Let-Down

.

Pahn has been in the arctic ...skating on ice
over the ocean ...near shore

He has gotten wet ...and gone
to a small island hummock ...where
he has taken off his clothes.........................
...................................to let them dry

…

Pahn has been given an assignment
He must
assemble plants in small nursery pots

There must be
a certain number ...of several
specific types of plants

Pahn has been growing them for years

He has a partner in this assignment ...She
has been led by Pahn
....................................to rely on him

Pahn takes a rough inventory
Surely ...he has enough ...of every type of plant…

…Pahn goes into a building
He is in a long hallway .....He sees
a woman with a soft
.......................sweet
.............................but unsmiling face
..........standing by a door near a corner
...........and he moves toward her
.............looking her in the eye
......................She senses that he is drawn to her
.................and tenses just slightly
.......................in anticipation
..............................holding his eyes
........................all the while

She is wearing light......................
form-fitting clothes ...from
a fantasy ...that reminds him of
a John William Waterhouse painting ...only these clothes
are scantier and more modern.........................
He thinks she is studying ...for a play
He remembers ...that he was looking for something
He remembers that he is married....................
He doesn’t want her to think he wants her .....
even though ..he has started toward her
without thinking

Averting his gaze........................................
he searches the corridor around her
and seeing ...that there is nothing there for him
he leaves
..............................uneasily…

…briefly he is in a classroom with his partner…

…He goes out again into the nursery…

…He is in a larger hallway ...near
the entrance to the school theatre
........There is a small
....................thin
.......................................dark-haired woman
..................standing by the door ...waiting

She is wearing........................................
a garment like the other woman’s
and Pahn assumes
....................that she is in the same play

It occurs to him.............................................
that these women.....................................
might like to wear these clothes ...because
they allow them to appear

.............................................ethereally
...................................sexual

.
......................like adult
.....................................flower fairies—

a sensibility
that he thinks seems alien.........
to modern times…

…Pahn returns ...to the nursery ...where
he has assembled his plants

The professor comes along
to do a preliminary check of his work
To Pahn’s surprise ...the professor
says that he has come up short
...........................on certain plants
Pahn scrounges around for more of them
but finds nothing

He knows that his partner .......................
will feel.....................................
that he has let her down...................................
.