Waiting : a train station
by, Naseer Ahmed
Caroline: Hello, good to see you after months. Why do we not meet upon those hills today? You know I like it there. You could experience beauty as a thing in itself there, not as a means to an end.
Joker: Hello, you have this sweetness for the things in themselves which often leads you to ‘ nothing’.
Caroline: You are quite hard on this ‘nothing’. Don’t ignore the art. I helped to create it and like everybody else I love my creations.
Joker: I don’t ignore the art but I also see the laws. You refuse to see the laws. Besides, not all of them love their creations. I have come across many who hate their creations.
Caroline: Well, I am not those haters. But why on the train station today?
Joker: Today, we are waiting for the train to the most important truths.
Caroline: What a train, makes me tremble. I have seen such trains before crashing.
Joker: Not this one, I have information and I have given so much up for this train. It would be fun to be on it.
Caroline: That seems quite exciting.
Tannoy: Ladies and gentlemen, the train to most important truths has been delayed indefinitely.
Joker: Not again.
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Caroline: What could have happened?
Joker: Same old story, technical faults.
Caroline: Which ones?
Joker: Those legends, stories, your art, customs, values, traditions and many other such things. I depend on this train and they say it is delayed.
Caroline: It may never come. Those faults you talk about, I am right there in those faults. You blame other. Maybe, it is you who has caused these faults.
Joker: I have told you before, you fancy ‘nothing’ too much. Before sunrise, I was into this nothing and I made so many mistakes for that nothing but I am out of it and the things I see make me happy and sad but it is me.
Caroline: And you are nothing.
Joker: No, I am not.
Caroline: Then why this train to most important truths doesn’t come?
Joker: Because you don’t let go your weakness for ‘nothing’.
Caroline? My weakness? Look at my brave Greek Hero? Who refuses to face the challenge? Just because there are nobody to cheer you up . Perhaps, you never had it. Perhaps, it was all a lingo dodge.
Joker: I am waiting for the train. I told you are sweet on nothing and you turn a heroic stand into ‘nothing’.
Caroline: Why don’t you go and fix it?
Joker: Can’t be fixed without your support.And I fear if I leave you would get a wrong train once again. And the next stop Tannoy would say it once again’ Train to the most important truths has been delayed indefinitely’.
Caroline: Shall we both go ? Maybe you are right. I am too kind to legends, tales, traditions and customs. Maybe, I have sweetness for ‘nothing’. But I want to see myself that the train to the most important bullshit is being held for my sweetness to these things.
Joker: That is better. It would help me too. Perhaps I got it all wrong.
Caroline: Bye the way, what are these most important truths?
Joker: Nobody knows for sure but I have this sign book. It is something about, dignity, freedom, prosperity, creativity, compassion, equality, rights, invention, ethics, and courage, beauty, experiences, experiments, joy, pleasure, justice and so many other things.
Caroline: That is loads. Who is going to handle that?
Joker: I and you.
Caroline: means loads of work.
Joker: We will have to sort it out for somebody we both love.
Caroline: Oh, she the future. She would love all that. It would be lovely to see her glowing face among such wonderful gifts.
Joker: Yes, and I would sing all those tavern songs with my usual cheerful disposition.
Tannoy: Ladies and gentlemen, according to new information that train to the most important truths has been lost in the darkness. In spite of a great search operation, nothing is found.
Joker: Oh my, they found nothing. I mean they did not find the train.
Caroline:Oh my, she won’t see that train to so many wonderful gifts.
Joker: All those gifts would be lost in those legends, tales, customs, and traditions and in the darkness of nothing.
Caroline: What a shame. We will have to do something.
Joker:Yes, let us be practical, let us be pragmatic, let us be sensible. Let us hope.
Caroline: Hope or another dosage of dope.
Joker: What else we could do? Shall we keep blaming each other forever?
Caroline: Ok, I wonder why I keep listening to you? Which way?
( They are out of station)
Joker: The middle way is blocked. You go to the right because the right needs you and I go to the left because the left needs me.
Caroline: No, I would go to the left because things have changed and now the left needs me and you go the right because right needs you. You know the bankers and the activists have changed so many things. It is difficult to know which is which.
Joker: Hmmm, you have gone quite smart.
Caroline. I have been always because I am real stuff and you are made up.
Joker: I disagree.
Caroline: We could postpone our disagreements until we find that train for her.
Joker. Ok, that train to the most important truths is good as a thing in itself and it is good as mean to make her happy.
Caroline: wow, a rare gesture.
Joker: Well, you know sorrow makes people to do things they have not done before.
Caroline: Same goes with happiness.
Joker: Yeah, that is why I love happiness because it frees you from this have to do stuff a bit and takes to this want to do stuff a lot.
Caroline: Would you shut up? We have a task to do.
Joker: Ok, Lips sealed. Goodbye then.
Caroline: You can’t keep a promise even for a second.
Joker: I know. One more thing. I don’t want to upset but I want to say this. If I die while trying to find this train to the most important truths, burn me and if you could not do it, bury me as soon as possible. I don’t want any custom and tradition to spoil my death.
Caroline:Oh joker, don’t do that. You know we would not die.
Joker: I am not so sure but I hope you right. See you again.
Caroline: See you again.