the manual by c.d. borden

8/12/2019 The Manual by C.D. Borden

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THE MANUAL


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The Manual

Issue No. 1

Bolito Chapbooks 2014

All Rights Reserved

No part of this chapbook a! be copied or reproduced "ithout the

"ri#e$ co$se$t of the editors a$d the co$tributors i$volved i$ this

publica%o$.

&e't( Calibri

Cover )esig$( The Danceb! Chee$o ). *u+!

H TTP://W W W .BO M BAPRESS.CO M


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A$ Alphabet

ABC),3I5*-6

R/&789:;


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A Mental Chess Problem

&hese are the set=up for the iagi$ar! board(

9hite

a2> a?> c?> e?> f2> h2> h?> Nb2> Nd2> Bg1> Rh1> 5b1

Black

a4> b@> b> c4> f?> f@> f> h4> 5d@

&he echa$ic( 9hite to pla! a$d "i$.

&he co$strai$t( /olve the proble b! usi$g !our iagi$a%o$.

3ere is a diagra of a chessboard to help !ou(


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Two Poems

Its eas! to thro" sto$es. ust pick o$e o$ the grou$d "ithout

uch e+ort a$d thro" it at soeo$e. 3e "ould catch itif hes

Duick e$ougha$d thro"s it at soeo$e else. &he$ the gae

begi$s a$d e$ds a$d ever!o$e goes hoe happ! a$d co$te$ted

as if "hat the! "ere doi$g "as agical. /to$es are agical.

-$ce I thre" a sto$e at the "i$do" of a house i$ abolo. &he

glass did$t break. &he "i$do" "as ope$.

E

&o se" a hole i$ the ar=pit part of !our shirt $eeds a proper

u$dersta$di$g of ho" to live i$ this "orld. It reDuires pa%e$ce

a$d a ge$tle$ess coo$ ao$g e$ "ho live i$ the cit! ofAlca$tara( &he place "here I "as bor$. 9e do$t have churches

there. No ceeteries either. 9e bur! our dead i$ the back of

our la$d a$d "e ask $o od to help hi go through the other

side of his e'iste$ce. 9e have a fo$d$ess for touchi$g a$d

caressi$g soF thi$gs like co#o$ or silk. &hat ight e'plai$ "here

our ge$tle$ess cae fro. I$ Alca$tara> the place "here I "asbor$> "e tread o$ "ater a$d sleep o$ a leaf.


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A /hort /tor!

9ould I G$d *iga!aH is the Grst thought of the character ulio i$

this stor!. 3o"ever> the Grst three "ords of this stor! "as take$

fro the Grst se$te$ce of the Grst chapter of the book 3opscotch

1J> Ra$do 3ouse> I$c.K b! ulio CortaLar. I$ the $ovel> the

protago$ist is looki$g for his issi$g lover> *a aga> "hile i$ the

ovie> &he Cla"s of Night 1JM@> *i$o BrockaK> ulio adiaga the

$ae of the protago$ist i$ the GlK is also searchi$g for the love his

life> *iga!a. &he forer does his aateur sleuthi$g i$ aris the

la#er> i$ a$ila. I$ this stor!> the character is $aed ulio but he

does$t have a fail! $ae like CortaLar or adiagaK. 3e is sipl!

"lio> a$d he is looki$g for a certai$ O*iga!aP. 9hoever *iga!a is

"e do$t k$o" that !et. OItP could be a "oa$ his beau%ful>

salacious lover like i$ the book a$d the GlK or she could be his

sister> or a peta cat to be precise. ;es> *iga!a is a cata$d ulio

thi$ks( 9ould I G$d *iga!aH ;ou see> he is "orried. AFer all> he is

Qust a si'=!ear old bo! "ho loves the cat so uch he "ould cr!

ever! $ight i$ his bed "hile his other or father soothes his alad!

a$d tells hi> ;es> !es> "ell G$d *iga!a i$ the or$i$g. A$d the$

too a$! or$i$gs have coe to pass> a$d s%ll> $o *iga!a. -$l! i$

his dreas does he catch a glipse of *iga!a> so ulio decided to

sleep all the %e. 7$fortu$atel!> he got lost i$ the lab!ri$ths of his

o"$ crea%o$> pro"li$g elaborate streets a$d forks that led

$o"here> tr!i$g to G$d the elusive *iga!a. ulio $ever "oke up

agai$. &he e$d.


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A$ ,ssa!

&he /phi$' is a !thical o$ster "ho gives e$ riddles to solve

a$d destro!s the if the! are u$able to a$s"er the co$u$drus.

;et> as "e coe to k$o"> the /phi$' $ever a$s"ers its o"$ riddle

before> or eve$ aFer> it devours the u$fortu$ate soul "ho happe$s

i$ its "a!. 3o" could o$e be co$vi$ced that the /phi$' k$e" the

a$s"er all alo$gH It ight be looki$g for the a$s"er itself a$d> i$

its i$G$ite Duest> spare the lives of those "ho coe closest to the

a$s"er.

&o further clarif! this co$Qecture( I$ reek !tholog!> the /phi$'

asked -edipus> 9hat goes o$ four feet i$ the or$i$g> t"o i$ the

$oo$> a$d three i$ the eve$i$gH A$d the epo$!ous hero of the

stor! a$s"ered> a$S. It "ould be the closest a$s"er because as

ichael aier poi$ted out i$ his book>Atalanta Fgiens(

OBut the! "ho i$terpret co$cer$i$g the Ages of a$ are

deceived. or a 6uadra$gle of our ,lee$ts are of all thi$gs Grst

to be co$sidered> fro the$ce "e coe to the 3eisphere havi$g

t"o li$es> a Right a$d a Curve> that is> to the 9hite *u$a fro

the$ce to the &ria$gle "hich co$sists of Bod!> /oul a$d /pirit> or

/ol> *u$a a$d ercur!.P

&he /phi$' accepted the a$s"er as it is because it "ould$t k$o"

ho" to a$s"er the riddle i$ the Grst place. Accordi$gl!> if it "as

aier "ho cae face to face "ith the creature> his a$s"er>

ho"ever illogical it a! see> "ould also be accepted as a$

a$s"er. &he Dues%o$ is the thing in itsel#a$d the a$s"er is the


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thing in itsel# e$plained. ,rgo> a$! e'pla$a%o$ could provide a$

a$s"er supposi$g it is close to the h!pothe%cal o$e.

&he !thical creature talks i$ riddles because the o$l! purpose of

its e'iste$ce is to ask Dues%o$s. /oe of it ight be a$s"ered a$d

soe of it ight co$%$ue to besiege the creature throughout its

life%eT. It "ould $ot be iprobable to propose that the sphi$' is

hua$it! a$thropoorphiLedsi$ce e$ a$d "oe$ have bee$

aski$g Dues%o$sU throughout the ages> arrivi$g "ith vague or $o

deG$ite co$clusio$s. A fe" "ould eve$ destro! theselves i$ the

process i.e. coiV$g suicide> drive$ to ad$ess> etc.K because

the a$s"er that the! had soeho" discovered leads to a$other

Dues%o$. A $oose %ed arou$d the $eck. . . .

3ere I shall surise that the /phi$' is li$ear copared to the

hoe$i' "hich is circularWK> a straight li$e that goes fro poi$t A

its iagi$ar! star%$g poi$tK to poi$t B its iagi$ar! e$dK. It

"ould$t be too far=fetched to postulate that a li$e is Qust a

disco$$ected circle( a bracelet "ithout a latch. ortalit!> i$ a

se$se> is also a straight li$e that goes fro poi$t A lifeK to poi$t B

deathK> but si$ce hua$ life is Qust a speck i$ the u$iversal

co$cept of thi$gs the$ it "ould be fair e$ough to sa! that poi$t A

a$d poi$t B do $ot e'ist at all. &hus> a$other riddle is bor$ out of

a$other riddle.


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XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It ca$$ot give a$ a$s"er to its o"$ riddle "ithout bri$gi$g about its o"$

deise.

Sa$ "alks o$ four as a$ i$fa$t> o$ t"o as a gro"$=up> a$d three as a$

old a$ because of the ca$eK.

T&he life c!cle of the /phi$'( egg sto$e stage Y hua$ cub stage Y adult

stage Y geriatric stage.

UI talki$g about etaph!sical a$d philosophical Dues%o$s i.e. "hat is

odHK.

W&he hoe$i' destro!s itself i$ Zaes a$d fro its ashes it rises agai$> ad

i$G$itu> like a circle.


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,'orciss

%& started 'ri(ng and the reslt 'as something nreadable.)

Mirtha Dermisache


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A Play

Characters

A a$> a "oa$> a child

The man* 'oman* and child are si+ng on a coch. They are

'atching the adience #rom the stage .

A,er a #e' mintesthe man spo-e.

a$ pensieK( 3. &here are too a$! characters i$ this pla! . . .

9oa$ harshK( ;es[ A$d the! are Qust siV$g arou$d like us. *ook at

those t"o over thereI ca$t eve$ hear a "ord the!re sa!i$g[

a$ so,lyK( 3. &his ust be a iea pla! "ithout "ords.

9oa$ annoyedK( &here are 'ords> but I ca$t ake the out.

a$ /rmK( &he$ be Duiet. *ets liste$ to the.

9oa$ complacentK( -ka! . . .

They listen and con(ne to 'atch the adience as i# perple$ed 'hile

the child /dgets on the coch .

The child spo-e a,er a #e' mintes .

Child dro'syK( Ca$ "e close the curtai$ $o"H \0a'ns.] I sleep!.

The man and 'oman loo- at the child. Then the man slo'ly gets p*

'al-s* almost stmbles* and closes the crtain.

Curtain


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NOTE:

-$ce the pla! is perfored the characters a! iprovise

their dialog based o$ the audie$ces reac%o$s> gestures> et

cetera> et cetera.


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April 2014

The ManualIssue No. 1

1ditor( C) Borde$Assistant 1ditor( Chee$o de *u+! Contribtors( .

Cielo Aga$orio> Rosear! *opeL> Bobb! &orre> &eresa

Caba$ta$> a$d r. eter &a$. Coer &llstra(on( Chee$o de *u+!.

All co$te$ts 2014 The Manala$d its co$tributors.

&he a$ual &*)R 0^?0=121@K is published leisurel! b! Bolito

Chapbooks > 1@J=3> ua$ /e$o /treet> abolo> Cebu Cit! 000.

ri$ted i$ the hilippi$es b! Cop!la$dia ri$%$g ress.

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