She remains alone. From the floor, a strange, bald, round, red head emerges. Its eyes are closed. It talks.
FOETUS: You made me on purpose, didn't you...
ISHTAR (not surprised): I am not sure...
FOETUS: You want me. You want to have me.
ISHTAR: Not necessarily.
FOETUS: You desire me.
ISHTAR: You're not indispensable. I don't know how I stand.
FOETUS: But to Ben, you were talking very clearly, very straight...
ISHTAR: He needs to be talked straight to. He is very confused.
FOETUS: You took advantage of him. We took advantage of him.
ISHTAR: He's nothing to you.
FOETUS: You must be kidding!
ISHTAR: He has no power over you.
FOETUS: But, you, you do!
ISHTAR: You have power over me. My body has power over me, that's what I have learned from all this that has happened... It's a pretty horrible thing... You are my body... You are a horrible thing... growing in me... after another horrible thing... I have simply submitted... I have recognized your power, the power of the body...
FOETUS: I know that... You said so yourself... A reason to die is a reason to live... something to live for is something to die for... but what does it matter... there's so much in between...
ISHTAR: Now when something grows in me, takes me over, I can no longer trust it... I am not sure that you're friendly... Before, yes, I might have, when I was still innocent... I might have...
but now I know... For what you needed him, he was not a bad choice, you know... Ben... the guy who just left... You have used him, and me...
FOETUS: Me... I was nowhere, I have barely started to exist...
ISHTAR: You won't need him...
FOETUS: Looks like I scared him...
ISHTAR: You scared me, too...
FOETUS: What am I? You only want me... I am an intruder amidst all this.. Will I have his reach at tennis? He is not bad looking. I hope I'll have more hair. You're beautiful, you... Too bad I won't have the prick of the other one... I would have liked to have Tony's prick...
ISHTAR: That was out of the question... I can't help you with that... He didn't want you, most emphatically, he didn't... You'll have to do with this one...
FOETUS: He has a pleasant voice. I gather I won't get any of his money...
ISHTAR: That... one never knows... I can't be categoric about that...
FOETUS: But you told him, emphatically...
ISHTAR: There's always hope... He has a certain, under-developed sense of responsibility, it all depends on him, I'll do nothing, of course...
FOETUS: Maybe it depends on his shrink...
ISHTAR: There you may be right...
FOETUS: It would be nice to have his money, though...
ISHTAR: You won't be poor anyway...
FOETUS: If something happens to you... things can happen to anybody...
ISHTAR: I know... especially to me... But I am not worried...
You'll be taken care of... there will always be somebody... you're not just mine, you know...
FOETUS: I am yours, I am yours, I need you, I need you... I cannot be on my own, I need assurances, I need security...
ISHTAR: Tough luck, my dear!
FOETUS: I'm anguished! This seems to me a precarious situation. It's not fair. I am supposed to feel at ease and in perfect security, sheltered absolutely from any anguish, I am not to be exposed to this uncertainty... It's not good for me... I have my rights... I must insist on my rights... I need peace and tranquillity... There is no need to bring unnecessary misery in my life...
ISHTAR: You speak like him already!
FOETUS: I am him! I am Him! That's why you wanted him! That's why you seduced him, that's why you led him on... I am all him, all his... He is me... I am why you loved him, I am why you used him...
ISHTAR: I didn't use anybody, shut up, you runt! Bird of death... evil... undesirable...
FOETUS: You desired me! You wanted me! I'll kill you if you don't take me on!
ISHTAR: Go on, keep trying...
FOETUS: You take advantage of this situation which I didn't want, into which you alone put me... You take advantage of my weakness...
ISHTAR: Did you hear what he said? He wants me to have an abortion...
FOETUS: He has no power over you... You told him off.. You put him in his place... Now you play this game to scare me... I hate you already... It's not worthy of you... It's sinister...
ISHTAR: You're not doing me any good, you know, boy!
FOETUS: You wont' get me!
(She stands over him.)
ISHTAR: You bet I could... it's the easiest thing in the world... And I would have a good excuse... Nobody would ever know...
FOETUS: Don't speak like this... I know that you love me...
ISHTAR: That's not a sufficient reason... You don't know the things people do out of love... precisely out of love... you don't know what love is... you're pretty stupid to invoke love... Love is more likely to kill you, especially you, than hate... Nobody hates you... You see... nobody hates you... of course not.... that's why you're in danger... we don't hate the likes of you... we don't need to...
FOETUS: I'll kill you!
ISHTAR: In time you will anyway... In time, we all kill each other...
Given time, we all kill each other...
We don't need to hate...
We have long stopped hating...
We 'disappear' each other... we just let space fill up where the other was... the other... he's not even a body... it was never there... never there... you were never there... never existed... I never existed... space closes up where I was... there was a small disturbance there, for a while, a little bunch of cells, growing, living... a little cellular disturbance... gone... nothing doing... no consequence...
FOETUS: No consequence, me?
ISHTAR: No consequence, me...
FOETUS: That's bleak... Bleak outlook... You're depressed... You need therapy... This is very serious... You should be happy... You have wanted me... You have made the decision, unless you're just going through that out of sheer sadism, in order to torment me... You should be happy, you have to be happy... I am all you have... You must be besides yourself with happiness... Monster if you aren't...
ISHTAR: Is he?
FOETUS: He IS a monster! He's sick! He's not normal! You said so yourself! He's not wholly together! You can't use him as an excuse... You must be ecstatic... Something wonderful is happening to you, supposed to be happening in your body...
ISHTAR: You want me to trust my body? God, you're naive!
FOETUS: I trust it! I trust it, dammit!
ISHTAR: You have no choice. Don't make yourself a merit out of your optimism. You've no choice.
FOETUS: Look at yourself in the mirror. You're magnificent! You're blooming, Your body is blooming... You are cream and roses...
ISHTAR: Yes, I know... You better shut up, you better be quiet... I owe you nothing... I am in charge... I owe you nothing...
FOETUS: It's awful to torment me like this... it's not worthy of you...
ISHTAR: We still have our own lives... we're not one life... not even now... you'll get at me sooner or later, baby... my boy... This is only the beginning... Oh, yes... it's only the beginning... We're both getting ready...
FOETUS: I love you! I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU! Who else loves you? I LOVE YOU!
ISHTAR: I love you too. Who else loves you? I love you too.
FOETUS: So, it's a deal...
ISHTAR: I don't know...
The lights dim. When they come on again, it's another day, she's wearing different clothes.