Rodger and Emily

When 
Emily takes a walk at sun-down, tiny silhouettes shaped like birds destroy and rebuild patches of light
 	as they war over the sky.  
	So 
Emily trips on a stone pipe protruding from the ground and stumbles past a wooden cart full of various
 	round fruits.  Regaining her balance, Emily's eyes begin to imitate the sun's setting; becoming
 	sagging balls of watery brown twilight, drifting into the sea of her cheeks.  
	Turning randomly at a block of gray building, Emily passively watches the pavement give 
	way to a phosphorous green sponge-walk.  She pauses, focusing away from her foot, 
	smelling damp leaves floating in a copper air-duct stored away in the bowels of an exotic 
	hotel.  
Emily considers becoming a limbless planet and falls through the hedges at the side of the building to
 	rest.  
I'm in a tunnel
Emily sighs feeling her foot drag along the ground.  
Emily is on all fours groveling forward under a canopy of multi-spined hedge.  
Emily's eyes begin to moan but she is unable to sleep.  The continuous series of leafy arches draws her
 	towards the tunnels exit.  
Emily is in an esophogus.  So sorry for her limbs, poor Emily, trudging on potato stuffed elephant
 	trunks- trying not to trip over her fingers.  
Emily bumps her head.  She sees feet cloaked in black shoes.  A ringed finger is offered to her.  The
 	finger is soft and prickly.  It lifts her to her feet.  
Emily sees she is standing in an enclosed statue garden.  Around the garden she sees statues of bushes,
 	solitarily placed.  Near the back, atop a statue of tile, Emily sees a statue shaped like a couch
 	and a statue of a television.  In one corner, there is a statue of a shivering pile of hair.  Beside
 	her, Emily sees a statue of a man wearing an intelligent suit.  
Emily begins to walk towards the statue of the couch.
			Hello there, little girl 
			the man-statue calls to Emily, 
			You appear to be tired, and I'd be more than happy to allow you to 
			rest your weary little legs on my statue of a couch.
Emily turns
Who are you?
			I'm doing market research on a brand new show that will change the 
			way you watch television.
Ah.
			Please, sit, I can tell you are tired.  Ok!  Now if you'll just reach that 
			tiny little paw of yours into the pocket of the couch-statue, you'll find 
			there a statue of a clip-board.  There's a smart little girl, I bet you are
			a tremendous reader.  Now, if you'll just remove the fully functional 
			statue of a pen from the clip-board-statue and sign your name, we'll 
			get started.
Emily embarks on the dreary motions of cursive.  Her loops become non-sensical rectangles- octagonal
 	wheels trying with slow success to find purchase on a newly paved road.  She slumps 
	forward twice, each time cursing the drudgery of the fancy-pants alphabet, each time she is 
	helped and 	encouraged by the man-statue.  
			I'm Rodger 
			he says, 
			And you are Emily.  You really must be an excellent pupil, one who
			loves	her studies.  Don't mind if the students tease you, it is the teacher 
			who gives the grades.
Emily sighs.
			Here 
			Rodger smiles,
			Let me take off your slippers so you can get comfortable.  You will be
 			wanting no concern for your body while you partake of this wonderful
 			programming.  There!  Now what you are about to see is a brand new
 			program, but I don't want you to think of it as a program.  It is new,
 			super-cool new and.... extreme.  Think of it as... A Statue!  A statue of
			a program.  It was made so that we, you and I, could get an idea of what 
			the program would be like if it were made into a program, which it isn't
 			yet, but it will be after we decide what parts should be made into larger
 			statues and what parts of the statue should be chiseled away.  You know 
			what a chisel is don't you?
Emily nods.
			Well sit back, and enjoy, because this is going to wow the pants off of 
			you and soon you will be floating on a cloud of pleasure well past the
 			moon.
			Rodger sits and the television statue begins to hum.  The program-
	statue begins with the foot of an ivory pedestal, then rises- accompanying itself 
	with the tinkling music of a restaurant's worth of crystal glasses and spoons.
Emily yawns and watches the program-statue move up along the misty column 
	side of the pedestal and stop at the top.

There is a silver curtain and a podium.  In front of the curtain are four people.  They are 
beautiful.  They have short hair and glossy eyes.  Their colorful cheeks each hold frozen  
wonderous smiles.  Their teeth are reassuring.  They will not bite you.  A figure behind the 
podium is gesturing towards the four people.  A figure behind the podium is presenting 
them to the program-statue.  A figure behind the podium is saying, 'Here are these four 
hand-picked for you from more than four so you will like them.'  A figure behind the 
podium squats and is hidden behind the podium.
	
			Rodger nudges Emily, 
			Right now, staff behind the curtain are inserting a singular purple ball
 			into the heads of each of the four contestants.
			He smiles 
			Notice how their faces remain unchanged.  We got some awesome 	
			contestants for the statuary edition of the show.
Emily's eyes are a pair of fish-tails, swishing about in corn syrup, pointing lazily in turn at Rodger's teeth
 	and the statue of a television.
			Rodger licks his lips, 
			Ah!  See there, spectacular, a genuine spectacle!  Staff behind the 
			curtain have just inserted singular blue balls into the backs of each of 
			the contestants heads.  Now watch the one one the left side of the 
			screen there.
Emily, vaguely struggling to remember her left from her right, stares at the screen.  The contestants stare
 	back at her, each seemingly unchanged and smiling.  
			See that!  The one on the left is destroyed!  Her face has faltered!  A
 			tragedy!  Look, she is about to weep like a little baby!  Boo-boo baby, it'll
 			be better soon.  Ha Ha!
Emily twitches her right hand as one of the contestants falls backwards through the curtain.  The figure
 	pops up from behind the podium and gestures towards the blank spot where the contestant
	had stood.  The three remaining contestants continue to smile and the figure disappears.
			Rodger rubs his hands together, 
			I wouldn't want to be those three right now.  Ooooooh Baby!  They're 
			about to experience the orange ball.
			Rodger pauses, his still breath drawing Emily's attention,
			Wowee!  The orange ball had no effect.  Truly some cool customers,
			lets see how cool they are when they meet the wrath of the dreaded red 
			ball!	 Ho ho!  That one's a goner for sure!  Look at his eyes- that 
			terrible glint- he's doomed!
Emily sees the man's left eye twitch and then disappear as he is pulled through the curtain.  The figure
 	raises its hands from behind the podium, and then they are gone.
			Rodger gasps,
			Oooooh, one on one, the final two, the final ball.  One of these two 
			will be your hero and the other, shortly forgotten.  Which will it be?  
			WHICH WILL IT BE!?
Emily shakes Rodger's hand from her arm and speaks,
I'm sorry, I really can't handle the suspense, I must be going.
	As
Emily crawls back through the hedges, she hears a far away laughter, ecstatic, from within a box.