A sketch de Jean-Pierre Martinez
The first person is fishing. The second one arrives.
Two – Are they biting?
One – I just got here…
Two – What bait are you using?
One – Bread crumbs…
Two – Oh, yes… Have you tried the… Damn, what’s it called again…? The… What we find in camembert! The… You know what I mean?
One – No…
Two – It doesn’t matter, it’ll come back to me in a moment…
One – Are you a fisherman?
Two – No! I would never have the patience… Sitting still for hours doing nothing, just waiting for a bite… If it even bites! Don’t you ever get bored?
One – It’s a way to be a bit tranquil…
Two – No, I still prefer hunting…
One – Are you a hunter?
Two – No. But if I had to choose, I’d prefer hunting. There’s more action. And at least, you get some exercise. Because sitting like that all day… I don’t know how you do it.
One – It’s relaxing. You listen to the sound of flowing water…
Two (shouting) – Worms! In the camembert! For baiting! Worms, that’s the word I was looking for! Have you tried worms?
One – No.
Two – You should.
One – Maybe another time…
Two – A safari… That would be nice… In Kenya, for example… You know Kenya?
One – No.
Two – Big game hunting. A dozen elephants charging at you. Bam! Between the eyes! After that, you better find a good hiding spot, so you don’t get flattened by the herd.
One – Elephant hunting is prohibited now…
Two – Yes, I saw a documentary on that. They say they’re starting to proliferate again. And they’re becoming aggressive! They attack humans… For no reason, just like that… They charge at anything that moves… There have been deaths, you know! Apparently, it’s because they remember being hunted decades ago. Those who survived with a limp leg, a missing ear, or a bullet in the trunk. And the baby elephants who saw their parents massacred before their eyes. Even fifty years later, they remember, and they start charging whenever they see a four-wheel drive passing nearby… Elephants live a very long time. And they have a memory… Don’t you have a bite there?
One – It’s the wind…
Two – What do you do when you catch one? Do you eat it…?
One – I throw it back into the water…
Two – Well, that really serves no purpose… But they must be a bit battered when you throw them back in the water, right? Having a hook piercing your cheek like that can’t feel good… (The other remains impassive.) They say eating fish is good for memory… Do you think a fish has a memory?
Black.
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A sketch from the collection Lost Times Chronicles
Link to the collection for free download (PDF)
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