InterActiveNovels: Tooth (Shirley Jackson)

 

During our holidays we decided to go to Des Moines Art Center, Des Moinesa museum in the state of Iowa.

I remained struck by a painting by Hopper, known as Automat.

That girl well dressed remembered Claire, it wasn't clear to me if she was asleep or absorbed in her thoughts. The only thing to do was to speak to her.

I booked an immersive tour inside the short novel The Tooth.

After the payment, I felt cold. I was in the middle of a bus station lost in nature, I found the rustling of the wind that directed the sound of the immense branches of the trees very fascinating, and then the rustling of leaves. In the background I saw a very old and noisy bus arriving, I thought, is it the last bus to New York?

Claire and her husband were seated on a green bench padded with foam rubber, which showed no signs of wear, it seemed to me that time had stopped here.

Her husband disappeared. I looked at her for many minutes, she seemed to me asleep, her eyes were looking down.

It was clearly visible that her cheek was very swollen. My view was broken by the arrival of the bus on platform number eight.

I was in the middle of the bus, Clare was in the back of the bus always absorbed in her thoughts.

I decided to speak to her. The only chance was in the restaurant.

The bus driver told us that we have only fifteen minutes to eat something at the restaurant. I didn't wait much and told her that she was remembering a painting of Hopper, she asked me what painting, I said The Automat.

She looked at me with her blue eyes, and we started to talk. I said to her if she was dreaming or absorbed in her thoughts, she said to me that with this posture her pain was less.

And here comes Jim the mysterious man, he couldn't see me, he sat down next to Claire and in a soothing voice told her that her husband was further than Samarkand.

This phrase linked them forever, they didn't say a word but it was clear that there has been a radical changment.

Claire told me that the stranger told this happens every time she gets closer to him, he is further away.

On my way back I saw her again in an anonymous restaurant. She wanted to talk to me, but then she fell back on how my short stay in New York had gone.

After having drunk a cup of black coffee I told her a direct question 

Is there a difference between the dream and the real world?

She took my hand, and said to close our eyes, we were in a parallel world where none wear a mask