8 characters in 4 vignettes

Conversation between a solid bench in the park and a smoker who sat on him

Ah, another one coming. Steady up now!

The person took a seat, then took a cigarette. A couple of kids were still screaming in the playground in the late hour. Damn bloody noisy.

Those kids must be enjoying themselves.

Damn bloody noisy.

The sun has set and it’s very dark. I wish they would repair some of the lightings in the park. Or maybe they should install more. The kids, they should be going home soon. Are you alone or waiting for someone?

Come to park also so noisy. Everywhere so damn bloody noisy. Can’t have a peaceful smoke anywhere.

Seems a loner. Poor thing.

Very sian, work again tomorrow. Boss always nag nag nag. Wife always nag nag nag nag. Sometimes I wish I could be all alone.

Many lonely people come to the park. I wonder why. Ouch! What are you doing?

The person took out another cigarette, lit it, and smoked.

This is painful, get the thing off me!

Stupid bench, so ugly.

Grrr. Why do they always have to hurt me? The bin with the ashtray is only a few steps away.

The person flicked the first cigarette off the bench. So many mosquitoes about.

I wish you would go away.

But don’t want to go home leh. Wife nag nag nag nag.

A few moments passed as the smoker smoked and smoked and the kids, still playing at the playground, screamed and screamed. The bench, not very happy with the treatment he got, but somehow used to it, sulked and sulked.

I wish you would go away.

The smoker lit a third cigarette.

Ouch. Why must you put the burnt cigarette on me?

Don’t want to go home leh.

I wish you would go home soon.

Go home wife nag nag nag nag. Go home sleep then it’s another day’s work. Boss nag nag nag. I wish I can stay here forever. Stay here and smoke cigarettes forever.

Damn.

Sian.

On the quiet girl

The quiet girl, in her attempt to shrug off her pursuers after school, went to a restaurant to have her lunch before going home, in the hopes that the high price of the restaurant would deter those boys who have nothing much better to do than disturb her solitude. She knew too that there would be another bunch of boys waiting around her house, and if she is to obtain a quiet time by herself she cannot seek recourse to the one place that knows her better than anyone else.

Now, the restaurant she picked was somewhat out of way, and usually she would be able to enjoy her sashimi and do her homework in peace. Halfway between her third and fourth piece of sashimi though, came a male and a female who did not wait for the waiter to direct them to their seats. They settled down in a table beside her and the male was saying: “Why shouldn’t it matter? A judgement of one person usually entails a holistic overlook of that person, and while we like to think we can evaluate the person on a particular issue only, we give ourselves more credit to our sense of impartiality than is realistically the case.”

“Well I think you shouldn’t smear others with the faults that you possess. Not everyone is as flawed as you, and just because you are unable to divorce an evaluation of an artiste’s artistry from his or her personal life does not mean that others are susceptible to such a weakness,” replied the female.

“Yes, but-“ The waiter interrupted the male by handing them their menus. “Your menus madam and sir. We are having a set for two tuna belly set for promotion price today.”

“Alright thanks,” the male said, before replying to his partner:”But very often our subconscious perception of the person influences our conscious evaluation in ways that we are not immediately aware of.”

“Why don’t we order first then continue quarrelling?”

A silence of a few minutes ensued, which gave the little girl a breath of respite. She suspected the pair beside her would be a formidable obstacle to her afternoon solitude, the mere thought of which caused her to emit a small sigh, which resonated through the room like a teardrop making a ripple in an ocean.

“Did you hear that small sigh?”

“Yes, I did.” The couple turned their attention to the small girl beside them, and the male asked: “Hello, did you just sigh?” The little girl shook her head.

“Hm, I thought I did hear a sigh.”

“I thought so too, but it couldn’t be from her. So maybe we heard wrongly.”

“What makes you think she is giving us the truth?”

“Well we have no reason to believe she is lying.”

“That doesn’t rule out the possibility that she did lie.”

“She needs a motive to lie doesn’t she. Why don’t you suggest a motive then?”

“But my failure to do so doesn’t mean she is not lying. I am not completely astute to why people lie.”

And the pair started a dispute afresh, in the midst of which the girl gave another sigh which was not picked up by them. She finished her last sashimi, packed her stuff and left the table, only to stop in her tracks at the entranceway when, to the sinking of her heart, she saw her pursuers at the entrance wearing smiles that reminded her of a pack of wolves. She wanted to cry out loud there and then but reminded herself that one of great solitude is also one of great fortitude, and that there must also be another exit from the restaurant through the kitchen.

On the noisy general

The mist always has people running from it in apprehension, and was therefore not so pleased when he found that a certain crazed person was running towards it. Now this certain crazed person was dressed in military garb and carried a pistol in one hand and a sword in another. His voice – for he was shouting in a gruff tone – rose above the general chaos in the battlefield, and contained only a number of words: “Killings! I want more killings!”

The mist, by this time, had already caused many to flee the battlefield (some rather hysterically), but this man, this man was different.

“Go away you damn thing! My men have to do more killings!” This man roared. They were within paces of each other, but the distance remained as neither made a move. The mist, which occupied the entire horizon, glared at him. The man, who seemed a single speck on the horizon from afar, glared back. “Well? Are you leaving or not?”

The mist decided that he cannot allow this man to ruin his reputation, and so lumbered forward and engulfed the man.

“What are you trying to do?” Yelled him, while firing his pistol and waving his sword. “Go away!” He was engulfed in a sea of misty green, and his clothes absorbed some of it and soon glowed darkly. “My men need to do more killings and you are disrupting their tempo you beast!”

And though the mist remained unhurt by the man’s sword and pistol rounds, he felt a feeling of worthlessness he had never felt before, because he was incapable of driving this man to insanity, or fear, or paralysis, whichever is worse. Soon this feeling of worthlessness overcame him, and he could take it no longer and started to retreat back to his humble home, which is anywhere else but this place. The general’s men, seeing the mist retreating and the general’s figure waving maniacally, threatening the mist to never come back, broke out into smiles and resumed their killings.

Conversation between a dying whale and someone who wants to save him

It is after evening, and it is getting dark, but a few people are still on the beach trying to help the whale. The construction worker, on his way back home, decides to help out. As he approaches the whale he can hear it muttering something.

You can talk? He asks.

You can listen to me talk? The whale replies.

Yes.

That’s strange.

Yes. I want to help you. What can I do?

Why do you want to help me?

I want to help you.

There’s probably not much you can do.

I want to help you.

The whale seems slightly amused. There’s nothing much you can do. These people pouring water onto me. They’re actually not helping much.

What can I do then?

Nothing much.

Surely there’s something. The construction worker looks around. A few persons pouring buckets of water onto the whale. A few others standing around taking photos. One guy is scribbling something on paper. The construction worker puts down his bag and rolls up his long sleeves. Surely there’s something.

I don’t think so, the whale tells him.

Hmm. Maybe I could call the town authorities.

It’s too late.

The construction worker approaches a nearby person and asks: Did someone call anyone?

The person replies: It’s too late. The authorities probably won’t do anything anyway. They will say they can’t do anything. They probably can’t.

Did no one try?

The authorities can’t do anything.

The whale gives off a small laugh. I told you so. There’s nothing to be done.

I’ll call the nearest city officials. The whale gives off a small laugh. It’s too late. Cough cough.

The construction worker is already calling the relevant people. He hangs up shortly. They’re coming soon, he tells the whale. Help is coming soon.

It’s too late.

It’s not too late. Don’t give up. Are you all alone? What about your family?

I have no family, replies the whale. I’m all alone in this world.

Don’t give up. Help is on the way.

Heheh. It doesn’t matter. I’m all alone in this world. The whale closes his eyes. He feels tired.

The construction worker thinks about this for a while. Then he says: Don’t give up, you’ve got me.

The whale opens his eyes, thinks about this for a while, and closes them again. Cough cough. Cough cough.