Trafika Europe 14 - Italian Piazza

Piero Schiavo Campo

during the live broadcasting: it seemed entirely genuine. Having switched off the machines, the technicians set to work. With their quick, precise movements, they transmitted a hasty calm. While they shifted levers and checked readings on measurement tools, Goldbach invited the audience to be patient. I wound the film fast forward again. I remembered that at least ten minutes had passed from that moment to the opening of the cupboard. Returning to normal speed, I located the point where one of the girls in the light-blue coats pressed the large red button on the front panel of the device. The insect was immobile, as if lying in wait. The conoid hatch lifted itself ten centimeters, then glided soundlessly to one side, revealing two metal bulkheads, one above the other. The girl turned some dials, while Goldbach invited the onlookers to stand back. The hatch on the lower bulkhead opened. This, of course, was the point that interested me most. A dense vapor escaped from the device, as if it had been filled with boiling water. In fact, as everyone knows, it was ice-cold: one kelvin, i.e. just one degree above absolute zero. Through the vapor, the stiffened figure of a man was distinctly visible. The vision lasted but a few seconds, before the body transformed itself into a frozen bas-relief.

The background murmur suddenly stopped. Among

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