“in and of itself I am quite religious,” said Happiness Formula, grabbed hold of a pine branch with two fingers, pulled the branch off, stuck it between his lips and looked down at Life Story with a smug look.

Life Story lay on her side in front of him in the soft grass and when Happiness Formula leaned his back against the trunk of the pine tree and stretched a little she saw a bright lilac strip of sky above the sea beyond, a bluish pier and the burning-red noddles of a couple of sea-buoys.

“I’m quite religious,” he repeated, “but that doesn’t mean that my behaviour is always seemly. I must admit that I’m actually a great ninny.”

Life Story gave a start. “I’d like to know why you invited me here today.”

Happiness Formula laughed. He looked at Life Story and said slowly, “I suppose to have a bit of fun with you.” He grabbed hold of Life Story’s slender ankle, lifted the sole of her foot to his mouth and tickled it with the pine branch.

Life Story pulled her foot away. “Aren’t you straightforward. But so be it. Doesn’t particularly interest me.” Life Story turned her back to him and continued to admire the lilac strip of sky, the pier and the fire-red sea buoys. Something rustled at the top of the tree. A strange chattering and grinding could be heard.

Happiness Formula fell silent and looked covetously at Life Story’s graceful back.

“You entice everyone. Everyone.” said Life Story. “Life stories bend according to you, turn and twist. You spoil them a little and then leave them behind. And we end our stories – disappointed, confused, unhappy and without a single formula. Without a single blasted formula!”

She felt Happiness Formula’s hot breath on the nape of her neck. It intoxicated her. Happiness Formula put his hand on Life Story’s neck. “A gnat’s bitten you.” He poked Life Story’s cheek with the pine branch. “And it’s still biting you…” he whispered.

Life Story turned around and looked angrily into Happiness Formula’s wantonly flashing eyes. “I’m not a woman. And you’re not a man. And even if we were, you know very well how dangerous it is to expect happiness from someone else. You can’t even expect happiness from yourself. A life story has to concentrate on something else, certainly not on happiness and certainly not on a formula. Then maybe… But don’t come enticing me with scented envelopes, thermal socks, favourite ice cream and your There’s-A-Remedy-For-Every-Pain philosophy.

“There’s a lot more to me than favourite ice cream and thermal socks,” Happiness formula said.

“Right. But I’m happier without you.”

And Life Story went away. And down from the pine tree onto her shoulder jumped her Brain’s Monkey. And from somewhere up high her Love’s Red Pheasant landed on her other shoulder. And she went to look after the garden where her Monkey and Pheasant liked to be. And one evening, when her Monkey was already sleeping, Happiness Formula came like a spring rain. They met unexpectedly on the bluish pier and, by the lustre of the Red Pheasant’s feathers and the red sea-buoys, Life Story peeled the formula from Happiness and Happiness carefully released Life from her Story. They remained as Happiness and Life, who became part of one another on that darkening pier. Not a single word, or gnat, or pine branch.

Kristiina Ehin