Monday, August 14, 2006

"tap, tap, tap .... ping!!"

We walk, braille-like, the length of the corridor, careful not to trip inadvertently into one of a series of mounted suits of armour that line the wall. We hear it again,

"Tap, tap, tap ... ping!", only this time, a little louder.

Approaching a half-opened door, we stand discretely to one side as our eyes become slowly accustomed to the gloom within. The room is illuminated by a solitary angle-poise, its beam directed upon a hunched figure seated at a desk. He's dressed in black, his eyes hidden from sight by a pair of Predator sun-glasses that cling insect-like to his face. A curious adornment, given the near darkness of the room in which he sits.

We notice his fingers dance balletically across the keyboard of a well-oiled Remington Noiseless 8. An instrument of some precision, it has been customised specifically for the task in hand. We follow the stranded electric cording attached to its rear. It leads in the first instance to a highly polished Victrola phonograph that bears a small brass plaque on the front. It's inscribed,

"Property of mrs electrofried - Loud, Proud and Home-Baked".

A virgin wax platter spins on the felted turntable of the Victrola, a cunningly improvised hard-disc drive for the Remington Noiseless. We trace the electric cording further across the desk and now it joins a silvered tray, above which hovers a quill pen.

"Tap, tap, tap ... ping ... whir ... scribble!"

The room becomes noisier by the second as the message is committed to paper. Its author leans back in the chair, a reflective smile playing across his otherwise passive face. At length, the whir and scribble comes to an end.

The man opens a drawer of his desk and pulls out a roll of sellotape. Tearing off a small strip, he gets to his feet and walks across to retrieve the freshly-inked page from the tray. We disappear backwards into the shadows as he marches to the open door. The message is duly posted to the open portal and reads,

"House of Electrofried .. now open for business".

9 comments:

samsarajade said...

Greetings Mr Electrofried! I am delighted you have commenced your blogging career, and I'm looking forward to future installments :)

It's all sounding rather gothic so far, reminding me a little of Edgar Allan Poe.

Anonymous said...

Remarkable Electofried, but where do you find the time. Could it be that you have franchised yourself out to various lieutenants and that there are not 1, but 4 electrofrieds walking the streets of Britain - Electrofried (North), (South), (East) and (West)

electrofried (mr) said...

Dear Visitors,

greetings! Do make yourselves at home in the House - we very much look forward to your next visit to the House.

best regards

electrofried (mr)

Anonymous said...

Best wishes from the West Country contingent - nice to know the insanity loop is still prospering and the tablets are not dulling the intellect.Looking forward to seeing you and mrs electrofied soon - Regards from lagerfried and the rest of the 'loopy tunes'.

electrofried (mr) said...

dear lagerfried,

thank you so much for calling by to visit us at the "House". In a professional capacity, would you advise treatment for my affliction?

best regards

electrofried (mr)

Anonymous said...

Plenty of lager, dissolved slowly under the tongue. If that fails keep increasing the dose until the World falls slowly into perspective,

Best wishes,

lagerfried

electrofried (mr) said...

dear lagerfried,

ah, the allure of cheap yet strong continental lager. Tonight has found me uncorking the "Old Peculiar", which has a pleasingly fitting ring to it.

I think I should introduce you shortly to the rest of the regular readers here. Make sure you do your hair in readiness .. and no dribbling on the guests, please!

best regards

electrofried (mr)

Anonymous said...

Do we get to see a on-line picture of Mrs Electrofried's quilt purchase, or is there a risk of quilt thieves tracking it down from clues in the photograph and running off with it on the instructions of a eccentric billionaire quilt-collector in Zurich?

electrofried (mr) said...

dear salentino,

thanks very much for popping in to visit us.

Apologies I failed to pick up your kind comment in our Visitors' Book - unfortunately old age and increasing infirmity means that these days I struggle to keep concentration long enough to broach the outer reaches of the Chroncles on a regular basis.

We have had another request for quilt-based photography and I shall see what I can do. I have in mind a needlework special at some point if mrs electrofried can be persuaded.

Trust all is well with you and look forward to seeing you again soon.

best regards

electrofried (mr)