Grooving, Purple and Red

     The Lava lamp sat in the center of the room, all day and all


night.  It never moved anywhere else, almost as if it were on a


pedestal.  It had a black base, and inside of it was purple liquid


with red wax.  The Lava lamp sat on a small painted table.  The


table was hand painted by its owner.  The design looked like marble


of black and white.  When one looked closely into the marble they


could see images of faces and animals, swirled as part of the


pattern.  There was a stereo in the room and a corner couch behind,


and to the left of the Lava lamp.  On the right was the entranceway


to the room.  It was a rectangular opening, and beads, hanging like


the dreads of an old Jamaican, covered the hole instead of a door. 


Directly in front of the Lava lamp was an amalgam of multi-colored


bean-bags and pillows.  


     The light switch was placed on the wall, near the entranceway. 


The floor and ceiling were hardwood, the color of over-ripe


cherries.  The walls were also all painted by hand, their was no


specific pattern to the pictures, except they were all of people,


places, and things.  They were in every shape, color, and form. 


During the day when the Lava lamp was off, and no one was home in


the house, the Lava lamp liked to look at the different pictures on


the wall.  It often wondered what they all meant.  They were fun to


look at even though the Lava lamp didn't know what they were


drawings of.  The only thing the lava lamp ever saw besides the


people who came to the house, was the inside of a box, and the


inside of a very cluttered store for about two hours.  Then a group


of people, his new owners, came in and got him.  He was put in the


box for a few days, and when he was taken out, he was here, in this


room, on top of his pedestal.  


     The Lava lamp liked being turned on.  He felt very beautiful. 


He knew he was beautiful because his new owners spent hours looking


at him whenever he was on.  It was also nice because he felt warm. 


Sometimes it tickled the Lava lamp when the hot wax would move


inside his belly, but mostly it felt very good against his glass. 


Sometimes, the new owners would forget to turn him off, that wasn't


very nice.  His belly would begin to feel upset.  Many little air


bubbles would form and he felt as if he had a fever.  He didn't


mind that much because when they remembered they would turn him off


for a long time so he could completely cool and all of his wax


would solidify.  Their was no one to talk to in the room, like the


other merchandize that was in the store, so the Lava lamp was


sometimes very sad.  He loved it when his owners would come home. 


They would sit around him, talk and listen to music.  Sometimes


their was just one or two, but he liked it best when there were ten


or more people over.  The Lava lamp felt very special and loved,


because he was always the center of attention.  Any number of


people would turn him on, but usually it was a girl called Lynzy


who turned him off.  Sometimes she would call to one of the other


people to do it for her.  The Lava lamp sometimes remembered the


other names for a day or two, but it was Lynzy he liked best.


     It was a typical night like any other.  The gang was all


crowded at Lynzy's house.


     "What does everyone want to eat?" said Lynzy.


     "How about Chinese?" 


     "We had that yesterday."


     "I want pizza with lots of gooey cheese."


     "I want chicken."


     "You know most of use don't eat meat." Lynzy said, "how much


money do we have anyway?"


     "I got three dollars."


     "I've only got a dollar seventy-five."  someone said.


     "Well I have fifteen, but I need some of it to score later


tonight."


     "Okay, does every one have two dollars?" Lynzy asked.


     "Yeah." replied a number of people.


     "I've only got a dollar seventy-five,"  someone repeated.


     "That's okay, Sky," Lynzy told him.  "So how much does that


give us all together?"


     "Seventeen seventy five," Someone else answered.


     "Okay, lets go.  We'll decide on the way." Lynzy said with


authority.


     "Will we all fit in the bus?"  Someone asked.


     "Of course,"  Lynzy replied as she grabbed the keys.  Lynzy


looked at me, as if to turn me off but my wax wasn't heated yet so


she changed her mind and they all shuffled out of the room.  I


liked it a lot better when they ordered food over the phone.  These


car trips of theirs sometimes lasted all night.  Or at least it did


when it was more then two or three people.  I looked around and saw


that the incense had not burned out yet, that cheered me up a


little.  I liked watching the smoke.  


     I thought about all the food Lynzy and her friends had eaten


in this room.  Some of them I could fit with their names, like


pizza, and Chinese.  I wasn't sure what chicken looked like, but


I'd heard it before.  I could also imagine spaghetti, and ice


cream.  The others, I remembered the smells, and the colors but not


the names.  I wondered how long they would be gone.  My light


wasn't very bright so it was hard to look at the wall pictures.  I


hoped they would bring the food back here.  I liked watching them


all eat.  Even though I liked it when a lot of people were over, I


wished I had Lynzy to myself tonight.  Sometimes she would lie on


the couch, soft music playing on the stereo.  She would spend hours


staring at me.  I would talk to her, but I knew she never heard me. 


Sometimes she would talk to me.  But she never expected any


replies.  


     I thought Lynzy was a beautiful as she thought I was.  Lynzy


had long red hair, almost the color of my wax.  It went down to her


waist.  She wore it back or up on her head a lot which I didn't


like, but it seemed more comfortable for her.  Lynzy had green


eyes, which I sometimes envied.  I remember when they all came into


the store to buy me.  There was this very lovely lamp sitting next


to me.  I thought it was much nicer than I was.  It was green with


blue wax.  Lynzy picked me right away, but I remember she had to


talk he friends into liking me more than the other lamp.  I almost


felt bad because she had been in the store for two months.  That


Lava lamp was very smart, and even though I only knew her for a few


hours, she taught me a lot about people.  And how we were different


from them.  I didn't think it was very fair.  I wanted to know why


they couldn't hear us, and why we couldn't go places on our own. 


She didn't really have any answers but just told me how it was.


     I thought I heard a door slam.  I knew it was a door, because


Lynzy often told her friends 'Please don't slam my door', when I


heard the same sound.  I sometimes heard that sound during the day,


from other cars. I hope this slam came from Lynzy's bus, even


though she would be angry. I new what a car looked like and what it


was for.  I assumed a bus was the same thing, or used for the same


purpose anyway.  I wondered what Lynzy's bus looked like.  I new


one of the wall pictures looked like it.  I picked that up from


conversation, but I didn't know which one.  The incense had just


burned out, and Lynzy didn't come into the room, so I felt very


lonely.  I wished I was a person like Lynzy and her friends.  I


knew if I was, I wouldn't be very special.  I don't think Lynzy


liked any of them as much as she liked me.  I knew she had a few


very good friends.  One of them was sky.  The other was a girl I


think she called Winter.  


     I saw the light in the hallway turn on and I got so excited


that all of my wax shot up to my top.  I was glad I didn't hear the


door slam.  Lynzy would be in a good mood.  


     "Hey guys, lets smoke a joint while we wait for Dillon."


     "Mary-ann you know how wasteful that is.  I'd be into smoking


a bowl."


     "Well does anyone have a pipe?"


     "I have one in my bag."


     "Well bring it on out," Said Lynzy.


     "I'm looking," said Winter as they walked into the room.  I


didn't know her voice from in the other room, but I knew it was her


when they all came in, to sit down, around me.


     "Who's got the pot?"


     "I only have enough for it to make it around once, if Dillon


and Sky don't get back."


     "I've got a little," Lynzy answered as she got up and went


over to the incense shelf.  She pulled out a little baggy from the


drawer.  Opened it and pulled something out, then put everything


back and sat down on the pillow in front of me.  "How's that for


some bud?"  She held it up for every one to see.


     "Right on."


     "Are you gonna pack the bowl or what."


     "Let me break it up first, Mary-ann you are truly wasteful." 


Lynzy replied.


     "I think it's because she likes chicken," Someone teased.


     "Oh be quiet you guys, I am not wasteful."


     "Come-on lets not argue people."


     "Who has a lighter?"


     "There's one over by the incense burner," answered Winter. 


Someone got up to go get it.  They came back and sat by Lynzy and


handed it to her.  Winter sat on the other side.  They leaned back


against a wall, with their knees crossed, and looked over at me.


     "Man I love that lamp."


     "Yeah, me too," Lynzy said.  Then she lit the pipe, took a


drag and passed it around.  No one said much for a while.  I just


sat there, as if I had a choice and watched.  The pot smelled like


incense, only as if it were a different flavor.  I wondered if they


were the same thing, and this was just the kind they liked to smoke


best.  I had so many questions.  Sometimes Lynzy would look at me


as if she knew how I felt, as if she could hear me.  Yet she never


answered.  How I longed to be like them.  I love to listen to the


music they played.  My wax filled with the melodies after the songs


had died out.  I liked the stories, and characters in the songs. 


I wondered if they were other people like Lynzy, even people she


knew.  I felt like I knew those characters, because like me they


could never respond.  Characters like Casey, his story never


changed.  I wanted to be able to argue over where they were going


to go that night or what to eat.  I didn't even know what food


tasted like.  Once Winter told Lynzy she had soft skin, I wanted to


know what her skin felt like.  I wanted to have arms and legs, so


I could hold, and hug her, like Sky did when everyone was leaving


for the night.  Sometimes Winter, Sky, and Lynzy all fell asleep on


the pillows.  When they woke up they would talk about their dreams. 


I never had a dream, because I never slept.


     I tried to think back and remember how Lynzy and Sky became


such good friends.  None of Lynzy's friends really appreciated her


in my opinion, except Winter and Sky.   I tried to think as hard as


I could.  Trying to see if I could remember them being alone ever. 


Then I remembered one night when he was really depressed.  I think


Lynzy was really angry with him.  Was it because he had swallowed


a bunch of pills?  Maybe...


     "Damn-it Sky, how could you do this to me?"


     "I just want it all to go away."


     "You mean the trees, and the birds.  Nature, me, your music?"


     "No it'll still be their, in heaven, just no worries,


problems."


     "You know That's a bunch of shit!  All their is, is nothing,


no one.  You don't even exist anymore."


     "But we don't know that Lynzy, we don't."


     "I know, my brother died.  He never said good-bye.  He didn't


leave anything behind for me, and he never came back to tell me he


loved me.  He told me he would be back, but he didn't know."  Lynzy


was crying terribly.


     "Just hold me and it will all be over soon."


     "Why!  What worries, what problems?  This is the best it gets. 


You should be grateful man, you should just be! live!"


     "I can't anymore, I've seen to much."


     "Fuck that I'm calling 911." Lynzy ran to the other room.  I


heard her pick up the phone, and dial.  She said it was an


emergency, Sky had fallen asleep.  At the time I didn't understand


what was going on.  Soon I heard loud sirens outside.  Some men


came in with a stretcher and took him away.  I didn't see him for


a long time.  During that time Lynzy cried a lot and spent most of


her time with me.  After a while he came back.  They talked for a


long time.  I found out Sky wanted to die.  I didn't understand. 


Didn't he know how lucky he was to be a person.  He didn't, none of


them really did.  Except Lynzy.  She was the only one who ever


appreciated what it was to be a human.  To be able to go out side.


To enjoy her food.  To dance, to live.  I envied them all I wanted


to be a person so badly my belly ached.


     "Hey Now, What are you guys doing getting stoned without me?"


Said sky as he entered the room.


     "Yeah man, send us to do the dirty work and get buzzed while


you wait."


     "Sorry guys," Lynzy giggled.  "Did you find any?"


     "I don't know about this Dillon, maybe we should keep them for


ourselves," Sky said with a chuckle.


     "Oh come-on, show us the loot," replied Winter.


     "Well go get the pizzas" said Sky.


     "I'm going, I'm going, someone want to help me?" Said Lynzy.


     "Sure I will," Someone answered.  They brought in four boxes


of cheese pizza.  It smelled good.  I wondered what it tasted like. 


Then they opened them and laid them out on the floor.


     "Okay, bring it on." Someone said, and Sky and Dillon each


pulled out a Taco Bell bag, which seemed to be full.


     "Right on."


     "Lay them out on the pizza," Lynzy suggested.  "Do we want to


save some for another day?"


     "Heck no.  They just got in season, we'll go picking again. 


I want to trip good tonight," Answered Sky.


     "Hurry up, I'm Hungry."


     "Mary-Ann!"


     "Okay, Okay Sorry!"  


     "Do you want to divide them out Lynzy?" asked Sky.


     "Sure," she answered.  Then she reached into the bag and


pulled out some mushrooms.  I'd seen mushrooms on their pizza


before and I didn't understand why they didn't just buy them on the


pizza, like they had in the past.  Lynzy counted out the mushrooms


so they evenly covered the four pizza's.  She gave a box to Sky and


Dillon, Gave one to Winter, that I was sure she would share, and


the other two went to the girl they called Mary-Ann and three other


people I didn't know the names of. "Dig-in!"


     "Mm, This is sooo.. good."


     "Yeah Thanks guys,"  Lynzy said.


     "No problem," Answered Sky.


     After they were done eating the pizza's Lynzy and Winter


collected the boxes and they brought back some cans of sprite, and


passed them out.  Lynzy went to the stereo and put on some music. 


I liked listening to Lynzy's music it was much better than the


stuff I heard in the store.  They all sat around me, kind of quiet,


just listening.  The song was slow.  No one said any thing for


awhile and then Winter and Lynzy got up.  They began grooving to


the music.  Their bodies where tall and lanky.  They had their arms


in the air and they softly swayed their hips and waist.


     "Wow, you guy's look so cool."


     "Yeah, like globs of red and purple wax."


     "Hey man, their Lava lamps."


     "Oh cool," said sky.  "No don't stop."


     "The CD's over," said Lynzy.


     "Wow, you guys were Lava lamp," Someone said.


     "Yeah, It was so cool."


     "Wouldn't it be cool if we could all really be Lava lamps?"


Said Sky, "We'd have no worries all day and all night.


     "Yeah we could just sit and feel ourselves transform, the wax


grooving in our bellies," Replied Winter. "I'd be red and white."


     "I'd be black and green," Someone said.


     "I'd be purple, with red wax," said Lynzy.


     "Like the Lava lamp you have?" Asked Sky.


     "Yeah, I like it best," Lynzy replied.


     "Right on."  Then they all got up.  Winter pressed play on the


stereo and they all began to sway.  Grooving to the music.