Vomitory

The Vomitory is in this fiction the first talking machine. The term is taken from the book „The Machine Stops“ by E.M.Forster. He describes the Vomitorium as an area leading to the exit of the machine-controlled honey-comb structured housing. Only the Vomitories protude to the outside air. In Forster’s book, the machine stands for something omnipotent, intangible. I thought about the wizard and the machine-like showmanship the fortune-tellers used to use to lead their clients into believing in the supernatural.

In my fiction, the Vomitory is an intermediate condition. There is an entrance and an exit. What I found particularly interesting was the narrative structure in an immersive space. The machine interior is organic; it breathes, smells, talks. It was found by the magic entertainer on Ebay who tries to rework the story in a worthy manner. The machine was invented by a hermit at the end of the 19th century, who develops an intimate relationship with it. When the village finds out, they do not take to the story in a positive way and they kill him. Female entertainers become aware of the machine and it is exhibited at a fair. The mnachine is overwhelmed by the situation. It doesn`t know where its creator is, it can only see what is going on inside itself. People come in seeking advice, but she is soon overtaken by other attractions. It becomes involved with a cult leader who attempts to thrill his followers with the machine. Gradually, it fades into memory and lands in a cellar and eventually with me. As a magic entertainer, I am its accomplice. I attract an audience so that it gets a chance to tell its story.