The Snailman - Her Island. 2018
written by Jung Jean
A snail
- the living creature carrying an 'island'.
I thought that if I'm reborn, it would be the snail.
Even now, I'm not different from it.
1.
There was a big smile on her face.
She hold a plastic container for cold beverage on her hand.
"For you!"
There is a leaf of romaine inside.
"...?"
On a closer view, a snail sits crouched.
She said that she ran with joy because she was sure that I would love the present.
As she's happy; as it must be scared. How pathetic...
I'm keen on living things. Specifically, I'm very keen on bring living things at home. When I was young, my ant used to give me various animals and plants such as turtles, fish, birds, hamsters, cats and dogs, flowers...
And, the pets all died in several months.
"What do you think? Isn't it cute? Just give him a romaine and clean up the container every two days. That's all. Oh! Don't let him release. It's from other country and it may destroy our ecosystem. If you don't want to raise it. Throw it to your food garbage can because it's edible. Ok?"
"..."
She and I met to discuss their trip a month later. Two will visit Jeju island.
Is there a person preparing a trip to the island? even a month ago?
I'm familiar with the island; and I never make a plan, when I visit there.
She visited there only two times. One was when she graduated high school, and the other is after graduating university.
It was over 15 years. I remembered that she said she prefers to visit overseas than the Island. Then, suddenly, the day before yesterday, she called me and said that she wants to visit Jeju and hopes to see me, if I want to come with her.
"O.K."
I said ok because I was thinking about a trip to the island.
Normally, I visit there alone, but I thought that two may be ok.
For an hour, she had chattered on her plan which she made all day yesterday.
After that, she booked a plane and a hotel room on line and said,
"Oh my God. We're all set. I can't wait!"
She was so exited. She stayed for 30 minuets more and left.
The snail and I, only the two.
Just put it on the cafe table and run away? Ask a clerk to waste it?
I thought hundreds of ways not to bring it home with me, but I failed.
So, it is on my table in front of me.
I'm uneasy about the creature.
First, raising a living-thing is a big burden to me.
Second, its hard shell and creepy muscle make me resist it.
I stared at it for a long time; and, finally, I bought some remains at a grocery store.
2.
Now. I read 'The history of gene'. I heard that the writer is an Indian-Amrican doctor.
The view of human-beings on the gene was interesting. It looks like a history book, a novel, a text book... whatever, but fun!
When I was a kid, I didn't understand why I have to learn on Mendel laws and fruit flies. There was a reason. While reading, I realized that.
Unconsciously, I keep eye contact with the snail on my table. Of course, its tentacles barely have vision; hence, there is no chance that it looks at me and recognizes me.
"Hello? Dad? How's Mom? Hum... Me? I'm doing good... must be trough... I'll be with Mom this weekend. Go home and take some rest. Hum... Don't worry. OK. Take care."
It looks like avoiding the heaviness from the responsibility towards the people around it and itself, while it carries a shelter on its own shoulder to hide itself whenever it wants.
"Hello? Yes. Hum?... Oh! I'm sorry. I forget that. The picnic is today! Oh! O.K. I'll bring her stuff right now. Sure. I'll be there in 20 minutes. See you soon. Thanks for calling."
However, due to the shelter, it can charge itself and come back to the reality.
"Hello? Honey! Yap. Birthday? Your Mom? Hum... I'm o.k. Um... You're late tonight. Hum... Don't worry. Love you!"
It evolved; finally, survived. Because it can take the responsibility and refuse it at a time.
"Hello? Hi! You called me. Yes. Thank you. Oh! Change? Hum... Then, the installation is from Thursday and the opening is Saturday. Right? Yes. 4 is good for me. O.K. I'll call you on Thursday morning! Thanks. Bye."
Yes. It resembles me.
3.
I fell a sleep while reading the book.
There was a man called Dr. D. He said he has studied on the snailman for 20 years.
"The snailman calls themselves 'us'. The shall of 'us' has two contrary uses.
One is avoiding the reality; the other, ironically, preparing it.
The human-beings named 'us' had seen their bodies survived by domination of gene and variation. 'Us' learned from it and survived. The process of the evolution of them(<->us) is like that DNA orders, RNA shows, and protein embodies.
And nature 'naturally' chooses which one they leave and which one they make extinct.
On the other hand, the evolution of 'us'(<->them) carves not human-body, but their weakness.
They are incubated and manifested.
Both leaving and being extinct are scary to the snailman, so they hide deep inside.
Therefore, they build their own shelter, the shall.
Think! If the shall is visible, they should be chosen by nature, so they make it in the deepest their mind to cheat it.
Well... I can tell they are very cleaver.
They can avoid the real world, and at the same time, they can prepare for tomorrows.
They failed to have their own strength, and instead, 'us' decided to hide from reality."
4.
Now, somehow, the snail and I kept awkward silence.
A phone is ringing. It's her.
"Hello? Right. It's tomorrow. Hum... What's wrong? ... hum... really? Oh! I see. Yes. I'm really ok. Never mind. hum... I'm visiting their alone. Hey! Don't worry about me. Yab. It's my fourth visit in this year... um... See you soon and congrats! Bye-bye."
After hanging up the phone, she cleans up snail's plastic container, packs things, and checks her text.
[ Hello! This is gallery J in Jeju island.
Will you come tomorrow?
There is heavy rain here!
Have a safe trip and hope to see you tomorrow!
Thank you~~~~~~~]
She's flying to the island.
Maybe it doesn't have to be the island. She may need the place Not Here...
The island where her body goes, it'll let her body relaxed,
The island where her mind goes, it'll let her mind face the real world.
She visits the island. She carries it. And she hides in the splendor.
5.
When she comes back, the snail on the table was dead.
Her family didn't know that.
She couldn't bear to throw it into a garbage can, so buried it in her flower bed.
'In your next life, don't have a owner... Sorry.'
For G and H.
written by Jung Jean
A snail
- the living creature carrying an 'island'.
I thought that if I'm reborn, it would be the snail.
Even now, I'm not different from it.
1.
There was a big smile on her face.
She hold a plastic container for cold beverage on her hand.
"For you!"
There is a leaf of romaine inside.
"...?"
On a closer view, a snail sits crouched.
She said that she ran with joy because she was sure that I would love the present.
As she's happy; as it must be scared. How pathetic...
I'm keen on living things. Specifically, I'm very keen on bring living things at home. When I was young, my ant used to give me various animals and plants such as turtles, fish, birds, hamsters, cats and dogs, flowers...
And, the pets all died in several months.
"What do you think? Isn't it cute? Just give him a romaine and clean up the container every two days. That's all. Oh! Don't let him release. It's from other country and it may destroy our ecosystem. If you don't want to raise it. Throw it to your food garbage can because it's edible. Ok?"
"..."
She and I met to discuss their trip a month later. Two will visit Jeju island.
Is there a person preparing a trip to the island? even a month ago?
I'm familiar with the island; and I never make a plan, when I visit there.
She visited there only two times. One was when she graduated high school, and the other is after graduating university.
It was over 15 years. I remembered that she said she prefers to visit overseas than the Island. Then, suddenly, the day before yesterday, she called me and said that she wants to visit Jeju and hopes to see me, if I want to come with her.
"O.K."
I said ok because I was thinking about a trip to the island.
Normally, I visit there alone, but I thought that two may be ok.
For an hour, she had chattered on her plan which she made all day yesterday.
After that, she booked a plane and a hotel room on line and said,
"Oh my God. We're all set. I can't wait!"
She was so exited. She stayed for 30 minuets more and left.
The snail and I, only the two.
Just put it on the cafe table and run away? Ask a clerk to waste it?
I thought hundreds of ways not to bring it home with me, but I failed.
So, it is on my table in front of me.
I'm uneasy about the creature.
First, raising a living-thing is a big burden to me.
Second, its hard shell and creepy muscle make me resist it.
I stared at it for a long time; and, finally, I bought some remains at a grocery store.
2.
Now. I read 'The history of gene'. I heard that the writer is an Indian-Amrican doctor.
The view of human-beings on the gene was interesting. It looks like a history book, a novel, a text book... whatever, but fun!
When I was a kid, I didn't understand why I have to learn on Mendel laws and fruit flies. There was a reason. While reading, I realized that.
Unconsciously, I keep eye contact with the snail on my table. Of course, its tentacles barely have vision; hence, there is no chance that it looks at me and recognizes me.
"Hello? Dad? How's Mom? Hum... Me? I'm doing good... must be trough... I'll be with Mom this weekend. Go home and take some rest. Hum... Don't worry. OK. Take care."
It looks like avoiding the heaviness from the responsibility towards the people around it and itself, while it carries a shelter on its own shoulder to hide itself whenever it wants.
"Hello? Yes. Hum?... Oh! I'm sorry. I forget that. The picnic is today! Oh! O.K. I'll bring her stuff right now. Sure. I'll be there in 20 minutes. See you soon. Thanks for calling."
However, due to the shelter, it can charge itself and come back to the reality.
"Hello? Honey! Yap. Birthday? Your Mom? Hum... I'm o.k. Um... You're late tonight. Hum... Don't worry. Love you!"
It evolved; finally, survived. Because it can take the responsibility and refuse it at a time.
"Hello? Hi! You called me. Yes. Thank you. Oh! Change? Hum... Then, the installation is from Thursday and the opening is Saturday. Right? Yes. 4 is good for me. O.K. I'll call you on Thursday morning! Thanks. Bye."
Yes. It resembles me.
3.
I fell a sleep while reading the book.
There was a man called Dr. D. He said he has studied on the snailman for 20 years.
"The snailman calls themselves 'us'. The shall of 'us' has two contrary uses.
One is avoiding the reality; the other, ironically, preparing it.
The human-beings named 'us' had seen their bodies survived by domination of gene and variation. 'Us' learned from it and survived. The process of the evolution of them(<->us) is like that DNA orders, RNA shows, and protein embodies.
And nature 'naturally' chooses which one they leave and which one they make extinct.
On the other hand, the evolution of 'us'(<->them) carves not human-body, but their weakness.
They are incubated and manifested.
Both leaving and being extinct are scary to the snailman, so they hide deep inside.
Therefore, they build their own shelter, the shall.
Think! If the shall is visible, they should be chosen by nature, so they make it in the deepest their mind to cheat it.
Well... I can tell they are very cleaver.
They can avoid the real world, and at the same time, they can prepare for tomorrows.
They failed to have their own strength, and instead, 'us' decided to hide from reality."
4.
Now, somehow, the snail and I kept awkward silence.
A phone is ringing. It's her.
"Hello? Right. It's tomorrow. Hum... What's wrong? ... hum... really? Oh! I see. Yes. I'm really ok. Never mind. hum... I'm visiting their alone. Hey! Don't worry about me. Yab. It's my fourth visit in this year... um... See you soon and congrats! Bye-bye."
After hanging up the phone, she cleans up snail's plastic container, packs things, and checks her text.
[ Hello! This is gallery J in Jeju island.
Will you come tomorrow?
There is heavy rain here!
Have a safe trip and hope to see you tomorrow!
Thank you~~~~~~~]
She's flying to the island.
Maybe it doesn't have to be the island. She may need the place Not Here...
The island where her body goes, it'll let her body relaxed,
The island where her mind goes, it'll let her mind face the real world.
She visits the island. She carries it. And she hides in the splendor.
5.
When she comes back, the snail on the table was dead.
Her family didn't know that.
She couldn't bear to throw it into a garbage can, so buried it in her flower bed.
'In your next life, don't have a owner... Sorry.'
For G and H.