Ovenover alting.

De lange skygger trivedes, når lyset stod lavt. De opførte iøjnefaldende danse og gestikulerede om kap, for det gjaldt både om at vinde opmærksomhed, og fastholde den. Opmærksomhed var ren næring for dem, og deres pantomimer viste tydeligt, at de ville gøre næsten hvad som helst for at være i fokus.

At være slørholder var noget, som havde stor status, for det var en kompliceret opgave. Det krævede en lang, næsten håbløs, uddannelse, som måtte vedligeholdes, for tabte man tråden, bare en enkelt gang, måtte man øjeblikkeligt på kursus igen. Og så blev man sendt tilbage til skolen, man var uddannet fra, for at få alle de komplicerede regler genopfrisket. Ellers kunne man jo risikere, at nogle mistede interessen for skyggerne og fik den afskyelige ide at vende sig om. Det måtte undgås for enhver pris, for man risikerede at blive opmærksom på det, som var årsag til, at skyggerne kunne leve, og det ville få ubehagelige og samfundsskadelige konsekvenser.

Slørholdernes arbejde var hårdt, for på den ene side skulle de sørge for at følge det aldrig helt stillestående lys og flytte slørene i overensstemmelse med dets bevægelser, og på den anden side måtte der ikke skærmes mere, end at skyggerne kunne forblive klare og tydelige. Det var et ubehageligt, Sisyfosagtigt dilemma.

Man vidste, hvor galt det kunne gå. Engang var en så uheldig, at der ikke var en slørholder i nærheden, mens lyset stod lodret over ham, og i denne position var der slet ingen skygge overhovedet, så at sige. Han havde undrende kigget først nedad og så opad, og var derved blevet fuldt oplyst.

Så nu tog man, klog af skade, ingen chancer mere. Slørholderen skiftede til kraftigere slør i takt med at lyset kom højere og højere oppefra, og mens næsten ingen skygger var mulige, skulle man lukke øjnene, så man hverken kunne se til højre eller venstre, opad eller nedad, og der blev indført dødsstraf for at åbne øjnene i disse ulyksalige perioder.

Men jo lavere lyskilden stod, jo længere blev skyggerne. Det var der perspektiver i, og det var både logisk og matematisk evident.

Above everything

The long shadows thrived when the light stood low. They performed prominently dance and gestured vigorously, to gain and remain attention, and keep it. Attention was food and vitamins for them and their pantomimes showed clearly that they would do almost anything to remain in focus.

Being a veil-holder was something that had great status, because it was a complicated task. It took a long, almost hopeless, training which had to be maintained, for losing the thread, just once, you had to go immediately on a course again. And then you went back to school, to be trained in order to get all the complicated rules refreshed. Otherwise, they could run the risk of some lost interest in the shadows and got the abominable idea to convert, to turn around. It had to be avoided at all costs, because you risked being aware of, what was the reason why the shadows could have a life, and it would give unpleasant and anti-social consequences.

Veil-holders work was hard, on the one hand, they had to follow the never quite stagnant light and move their veils in line with its movements, and on the other hand, they were not allowed to screen more than the shadows still could remain crisp and clear. It was a nasty, Sisyphus-like dilemma.

They knew how bad it could go. Once upon a time a person had the misfortune that there wasn’t a veil-holder nearby, while the light was directly above him, and in this position, there was no shade at all. He felt strange and looked first down and then up, and received then fully enlightenment.

So now took they wise to injury, no chances more. The veil-holders switched to heavier veils as the lights rose higher and higher above, and while almost no shadows were possible, you had to close your eyes, and nobody was allowed to look right or left, up or down, and they imposed the death penalty for open the eyes while these unfortunate periods took place.

But the lower the light source was situated, the longer the shadows became. There were perspectives in that fact, and it was both logical and mathematically evident.