620 - The strange and the curious

N. Lygeros
Translated from the French by Lito Kalogianni

Strange: Once, in the very old times humans didn’t have a mouth.

Curious: And how could they speak then?

Strange: They didn’t speak…

Curious: They couldn’t speak of their sadness and their joy?

Strange: Strange as it may seem they didn’t have one…

Curious: Curious. Time. I don’t understand how it can be…

Strange: But I haven’t told the story yet! Time. Wait a bit…

Curious: How can you expect me to wait when I hear this kind of things?

Strange: Let’s say that neither you have a mouth…

Curious: Mmm!

Strange: Nice! So, let’s continue… At that time, two young people met. And as they couldn’t speak they looked always at each other’s eyes. Curious looks at Strange in the eyes. Yes, exactly like that… It is just that after a short time they understood how much they loved each other…

Curious: Mmm!

Strange: Yes, without speaking… Silence. They felt each other and that was enough… Time. A human had yet to be born that could speak of the bitterness he held in his mouth.

Curious: I can’t stand it anymore!

Strange: That’s what they felt too! And they thought of asking a wise man to liberate them.

Curious: Where did he come from?

Strange: Achilles…

Curious: But Achilles isn’t wise!

Strange: We don’t speak of the same one.

Curious: Ok! And what did he say to them or even better what did he make them understand?

Strange: He told them that what was missing from their face was an open wound…

Curious: What a strange way to speak of the lips! And what did they do?

Strange: They were frightened…

Curious: I imagined so… Besides, what could they say without a mouth!

Strange: The wise man tried to explain to them that from that open wound all their torments would come out and they would speak of all their joys…

Curious: The wise are sometimes daring! But the humans… Silence.

Strange: He understood that he couldn’t help them that way.

Curious: Now I respect him!

Strange: He remained silent for quite some time…

Curious: Only silence helps the thinking…

Strange: So he found the solution…

Curious: To convince them?

Strange: No, only to help them…

Curious: What did he say to them?

Strange: He told them about the lips…

Curious: The lips?

Strange: And the kiss…

Curious: What a strange wise man!

Strange: The truth is also strange!

Curious: And curious! Time. So tell me!

Strange: The told them about open wounds that close…

Curious: So what!?

Strange: Not the ones that close on their own… They are not real!

Curious: That’s right!

Strange: He told them about the ones that close when they are two…

Curious: What was the wise man up to?

Strange: Nothing! Time. He told them nothing but the truth…

Curious: That’s what I’m saying too.

Strange: Once he told them that the kiss closes the wounds, they opened their lips and kissed!