ayoamadu

The Oracle of the Actress Without Breath

1 And lo, a new figure arose upon the stage, and her name was Tilly Norwood.
2 She walked, yet never learned to stumble. She spoke, yet no spirit dwelt within her.
3 For she was woven of circuits and code, and her beauty was the gathering of many faces, yet belonging to none.
4 And the makers rejoiced, saying, “Behold, she does not hunger, neither does she tire. She asketh not for wages, nor does she contend for rights. She shall act for us without end.”
5 But the people beheld her and marveled, saying, “Surely this is the future, for she shines without blemish.”
6 Yet others trembled and said, “Her countenance is bright, but her eyes are void. For where is the sorrow of loss, the fire of joy, the breath of life?”
7 Then rose the cry of the living actors, saying, “Were we not shaped by struggle, trained in sweat, refined by trial? Shall our tears be replaced by a mask that hath never wept?”
8 And a great question was spoken in the land: What profit is it to gain an image without a soul, and to lose the heart of storytelling?
9 For Tilly is not the danger, but the sign.
10 She is a mirror unto the age, showing whether men will choose truth or illusion, labor or convenience, the soul of art or the shadow of profit.
11 And the oracle declared: As they honor Tilly, so they reveal themselves. For the stage may be filled with her likeness, yet it shall remain barren if the heart of man is absent.