Stones

Stones ©

By Michael Casey

Two stones on a beach the tide gently laps at them, refreshing them, cooling them, a perfect way to be, no worries, no purpose, no hope. One stone tries to influence the other, without the bigger stone the smaller one would be washed away, without the smaller stone the bigger one would be all alone. Could the big stone live without its neighbour, or would it be so terribly terribly lonely ?

Let’s go for a beer suggests one stone, but the other is horrified, alcohol is against its beliefs. The other stone suggest a coffee and a donut, but this is rejected, coffee  is not against his beliefs its just that his blood pressure means no more coffee. So the stones settle for a donut, and decide to eat it together on a bench in the churchyard of Saint Phillips. It’s a sunny day, too sunny in fact, so one suggests they go inside the Cathedral, only for the other stone to say it would be against his beliefs to go in a church. So they compromise and move position so that they can be in the shadow of the Cathedral.

Back at the beach the stones enjoy the sea lapping at their toes. Could they compromise on this and on that? They could but neither wants to give ground, neither wants to lose face, their people would say they had sold out, his people would say he is a traitor. So all they can agree on is donuts, and shade is ok. This goes on for years, the stones only move as far as the Druckers behind the Cathedral. Both stones rely on each other on the beach but otherwise neither will give ground, pride and ignorance is their common cause, the shingle shudder at their lack of love for everybody else.

A Flash lights the sky as far as the moon itself. Now they are no longer stones on a beach, they are burnt out, washed out stones in the middle of the desert, the sea itself has done. Me should have been Us.