-Do you hear that ringing?
-Ringing? No.
-How can you not hear it? I bet you do. I bet you’re lying to me, and you just want me to feel like I’m the only person in the world who hears it. Why are you lying to me? Why do you want me to feel so goddamn special?
-I don’t hear any ringing.
-Shut up! Yes you do! Stop lying to me!
-Get away from me. Stop freaking out all over my brand new sofa.
***
-I smell decay.
-Oh jeez, first you hear ringing, now you smell decay. What’s it going to be next? The world imploding before your eyes?
-No, I’m serious. Really serious. The earth is confused. It’s November and the grass isn’t brown, most of the birds haven’t flown south, and so many leaves haven’t even fallen yet. The wind is so warm, it feels as though winter isn’t going to happen. What happens if there is no winter? Fall, spring, summer. Fall, spring, summer. What happens then? What will happen?
-I don’t know.
***
-You know, you’d be a lot happier if you just calmed down and relaxed every now and then. See those people on the bench? You could really learn something from people like that. Why aren’t you talking? Can you say something? Did you die? Please say something. Hello?
-They are going to die from ice cream poisoning. I just know it.
***
-“The longer we live on this earth, the more impact we have on it. Most of us don’t even realize the extent of our individual footprint--”
-Can you stop reading this? It’s making me depressed.
-No, you need to understand what is happening.
-I don’t want to know.
-Too bad, I’m reading, you will learn.
-Why can’t you read something sweet with sunshine and rainbows?
-Because then life would be too easy. “The longer we live on this earth, the more impact we have on it. Most of us don’t even realize the extent of our individual footprint, we have connections in China, Mexico, Bangladesh, India...”
***
-The stars are especially bright tonight.
-I know, it’s wonderful. Is that one moving?
-Is it a satellite?
-No.
-It’s a shooting star, make a wish.
-I wish that winter would come. I’m ready for it.
-I wish that you would calm down and relax. But then you wouldn’t be you, so never mind. My real wish is that...is that I knew what to say.