When the new bench came into the park, its composite compressed plastic sheen made the grass pull back, like a fresh tap water on the goldfishes head. There aren't many benches in the park, maybe 5 in total, and the prospect that the new bench, with its potential to trigger, stimulate or catalyse even a tiny social movement, was pretty exciting. In time the jet black began to grey, and the vines got comfortable around the metal chassis. After a while the horizontal started to warp, maybe 3x 70kg a day, for 30 minutes each, over about 4 years and it was starting to curve out. Now a pretty distinct dip, the second and third people to sit would slide into place next to the first, and the fourth and fifth.