Of Many Universes

Once I learnt that Wayne Rée's 'Tales from A Tiny Room' is out on the shelves, a copy was ordered from Books Actually. He's got the best quips IRL and I had rather high expectations of his stories and writing. The book didn't disappoint.

Thought I would simply scan through the thin book. But I ended up re-reading some stories just to get a deeper sense of Wayne's intent or perceptions beneath each story's playful tone or light ambivalent treatment. Published by Math Paper Press, this new book of 11 short prose pieces are Wayne's thoughts on paper. Quirky, a touch of the creepy and a bit of the other dimension. A perfect read for a stay-in-the-hotel-eat-averagefood evening.

I like 'Plugged In'. It tells of Roger living in a strange new world where everybody is plugged in to a gadget of sorts and he becomes the only one who isn't. A stranger. An enemy. And the plugged-in people came for him. Kinda like everyone else is a zombie but you, and you're fresh juicy meat. Perhaps it's a snide comment on our habits. Hey, Skynet. I like it because it's kinda creepy in a futuristic world of silence where no voices exist. The story written in the plainest language and conveys little emotions. Imagine this as a short noir film. It would totally work.

'Water Bombs' is almost painful to read. Matthew, the protagonist was this solemn corporate rat that the author intended him to be. Odd happenings like being hit by a water bomb and having people tell him, "Lighten up, mister", led him down the merry path of abandoning a stable but stodgy job and took flight to Thailand, where he found some sort of happiness in life and marriage. Then, there was the death of his first wife, mourning, despondency, his eventual remarriage, and the reappearance of water bombs in his life. It's up to the reader to decipher what he will from this one cycle of life.

There's a blurb that read "What happens when two gods sit on a park bench and compare universes?" It so happens that the story, 'Creation Myth' might just be my favorite of all. It's randomly set in Bloomsbury Park, which probably has no relation whatsoever to any parks in Bloomsbury like we know it. A god and a goddess drinking cheap wine, and a little boy who came along later. The whimsical creation theory. You've got to read it. The ending is priceless. That one line.

"You're telling me?" he sighed. "Oh, fuck it." He finished his drink, then raised his glowing right hand. He eyed it for a second or two - almost mournfully - then dumped his entire universe into the empty cup. "Back to the drawing board," he said with a shrug. He looked over at a bin a couple of feet away, took aim and tossed the cup towards it. 

The universe flew through the air - then hit the rim and fell onto the grass.