THE WEDDING OF THE MACHINES
Adrian Korpel
Artwork: Toon Rooymans
The two machines stood hand in hand in the field of sunflowers, facing the little preacher. Their space capsule stood behind them, a giant silver cylinder on a vast cloth of gold.
"Are you sure this is leegical? " Mara, the female said in a little loudspeaker voice. She was angular, her many rods and bolts lining up to roundness in the center of her skeletal body.
"You mean 'legal'," the preacher said, "the word is 'legal,' not 'leegical.'"
The male spoke up now in deep, gruff tones that rattled the tubules of his frame.
"We studied hard. English not easy for units like we."
"You're doing fine, Hano. But to answer Mara's question -- yes it's legal. As a minister I have the authority to marry all who are part of the Great Web of Being. Are there any other questions?"
"Tell us about the Great Web of Being." Hano said.
"By that we mean the passion of the quarks, the cosmic dance of galaxies, everything. But what counts is love."
"Tell us about love," Mara said, "how people make love?"
"Variously," the preacher said, "touching, stroking, becoming one. It all depends.”
"Variously, " Hano repeated in a flat voice.
He telescoped one arm out to Mara and stroked her roundness. His rusty fingers traced a clockwise spiral around her hub, while his spidery legs moved up and down against hers. Jerking up his other arm, he started to tap her head, the whirring vanes inside his body cage spinning faster and faster. Mara's gear eyes slowly rotated and a soft clanging spread through her structure. She craned her head toward the sun and moved it slowly and haltingly around in small steps. Stretching both her hands to the sky, she began to croon a simple melody. Hano joined in counterpoint. Their singing rose in pitch and intensity, then became fragmented and incoherent. After a while they both fell silent. For a few moments the only sound heard was the droning of bees collecting honey in the summer's heat. Then Hano turned to the preacher.
"Like this?" he asked.
"I suppose," the preacher said, "sort of. Let's continue. Did you bring the rings?"
"Did you bring the rings?" Hano said to Mara.
Abruptly Mara swiveled her head down and started scrutinizing herself. Her hands moved frantically over the recesses in her frame and her eyes scanned left to right, up and down, over her parts. At last she stopped and looked at her fiancee.
"What needing rings for?" she said, " Is not love counting?
"You mean 'legal'," the preacher said, "the word is 'legal,' not 'leegical.'"
The male spoke up now in deep, gruff tones that rattled the tubules of his frame.
"We studied hard. English not easy for units like we."
"You're doing fine, Hano. But to answer Mara's question -- yes it's legal. As a minister I have the authority to marry all who are part of the Great Web of Being. Are there any other questions?"
"Tell us about the Great Web of Being." Hano said.
"By that we mean the passion of the quarks, the cosmic dance of galaxies, everything. But what counts is love."
"Tell us about love," Mara said, "how people make love?"
"Variously," the preacher said, "touching, stroking, becoming one. It all depends.”
"Variously, " Hano repeated in a flat voice.
He telescoped one arm out to Mara and stroked her roundness. His rusty fingers traced a clockwise spiral around her hub, while his spidery legs moved up and down against hers. Jerking up his other arm, he started to tap her head, the whirring vanes inside his body cage spinning faster and faster. Mara's gear eyes slowly rotated and a soft clanging spread through her structure. She craned her head toward the sun and moved it slowly and haltingly around in small steps. Stretching both her hands to the sky, she began to croon a simple melody. Hano joined in counterpoint. Their singing rose in pitch and intensity, then became fragmented and incoherent. After a while they both fell silent. For a few moments the only sound heard was the droning of bees collecting honey in the summer's heat. Then Hano turned to the preacher.
"Like this?" he asked.
"I suppose," the preacher said, "sort of. Let's continue. Did you bring the rings?"
"Did you bring the rings?" Hano said to Mara.
Abruptly Mara swiveled her head down and started scrutinizing herself. Her hands moved frantically over the recesses in her frame and her eyes scanned left to right, up and down, over her parts. At last she stopped and looked at her fiancee.
"What needing rings for?" she said, " Is not love counting?
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