Marseille, France, 2014
"The Eiffel Tower was built on the backs of men who never knew that love was absent from the world. Especially Paris.”~ Jade Day
NARRATION SEQUENCE:
Hi. My name is Do and strangely enough it is commonly mispronounced. It is often associated with that of English word “do” which is technically an action verb, but that’s besides the point. I am twenty three years of age and am anti-social so when people act like they know me it freaks me out. My main passion is poetry although I have recently discovered an interest in disc jockeying and my passion for it grows more and more each day. Anyway, if you are wondering how I ended up in this asylum you are about to find out.
[Scene Opening]
[Do slowly opens his eyes. He attempts to move his arms but with great struggle. Do lifts his head and glances down only to discover that he was lying upon a white cot while restrained within a straight jacket. Shortly after this discovery he begins rapidly scanning the room. The room was solid white and covered by padded walls from the ceiling to the floor.]
DO: Where the hell am I…?
[Do then attempts to sit up but is unsuccessful. He then accidentally rolls out of his cot landing on the floor with a hard thud.]
DO: A-a-rgh… **** that hurt…
[ A digital vocalization suddenly began to commence much less to Do’s awareness]
DIGITAL SPEAKER: Mr. Nino, personnel of doctoral authority are scheduled to arrive in approximately one minute. 59, 58, 57, 56, 55
DO: No! Where am I? Please just tell me where I am!
DIGITAL SPEAKER VOICE: 49, 48, 47, 46, 45
DO: I’ve got to get out of here…. I need to get home!
[Do attempts to stand. He successfully rises to his feet and starts running. Mistaking a padded wall for the door he blindly runs toward it. He hits the wall and bounces back two feet and on to his back again.]
DO: Arrghh, my back…
DIGITAL SPEAKER VOICE: 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15
[Do remains laying there]
DIGITAL SPEAKER VOICE: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…
[The door opens and a man in a white lab coat walks into the room accompanied by a nurse. The man had short, black hair in the style of a crew cut. He also wore small, square glasses with black frames. His skin had sort of a beige color to it along with the creeping annoyance of 5 ‘o clock shadow. He also was wearing black slacks and shoes. The man also had a check pad and a pen in his hand.]
DR. NIGHTMARE: I tell you Anaïs these kids are digging holes. They are digging holes deeper than death.
[Anaïs laughs]
DR. NIGHTMARE: I mean how much time must pass before one of them takes notice? Hmm?
[Dr. Nightmare and Anaïs both laugh in equal succession. Dr. Nightmare then stops and stares bewildered at Do who to his surprise was still lying on the floor.]
DR. NIGHTMARE: Hello there young man.
DO: Hey
DR. NIGHTMARE: The fall must have hurt huh?
DO: You have no idea…
[Dr. Nightmare removes a small flashlight from his coat pocket and carefully begins examining Do’s eyes.]
DR. NIGHTMARE: Your eyes look okay kid. There is nothing out of the ordinary. Here let me help you up.
[Dr. Nightmare helps Do to his feet]
Yeah, I know what it’s like kid. I was once patient who was confined within this very same room that you just so happen to be sitting in right now. I have experienced great waves of panic and fear which eventually escalated into that very same fall that you just experienced. It hurts like a ***** too. Anaïs could you please grab us some chairs dear?
NURSE YUCKI: Yes, Dr. Nightmare
[Anaïs returns with three white chairs. She sets the chairs down proceeding to sit in one of them.]
DR. NIGHTMARE: Please take a seat kid.
[Both Do and Dr. Nightmare proceed to sit in the chairs]
DO: Who are you and what are you doing here?
DR. NIGHTMARE: Oh, how rude of me for not introducing myself. My name is Archie Moreau though the majority of the staff and patients refer to me as Dr. Nightmare. The lady on my left is referred to as Nurse Yucki.
[Anaïs waves and smiles]
NURSE YUCKI: You can call me Anaïs.
[Do decides to bare a forced smile in response]
DR. NIGHTMARE: We are here to conduct a psychiatric interview as well as a series of tests in order to properly evaluate your mental illness and to identify what type of mental illness you may or may not have.
DO: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Mental illness? First of all what is this place and why the hell am I here?
DR. NIGHTMARE: My, my, my you really weren’t listening at all were you? I said we are going to conduct an interview and a short series of tests to identify what may or may not be wrong with you. Keyword: May. Calm down won’t you? It’s just a quick, easy and painless process.
DO: Calm down? Calm down? I wake up confined within a straight jacket in a cot in an unfamiliar room within an unfamiliar place and you want me to calm down? You still haven’t told me where I am nor have you told me what has happened to me. I need answers.
DR. NIGHTMARE: Okay, fair enough. Firstly, let me start by saying that this room you speak of is more commonly known as a padded cell. That’s why all the walls are padded so that it is nearly impossible for you to harm yourself. Secondly, do you not retain any memory of the events of the past forty-eight hours?
DO: This is shockingly funny Archie.
DR. NIGHTMARE: I did not say that you could call me Archie.
DO: Okay, Dr. Nightmare. Let’s say that I could remember anything that may or may not have occurred in the past forty-eight hours as you say. Don’t you think that I would have told you?
DR. NIGHTMARE: ****. You really don’t remember a thing do you?
DO: No **** Sherlock we just established that.
DR. NIGHTMARE: You had been unconscious for two days.
DO: And why was that? What happened to me?
DR. NIGHTMARE: You were at a bar. You were sitting and drinking when suddenly you took a knife to your wrist and began to mutilate your flesh. It was unclear why but I particularly remember you exuding a piercing scream. You appeared to be in a great deal of agony both physically and emotionally. Does that refresh your memory a bit?
DO: No, not at all. I still can’t remember a thing. The only thing I can remember is being highly intoxicated.
DR. NIGHTMARE: That’s a start.
DO: Please continue…
DR. NIGHTMARE: As you wish; Shortly after you had publicly wielded your knife, two security guards clad in solid black t-shirts and black slacks rapidly began approaching you. They obviously noticed that you were intoxicated and offered to politely escort you out of the bar accompanied by multiple verbal threats. You resisted. They both attempted to apprehend you. You fought back. The next thing I know one of the guards grabbed both of your arms and folded them behind your back as the other guard punched you in the eye, chest and stomach. The guards then picked you up by your hands and feet and proceeded to toss you out of the bar.
DO: How do you know all of this?
DR. NIGHTMARE: Because I was there that night. I was watching.
[Do looked at Dr. Nightmare with an exceptionally bewildered ****** expression.]
DR. NIGHTMARE: I was the one who brought you to the asylum, Do.
DO: How the hell did you know my name?
DR. NIGHTMARE: Through various methods of frequent networking
DO: Why did you help me?
DR. NIGHTMARE: The night is always darkest before dawn
[Do continues sitting there with a puzzled look on his face]
DR. NIGHTMARE: Are you ready now, Mr. Nino?
TO BE CONTINUED...