space for you. It’s gravity. It affects fluid distribution.
M.I.K.E.:: No, it’s not gravity. It’s been so long since I touched a woman that I can’t remember what it’s like. I can’t even remember enough to get it up.
F.R.A.N.K.:: It’s a memory problem, then.
M.I.K.E.:: Well, it’s a problem …
F.R.A.N.K.:: Yes, but it’s a memory problem.
M.I.K.E.:: It’s nothing to do with memory. Or gravity, or space. It’s me.
F.R.A.N.K.:: Why don’t you talk to some girls?
M.I.K.E.:: I talk to women.
F.R.A.N.K.:: Talk to another sort of woman.
M.I.K.E.:: What sort?
F.R.A.N.K.:: Talk to Ceres.
M.I.K.E.:: I don’t know her.
F.R.A.N.K.:: She’ll know what to do.
M.I.K.E.:: Our work here … who’s interested in it?
F.R.A.N.K.:: Aliens.

Copyright

The above sample taken from the translation Floating in Space by Gwynneth Dowling is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

SCENE FIFTEEN

Context:

M.I.K.E. and Ceres have a conversation. Ceres is ill, and suggests M.I.K.E. engage in virtual sex with her sister, rather than her.

Sample text

CERES:: I bet you didn’t imagine me like this, at my age?
M.I.K.E.:: It’s impossible to imagine someone so beautiful, at your age.
CERES:: I’d give you a twirl. But I can’t anymore. I’ve told my sister that, while I’m unable to, she’s to give you a good nailing.
M.I.K.E.:: You’re very kind, Ceres.
CERES.:: She’s wild, she can come up to six times a night.
M.I.K.E.:: I hope she doesn’t kill me.
CERES:: You’ll have a great time with her.
M.I.K.E.:: I bet you’re better.
CERES:: They took me to A&E two weeks ago. The wound wasn’t healing. They opened me up again and had to clean everything.
M.I.K.E.:: I’d love to open you up.
CERES:: I hate to say it, but they told me there’s something inside me that attracts it. But I’ve no strength left. The chemo’s left me exhausted and I can’t be on my own. You didn’t know, did you?
M.I.K.E.:: I suspected.
CERES:: I didn’t want to tell you. I wanted my sister to.
M.I.K.E.:: I wouldn’t mind sleeping with you right now.

Copyright