Setting:
- Sandman’s crammed and messy office
Characters:
- Dave
- Sandman
Scene fades in with SANDMAN in his office. SANDMAN is clicking furiously on a video/dream editing software, while admiring his many Oscar dream awards sitting on the ledge above. DAVE enters room by throwing the door open. SANDMAN quickly turns around.
Dave: Hey, Sandman! Can you explain what the hell just happen?
Sandman: Oh! Morning, Dave! You’re up.. (looks at watch) rather early.
Dave: Oh? So you’re surprised?
Sandman: Well, yes. I thought the dream I produced last night for you was awfully interesting. Rather abstract too. I spend a lot of time on it in post-dream production.
Dave: It was awful! Worse than a nightmare! What the hell man?! Why did you haunt me with that garbage?
SANDMAN pulls out a huge list titled “Dream schedule.”
Sandman: I’m confused here, Dave. Last night was supposed to be an adventurous narrative, along with a teeny bit of romance and gore. You’re not scheduled to have a nightmare until..
SANDMAN points at list and shows DAVE. DAVE looks closer at the date.
Sandman: Next Wednesday! That should be one to keep you up all night! Involves a lot of clowns. I really put a lot of time in the camera angles and mo-
Dave: It doesn’t matter what the dream was about! People don’t really remember dreams when they wake up, you know.
Sandman: It sure is a tough job in the dream film department…
Dave: It’s that girl, Sandman! Why the hell is she in every single dream?
Sandman: Oh? The girl named Isabelle? She was barely in it. Just a small cameo.
Dave: It doesn’t matter what she did, she was still in it! And she’s been in practically every dream I’ve had for a month.
Sandman: Well sometimes you have to put in things to appeal to the audience.
Dave: I’m your only audience! And I’m telling you now I hate it!
Sandman: Not according to your subconscious. That guy is requesting her in every production. Especially last month.
Dave: Well, can you cut it out? You know subconscious always comes up with the stupidest ideas.
Sandman: Say… What’s your deal with this person in particular?
Dave: Nothing! She’s just out of place. It’s stupid.
Sandman: Last night’s dream production was about a giraffe teaching trigonometry to an amoeba. She did nothing but stand in the back of the classroom and was in the dream for about four seconds. I’m calling bullshit on this one, Dave. Something is up with her.
Dave: She’s just a problem and nothing more.
Sandman: Spit it out, Dave. Or I’ll boost up the amount of nightmares you’ll have next week so that you’ll become an insomniac.
DAVE wanders around room for a bit and avoids eye contact with SANDMAN, and SANDMAN leans forward.
Dave: She was my girlfriend.
Sandman: You have a girlfriend?! Why didn’t you tell me? No wonder that’s all your subconscious wanted. I’ve never made so many romantic dreams in my life, and why the hell is she just a cameo?! She should be starring in them wi-
Dave: Was my girlfriend, Sandman. I’m using past tense. And don’t make a big deal out of it.
Sandman: What happened? I want to hear your story of heartbreak and woe. It’s for inspirational purposes.
Dave: Sandman…
Sandman: Was it a bad break up? One with harsh words? The rivalry of two old lovers?
Dave: Sandman…
Sandman: Did she move away? Get drafted for “the war”? Did the separation and lack of letters in the mail break your heart? Was it because she lost her arms?
Dave: Sandman…
Sandman: Did you two have a fight? Not perhaps with words, but with violence? Boxing? Karate? The violent, action-packed dreams always turn out to be more popular than the artsy and serious dreams.
Dave: Sandman! It’s not that big of a deal! This is so tacky! Just get rid of her in my dreams, dammit!
Sandman: So it was a bad break up… Okay…
SANDMAN writes in notebook “The Bad Breakup” and begins to write a script of a brand new dream.
Dave: No! No. No. No… It… Wasn’t at all as a matter of fact.
Sandman: Then none of this adds up, bud.
Dave: It’s… not that important to know.
Sandman: Then she’ll be in every single dream, and she won’t have arms and be an expert at kick boxing. Boom. We got a screenplay.
Dave: Fine, fine, fine, dammit! I’ll tell you! But can you promise me that you’ll take her out of my dreams? For good?
Sandman: Tell me your narrative story built by overwhelmed emotions and sadness..
Dave: Okay, so I met her at a bookstore, and we talked about our favorite novels, movies, and other things just out of that small interaction. We started as strangers, then friends, then best friends, and soon we were… A couple.
SANDMAN is writing in notebook while DAVE is turned away. As soon as DAVE turns to SANDMAN, SANDMAN hides notebook behind and smiles.
Dave: Everything was going great, you know? Seemed like we were flawless together. Then one day, she just told me she was no longer interested in me. No no, she told me she was “bored”. But she then came up and said she wasn’t in the right place in her mind for any relationship with anyone. I felt bad, but not as bad as when I saw her with a brand new guy slung around her a five days later.
Sandman: That’s rough, buddy.
Dave: I mean, I don’t really care about it anymore. Just want to forget that she existed. That’s why I’m pissed she’s still in my dreams. She doesn’t have to be doing anything, she just has to be there. Just her being there makes it tougher to forget.
Sandman: Well. If that’s your true request from me, I will make sure she doesn’t appear in your dreams again. Thanks for letting me know, Dave.
Dave: Thanks, Mr. Sandman. It was making things tougher, but also creeping the shit out of me that she was still haunting my life.
Sandman: Creepy?
Dave: Yeah. You know. Kind of weird how she’s still a weird part of my life when she left. It’s uncomfortable.
Sandman: Interesting.
Dave: What?
Sandman: Oh! Nothing, Dave. Don’t worry a bit. I’ll take her out and ignore your subconscious. She won’t bother you anymore.
Dave: Thanks! Talk to you later!
DAVE walks out of room, and SANDMAN turns back to his desk. SANDMAN begins to giggle, and scribble furiously in his notebook.
Sandman: Change in the script. Instead of clowns in Wednesday’s nightmare, it’s going to be a clown Isabelle! He’s never going to see this coming, and it’s going to scare the skin off of him! This is my best idea yet!
Fade out
Patrick is a normal kid who enjoys camping, boxing, cooking, making videos, and all types of humor.