Oyonale - 3D art and graphic experiments
PosterThe book of beginningsThe nowhere creaturesAbout this imageThe slow lanes (1994)

The slow lanes
The slow lanes


You understand that it will take time, said the woman in the box that was supposed to be a booth. They're Snails, after all. The box was far too narrow for somebody to work in. Unions are allowed in this company, aren't they ? I promised myself that I would say a word about that to an Airline Carriers Federation bloke I knew. This girl deserved better than that. I promised myself that I would take her out after I'd be back, provided she and I would be still there. That would take time, but at Local 101 time counted less than money. Snails were cheap, much cheaper than Rabbits. A small Local like mine could not afford first-class Rabbits for its employees. So we had to go for the shelled ones. What I found really appalling was the stink. Snails stank, and the Helix aspersa more than any other species. I liked Achatinas better, they were really roomy. The embarkation hall was crowded with people, poor families that came home for the holidays and could only afford a Snail trip. These kids would gain a few inches during the journey ; uncles and aunts would marvel at their nephews' and nieces' new height and weight. Myself, I would gain a few pounds, and the bald patch on the summit of my head would grow larger ; nobody would marvel at me. As in the previous occasions, I would then regret not having taken a Rabbit, even if it