A Sketch by Jean-Pierre Martinez
Ethan and Eve are still there.
Ethan – It’s crazy. Everything grows in this garden.
Eve – We don’t even need to plant seeds.
Ethan – Or water it.
Eve – The harvest is miraculous—we just stretch out our arms to pick the fruit.
Ethan – And bend down to gather the vegetables.
Eve – And everything’s completely organic.
Ethan – Yeah… What does that even mean?
Eve – What?
Ethan – Organic.
Eve – No idea.
Ethan – What would fruit and vegetables that aren’t organic even look like?
Eve – I don’t know.
Ethan – Anyway, it’s organic.
A pause.
Eve – Sometimes, I get a bit tired of eating vegetables. Don’t you?
Ethan – Yeah. But what else could we eat?
Eve – What else is there to eat here, besides fresh produce?
Ethan – We’re not going to eat dirt…
Eve – We’re not going to eat air.
Ethan – We’re not going to drink seawater.
Eve – And eating each other’s out of the question.
Ethan – Obviously not…
A pause.
Eve – We could… eat the animals.
Ethan – The animals?
Eve – No, I’m kidding.
Silence.
Ethan – Then again, it might taste good.
Eve – You think?
Ethan – Doesn’t sound very appetising, though.
Eve – But it would make a nice change.
Ethan – How do we know it’s not good…
Eve – We’ve never tried.
Ethan – And… would we eat them alive?
Eve – What do you mean, alive?
Ethan – You know, like we do with fruit.
Eve – You mean raw.
Ethan – That’s it. Natural, you know. Like a salad.
Eve – Do you think they’d let us eat them raw?
Ethan – Yeah, maybe we’d have to kill them first.
Eve – Kill them?
An awkward silence.
Ethan – Have you ever killed anyone?
Eve – You mean, an animal?
Ethan – Yeah. Not a human. Since it’s just the two of us, if you’d killed someone, I wouldn’t be here to ask.
Eve – No… Well, not intentionally…
Ethan – If it’s accidental, it’s not so bad, right?
Eve – Yeah, it’s… involuntary manslaughter.
Ethan – If we accidentally killed an animal, we could eat it. You know, just to see what it tastes like.
Eve – Yeah… If it was accidental…
A pause.
Ethan – This conversation is starting to scare me…
Eve – Me too…
Ethan – And anyway, animals are like us. There’s only one pair of each species.
Eve – If we eat one each, that species is extinct.
Ethan – I think I’ll just have some more salad.
They each munch on a leaf of salad, without much appetite.
Eve – Want an apple for dessert?
Ethan – Go on, then…
They eat an apple.
Eve – I’m getting a bit tired of apples.
Ethan – Yeah… Me too…
Eve – Oh, there was a maggot in this apple.
Ethan – No way?
Eve – Well, I’ve eaten half of it. Without meaning to…
Ethan – And?
Eve – Not bad, to be honest…
Blackout.
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A sketch from the collection Ethan and Eve
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