People are Dangerous
Chapter 6.06 of "I Wanna Be Evil"
←previously in EVIL
Scene 6:
Scene 6: PEOPLE ARE DANGEROUS
(Gretty's Dorm Room)
LIGHTS FADE IN SLOWLY
SHE is on the swivel chair partially facing the audience.
THEY leans into HER from behind, gently swaying HER in
the chair.THEY: Hey, (pushes her slowly downstage pressing THEIR cheek to HERS) I was zooming with some folks in my philosophy class.
SHE (braking suddenly) Oh, yeah? What is body?
THEY Huh?
SHE (extremely self-satisfied) Never mind.
SHE blinks her eyes and grins like an idiot.SHE: Vhut eez mind?
THEY: Scuse me?
SHE (Slam DUNK!) No MATTER!
THEY: Awwhh? (crushed as SHE skips away)… You win again. …Sort of. (changing the subject) But some of them want to talk to you about Chelonialism…
SHE turns to stare at THEY levelly.THEY: No. Really! They’re ok, you know? They really are. Might be good for both of us to talk to other people more once in a while. I mean… WHAT are we doing here? I told ‘em that you would not want to talk about you know what. I told ‘em how busy you are, and how you think talking is awkward, but that I’d ask you. I know people are dangerous.
SHE: (flopping onto the bed) You sure they just don’t wanna get into, you know what?
THEY: So? We won’t talk about that if you don’t want. I told them you wouldn’t. I told them WE don’t even. Which was even truer THEN. And we still don’t, really. Which is fine. (pause)
THEY: (continued) We’ll keep to cults and philosophy and game design! They are way into all that and I know they’d be fascinated by stuff you say. If they only wanted in the creepy stuff, I’d‘ve shut them down. I WOULD. Anyway, it’s just an idea… If you’re not into it, I’m fine, absolutely fine.
SHE: (gets up, and pushes the chair back to the computer) I’ll think about it later. Probably have two hours work on this module.
THEY: Sounds good. I got a pile of reading.
SHE: (sits down to work, but then turns to THEY) I know you’re right; you know.
THEY: (eagerly) What?
SHE: People are dangerous.
THEY: (crushed) …These people were talking about you.
SHE: Yeah.
THEY: I mean… I mean, they were, but… They did it so intelligently.
SHE: Huh?
THEY: I mean… I mean… not pruriently. Not… (crouching to make air quotes “SCANDALOUSLY”
SHE: (from low to high pitched) Yaawww?
THEY: I mean they WERE wondering about you, but they were trying to put it all in so many kinds of different contexts. …Like you do! …I just got drawn in. I just… You know… They sort of talk like you talk, but different too… You know?
SHE: Hmm Hmm.
THEY: And it just came out. I had to say I knew you.
SHE: Yup.
THEY: And I was so nervous. I. I. I. Just started talking about the TURTLES and all… Octopus and Honey Badger. I thought they’d blow me off. But some of them even knew about Pataphysics… and… right? …Anyway, it’s up to you.
SHE: (carefully) You really wanna try this, don’t you?
THEY: I mean. …I mean I know I just can’t survive forever as an outcast. As a pair of outcasts. I mean… How long can this go on? Can you? …Ok? Let’s just maybe keep it at “maybe” for now.
SHE: Maybe for now.
THEY: People are dangerous.
SHE turns to her work. HER screens light up. THEY sits on the
bed.
(BLACKOUT)
(END OF SCENE)This has been an excerpt from I WANNA BE EVIL, a novel-like object — in progress.
And, if for some deranged reason, you wanna spend more time with Streamly Gredible, you can snag a copy of her formative years in SAINT GREDIBLE and HER FAT DAD’s MASS
Or if you “know somebody who doesn’t like to READ”, why not gift them an audio book (cheap!)*
and I mean REALLY cheap!