The Futile Podcast

Deconstructing 80's & 90's action movies. Relating them to comics, TV, and cartoons from then and now.

Real fun with mini-plays

Setting: 2 guys at a table in the morning one has a cup another a tiny ball.
C: (sips) So what are we here for this Wednesday?
B: (rolling ball between palm and the table) Tuesday.
C: What?
B: Today is Tuesday. You’ve gotten ahead of yourself.
C: (looking down at cup) Yea I guess you’re right . . . so what do you want?
B: You promised me something six years ago, do you remember?
C: I think . . . yes it was at my brother’s birthday party something about a car companies stocks, they seemed to have promise. (sips) What about it? Did the stocks pan out?
B: No . . . I lost a lot of money.
C: Oh . . .(sips).
B: I became obsessed with trying to the beat the odds after that my wife left me. I started to believe the world owed me something you have to understand I wasn’t a gambling man be fore this happened.
C: Okay, and the . . .
B: Well . . . gambling worked for awhile but in the end it was just money there wasn’t enough risk. I tried all of the crazy stupid things but always there was something filtered and contrived about these experiences like mini-vacations away from myself.
C: Most people seem to like that.
B: Not me I wanted to feel what it was like to be alive, myself at risk. I started driving fast and living dangerously walking into dark alleys and things like that.
C: And what then?
B: I was mugged, the guy beat the shit out of me and took my wallet.
C: Damn!
B: It didn’t bother me I only had a few bucks. Any way the next night I went back; I wanted to find the guy.
C: And kick the shit out of him?
B: Not really I just craved the idea of conflict.
C: (smiling) Like some kind of bloodlust?
B: . . .Anyway I found the guy or we sort of found each other. He had a knife to my back suddenly I spun around and knocked him flat on his ass. He was drunk and just sort of lay there waiting for me to run.
C: Then what did you take his wallet before you left as a little trophy?
B: No I just kicked him. For all of my confusion and anger about my life that was the first time I felt right so I kept kicking him. I must have done this for an hour my eyes burned with oily sweat and I was out of breath so I went how and slept.
C: What happened to the man?
B: That’s not the point. I found my answer there needed to be victimization and then vindication. It was the amazing power of self actualization. All of my life I had been a passive victim, most people are that way, now I fight back.
C: why are you telling me this? Frankly I don’t think it’s very funny. We hardly know each other are you getting help?
B: Yes I am helping myself by taking care of all those who made me a victim. That’s why I wanted to see you this Tuesday morning because you’re the last one. I hope that coffee tasted good.

4 thoughts

  1. B has an interesting world view, but this type of ending has been done to death. to death, i say.

    it’d be better if it even just ended with “that’s why i wanted to see you this tuesday morning.” the “you’re the last one” and cheesey, “i hope that coffee tasted good” parts really make it seem canned.

    of course, maybe you are going for canned.

    are you interested in creating something fresh or in giving the people the same old shit that they want?

    B should be played by Steve Buscemi.

  2. Thank you. I don’t really post short stories or angsty rants on this blog anymore. It’s where I post a movie review podcast I do now. You should check it out kaitlynde.

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