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ANOTHER experiment. This one makes sense. I promise.
I am looking for someone to join in a fictional dialogue with me.
We are starting out in a fairly unspecific setting, but it may get more specific later.
The Setting:
I, Jeb Gabes, am throwing rocks. That’s all we are starting with.
Anyone can talk to Jeb in the beginning, but once I put another gravatar up here — Jeb will converse exclusively with that person.
However, ALL please chime in and talk AT Jeb and ____ or to each other. You may simply be ignored by these two people:
Jeb Gabes
Jeb Gabes is throwing rocks.
???
“Don’t you find it interesting that the ripples you are causing, by throwing rocks in the water, may become part of a wave that travels to the other side of the lake? That little ripple may stay on the other side of the lake and become one with the Earth it finds there, or it may travel back into the lake and go anywhere. The point is that each and every ripple will change something somewhere.”
Hmm. Yeah. I’m thirsty.
(Jeb might not be that into philosophy. Or, maybe he’s just in a bad mood. Or, just thirsty. Or, maybe your comment about the ripple effect dried up his mouth.)
(words that aren’t meant to be part of the dialogue can be put in parenthesis. no need for quotes.)
Do you have to be called Jeb? It reminds me of the Bush’s.
(I assure you that this Jeb has no political ambitions whatsoever. Get over it.)
Easier said than done.
Sir, I didn’t name myself, and I don’t follow politics. What’s your name?
John… but i don’t think i can play. Work is staring at me. It’s ugly, and it appears quite angry.
John? Like John from the bible? Well, we don’t like John from the bible, and we don’t have work, so, sorry, John, we can’t feel sorry for ya.
(Jeb must be wearing a name-tag)
(some writers are control freaks, but they will not be accommodated. NOT this time.)
How long do you think they’ll be?
I don’t know, but if they don’t get here soon, I’m gonna start drinkin’ outta the lake.
Hah! Yeah right! With those dead fish floatin’ around in there?
I can’t believe they’re closing it down. I understand why … the fish are dying. But, can’t they just scoop up all the fish & feed ‘em to the poor or something? To us. To me. I’ll eat them fish.
Yeah they could but then people would die or turn into mutants. You wanna be a mutant?
Depends on the benefits, I guess. Has to be better than we’re getting now! Hahahaha!!!
(smirks) Oh you’re bad man, really bad! You’re right though, these benefits ain’t nothin. I need to get a job soon. I’m thinkin’ of headin’ out of town, y’know?
Maybe. Maybe, I don’t know. I’m just wondering what Paul Jacobs & his crew gonna have to say when they show up.
What the hell can they say? The feds are closin’ this mine down, and that’s that.
You gotta have … I was bout to say “faith”. Hahahahaha!
(wry grin) Uh huh. Tell you what I got faith in; I got faith that if we stay out here after the sun goes down then we’re in deep sh*t.
We’ll give ‘em a little more time.
Well, I don’t s’pose I can ditch this hole ’till we get our last pay packet from Paul anyways. (kicks some loose shale into the lake).
Mother fuckers. If they don’t … I mean … I mean …
They will. They gotta; they know we need this. Besides, we worked for it, it’s ours. If they don’t have it on them when they get here then I say we go to their office in the mornin’ and collect.
Human Resources sucks. Why the fuck do we have to do it this way?
Because the HR folks got made redundant too, remember? Besides, I wanna look Paul in the eye, let him tell me why we had to keep fuckin’ diggin’ when they told us to stop. I mean they told us! Shit. Him and his fuckin’ quotas.
(coughing. spitting a little blood on the ground near your shoe.) Whoops. Almost got ya.
(skips back a step) What the fuck?! What was that man?! Shit! How long have you been sick, huh? How long?!
Couple days, I don’t know. Why?
What d’ya mean why?! ‘Cos if you’ve got it then I’m fucked, we’re all fucked…just keep the fuck away from me man, keep the fuck away. Shit.
It didn’t get on you! You think I missed you by accident? I’ve got aim, boy. If I want to hit your foot, I’ll hit your foot.
That shit’s airbourne you idiot! Doesn’t matter if you caught my boot. What did you think, that you caught it by drinking somethin’ or eatin’ somethin’? Hell no man, you done breathed in some of that shit from somebody else, some other poor fucker. Damn. (looks up at sky to check position of the sun).
Hey! You’re disturbing everyone! Calm down. Come on … we … ain’t gonna work no more, no more, we ain’t gonna work no more … ain’t gonna work no more, no more, ain’t gonna work no more … come on!
(eyes widen, pupils widen, then contract) Alright man, it’s ok (makes patting down motion with hands). Just relax now, everything’ll be fine (thinking ‘shit, he’d better not cough on me).
Weeee … yah! You wanna see bright side’a this, ya ain’t gonna find it in the goddamn sun. Yeah, I saw you looking. What, hoping, wondering, where’s gawd gonna be when the sun goes down, eh? You think god’ll make an appearance? Who should we expect??? Ra? Jesus? The Holy Ave Maria’s Ghost???
(‘shit, he’s getting worse, and the sun’s going down. Where’s my damned gun?) No man! (laughs nervously, backing away slowly with hands raised in surrender) Jus’ expectin’ Paul with our damned money is all!
Don’t you go anywhere! Where’d that bus go!? Bus!? There was a goddamn bus around here, where … (patting himself, looking for the bus) Ahh. (finds some dental floss) Here … here we go. Might not be a bus, but it just might get the job done.
(eyes widened again and blood drained grim face when saw him going through pockets, relaxes slightly when he pulls out dental floss) Ah, sure thing man; bus’ll be here soon! (lying, there hasn’t been a bus here in months). So, ah, look, I’m just you’d down the road a-ways, see if Paul and the gang are on their way, right?
(from face, not grim face)
(and down the road, not you’d the road)
Is Jeb talking to anyone yet? I’d like to start a conversation with him but I have to turn my computer off in a minute so it would be rather boring for Jeb. Is he a fundamentalist Christian or an atheist? (doubt he’s anything in between) Maybe he’s throwing rocks to see if a deity will catch any of them.
(We don’t know what his religious affiliation is yet. It may be that he is with a group of people, waiting by a lake for someone to arrive … perhaps to hear about a factory that closed down, but we don’t know.)
Why are you throwing rocks, Jeb? Achieved something yet?
I’m trying to hit that fish with the lazy eye … Hah! Got ‘em! Damn, how bout that!? Ask me more often. It’s good luck!
Jesus. What did that poor fish do to you?
) (lol I think I suck at this, sorry)
That fish ain’t as poor as I am, and Jesus ain’t gonna do a damn thing about it!
(nah, you’re good)
Aren’t you worried you’ll catch something, messing around with those dirty rocks?
I haven’t taken a sick day in 10 years! You think I’m scared of a rock?
I hope you’ve had your tetanus jab.
Nope. But, I got my salmonella uppercut from corporate.
Where do you work? A chicken farm?
I have squeezed more breasts than Wilt the Stilt … and … and … who else pulled a lot of tail …? Greg Dobbs!!! I wonder where that piece of shit is working these days.
Greg Dobbs? Where have I heard his name before? He sounds familiar.
Have your ever been to Sal’s Buffalo Chips & Fish …? Right on the other side’a that bridge- only one car can drive on at a time?
No, he sounds like someone I was at school with. Maybe I’m getting confused.
Yeah, well … Dobbs … he, uh … uh … that a car comin’ …?
It’s the bus. Are you getting on?
Ain’t sure, yet.
How can you not be sure? Are you waiting for someone?
(Jeb is distracted by an argument with the guy he almost spit blood on.)
(Takes a step back.) This is what happens when you pick stuff up off the dirty floor. You get sick. Especially around here. All sorts of funny rumors going around about the work they did here.
The only rumors around here are the ones coming from your mouth! Calm down.
I’m getting on the bus. I’ll see you around. Or not.
I dont think it matters if you eat mutant fish. Food is food if you’re hungry.
Food is food. Food is food!!!
but are you hungry?
More thirsty.
(picks up rock……holds in hand as if to throw it but hesitates)
What you waitin’ on? Hit that one over there looks like it died tryin’ to smile!
those guys just have to make ya wait eh? like they know you’re thirsty.
Their time is the only time.
is that why the fish was smiling? not on their time anymore….(throws rock….smacks floating fish in the mouth)
Damn, you knocked its tongue out. Now it looks to be making a mockery.
(chuckle….raises eyebrows) even the fish is puttin on a show for this gathering…geez u think they’ll show?
Where have you been!? They’ve already come & gone!
Good… They wouldn’t a listened to me anyway. Did you say your peace?
I just think you’re mad cuz that fish has more free space than you.
Well, he certainly don’t need anti-psychotic meds.
maybe they are already in his lake.
meds for the fish that is.
(I am out walking off a combination of depression, hangover, and unidentifiable anxiety, past the factory on the lake. The idea that the worker bees in the factory are doing their bee business and I am aimlessly wandering is disturbing but most things I see disturb me to some extent. Sometimes I forget that though and just count my steps in groups of ten. It strangely feels that I am like a seal standing on a ball and my steps are making the world turn underneath me. There is a guy with a name tag throwing rocks into the lake, shit! Should I veer off and avoid him? too late he sees me and I don’t want to appear rude) “How ya doing?” (damn, I always say’ how ya doing?’, like i give a rat’s ass, oh well ).
(Jeb just nods his head)
(well I never know what to make of a head nod, Just nodding back and moving on is always an option, I am a master of awkward silences. But I am tired of walking. Maybe this is a moment of serendipity, or maybe it is just plain old coincidence, press on) “Nice day huh?”
(Jeb shoots a suspicious eye at you)
(yep there is that look, I think I give people the creeps, which is funny since people give me the creeps pretty often) “Do you work in the factory over there?” (this guy looks angry, I wonder why? A guy with a name tag throwing rocks by himself, it is odd)
Is that guy talking to me?? Who is that guy? Who are you!? (Jeb yells but is still sorting spit out.)
(talk to cocacolafiend while I sort this out with TheImaginator)
Yes, I was talking to you. Sorry, I didn’t mean to bother you. I was just out for a walk. I don’t usually see many people over here, which is why I come here. If you don’t mind, I am just going to sit down in the grass and smoke a cigarette before I continue my wanderings. (sigh, I get so confused my rules that seem completely apparent to others)
(take a load off. there are no “rules”)
Hey, what’s that son of a bitch doing over there. Hey, you son of a bitch — what you sittin’ down for?
I might ask what you are throwing rocks for too. But it is none of my business really. But since you asked. I am sitting down cause I am tired. I was out walking to clear my head but in the process I got tired. I have to get back to my home office and write a stupid fucking set of instructions that nobody will read but If I don’t write them I will catch hell for not writing the instructions for them to not read. (squints across the lake at the factory and considers the bullshit that all them poor sum bitches in there put up with, just to earn money for shit to keep them alive so they can put up with more bullshit, christ, maybe I should just open up a bonsai tree shop or some shit and just answer to the trees). So, for now I am going to stub out my cigarette, get my ass off the grass, and go do my best for evil-corp. Maybe I will see you along this path another time.
Is it over? Was there a result?
(Sort of. I think the result was learning that it might be best to pick the “players” beforehand — however, it was still interesting.)
That’s all that counts
(Not for ol’ Jeb, this is for you—)
So this is how you handle a hangover?