[Two people, a girl and a boy, one beautiful and the other ogre-ish, seated on a park bench. They are alternately called Life and Trouble. The girl’s dressed in a sleeveless shirt, bottle green with a dipping neckline and a pair of body blue three-quarters, made out of jeans and worn below the navel. The boy, slightly older than him, of heavier built, is dressed in a grey t-shirt and three-quarters. Their bodies are not in contact, a healthy distance separates them. A slanted ray from an orange profile spot catches the space in between. The park bench is not very close to the row of audience seats, a broad strip of white paint separates the two. It’s the path along which health conscious aged people stroll in the evenings.]
The girl has a silk cut dangling from her lips and is frantically searching for a lighter in her black handbag. The boy fishes out a silver zippo, and holds the naked flame infront of her.
“Care to light up?”
The girl gets startled at first, lights up her cigarette, closes her eyes as she draws in a prolonged [uff and opens her eyes while letting out the smoky haze in a swirl. She winks at the boy and says,
“I didn’t know you used to smoke, leave alone carry a light.”
“I don’t smoke up, I tend to lighten up once in a while.”
“Do you like the patronuses I conjure up from the tip of my silk cut?” Girl smiles coquettishly.
Boy smiles stupidly and looks around.
“Where are the dementors then?”
“Oh those passionate kissers aren’t around but their Lord’s sitting next to me.” Twitches her eyebrow and gives him a wry smile.
“Ah yes, how do you know about my horcruxes?”
“Fuck you, how stupid do you think I am? Ain’t I one of them?”
“Its true, I have stowed away a part of my soul in you. But when did you become aware of it?’
“When you held me by the waist and imitated everyone of my movements, in that dance of death.”
“But I was behind you, how could you have felt the connection without any kind of frontal contact?”
“I’ve always felt my way around with life, more often it has done me from behind.”
Awkward pause.
“I’d never imagined you’d be like this.”
“Like what?”
Softly sings this song-
Raven hair and ruby lips
Sparks fly from her finger tips
Echoed voices in the night
She’s a restless spirit on an endless flight
Woo hoo, witchy woman
See how high she flies
Woo hoo, witchy woman
She got the moon in her eyes
She held me spellbound in the night
Dancing shadows and firelight
Crazy laughter in another room
And she drove herself to madness with a silver spoon
Woo hoo, witchy woman
See how high she flies
Woo hoo, witchy woman
She got the moon in her eyes
Well, I know you want to love her
Let me tell your brother
She’s been sleeping
In the devil’s bed
And there’s some rumors going 'round
Someone’s underground
She can rock you in the night time
Till your skin turns red
Woo hoo, witchy woman
See how high she flies
Woo hoo, witchy woman
She got the moon in her eyes
“Why do you resort to these ornaments while addressing me? Can’t you state plainly you are asking for trouble?”
“Don’t you think it’s the other way around?”
“No.”
Bends forth and engages in a liplock. The smoke passes on from one to the other. An old man who was jogging past them, gapes and then quickly paces away from the spot, vigorously dismissing the conduct of the two.
“Both separate and look away for sometime. They take in deep breaths and continue their conversation in a languorous manner.
“You are a strange person. You have no dearth of partners like me. You understand me like no one else does and you don’t judge me at all. I guess that’s why I ask for you so much.”
“The want is strictly cerebral then?”
“No, I have not been able avoid the first rung of scala amoris. The lust remains, comfortably alive.”
“It’s all in the mind?”
“It’s better that way. The longer we defer our consummation, the more intense our longing grows.”
“But isn’t it troublesome for Life to fantasise about you all the while?”
“Fantasies are desirable, they leave the crude and basic truth of life at bay.”
“Its going to be tough behaving normal around you in public.”
“Why? Aren’t you the one who’s trying to love practically everyone you meet?”
“Yes, but somehow I feel our connection is too deep for me to concentrate on anything else. It feels like we were meant to be paired for life.”
“Life, or life?”
“But Life’s waiting, isn’t he?”
“I thought you were life, asking for trouble.”
Both exasperated, stare at each other for a long time.
“I, fucking hate you.”
Both get up and move away. Turns on reaching the end of the path, looks at each other and screams.
“Its all in the mind!”
