A Short Comedy Sketch by Jean-Pierre Martinez
One character, male or female, is blowing soap bubbles. Another arrives.
Two – What are you doing…?
One – Blowing soap bubbles.
Two (taken aback) – I can see that… But I mean…
One – Have you never blown soap bubbles?
Two – Yes… Probably… When I was five or six, I suppose…
One – Yes… Me too… I’ve decided to take it up again…
Two – Right…
One – Do you know what Nietzsche said about soap bubbles?
Two – Nietzsche?
One – “For me, butterflies, soap bubbles and human beings who resemble them are the ones who know the most about happiness.”
Two – Nietzsche said that?
One – In Thus Spoke Zarathustra.
Two – Right…
One – You see… Nietzsche blew soap bubbles too.
Two – OK…
One – Why did you stop?
Two – Stop? Stop what?
One – Blowing soap bubbles. You said you used to do it when you were five or six. Why did you stop?
Two – I don’t know… After a while, I moved on to other things, I suppose.
One – Other things… Like what, for instance?
Two – Later… I started smoking.
One – All right… But smoking…?
Two – Yes, joints too.
One – And after that…?
Two – After that… I stopped as well.
One – And now?
Two – Now I vape.
One – You should try taking up soap bubbles again.
Two – Yes, maybe… (A pause) Are you sure you’re all right?
One – Yes, why?
The other looks around.
Two – It’s been such a long time since I last came here.
One – Yes…
Two – And you?
One – Me?
Two – How long has it been?
One – I don’t know… It must be… Actually, I’m not sure I’ve ever been here before, have I?
Two – No… No, me neither…
The other also looks around.
One – In any case, it hasn’t changed at all.
Two – No…
Silence.
One – Then again…
Two – What?
One – How can we know it hasn’t changed, if we’ve never been here before?
The other looks around again.
Two – There’s nothing here. How do you expect it to have changed?
One – True… Nothingness doesn’t change, does it?
Two – No.
A pause.
One – Do you know what Nietzsche said about nothingness?
Two – No… (He expects the other to enlighten him, but the other says nothing.) What did he say?
One – No idea…
Two – Then why are you asking me what Nietzsche said about nothingness?
One – Well… To find out… I thought perhaps you knew…
Two – What Nietzsche said about nothingness? You thought I knew that?
One – You’re right, it’s stupid. Besides, maybe he never said anything at all.
Two – About nothingness?
One – Yeah.
Two – Saying nothing about nothingness is probably the best thing to do, isn’t it?
One – Yeah…
Two – You must be confusing him with Sartre.
One – Sartre said something about nothingness?
Two – I think so, yes… Didn’t he?
One – Yes, maybe.
Two – But what…?
One – That…
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A sketch from the collection Apocalypse
Link to the collection for free download (PDF)
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https://jeanpierremartinez.net