Sunday, October 11, 2009

HALLOWEEN STORY


PSYCHIATRIST (V.O.): "You're just in time. Have a seat on the couch and tell me about this recurring dream of yours."



DREAMER (V.O.): "Okay...I'll tell you about the one I had last night. It's fairly typical."



DREAMER: "Just like in all the other dreams, I dreamed that I woke up on the floor of my apartment."



DREAMER (V.O.): I got up and took a look around. I can't explain it, but everything was off kilter somehow. And why was it so quiet? I could hear the sound of my own heart beat."



DREAMER (V.O.) : "I went downstairs to ask my landlady about it, but the house was empty."



DREAMER (V.O.): "And the streets, too. Something happened while I was asleep, but what?"



DREAMER (V.O.): "If there was an answer it had to be in the city, but getting there required crossing the bridge. I had to be careful. Giant shark attacks had been all over the news lately."



DREAMER (V.O.): "In the city the public buildings were empty. There were a few people on the street, but not many."



DREAMER (V.O.): "What was that in the sky? It looked like a zepplin, and it was searching for something."



DREAMER: "Like I said, the buildings all seemed to be deserted, but...wait a minute... I thought I saw someone in a house. Good Lord! That man just pushed a woman down the stairs! I shouted, 'Police! Police!' "



DREAMER (V.O.): "Then, at my side..."

STREET KID: "Shhhh!"

DREAMER (V.O.): "Huh?"




DREAMER (V.O.): "Nearby in a plaza a train circled endlessly while a crowd watched. I ran over to tell them about the murder...to get help."



DREAMER (V.O.): "That's when I saw the zepplin again. I think it was following me."



DREAMER (V.O.): I tried to speak to the train watchers but no one was interested. They just stared at me out of the sides of their eyes..."



DREAMER: "Most looked indifferent..."



DREAMER (V.O.): "...but one face in particular was positively malevolent. It seemed to take pleasure in my frustration. I got the feeling that it wished me evil."




DREAMER: (Gasp!)" That's when I saw that thing again! Something in me snapped."



DREAMER: "Who are you!? What do you want with me?"



DREAMER (V.O.): "Why don't you leave me alone!?"



No answer.



DREAMER: "The zepplin made it's way into the distance leaving me stranded on the tower. Night was creeping in. I'd never be able to climb down in the dark, yet to stay up here was impossible."



DREAMER (V.O.): "I saw weird things up there in the heights, things I just never bothered to notice before."



DREAMER: "It was getting cold and windy. I knew I'd never last the night. Then I thought, 'Maybe I could use my jacket to glide down down to the rooftops below.' It was a one in a million chance, but what else could I do? I braced for the jump."



DREAMER (V.O.): "Holding my jacket edges firmly, I leaped into the air, but I'd calculated wrong. The wind blew the jacket off almost instantly. The ground rushed up...it was horrifying!!!"


DREAMER: "That's when I woke up. I always wake up before I hit the ground in these dreams. I don't know how I know, but I have a strong intuition that if I ever did hit the ground that I'd die for real. "



PSYCHIATRIST: "Fascinating! Well, that's enough for today. Next time we'll induce sleep and let you finally hit the ground. I think that'll end the dreams once and for all..."



PSYCHIATRIST: "...yes sir...once and for all!"




11 comments:

Unknown said...

Nice! I want to see that! For real!

Jennifer said...

Wow - creepy. Very Twilight Zone. I can picture Rod Serling popping up in the beginning of the story saying, "Submitted for your approval....".

This story would definitely make a great film short if it was shot in black and white with the same shadows used in the photos.

Mudkips said...

Augh scary!

Good one Uncle Eddie.

Hans Flagon said...

I love that second to last shot which I guess is from Dianne Keatons book of found production stills. I love both of her found photo essay collections, but I am sure my copies are lost when moving. Anyone know the titles?

Like eddies perhaps found dream here, my dreams often cluttered with architecture, often with many hidden rooms. So it is good to see someone go off with a 'retelling' of a dream that is similarly so populated. Because it may not be as common as I might think, when I discuss dreams with others.

Dubsoldier said...

That Zepplin really chilled my bones...for some reason I pictured it being driven on its own thought, without a pilot.
Great story along with the images!

Anonymous said...

I love your Halloween month posts, Eddie, they're so creepy.

Eddie Fitzgerald said...

Jorge, Dub, Mud, Niki: Many thanks!

Hans: The second to the last picture is from my favorite Keaton book: "Mr. Salesman." Her latest book is called "California Rusticana," which is about an interesting subject, but is marred by too much long lens photography.

Jennifer: It is like a Twilight Zone episode! The idea of a dream that can kill the real world dreamer has been done a lot, maybe because every writer that considers it is seduced by the creative opportunities offered in imagining a horrific dream.

I did it because, after putting the dream up, I realized that with a few additional pictures I could make a story out of the dream.

Mr. Trombley said...

Dear Sir,

I meant to post this when you mentioned "eccentric acting", but I figure this story can also accept this video of Vincent Price on "What's My Line":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EbkR_kdrt0

Eddie Fitzgerald said...

Mr. Trombley: Thanks. Vincent Price looked great.

Vincent Waller said...

Love it.

Steven M. said...

You spelled "zeppelin" wrong.