One of the many games in the first round of the World Cup, with the Roaring Russia’s Annus Mirabilis (Anus Horribilus) by Aleksey Lukyanov facing off against the Talented Taiwan’s Birds by Wu Ming-yi.
The match goes off to a slow start with Lukyanov setting the scene, making it clear that the story takes place in a factory called Special Instrument which manufactures many various devices used for torture or execution. Possession between the two teams keep changing, however the no one really seems to be making any chances as Ming-yi begins to develop character and tell us how he and his older brother became engrossed by some Black Beaks in a market.
As the match progresses Russia manages to hold a majority of the possession with the introduction of the character Semyonov, a mild-mannered character who is recently hired by Special Instruments. It is later found out that Semyonov was only good at modifying and improving already made machines and inventions, ‘the only thing Semyonov couldn’t do was innovate.’ And so, with this new depth in character and a new goal for Semyonov to strive for, the Russian crowd goes wild as their nation crosses the ball, changing flanks and as the winger passes the ball on to the striker. A chance.
However, as the story progresses we see that Ming-yi also develops an aim for himself: saving enough money to buy the Black Beaks he saw in the market. Although this is a good attempt to defend Russia’s superb play, it is just not interesting enough to get the job done. A goal for Russia.
The kickoff for the second half has already been played as Ming-yi introduces new birds to the story, this time buying the Muller’s barbet birds. On the other hand Semyonov is working away at his first invention: a sort of helmet known as the Ex-Box. Lukyanov brings much creativity to the Russian table with the advent of the Ex-Box causing the Russians to make many new plays and opportunites in the game. In contrast to this, the Taiwanese team continue to make the same plays, use the same strategies and be extremely predictable as Ming-yi kills off the Muller’s barbets, causing much repetition in the story. Eventually, Russia’s prowess is too much for the Taiwanese and with so many chances being made, Russia was bound to score a second goal.
The Taiwan players may not be winning currently, but a key skill to have for any match or story is pacing and patience. All of a sudden, we see the Ex Boxes being made mandatory and everyone in Moscow having to wear them since they offer protection from accidents; on the flipside, Ming-yi does a much better job pacing the story than Lukyanov by exploring the internal world of the characters as new birds are bought from the market, this time some Java Sparrow chicks. In time, after waiting to pounce at the right moment, Taiwan gets the goal they have been eagerly awaiting and the crowd goes wild.
Endings are of huge importance in stories and the moods or emotions in the endings of short stories are usually how the readers remember them. Lukyanov had an amazing twist that was not seen coming, whereas Ming-yi tried a more supernatural approach. It turns out that once someone puts the Ex-Boxe on, they cannot take them off, except for Semyonov. And it is also revealed that the main purpose of the helmets were not to provide safety and protection… but to ‘contain the splattering of the head’s contents’. This ending manages to capture the audience’s attention, making them feel shocked and even sickly, earning Russia a third goal that Taiwan did not see coming.
The Java bird’s Ming-yi bought were killed by the rats, their heads torn off; this doesn’t impress the readers at all since this is the third time the main character lost his birds. Just too much repetition. However, when the birds begin to move with their missing heads, it is almost enough to redeem the constant repetition in the short story. Almost. The story finally concludes with the birds dropping back down, still and lifeless; a rather emotionless, uneventful ending. In the end, Taiwan just couldn’t keep up with their rival’s endurance and therefore missed their final opportunity at goal.
The match was close, with equally talented teams, however it was Russia’s creativity and ending that allowed them to capitalize and Taiwan just could not cope.
Russia wins: 3–1
