I was walking through the house of Gertie and Arvo when I heard them discussing Gertie's career. Gertie, as I already knew, was quite interested in the art of producing busts. She had explored the materials plaster, rock, and cement for their capacities to turn into busts in her hands. She didn't feel good about it, so she spoke to Arvo, who listened as well as he could. Arvo was the most avid of gardeners.
"I must, must, must study busts," said Gertie.
"Yes," said Arvo, "I can believe that that is the nature of your affliction."
Arvo was most heavy-handed! But Gertie defended herself quite well. "I have always been drawn to the bust side," she said. "You know that."
"Yes," said Arvo, "I have seen you examining stone on a nice spring's day, either great works or that sterile patronage dreck --as per the proper mood, I suppose, as per the perfect day for that sort of thing. Why you have even bent over the neighborhood fountains and commented on the cornices, corner of 10th and Lexington."
Gertie sighed. "You, on the other hand, have never appreciated the effort of masters."
Arvo looked at his fist. "I have often thought that masters deserve less appreciation than, say, those who make fierce-enough efforts at improving the lot of the foodless."
"It is not so obvious," said Gertie. "There are only a few thousand souls who can properly carve, mold, and set. The world asks for those souls. They must huddle together in groups- calmly, with just the right degree of openness to the outside, just what must be admitted for fertilization to occur. The group itself must be quite seemingly diverse so as to feel pretty good, and yet must be simple and formless enough in its shared understanding to allow the members to examine themselves rapidly and in sync. This is the life to which I aspire--pure, yearning, adorable. The kind of life of which you could write, 'It is mad!'"
"Are you sure," said Arvo, "you are one of those souls?"
"I do not know," said Gertie, "but I certainly would like to place myself in the midst of such action, and test out my busts, for it has been quite some time since I've known what is right."
"Well then," said Arvo, "feel free, and perhaps you and the people you join will be excellent in the world, and attune yourselves right, and prepare yourselves for the world, paschal hyenas. As for me, I turn up my nose."
Gertie wept. "That is sad, my Arvo, for now, if such is the case, I must leave you, and chase my destiny alone in the world of busts, and that is how I leave you, reminding you of the way it is with me, and with my third eye watching my handkerchief to make sure I do not soil it too many times before my future, which approaches, stretches out in front of me. It is long, the world, and far to the other side. Good-bye!"
"Good-bye," said Arvo. "Be careful."
I was embarrassed!