Page 342 - The Grotesque Children's Book

Aurelio: You mean, look at other bays for clues? You know that you and I must have
created thousands of figures, flowers, birds, demons, insects and, and squiggles.

Santi: Blue. Red. Green. Stand back and observe.

Aurelio: You’re annoying, Imaginary Santi.

Santi: So I saw in the stage direction. You could go back to conversing with Half-Wit
Tozzo.

Aurelio: Don’t think I won’t!

Santi: Great. Do that.

Aurelio: (calling off) Tozzo! Get over here! Santi’s being an ass.
(Sound of snoring, offstage.)

Santi: I’m waiting.

Aurelio: Fine. I’ll stand back and observe.

(Improbably, the entire location of the physical theatre itself now shifts from the artist’s studio
on Via Calimaruzza to Bay 33 of the almost-completed new Uffizi Galleries. The real Aurelio
DeSolo stands underneath the real Bay 33, peering up at the Old Woman and the Bread of Life.
Imaginary Santi stands next to the real Aurelio, and the dialogue continues inside Aurelio’s
mind.)

Aurelio: Ashes. Bare feet. Shawl representing a cross. Salamander. What am I missing?

Santi: Stand back.

Aurelio: M-maybe I’m looking too closely. I need to see more than just the old woman.

Santi: (taunting) That took you long enough to figure out.

Aurelio: (looking more widely than before) So I see some swans in the frame surrounding
the old woman. Swans represent fertility.

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