then!
Primus Alright, alright...
Helena Oh, Primus, leave this horrible secret of life alone! What do you want to know about secrets for anyway? Come and look at this, quickly!
Primus ( joins her at window ) What is it you want?
Helena Listen. The birds are singing. Oh Primus, I wish I were a bird!
Primus What for?
Helena I don’t know. I just feel so strange, I don’t know what it is, I just feel, sort of, light headed, I’ve lost my head and my body hurts, my heart hurts, everything hurts.... And I won’t even tell you about what’s just happened to me! Oh Primus, I think I’m going to have to die!
Primus Don’t you ever think it might be better dead. Maybe it’s no more than like being asleep. While I was asleep last night I talked with you again.
Helena In your sleep?
Primus In my sleep. We were talking in some strange foreign language, or some new language, so that now I can’t remember a word of it.
Helena What was it about?
Primus I don’t know, nobody knows. I didn’t understand any of it myself but I still knew that I had never said anything more beautiful in my life. What it was, or where it was, I just don’t know. If I’d touched you I could have died. Even the place was entirely different to anything anyone had ever seen in the world.
Helena I found that place for you, Primus, why are you surprised at it? People used to live there, but now it’s all overgrown, and somehow, no-one ever goes there any more. Somehow. Only me.
Primus What is there there?
Helena Nothing, a house and a garden. And two dogs. You should see they way they lick my hands, and their puppies too, oh Primus, I don’t think there’s anywhere nicer anywhere! You let them sit on your lap and you stroke them and soon you aren’t thinking about anything and you aren’t worrying about anything all the time until the Sun goes down. And then when you stand up it’s as if you’d been working and working. Except that I’m no good for doing any work; everyone says I’m no good for anything. I don’t really know what I am.
Primus You’re beautiful.
Helena Me? Don’t be silly, Primus, why are you saying that?
Primus Believe me, Helena, I’m stronger than all the other robots.
Helena ( at mirror ) Me, beautiful? But my hair is horrible, I wish I could do something about it! Out there in the garden I always put flowers in my hair, although there isn’t any mirror there or anyone to see them ( leans down to look in mirror ) You, beautiful? What’s beautiful about you? Is hair beautiful if all it does is weigh you down? Are eyes beautiful when you close them? Are lips beautiful if all you do is bite them and then it hurts? What is beautiful, what’s it for?.... ( sees Primus in mirror ) Is that you Primus? Come here, let me see you next to me. Look at you, your head’s quite different from mine, your shoulders are different, your mouth is different.. Oh Primus, why do you avoid me? Why do I have to spend all my time running after you? And still, you tell me I’m beautiful!
Primus You avoid me, Helena.
Helena Look at how you’ve combed your hair! Let me see ( runs both hands through his hair ) Oh Primus, there’s nothing that feels like you when I touch you! Let me make you beautiful! ( takes comb from wash basin and combs Primus’s hair forward )
Primus Helena, do you ever find that your heart suddenly starts beating hard: Now, now, something’s got to happen now...
Helena ( starts laughing ) Look at yourself!
Alquist ( standing ) Wha.... what’s that?... People?.... Who’s comeback?
Helena ( puts comb down ) What’s ever likely to happen to us, Primus?
Alquist ( turns to them ) People? You... you... you are people?
( Helena screams and turns away )
Alquist You two are in love? People? Where have you come back from? ( touches Primus ) Who are you?
Primus Robot Primus.
Alquist What? You, girl, let me see you! Who are you?
Helena Robot
Primus Alright, alright...
Helena Oh, Primus, leave this horrible secret of life alone! What do you want to know about secrets for anyway? Come and look at this, quickly!
Primus ( joins her at window ) What is it you want?
Helena Listen. The birds are singing. Oh Primus, I wish I were a bird!
Primus What for?
Helena I don’t know. I just feel so strange, I don’t know what it is, I just feel, sort of, light headed, I’ve lost my head and my body hurts, my heart hurts, everything hurts.... And I won’t even tell you about what’s just happened to me! Oh Primus, I think I’m going to have to die!
Primus Don’t you ever think it might be better dead. Maybe it’s no more than like being asleep. While I was asleep last night I talked with you again.
Helena In your sleep?
Primus In my sleep. We were talking in some strange foreign language, or some new language, so that now I can’t remember a word of it.
Helena What was it about?
Primus I don’t know, nobody knows. I didn’t understand any of it myself but I still knew that I had never said anything more beautiful in my life. What it was, or where it was, I just don’t know. If I’d touched you I could have died. Even the place was entirely different to anything anyone had ever seen in the world.
Helena I found that place for you, Primus, why are you surprised at it? People used to live there, but now it’s all overgrown, and somehow, no-one ever goes there any more. Somehow. Only me.
Primus What is there there?
Helena Nothing, a house and a garden. And two dogs. You should see they way they lick my hands, and their puppies too, oh Primus, I don’t think there’s anywhere nicer anywhere! You let them sit on your lap and you stroke them and soon you aren’t thinking about anything and you aren’t worrying about anything all the time until the Sun goes down. And then when you stand up it’s as if you’d been working and working. Except that I’m no good for doing any work; everyone says I’m no good for anything. I don’t really know what I am.
Primus You’re beautiful.
Helena Me? Don’t be silly, Primus, why are you saying that?
Primus Believe me, Helena, I’m stronger than all the other robots.
Helena ( at mirror ) Me, beautiful? But my hair is horrible, I wish I could do something about it! Out there in the garden I always put flowers in my hair, although there isn’t any mirror there or anyone to see them ( leans down to look in mirror ) You, beautiful? What’s beautiful about you? Is hair beautiful if all it does is weigh you down? Are eyes beautiful when you close them? Are lips beautiful if all you do is bite them and then it hurts? What is beautiful, what’s it for?.... ( sees Primus in mirror ) Is that you Primus? Come here, let me see you next to me. Look at you, your head’s quite different from mine, your shoulders are different, your mouth is different.. Oh Primus, why do you avoid me? Why do I have to spend all my time running after you? And still, you tell me I’m beautiful!
Primus You avoid me, Helena.
Helena Look at how you’ve combed your hair! Let me see ( runs both hands through his hair ) Oh Primus, there’s nothing that feels like you when I touch you! Let me make you beautiful! ( takes comb from wash basin and combs Primus’s hair forward )
Primus Helena, do you ever find that your heart suddenly starts beating hard: Now, now, something’s got to happen now...
Helena ( starts laughing ) Look at yourself!
Alquist ( standing ) Wha.... what’s that?... People?.... Who’s comeback?
Helena ( puts comb down ) What’s ever likely to happen to us, Primus?
Alquist ( turns to them ) People? You... you... you are people?
( Helena screams and turns away )
Alquist You two are in love? People? Where have you come back from? ( touches Primus ) Who are you?
Primus Robot Primus.
Alquist What? You, girl, let me see you! Who are you?
Helena Robot
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