https://caspercollege.cvlcollections.org/files/original/3521a4b082f89cc40daef5b7142f034a.pdf af0f4b6a25ed7f17c9fd2be6ceb0e718 PDF Text Text "THE CANDY WRAPPER" James A nschutz Zebux is rising lazily over the distant horizon shedding its nourishing rays over the land. Zebux is the equivalent of the earth’s sun, and is located about 109,000,000 miles from the plant Sram. This plant is where our story takes place. It is early spring on the continent of Kappa around the turn of the century known as the fortieth revolution. Our attention is centered this morning on the person walking slowly up the walk to the main entrance of a sprawling series of buildings known collectively as The National Institute of Biological Research at Sufro. The man carries a battered, brown briefcase and is of slight build. He is in his middle fifties and is almost bald save for a wisp of hair on the upper forehead that continually waves to and fro never remaining stationary. His clothing consists of outdated trousers of nithiun, and a soiled apron which should have long since been subjected to the purifying action of soap and water. Such a description is quite incomplete, however. This man is set apart from his fellow beings for one basic reason which will become more obvious as we proceed. He has a reputation as a lunatic and demented being whose name is synonymous with repugnance and abhorrence in most people’s minds. This is because of his work. Yzarc Sapflo is a mad scientist in the eyes of many and his ideas are extremely radical, to say the least. He believes in the existence of microcosms or little worlds that exist on erasers, door knobs or candy wrappers. The work, thought Sapflo, was obviously going unexpectedly well; per­ haps even somewhat ahead of the rigorous schedule, which had been set by the man himself. Ideas lurched and twisted to free themeslves from the confining recesses of his mind—ideas that seemed to take him gently by the hand, guiding him toward his goal slowly but surely. Here is an intelligent being, a scholar, a genius in every sense of that often misused word. Yzarc Sapflo was a creature deeply and inextricably engrossed in his work, which is a trait typical of a genius. Successful as the work seemed to be progressing insofar as Yzarc was concerned, he could not help but remember the manner in which he had been treated by his fellow scientists and by the public in general. Jibes, cat­ calls, and derision of all sorts had been his lot. Even his wife, Sebna, seemed unusually skeptical toward his work of late, and that had been the hardest of all the numerous blows he had been subjected to since undertaking his present project. Dear Sebna, his crutch to lean upon in time of crisis for some thirty years now, was drifting further and further away from the cause he himself was so very much absorbed in day and night. The physical torture of his prolonged, enervating labor —13— �I had been bad enough, of course, but the mental abuses he had suffered at the hands of his wife seemed at times as insurmountable as did the work itself. Through it all, howbeit, Yzarc struggled doggedly onward. His idea was sound; it was plausible; and he, Yzarc Sapflo, would have the last laugh. His work, if successful of course, would be the answer to all things that hitherto had been the subject of mere philosophical theories. His suc­ cessfully completed undertaking would definitely shatter some of the world’s most cherished and ancient institutions. His name would live forever in history as the man who solved, in great measure, the mystery of life it­ self, and whose achievements in the field of biological research shook the very archstones of civilized life on Sram. Indeed, the shattering consequenc­ es often caused even Sapflo to shudder. What profundity! Suddenly, Yzarc’s assistant, Yesnoo, burst into the room carrying a slide he had just finished preparing for insertion under the microscope and subsequent study by Sapflo. “Ha Ha,’’ the older man chuckled, “just an­ other ‘candy wrapper’ you fool.” Then they both broke down in uncontroll­ able fits of laughter, the kind of laughter that seemed to ridicule the ridicule of those who had less faith in the project in which they so unself­ ishly devoted their time, energy and talent. Anxious to work and find the answer that would immortalize “Sapflo,” Yzarc quickly slipped the new slide under the microscope accidentaly bumping a corner of the paper as he did so. The earthquake had been a severe one. Tremors were recorded all along the West Coast, while San Francisco itself was turned into sheer bed­ lam and catastrophe. Buildings were tossed about as if of eggshell; trains became playthings of the mighty forces of nature. It was as if the city was constructed on candy wrapper tinfoil or cellophane that was crumpled by the arbitrary decree of some unfathomable court of law “Mother Nature.” Over four hundred lives were snuffed out in little more than a flash of the eye; mighty structures that had taken years of painstaking labor to complete were leveled in an awesome display of relentless, unmerciful brutality. The whole calamity was not unlike anger meted out by a huge, unseen hand. Yzarc sat entranced and fascinated at his powerful scope, delving into the unknown, perhaps, as many of his contemporaries had stated, the un­ knowable. He carefully adjusted the fine focus to bring whatever it was he was searching for into view, but nothing, not a solitary thing, was evident to his scientifically keen eye. Stains of infinite colors were tried again as they had been before so many times, but still there was nothing to be seen. In the past the blue stain had given some promise of results when applied on the barren areas of the candy wrapper, and so this was tried . . . and the unsinkable ship sank. It was the year 1912, and it was the finest boat �ever constructed, but the huge and snarling waves that were driven by mighty winds took their toll after the Titanic struck the iceburg. Then Yzarc decided to snip off one end of the candy wrapper and analyze its composition by use of the gigantic Xyeometer, but he had only cut a tiny segment of the paper when the intercom paged him. Even this tiny segment was enough . . . for Alaska had never seen the likes before. The earth in Alaska was torn by a terrible earthquake. Huge cracks in the surface of the earth appeared as though they had been cut by a pair of gigantesque scissors. But that is quite preposterous, isn’t it? Or is it? SORROW Sorrow is the lump in one’s throat, The wet handkerchief, The reprimanding finger of a superior. The loss of a loved one; Sorrow is recalling, as we open gifts, that a child born this day will die for us someday! Sorrow is the wind, as it comes and goes A young girl’s doll with a broken leg; Sorrow is the death of a president. The darkness of a cloudy night. Sorrow is Chopin’s Funeral March. Sorrow is like the shadow of a tree, with branches grasping for the soul, to tear it out; Sorrow is one’s head in one’s hands. Sorrow is God’s gift to man. Sorrow is darkness, that we may appreciate light — Sorrow is a vulture that mutilates — that mangles — its host: Sorrow is love. BOING! I have a rubber ball. I bounce it down the hall. To this I feel you must agree: At time, my rubber ball is me! —Tom Norman —15— � Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document Print magazine story and poem Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "The Candy Wrapper" and "Sorrow" Date Created Date of creation of the resource. 1964 Description An account of the resource Story and poem by James Anschutz published in the fall 1964 Casper College Expression magazine. Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource James Anschutz Language A language of the resource ENG Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context CCA_04.ii.c.01_Expression1964_Fall_Anschutz Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Extent The size or duration of the resource. 3 pages Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/</a> The Casper College Archives has archived this and poem story to encourage the use of its Expression Literary Arts Magazines for digital humanities and other related educational uses.