Two Stick Men Met in Paris
1
This is a love story about a stick man and another stick man.
You might think all stick men are the same and not different, but alors, all stick men are not made equal in this world. What can we say? It is just the way of Nature. Apparently inequality makes life more interesting (or inserting, as my auto-correcting computer suggested).
Stick man 1 was created by a scribbling hand, so let’s call it “Sketchy”. Like all the other stick men, it has a round head and four sticks as hands and legs, and one central stick representing the torso. Perhaps differences creates desires, Sketchy falls in love with another stick man the first time it sees it. In its eyes, this other stick man is not the least like itself - it was built with thick sticks with the corners all rounded perfectly, colored in polished and shiny black ink, obviously from a well-off origin. Sketchy can’t take its eyes away from those strong arms and legs, and the beautiful smooth and glossy skin of this other stick man.
It has no idea where the courage comes from when it finds itself striking up a conversation with its crush.
“Hi I am Sketchy. What’s your name?” Sketchy ventures with his American southern drawl. It happens to be the most straightforward when it’s feeling the most embarrassed.
The other stick man moved its round head towards Sketchy slowly and replies in a clear and steady voice. “Hello, do I know you?”
“No you don’t. Oh but now you do.” Sketchy smiles nervously.
“Right. Nice to meet you. My name is Icony.” Icony reaches out its hand.
Sketchy thinks that is the most beautiful name in the world. They shake hands.
“I came from a ball of abandoned scrap paper in a rubbish bin in a schoolboy’s bedroom. How about you?” It is not the proudest thing to say but Sketchy feels better to get it out up front.
“I was born from a laser printer. I am the creation of a young graphic designer graduated from London art school and currently based in the New York City. He’s visiting Paris for work at the moment.” Icony repeats the words it carefully memorizes from its creator. It retains his downtown London accent as well.
Sketchy finds all these new and exciting, but it doesn’t want to bore its crush with too many questions. Instead, it asks:
“Can I buy you a drink…I mean, this evening, in a bar?”
“Sure.” Icony replies with something that seems like a blush on its face.
2
Two stick men walk into a bar. They skim through the items on the menu in silence. Libertine. Dirty Margarita. Sex On the Beach. 69 Special. Ménage á Trois. Dick On the Rocks.
Sketchy turns and notices Icony’s face is turning rosy and then peach and then salmon and then scarlet.
“Have you found something you like?” Sketchy tries to help.
“Ur, in fact, I don’t know what most of these are. Sex on the Beach, yes, but 69 Special? And Ménage á Trois?”
“Well you don’t have to know everything beforehand. That’s the fun of it.”
“Alright. I’ll just have the Dick on the Rocks.”
“Good choice.”
Sketchy calls the bartender and orders for the two of them.
There are only two tables of three to five people at the moment. The big TV opposite to the bar is showing a foolball match between Barcelona and Manchester. There seems to be a pool in the next room.
“So how’s life?” Sketchy asks.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean… are you having a good time? Are you enjoying yourself?”
“This is a good question. I guess I could say yes, although life should never be measured by pleasure alone.”
“What else then?”
The bartender serves the drinks.
“Meaning.” Icony says, “What we exist for. Each person is given to choose a different reason to live. Many would spend their lives chasing pleasure, but they are often not the happiest people. And they might not be fully aware of the true purpose behind what they call pleasure…”
“Wow you are so deep!” And I love it! Sketchy grabs its drink.
“Dick on the Rocks is not bad.”
“I like my Libertine too.”
“So how about you? How’s life for you?” Icony asks.
“Good. Great! Just got better!” Sketchy sips its drink.
The two stick men dance together at the bar and they go to bed together at Icony's place.
3
After that evening Sketchy hasn’t seen much of Icony for a long while. Icony is always busy with work. Sketchy would conjure up its lover’s handsome figure in its head - Icony in a uniform, Icony moving its big arms and legs like a soldier, Icony talking with its stiff and magnetic voice… All that Sketchy can dream of is going to bed with Icony again and make it pregnant with Sketchy’s babies. They would have skinny and crooked arms like Sketchy’s and big and bulky legs like Icony’s, or the other way around. Sketchy can’t have enough of it, fantasizing about fucking Icony and making Icony pregnant with swollen belly with their little babies in it.
But Sketchy has no way of knowing what really is happening in reality. What is Icony doing? Is it really working all the time as it says? What is going on in ITS head? Does Icony also miss Sketchy? As much as it misses it? Sketchy cannot figure out any of these and it makes it suffer. Then it recalls what Icony said while sipping its Dick on the Rocks - “The people going after pleasure are often not the happiest people.”
Is that so? Sketchy scratches its head.
What is your meaning of existing? Will you tell me? I want to know! And maybe that would be my meaning too!
What do you think is the purpose behind the pleasure I desire to have with you? Do you have the answer? Will you give it to me? And maybe that could be my answer too…
Sketchy starts looking forward to talking to Icony, not only fucking it.
4
After sending five messages without receiving anything, Sketchy finally makes up its mind to call.
“Hello?”
“Hello! It’s me, Sketchy!” Finally, Sketchy gets to talk to its love.
“Hello, Sketchy.” Icony’s voice sounds like it might as well be talking to a stranger.
“How are you? You seem to be working a lot!”
“A lot? It’s as usual.”
“As long as it works for you. Do you wanna hang out this evening after work?”
“No, I’m afraid I can’t.”
“But we have’t seen each other since a month ago… if it’s not a good time today let’s try again some time later alright? If you don’t mind me calling you.”
“No, it is not a problem.”
“Bye then!”
“Bye.”
“Bye! Take care!”
Icony hangs up the phone.
5
Sketchy is going to do something shady tonight. It sneaks over to Icony’s home and climbs up the building’s exterior via a waste water pipe, from where it peeps through the window of Icony’s living room.
It is well-lit inside and the TV is off. On the other side of the living room Icony is doing some movement on the floor. It’s covered with shiny sweat, and puffing and panting heavily. Sketchy almost laughs out loud. Icony is not with anyone else! Icony is alone! and it’s so very sexy when it’s working out. Sketchy gets horny and it starts to sweat too. It grasps tightly to the waste water pipe. The next moment Sketchy starts wondering: what is it doing at 11pm lifting weights at home?
Before it knows Sketchy hits hard on the cement in front of the building. The waste water pipe broke. Sketchy has terrible pain in the left kneel and the left arm must have lost some skin. People look from the windows at the cracking sound of the metal pipe, Icony included.
In a few minutes Icony appears. It picks up Sketchy and helps it to its home, cleans his wound on the left arm and kneel with cotton and alcohol. Sketchy has never been so well taken care of in its entire sketchy life, not the mention the familiar smell from Icony. It was totally worthy to have fallen from the third floor holding a waste water pipe.
“What were you doing out there?” Icony asks as it puts on the last tape neatly and gently.
Sketchy doesn’t know what to say, avoiding Icony’s stare.
“It is very late for rock climbing on the facade of a random building, you know.” Icony says.
“It is very late for heavy weight lifting after one full day’s work, you know …” Sketchy murmurs.
Icony stands up and walks over to open the door:
“Good night.”
Sketchy does not want to leave.
“I have a full day’s work tomorrow starting from 4am.”
“Oh wow… what will you be doing?”
Icony stays silent next to the open door.
“Okay okay… I hope you get some sleep. I am … sorry.”
Sketchy exits from the door as it feels the bandage wrap given by its lover, as if the wound suddenly gains some meaning and the pain feels pleasant now.
What is it doing from 4am? I have to figure it out. Sketchy stays in a shady corner near the entrance of the building. It is only a little less comfortable than its tent in the park.
6
Sketchy is waken by the pealing sound of the gate while someone opens it. It starts from the ground and checks that it is indeed Icony. It follows it while it briskly walks through the darkness before the dawn lights up the city.
Icony is wearing a black carp which gives it the look of a super hero. Sketchy has never seen its love in this outfit and it is falling in love with it anew. It feels so incredibly happy. The tiredness after the sleepless night is giving Sketchy a new fresh view of everything. It perceives the world with a new sharpness soaked by a dreamlike romantic obsessiveness .
Icony roams the city through small streets. Icony walks very fast. Icony arrives at the grand train station. Where is it going? Sketchy wonders, carefully keeping its footsteps light.
Icony arrives at the platform and gets on a train. Sketchy mingles in the passengers and gets on the same train before it leaves the station. It then looks for its lovers cart by cart. To its dismay Icony is nowhere to find. Sketchy even checks every single luggage space and toilet but Icony is not anywhere.
What if it has gotten off the train? No way. The train hasn’t stopped since leaving. Sketchy keeps asking itself while searching breathlessly, cart by cart, seat by seat. It searches for Icony from face to face, people siting, people walking, people moving about, while keeping an eye on the conductor because it doesn’t have a ticket.
Icony is not on the train. It is not on this train. Sketchy is desperate. It feels miserable. It has lost sight of its love. It stops at the space between two carts to take a breath.
But wait, it’s here! Icony is there right in front of me! Sketchy almost calls out loud, but it stops. What is it doing there? Icony is on the door making the gesture of almost falling down with the automatic door closing in hitting the area between its legs.
“Icony! What are you doing there?” Sketchy yells.
Icony does not respond, keeping the pose of almost falling down with automatic door closing on the area between its legs.
“Icony! It’s me, Sketchy!” Sketchy tries again. “What are you doing?”
Icony does not make a sound, neither does it change position until the train makes the next stop. It is a city south to Paris.
Icony eases itself from the odd position. It shakes it’s legs one after the other, then its arms. It have been very straining to keep that odd post for such a long time.
Icony looks at Sketchy and says:
“What are you doing here?”
“That’s what I’ve been asking you about!”
“I’m working.”
“But what kind of job is this! Doesn’t it hurt? What if they hit you between the legs…”
“They won’t.”
“How do you know? This is way too dangerous!”
“That’s exactly why they need me. And that’s why I have to be in a good shape at all times.”
“Oh Icony…” Sketchy feels tears welling up and getting horny at the same time.
“I’m going to take a break after this.”
“Really? When?”
“At the end of this journey. The train goes to Provence.”
“Oh right, Avignon. Where they have the lavender fields.”
Sketchy feels butterflies in its stomach.
7
They part ways after their trip in Provence, Sketchy and Icony.
After the farewell, Sketchy receives a text message from Icony that reads:
“I thought I was just one of many, until you came into my life and make it a little more sketchy, a little less iconic.”
Sketchy goes back to its sketchy life. Every time it sees an iconic stick man on the wall it would miss its Icony and feel nostalgic and sometimes horny. But now it has the “meaning” given by its Icony in its heart, it feels it’s a better stick man than before.
(End)
(- I dedicate this story to an American veteran soldier originally from Montana who promised to order a Dick on the Rocks for me and show me his uniform in his room many years ago)
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