I remember it was a Thursday afternoon. I'd ducked out of the office a bit early and decided to stop in at Moran's on the way home for a pint. When I walked in the door the place was strangely quiet, the barman wasn't behind the bar and the only soul in sight was an odd looking fellow who eyed me as I sat down at the bar. After a moment he came up and sat next to me, introduced himself, and said: "You know, I think I can explain, because darn near the same thing happened to me! I remember it was a Thursday afternoon."
"What?" I said.
"It was a Thursday afternoon," he repeated. "I'd ducked out of the office early and decided to stop in at Moran's on the way home for a pint. When I walked in the door the place was strangely quiet, the barman wasn't behind the bar and the only soul in sight was an odd looking fellow who eyed me as I sat down at the bar. After a moment he came up and sat next to me, introduced himself, and said: 'You know, I think I can explain, because darn near the same thing happened to me! I remember it was a Thursday afternoon.'
" 'What?' I said.
" 'I'd ducked out of the office early,' he said, 'and decided to stop in at Moran's on the way home. When I walked in the place was quiet and the barman wasn't behind the bar. There was a fellow who eyed me strangely as I sat down at the bar. After a moment he came up, sat down next to me, and said: "You know, I think I can explain, because darn near the same thing happened to me! I remember it was a Thursday afternoon."
' " 'What?' I said.
' " 'After leaving the office,' he said, 'I decided to stop in at Moran's. When I walked in the place was strangely quiet. There was a fellow who eyed me strangely as I sat down at the bar. He came up, sat down next to me, and said: "You know, I think I can explain, because the same thing happened to me! I remember it was a Thursday afternoon."
" ' " 'What?' I said.
" ' " 'I decided to stop in at Moran's after work,' he said. 'But when I walked in the place was dead quiet. There was a fellow who eyed me strangely as I sat down at the bar. Then he came up to me and said: "I think I can explain because the same thing happened to me! It was on a Thursday afternoon."
' " ' " 'What?' I said.
' " ' " 'I stopped in at Moran's after work,' he said. 'But the place was dead quiet. There was a fellow who eyed me strangely as I sat down. Then he came up to me and said: "The same thing happened to me! It was on a Thursday afternoon."
" ' " ' " 'What?' I said.
" ' " ' " 'I stopped in at Moran's,' he said. 'The place was dead quiet. There was a fellow there who eyed me strangely. He came up to me and said: "The same thing happened to me! It was a Thursday afternoon."
' " ' " ' " 'What?' I said.
' " ' " ' " 'It was dead quiet at Moran's,' he said. 'A fellow there eyed me strangely, then came up and said: "The same thing happened to me! It was a Thursday afternoon."
" ' " ' " ' " 'What?' I said.
" ' " ' " ' " 'Moran's was dead quiet,' he said. 'A fellow who eyed me strangely said: "The same thing happened to me! It was a Thursday afternoon."
' " ' " ' " ' " 'What?' I said.
' " ' " ' " ' " 'Moran's was quiet,' he said. 'A strange fellow came up to me and said: "This happened to me! It was a Thursday afternoon."
" ' " ' " ' " ' " 'What?' I said.
" ' " ' " ' " ' " 'Moran's was quiet,' he said. 'A strange fellow said: "This happened to me! It was a Thursday afternoon."
' " ' " ' " ' " ' " 'What?' I said.
' " ' " ' " ' " ' " 'Moran's was quiet. A strange fellow said: "This also happened to me! It was a Thursday afternoon."
" ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " 'What?' I said.
" ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " 'In Moran's a strange fellow said: "This also happened to me! It was a Thursday afternoon."
' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " 'What?' I said.
' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " 'In Moran's a strange fellow said: "This also happened to me! It was on a Thursday."
" ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " 'What?' I said.
" ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " 'In Moran's a fellow said: "This also happened to me on a Thursday!"
' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " 'What?' I said.
' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " 'In Moran's a fellow said: "This also happened to me Thursday!"
" ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " 'What?' I said.
" ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " 'In Moran's a fellow said: "This also happened to me!"
' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " 'What?' I said.
' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " 'In Moran's a fellow said: "This happened to me!"
" ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " 'What?'
" ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " 'A fellow said: "This happened to me!"
' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " 'What?'
' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " 'A fellow said: "It happened to me!"
" ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " 'What?'
" ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " 'A fellow said: "Happened to me!"
' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " 'What?'
' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " 'Fellow said: "Happened to me!"
" ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " 'What?'
" ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " 'Fellow said: "Happened!"
' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " 'What?'
' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " 'Fellow: "Happened!"
" ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " 'What?'
" ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' "Happened!"
' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " 'Wha?'
' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' "Happened!"
" ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " 'Wha?'
" ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' "!"
' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " '?'
' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' "!"
" ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " '?'
" ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' "!"
' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " '?'
' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' "!"
" ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " '?'
" ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' " ' "!"
By this point the fellow was gesturing and shaking as like he was in a kind of fit. I didn't know if I should prod him to snap him out of it or if I should turn tail and get outa there.
The barman Niall came out just then and his eyes widened to see the man in such a state. Seems he'd seen this before, which made me none too comfortable to be engaged in this dialogue.
Finally in his swaying and gesturing the fellow bumped against me and snapped out of it.
"It was. . ." he said looking at me in fright. "It was like that for me too!"
"Gilbert," Niall began.
"Let me be!" Gilbert said. "I know what I heard and I won't be told otherwise. It happened on a Thursday right here, smack on the same hour, and the fellow went on and on til he was shaking, just like I was telling it."
Niall didn't reply, but began pouring me a pint.
"But how did it end?" I asked the man.
Niall frowned that I was pursuing the question. He shook his head and retreated back down to the store room from where he'd come.
"How did it end?" the man repeated. "How did it end, you want to know? You really want to know?"
I thought it over. My pint stood on the wood before me, a perfect head to it. Glancing at Gilbert, I could see the sweat beading on his forward, the question he had asked still in his eyes. Clearly he was burning to finish the tale.
"No," I said. "Not today. Maybe next Thursday."
Gilbert slumped like the air was let out of him. He got up and went back to where he was sitting when I came in.
The next Thursday I was there early, waiting in a corner. Gilbert was nowhere to be seen, however, and again Niall was down in the store room. After ten minutes or so a new fellow came in, gave a look round the place, and went up to sit at the bar. I started to feel a kind of itch in me, a compulsion to speak to the man, even though I'd never seen him before. I got up and walked over to where he was seated. I sat down next to him and introduced myself.
"You know, I think I can explain," I began, "because just about the same thing happened to me! It was a Thursday afternoon."
"What?" the man said.
If one draws a finely detailed map that includes a representation of that map, the map within the map will include the map, as will that map, and so on ad infinitum.
In one of his more famous tales, Borges quotes a gnostic teacher from Uqbar who taught that "both mirrors and copulation are abominable, because they increase the number of mankind."
One mirror is bad enough in this regard. If you stand between two mirrors not perfectly parallel, you will see yourself arcing off in an infinite series of repeated reflections, the images tapering off into a silvery distance. This often happens on elevators with mirrored walls.
Could one reproduce this effect in writing? I've tried in the above tale.
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