The Tarzan Swing (short story)
The Tarzan Swing () is a short story by Victor Pelevin, published in 1994. Plot The main motifs of Pelevin's story are the themes of sleep, loneliness, the ascent to an unknown goal, and the mortality of the human world. The main character of the story Peter Petrovich together with the unfamiliar interlocutor are walking through the night city in the light of the moon on a silvery path. Peter Petrovich argues about the meaning of life, about faith, about the human soul. His interlocutor is speechless and wears a dark hood that hides his face. At some point Peter Petrovich begins to suspect that the stranger is his own reflection. He sees a cable hanging from the wall and recalls a childhood pastime: bungee jumping. To check if the person he is talking to is a reflection, Petr Petrovich hangs on the cable and, swinging, hits the person he is talking to. It turns out that the interlocutor is not his reflection. In response to Petr Petrovich's request to tell him the truth, the interlocutor replies: "Does the word 'lunatic' mean anything to you?" And then Petr Petrovich realizes that he is standing on the ledge of a house