February 10, 2007

A Play A Day #303

How Does That Feel?


Cast:
Itar, The Mad Scientist
Bill

Setting: A secret underground lair. Test tubes, dry ice, heads in jars, Jacob's ladders, boiling fluids, bad smells, all things secret underground lair-y.


(Lights up on grim scene. Itar stands behind huge control panel, Bill stands with a ridiculous number of cables, antennae, straps, wires, patches, etc... on his nearly naked body.)

Itar: (madly adjusting controls, pressing a huge button on the wall behind him, lights flicker, a whiff of ozone, buzzing sounds, etc... then lights up full and all returns to calm, speaking in a hilariously evil accent) Now, William, how did that make you feel?

Bill: (very cheery) Please, please, call me Bill.

I: No!

B: Or Fritz!

I: No!

B: Everyone calls me Fritz.

I: I am not everyone!

B: No, you're not. You're exceptional! I mean, look at this place!

I: If I won't call you Bill, why would I call you Fritz?

B: Good point, good point.

I: (very grand, over-the-top, and loud) I believe that our true names can erase our soul!!

(Lights flash, amplified laughter, thunder and lightning)

B: Whoa! How'd you do that?!

I: Practice.

B: Amazing, 'cuz we're underground, and there was lightning and everything, wow!

I: Yes, well, I pay extra to have that pumped in.

B: You are really something!

I: Thank you.

B: Does this place have cable?

I: Of course.

B: Which plan are you on?

I: (again ovr-the-top) I get over five thousand channels!!

(lights flash, lighning and thunder, etc...)

B: Outstanding!

I: I get soap operas in Aztecian.

B: That is just too much!

I: Enough!!

(lights, thunder, etc...)

B: Right! Sorry! I do like to chit-chat! Ummm... caramel.

I: What?

B: You asked how it made me feel.

I: Caramel?

B: I felt like I was chewing caramel.

I: Uhhh-huhh (poised over his clipboard, long pause) Is that with a "K"?

B: Caramel? No, a "C".

I: Oh, like "cute" or "carcinogenic".

B: You got it.

I: What is caramel?

B: Like a chewy candy.

I: Candy?

B: Uhhh... sweet food, sugar mostly, taste good, bad for you.

I: You were supposed to feel your soul being inverted.

B: No, it was just kinda this caramel taste.

I: So, instead of your metaphysical sense of self eating itself whole, you tasted this chewy... (consults clipboard) candy?

B: Well, I'm an optimist by nature.

I: That shouldn't matter.

B: Naturally, I think it should. I am an optimist, after all.

I: You're supposed to be dead inside now.

B: Well, I guess I just really like caramel.

I: You're not lying to me?

B: And mess with the progress of science?

I: MAD Science!!

(lights, etc...)

B: (regarding the special effects) Still gets me! So cool.

I: This candy? You say it tastes very good, but it's bad for you?

B: Oh yeah! But people still eat it.

I: If I offered this service to people, do you think they would become addicted to this candy force?

B: Sure, some. But it'd just make them fat and unhealthy, lose a few teeth, I suppose.

I: Eventually though, the candy would replace their souls?

B: I'm not sure how that process would work. Maybe a few people.

I: Curses! (small light flash and thunder) I need to assemble a massive army of soulless killing machines!

B: Hmmm... yeah, that's a big goal.

I: But maybe I... (paces, looks down at control panel, studies it) Wait just a minute... I... ohh... Itar, how stupid you are! What is wrong with me!? Stupid! Stupid!

B: Hey now! I don't think they let stupid people become mad scientists!

(lightning, thunder, lights flash, stc...)

B: Awesome! I did that!

I: I had the sugar dial turned up way too high!

B: Ahhh! And so the caramel taste!

I: Just a quick adjustment here, bear with me.

B: You do whatever it takes to be a success!

I: There!

B: Good work!

I: Now, this time you will certainly lose your very soul!

B: You go, boy!

I: Any last words?

B: Let'er rip, my friend!

(big button is pushed, full special effects, lights return, all quiets down, pause)

I: Now, how did that feel?

B: Uhhhh...

I: (sinister laugh, triumphant) It works! It works!

B: Uhhh... (shakes head) Wow! Now that was weird... sort of parsnip-y.

I: Nooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(lights out, lightning and thunder)

(end)

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