"Hi honey" she said.

"Hi darling, I can tell you can hardly wait to go to the concert tonight"

"Yes. I still can’t believe it. I’m afraid that something bad will come up."

The man took out two tickets from his pocket.

"As long as we have these, nothing can go wrong. Don’t worry."

The woman’s face was a portrait of happiness and anticipation.

"I can’t help it. I’m so excited. This... this is really an important event and I will be able to watch it live."

"Listen baby, I want you to be very very beautiful. Draw as much as you want from our account and buy yourself a new dress."

The woman’s face lighted up more.

"I will."

"And please have my gray suit cleaned and ironed."

"All right honey, I will. I love you."

"I love you too."

The man drove home as soon as he got out of work. His wife was at the door waiting for him, with her new dress on. They kissed a long kiss, went inside. The dinner was ready. The subject of the conversation throughout the dinner was the same.

"Darling," she said "I’m really suprised that you could find those tickets. How come you got them easily while many singers and even politicians are dying to get in ?"

"Who said it was easy ?"

"Then how could you?"

"Well... Let’s just say blackmarket."

"Then they might be forged."

"No, they are not. My connections are secure. I’ve got a friend working at the company that’s bringing the Siva’s for the concert. I got in touch with him for the tickets because I knew how much you wanted to go to a Siva concert. So, he coludn’t turn me down and got me two tickets."

"Honey, God knows how huch you spent..."

"You don’t worry your head over it. Go and put on your make-up. I don’t want to be late."

"You’re right." She said and got up. She was murmuring to herself on her way to the bedroom.

"I can’t believe it. An hour from now on I’ll be listening to a Siva sing live on stage. Not from tne stereo. Live, in the flesh! The girls will turn green with envy when I tell them about tonight."

Nearly 3500 people were seated half an hour before the concert. The woman said "I wish I could get in some kind of recorder and tape the concert."

"Don’t worry," the man said. "They will release it in about two weeks anyway."

The woman was about to answer and suddenly all the lights in the hall went dead. Only the spots looking at the stage were on. All the talking subsided in time with the lights. Everybody was waiting for the big event with wonder and anticipation. Someone brought a yellow feathered, waddling creature about one and half meters height to stage. There was a microphone adjusted to its height infront of the creature. A thunder of applause broke out in the hall as the singer got on stage. After the applause there was a short silence. Nearly ten minutes later, the female creature opened its mouth and started singing her song with the saddest and most beautiful voice in the universe. Half an hour later the concert was over. Everbody in the hall was absolutely stunned. Altough they didn’t understand what the creature was saying, many people cried. Nobody could find anything to say, nor anything to criticize. Our couple got into their car without a word. The man, still under the concert’s spell, was driving home. His wife, thinkig about Siva’s song, was busy reading the pamphlet distributed before the concert.

"Welcome to the world’s, probably the universe’s biggest musical event, organised only twice a year. The female Siva’s have the most alluring and beautiful voice in the universe. But, unfortunately, they use this unmatched musical gift only when they sing their lament after their male dies. For this reason, we have brought a Siva couple from the other side of the universe only for you. As soon as the female Siva is on the stage, the male will be killed by our experts at the backstage. It might take up to fifteen minutes for the female Siva to feel that her mate is dead. We ask you to, please, be patient in case of a probable delay and wish you a pleasurable evening."

...