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Post by Edward Cheever on Jan 27, 2011 17:03:18 GMT -6
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Post by Edward Cheever on Jan 27, 2011 18:21:46 GMT -6
This is what we've come up with doing a collaborative Google Docs project in which each person was a character on a bus stranded in a bad part of town at night.
THE BUS
We are all on a city bus. It is late at night, and we are riding through the bad part of town. The bus driver stops at a stop sign, and promptly keels over, dead. The rest of us sit staring at him for a long moment before someone speaks up.
“Well that was unexpected,” Said one man in a simple business suit and tie.
“Well, with the food you westerner eat, it shouldn’t surprise you. Look, I’m 7’8” and all I’ve had since my mothers milk is jasmine rice and the tofu provided for me by my father’s labor.” Said a tall Chef, who called himself: “Mango.”
“Dude, what’s goin’ on?” asked a pale college-aged man pulling out an ear bud.
“Apparently he saw the stop sign and decided that meant stop breathing,” responded a young teenaged girl who promptly propped her feet up on the back of her neighbor’s chair. “But if someone doesn’t take his place and start driving, I will.”
“Maybe he isn’t really dead? I had a teacher who used to drop right onto her desk like that in the middle of class. We all took it as a sign class was over. Does anyone know CPR?” asked the smartly dressed business woman with long blond hair and those ridiculous blue eyes you only read about in magazines.
“Doesn’t anyone have a cell phone?” asked a quiet voice. Everyone turned to look at the small petite girl with curly brown hair and shiny green eyes. “If someone would call for help we might be able to get out of this mess we are in.” she said softly so that everyone needed to strain their ears to hear her.
The tall, old man in the back of the bus stood and stepped forward. As he stepped into the dim overhead light of the bus, it was as if a pipe organ began playing somewhere in the distance. He reached into his coat pocket and produced a cell phone, but his face fell. “I’m sorry to say, but the battery is dead. And before anyone else says it, I am only an actor. I am not a monster.”
“I wasn’t going to say anything,” said the man in the suit. He suddenly thingyed his head to one side, as if he was listening to something in the distance before saying, “But if someone doesn’t start driving, I’ll just have to walk. I’m not sticking around.” He got up as if to leave.
“Typical, ignoring tradition and striking out on one’s own. The unit is stronger. We must be strong,” Mango intoned in a deeply broken southern accent. “My people have come a long way. Old man, if we can wire your phone to the pale face’s I--- thing, we may be able to call out. Assuming none of you don’t have cell phones. Personally they scare me.”
“‘Wiring my iPhone will void the warranty! Steve Jobs made this exactly the way it was meant to be. I may not be getting signal here, but it works great when I do. Is there a McDonald’s near here? They have free wi-fi. We could send an email or something...” Will said brushing potato chip crumbs off his black shirt mindlessly.
“You know those electo-whatever things they use in CPR?” the teenaged girl, named Rikki, mused nonchalantly. “Do you think a stun-gun would work the same way? I have one in my backpack.”
“Oh oh oh! I have pepper spray! Do you use it for protection too? You know, it’s a dangerous world out there for a gorgeous blonde lawyer.” Caroline was applying another touch of mascara to her perfectly done eyes, making the weird “o” face no woman can seem to avoid when applying mascara. The effect was almost humorous. . . almost.
Aria, the quiet graduate student, looked around at the bus of people. “I feel as if we not working together as we should. I sense something sinister drifting from our auras. I think the force is not with us right now. I hope we can rectify this situation soon. We always need the force with us.”
A wolf howled in the distance. The white-haired old man shook his head ruefully. “How the mighty have fallen. Back in the day, I would have my chauffeur pick us all up in my limo. But that was a long time ago, back when I was actually in demand in Hollywood. Now I just do cameos when someone wants an old, scary man to laugh at.”
The man in the business suit stared around the bus, his left eye twitching, “Yes. Yes, I think I’m leaving.” He strode to the head of the bus and down the steps, but paused just before exiting. He looked over to the tall Asian, “Are you even being serious right now?” He opened the door and stormed out. He stood outside in the cold air and looked around. The one street light, a pale yellow, flickered and buzzed. Something moved in the shadows. The man ticked his head to the side again, as if thinking. “Um...” He backed back into the bus, “I think I’ll stay.”
“I’m always serious. In Fujian, those who go outside without support will die. This country has truly fallen since I first came. Old man, you should come back to Fujian, where you would be esteemed among our people. And you Miss, I hear the emperor is looking for a new friend to play Mahjongg. Blond is always appreciated as a rarity.” Glancing at the AC which had been whirling overhead, the red light slowly flickered and the cool breeze ceased. Wandering up the aisle, Will revealed his “Han Shot First” t-shirt. “I think that force idea might work. Maybe you could bring him back to life with the force. It only works on living things, you know.” “Who ordered Team Yoda?” Rikki questioned, standing and making her way to the front. “And since no one else is doing anything, I’m driving.”
“This reminds me of the time one of my clients, well, one of my boss’s clients, got stuck in a car accident out in the country. It took HOURS for them to find him and by then, he was so upset, he sued the cow who caused the accident. Or maybe it was the farmer who owned the cow… At any rate, he said it was dark and scary, like this. And as to your comment Mr. Mango, ha! I happen to have an extremely wealthy boyfriend who dotes upon me already. He did hire me after all!” she said with a self-gratified smile.
Aria was sensing the deepening power of the darkness enter among the passengers. “Please everyone, please understand that the darkness is among us and we must work together. Otherwise the force shall be gone forever! I know it sounds unbelievable, but the darkness is here and it is trying to destroy us. We must try and find a way to be one with the force.”
“You know, this reminds me of a movie I played in many years ago,” the old man said. “It was the first one I was in, and I co-starred with Lon Chaney. We weren’t monsters, but it was scary, none the less. I think we were bartenders, or someone risen from the dead, or maybe we were chiropractors.”
The man in the suit stared into space for several more moments, and then, looking as if he heard something that pleased him he looked back down towards Aria, “Yes,” He said with a smile that never reached his eyes, “The darkness is always with us.” He then looked over at the old actor, “But death is not so easily overcome.”
Mango bowed low to the old man, “Ah yes, I remember these film with much pleasure. You stories are treasured, Old one.” Turning to the Blond without a hint of sarcasm, “It is good to know America hasn’t lost the employment of Courtesans.” Gesturing to Rikki, he motioned for her to sit in the front of the vehicle. “If we die, we’ll die trying.”
Suddenly the Darth Vader theme blared from Will’s pocket. “Hey, can you hear me? We’re stuck in the middle of nowhere and the driver just kicked the bucket. Can you send help? I don’t know somewhere between where I was and where you are!”
Without a word, Rikki hauled the inert form of the driver off the seat and onto the floor. Sitting down she grabbed the wheel and said, “I dunno where he was headed, but that street looks good to me.”
Finally able to get a word in, Caroline looked the Asian in the eyes and said, “I don’t know what a court-a-sin is, but I work in court, and if that’s a sin, then get over it!” she flashed him an indignant glare and flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Whoa! Why are we moving now?”
Aria looked at everyone sadly. “Please everyone, the darkness is gaining a foothold.” Looking at the man in the suit square in the eyes. “It is already here and has infected one of us. We must fight this evil. The force is with us.”
As the bus lurched forward, the old man reached behind him and grabbed the back of the seat to steady himself. Everyone seemed happy now--almost everyone. Years as an actor led him back to the obvious solution. He reached down and pulled a sheaf of papers from his briefcase and began handing them out to each of the riders of the bus. It was a photo of him in younger years, signed, “love Boris.”
Holland looked down at the paper for a moment, then grinned at Aria, “Little lady, you have no idea, “He hand twitched, then jerked and flew into his suit coat’s inner pocket before jerking back out with a steel blade gripped in his white knuckles. He leaped at the old man.
“Glad to see the education of courtesans is the same.” Said Mango with pride while bashing the face of the businessman in.
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