Quadrille

“We should definitely eat that lobster…”

What was most worrisome about this statement is that there was no lobster. Not even close.

Still, whoever had said it seemed very adamant about it.

“That lobster? It looks delicious.”

This was said in an almost confrontational tone.

The first thing to do here, the most important thing, was to establish some sense of equilibrium. Heads were swimming, and that was going to be counter-productive in the long run.

Unless we’re all on the same page here, nothing is going to get done, someone thought, trying to formulate a plan of attack.

The silence was thick at this point. Nobody wanted to talk about the lobster that either was or wasn’t there, and nobody could think of anything else to change the subject.

Okay: say there was a lobster. What did that even mean, really? There wasn’t enough for everyone, presumably. How big a lobster could it possibly be? We’re already so divided, and this is just one more thing keeping us apart… it was a thought that lingered in the air. Fighting a running battle with their own face to make sure none of this was actually visible, this thinker of deep thoughts glanced around the room, which was only now taking shape as a space where some measure of solution could actually be found.

So, yes, a solution was possible. Eventually. And this was, in it’s own way, a comfort.

But not to anyone else.

They spoke with one voice, an angry chant.

“What’s the matter with you?”

“Just say there’s a lobster, and we can all go home!”

There was no response…