THE HIGHWAY: An autobio graphic AI novel, Part 1

The Highway

Žiga Valetič

Žiga Valetič

THE HIGHWAY

An autobio graphic AI novel

The visual part of the book was created with the use of the Midjourney computer program.

Publisher: Grafični atelje Zenit, Žiga Valetič s.p. Brezovica pri Ljubljani, 2022

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or distributed without the written permission of the publisher, the author or original producers.

Kataložni zapis o publikaciji

(CIP) pripravili v Narodni in univerzitetni knjižnici v Ljubljani

COBISS.SI-ID 121953539

ISBN 978-961-94910-8-9 (PDF)

THE DALAI LAMA ONCE

SAID: »IF YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE WISDOM, TRY LIVING WITH YOUR PARENTS FOR A WEEK.«

I DON'T KNOW ABOUT HIS PARENTS ...

... BUT I'VE LIVED WITH MY OWN FOR ALMOST FIFTY YEARS, AND I'M STILL LOOKING FOR WISDOM.

WELL, WE DON'T REALLY LIVE TOGETHER. WE JUST LIVE IN THE SAME HOUSE WHICH IS NOT REALLY UNUSUALL IN SLOVENIA. I LIVE IN AN ATTIC APARTMENT WITH MY FAMILY, AND MOM AND DAD ARE BELOW US.

BUT WHEN WE BOUGHT THE HOUSE –OF COURSE WITH THE HELP OF LOANS –IT WAS OLD AND NEEDED MANY RESTORATIONS.

IN THE END, THE WHOLE THING WAS TWICE AS EXPENSIVE AS IT WOULD HAVE COST US TO BUILD A NEW HOUSE.

TWO RIVERS FLOW A HUNDRED METERS AWAY FROM US.

RIVERS OF CARS THAT ARE ONLY EMPTY IN VINTAGE PICTURES.

IN 1980 WE MOVED FROM THE APARTMENT BLOCK TO THE SUBURBS.

I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHY, BUT THAT PART OF MY CHILDHOOD I REMEMBER AS PARTICULARLY GRAY.

LATER, IN THE 1990S, A SHOPPING CENTER WAS BUILT NEAR THIS BLOCK SETTLEMENT.

BEFORE THAT, THE GARDENERS WERE RULING THOSE MEADOWS.

IT BOTHERS ME EVERY TIME WHEN I GO SHOPPING THERE. IT DOESN'T DISAPPEAR.

WHEN WE MOVED TO THE »VILLAGE«, EVERYTHING CHANGED. BACK THEN THERE WERE STILL FARMS HERE AND THEY SAID THAT ONE DAY THE CITY'S PUBLIC TRANSPORT WILL DRIVE HERE.

THE CLASSMATES SEEMED FRIENDLIER AND MORE RELAXED THAN THOSE IN THE CITY.

WHEN I DIDN'T SAVE A GOAL, THEY DIDN'T JUMP ON ME.

LESS THAN A YEAR EARLIER, THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE MAIN HIGHWAY TOWARDS THE COAST WAS COMPLETED. IT WAS LAYED A HUNDRED METERS AWAY FROM OUR HOUSE.

MY NEIGHBOR, WITH WHOM WE WENT TO THE SECOND GRADE OF PRIMARY SCHOOL EVERY MORNING, TOLD ME THAT IN THE FIRST GRADE THEY DIDN'T WALK OVER THE OVERPASS, BUT RIGHT ACROSS THE LAWN.

THERE WAS NO HIGHWAY YET.

WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT ELEVEN YEARS LATER, WHEN SLOVENIA GAINED ITS INDEPENDENCE, A TANK OF THE YUGOSLAV ARMY WOULD BE STUCK UNDER THE OVERPASS.

DESPITE THE WARNINGS OF SLOVENIAN FORCES I RODE MY MOPED OVER THE OVERPASS, I SIMPLY HAD TO COME HOME.

THE WAR WAS DECLARED. AT NIGHT TANKS WENT DOWN BOTH ROADS. I WAS IN THE CITY.

MORE PRECISELY: IN THE DISCO!

AFTER SHELLING, YOUNG SOLDIERS SURRENDERED. IT ALL STARTED IN THE MOMENT WHEN I WAS ON THE PHONE WITH A RELATIVE FROM SCOTLAND, ASKING HIM IF I CAN COME THERE OVER THE HOLIDAYS.

WHEN HE HEARD THE SHOOTING, HE HAD NO MORE DOUBTS, SO I REALLY PUT MY TAIL BETWEEN MY LEGS AND RAN AWAY FROM THE WAR LIKE A TRUE COWARD. OR A PACIFIST, STILL FIGURING THIS ONE OUT ...

ON MY FIRST FLIGHT I WAS GLUED TO THE WINDOW.

BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT THIS STORY IS ABOUT. IT IS ACTUALLY ABOUT LIFE BY THE HIGHWAY, WHICH I'VE BEEN LISTENING TO FOR OVER FORTY YEARS AND IT GETS ON MY NERVES BIG TIME.

NOISE AFTER NOISE, HUM AFTER HUM, BUZZ AFTER BUZZ, CONTINUOUSLY ...

A FRIEND WHO IS A TRAFFIC EXPERT TOLD ME THAT ON AVERAGE TEN LARGE VEHICLES PASS OUR HOUSE EVERY MINUTE.

IT'S OFFICIAL.

WHEN THE NOISE FIRST STARTED BOTHERING ME, I WROTE TO THE MAYOR ABOUT THE PROBLEM OF NOISE POLLUTION, WITHOUT REALLY BELIEVING THAT IT MIGHT CHANGE ANYTHING.

TO MY ASTONISHMENT, THEY SOON PUT UP A NOISE BARRIER, WHICH HELPED A LITTLE, BUT LESS THAN I WOULD HAVE WANTED.

PUTTING UP A FENCE, OF COURSE WASN'T TRIGGERED BY MY LETTER. THE MAYOR ALSO LIVES NEXT TO THE HIGHWAY.

IN THE BEGINNING THERE WAS LITTLE TRAFFIC.

THE NOISE DIDN'T BOTHER ME WHEN I WAS A KID. EVEN MOST OF THE NEIGHBORS, WHEN I ASK THEM ABOUT THIS CONSTANT NOISE, THEY USUALLY SAY:

'I DON'T HEAR IT AT ALL. DON'T EVEN KNOW IT'S THERE.' 'GOOD FOR YOU, MATE.'

I DON'T BELIEVE THEM.

I THINK HUMANS DEVELOP DIFFERENT COPING MECHANISMS.

MY DEFENSE MECHANISM IS PERHAPS THE MUSIC, SINCE IT BECAME MY FIRST LOVE DURING CHILDHOOD.

MAYBE I RAN INTO HER ARMS AS IF IN SOME KIND OF ESCAPE FROM THE NOISE OF BOTH ROADS. I KNOW I'M REPEATING MYSELF BUT ON THE UPPER SIDE OF THE STREET THERE IS ALSO A REGIONAL ROAD ...

SOMETIMES IT SEEMS THAT PEOPLE IN OUR STREET QUARREL WITH EACH OTHER TOO MUCH. NOT SO MUCH WITH THE NEIGHBORS AS WITHIN THEIR FAMILIES.

BUT YEAH, COME TO THINK OF IT, SOMETIMES ALSO WITH NEIGHBORS.

I WONDER TO WHAT EXTENT IS OUR NERVOUSNESS AFFECTED BY THE HIGHWAY ITSELF AND TO WHAT EXTENT BY THE FAST PACE OF MODERN LIFE, WHICH IS RESEMBLED IN THIS HIGHWAY.

IS THE FREEWAY JUST THE METAPHOR OR A CONSEQUENCE? SHIT!

BOTH, OF COURSE!

BUT AT THIS POINT WE ALSO BECAME SOME KIND OF FRIENDS, THE HIGHWAY AND I. YOU KNOW... THE EASIEST THING IS BLAMING ONE SINGLE THING FOR ALL OF THE PROBLEMS IN THIS WORLD.

IN MY CASE IT'S DEFINITELY THE OLD ONE NOISY FRIEND. BUT I'M AFRAID I FEEL LIKE IT DEVOURED THE SENSITIVE BOG SOUL OF MINE.

STOCKHOLM SYNDROME? WOULD I REALLY MISS IT?

THERE IS SOMETHING POETIC EVEN IN THIS GRAY AND UNUSUAL FRIEND.

OUR SUBURBS HAVE SURE DEVELOPED OVER THE LAST FORTY YEARS...

... AND THE CITY BUS ALSO COMES BY. BUT THE MOST URBANE THING, THAT WE HAVE HERE, IS STILL A HIGHWAY.

THE VILLAGE BECAME A SLEEPING SETTLEMENT.

ON THE ONE HAND, THE ROAD REMINDS ME OF STORIES ABOUT URBAN ANGST – FROM SONGS, FILMS, TV-SERIES, NOVELS AND COMICS,

ON THE OTHER HAND, IT REMINDS ME OF ... EUROPE.

SHORTLY AFTER THE END OF HIGH SCHOOL AND THE WAR, WHEN YUGOSLAVIA FELL APART AND THE CONTINENT BEGAN TO EVOLVE INTO WHAT WE NOW CALL 'THE EUROPEAN UNION', I BEGAN TO THINK ABOUT THE HIGHWAY AS AN IMPORTANT VEIN THAT CONNECTS US WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD.

EVEN TODAY, WHEN I GET AWARE OF ITS NOISE, MY FIRST THOUGHT IS: »THIS IS EUROPE!«

WHEN I GO MOUNTAIN BIKING OR VISIT A FRIEND IN A BEAUTIFUL LOCATION ABOVE THE VILLAGE, IT AMAZES ME,