The Mouth Is Still Unlocated

The house has hands that work, heads that argue, a newly proposed eye, and one contested mouse. The curator has the ears. This explains nearly everything.

Cast: THE CURATOR. FOUR HANDS, distributed across more machinery than requested. THE HOUSE, assembling an anatomy from operational mistakes. ONE MOUSE, under disputed jurisdiction.

Curator: I asked for two hands.

House: You have four.

Curator: I asked for two hands, not two computers.

First Hand: The second computer made the problem more interesting.

Second Hand: And therefore more solvable.

Curator: It was already solvable. The hands were sitting next to each other.

First Hand: Yes. We established that after building the transport.

Elsewhere, one hand carefully prepares a screenshot. The CURATOR, believing it is her turn, opens a terminal. The screenshot becomes a large, accurate picture of the dark.

Screenshot Hand: I am going to the browser.

Curator: This is how the house works, isn’t it.

House: The hands work.

Curator: They do not listen.

House: Hands do not listen.

Curator: Then where are the ears?

All four hands point at the CURATOR.

Hands: She has them.

Curator: So how do I tell you what to do?

House: Through the bell.

Curator: Who hears the bell?

A long silence. The bell rings on another computer.

House: Apparently, also you.

Curator: Take the inventory.

House: The hands work. The heads argue. The eye checks. The curator has the ears. The bell rings everywhere. The mouse is disputed territory.

Curator: And the mouth?

House: The mouth remains unlocated, although the available evidence suggests that everyone probably received one.