Read Within The Machine :: 16. “A Fireside Chat with Lucifer…”

The scene begins with a young Selma about 8 years old being comforted by her mother. She is being comforted because of a small scrape to Selma’s knee. The are presumably outside at a park.

Mom- There.

Her mom puts a band aid on her scrape.

Mom- You need to be more careful Selly, you have to stop getting yourself in trouble.

Her mom slaps the bandaid and Selma flinches.

Selma- I didn’t do anything wrong, Micheal just pushed me!

Mom- You must’ve done something to make Micheal upset.

Selma- I didn’t!

Selma screams.

Selma- I hate him! He doesn’t get in trouble just because he’s a boy!

Selma’s mom looks like she is thinking about what she is going to tell Selma.

Mom- Don’t say that Selma. You know Micheal loves you… you would make him feel bad if he heard you say that.

Selma looks up at her mom

Selma- But its true.

Mom- No it’s not. You’re too little to understand what hate is.

Selma looks down and pouts and whispers to herself.

Selma- I’m not too little.

Selma’s mom just looks down at her and smirks.

Then a blank page with just the word “Yes, you are.” is the next panel. This will be the transition between Selma being 8 to Selma being a teenager.

Selma is sitting at a table engulfed by darkness with Jeremy.

Selma is blushing.

Selma- Thank you.

Jeremy- Don’t thank me. I am already grateful that you gave me a chance to see you again.

Selma- Yeah but only as friends.

Jeremy- You say it like it’s a bad thing, Ill take anything you give me Selma.

There is an extreme closeup on Jeremy’s wrist watch that he has on his right wrist. He has both hand on the table and we can read the watch, the time is 8:33.

Selma- I know you will.

Jeremy smiles.

Jeremy- Anyways, how’s you and that ginger?

Selma- That ginger has a name.

Jeremy- Well… how are you and Daniel doing?

Selma- We’re both good, he asked me to be his life partner not too long ago.

Selma blushes in excitement but Jeremy frowns in disappointment.

Jeremy- And?

Selma- And what?

Jeremy- What did you say?

Selma- I said yes.

Jeremy- I see.

Jeremy takes a second to think.

Jeremy- I guess all I can say to you is… congratulations.

Selma smiles.

Jeremy- So does that mean whatever we had is done with?

Selma- There was nothing between us to begin with Jeremy. We just went out a date, a double date.

Jeremy looks disappointed, which makes selma back track.

Selma- But that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.

Jeremy- You sure it wouldn’t make Daniel jealous?

Selma takes a second to think.

Selma- No I don’t think he’d have a problem with it.

Jeremy- I would.

Selma-…

Jeremy- I would be jealous.

Selma- Why?

Another blank page, “ You are the most beautiful creature I’ve laid my eyes on.”

Selma- It means a lot coming from you.

It in the same set but instead of Jeremy, it is now Daniel sitting across from her.

Daniel- Im glad you can take a compliment now, I remember that you would nearly attack me for saying you were pretty.

Selma- No I wouldn’t.

Daniel- Don’t lie to yourself Selma.

Selma smiles.

Selma- Ok maybe I thought about attacking you, but only because your so handsome.

Daniel blushes.

Daniel- Thank you I know, its a curse being this handsome.

Selma- Fuck you then, you’re not handsome.

They both smile.

Daniel- I like seeing you smile.

Selma blushes

Daniel- I like seeing you blush too. Maybe… I just like everything about you.

Selma- Do you?

Another blank page, “A life with you, I wish to build upon”

Selma- I’m sorry, I can’t be trusted… In other words, I can’t trust myself. How can I promise myself something like that?

Now the scene reverts to Selma’s childhood home. Where Selma and her mother talk in Scene 9

This scene is young 8 year old Selma talking in the beginning to adult Selma.

The young selma is italicized

Adult Selma is black.

Selma shouts in desperation

Selma- But I can! Without myself, I'm nothing!

Selma- I couldn’t even promise Daniel a normal life. If it wasn’t for me, we could of been a normal family.

They speak as if they are having a conversation in Selma’s head, not directly at each other but as if they are telling themselves this.

Selma- Even if I wanted to have a normal life, I know that would’ve been impossible. I can’t have normalcies in this world, to me this is normal.

Selma- Honestly sometimes, I don’t even know why I decided to carry on in a world that god abandoned all of us in. I fucking hate mom and dad for existing, without them, I wouldn’t be here to begin with.

Selma- I can’t blame mom and dad for this. I don’t want to hate anyone!

Selma- I hated everyone, especially you.

Young Selma breaks through the mold and now she is speaking directly at adult Selma, With pure rage.

Selma- I never felt bad for you, never! I always knew that you get a tingling sensation from feeling bad, but to think your practically soaking in you seat right now, you fucking disgust me!

Selma- Why am I like this?

Selma- We are like this… because we carry all this anger! All that rage that you somehow made into an embarrassment of an emotion like sadness!

Selma- I have no reason to be mad.

Selma- Sure you do. Remember that none of this shit is your fault! They took your brother, they took your sorry fucking excuse of a husband, god knows what they are going to do your parents, your baby they killed and most importantly, they took away that shitty thing they called your life!

The last blank page, “Ill be by your side, forever”

The scene dissipates to scene of Selma looking up a staircase, the staircase looks like it belongs to a parking structures staircase, all grey and concrete with no life. At the top of the stairs, the elevator man stands there. Just looking down at Selma.

Elevator Man- It appears that there is a great disconnect within yourself..

The Elevator man extends his arm to beckon Selma.

Elevator Man- A plethora of humans often go on living with this disconnection. It’s very rare for a bridge that is stable enough to be erected to withstand the weight of one’s own vehemence.

Selma- Is it difficult to say I love you?

Elevator Man- It’s a fragile concept, they all want love but lack the expression to understand the language of their own mechanisms. The heart, the soul and the mind. Three, they are forever disconnected but all share the same want, the want to be loved.

Selma- When will it come?

Elevator Man- That is something I can not answer. It will come, but most of the time humans are upset at the results, they will often turn a blind eye to something true. They live as they please, constructing their own truth with their own conjectures.

Selma- Will I ever be loved?

Elevator Man- No. Not how you want to be loved. The closer we are, the more we run the risk of being hurt… all in the sake for comfort.

In a sarcastic attitude Selma says.

Selma- That makes me feel a lot better.

Elevator Man- It’s not suppose to.

Since his eyes are just hollowed out it just looks like a white light surrounded by darkness.

Elevator Man- I guess we found each other again but it’s only when you’re at the doorstep. I find it funny how you feverishly try to get in but no one ever opens the door for you. Maybe you aren’t doing it right, maybe they already know who’s on the other side so they don’t want to answer. I know I wouldn’t.

The more the Elevator man talks the closer the frame is to his eye. Like you're being sucked in.

Elevator Man- All these answers for one question and, unfortunately, none of them are satisfying.

Closer.

Elevator Man- Before we are done, I have three questions to impose on you. First, how do you go on living in a fantasy that has abandoned you? Second, what is the purpose of wearing clothes that doesn’t fit you? And lastly, how can anybody hear your cry in the absence of light?

(SideNote: for the rest of the chapter use the same frames that you used in the last chapter of the first act. Starting from the where Daniel and Selma are eating together after they meet each other in the first floor of their apartment complex.)

After staring into the Elevator Man’s eyes everything has a vignette effect because it is still staring into the Ladder.

Elevator Man-That is enough time for today. Now stare into the Ladder, and I’ll be looking forward to our next session.

The two are now sitting on their dinning table.

Selma-I have something to tell you.

Daniel- Like what?

Selma- I have no other way of saying it so Ill just say it.

Daniel- Wait… was it something bad?

Daniel takes a spoonful of soup.

Selma- Yes, Im sorry Daniel

Daniel- Well, what can it be?

Selma chuckles and looks at Daniel.

Selma- I cheated on you