Challenge No.42 - All the Chatter.
Visit a park, coffee shop, or another public place that is buzzing with activity. Take note of what you hear the people around you say. Begin an original scene or story that includes something you overheard.
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Television, from networks to cable to streaming and from analogue to digital, has always been a creature with an insatiable appetite, constantly consuming products, today it was going to have a sour morsel.
'Max's Everyman Show' Was one of the most popular shows on the island of Saint Lucia. It streamed on Saturday Nights on the OctoCorp Vision platform. This week the host Max had gotten Amos to chat with him.
Max set up his camera, connected to the channel via the WIFI and that's all it took.
Max: Ready?
Amos: Yes.
Max: Great. We start in 3-2-1
Max: Evening folks. This time on Max's Everyman we're chatting with Amos. Tell the viewers about yourself. Who is Amos?
Amos: I'm a Lucian born and raised. I'm the caretaker at Laureates Park. That's all.
Max: Oh, no, sir. Without you, the Park cannot be.
Amos: I suppose. If you say so.
Max: Of course! Now tell us. Over the years you must have seen lots of things.
Amos: It's a park. Something's always going on.
Max: I bet you have lots of stories.
Amos: I suppose.
Max: Tell us one.
Amos: Well, there was that one time a fella came in here with a gun. He'd shot someone at the bus stop down the road. Police were hot on his tail and the son of a gun runs in here.
Max: What happened?
Amos: Happen? Confusion for so! The place was full of children and this fool was still shooting! Mothers grabbed their children and ran!
Max: Where were you? What did you do?
Amos: Well, I was over there in the booth checking the WIFI connection. He passed by and I hit him with a whiskey bottle. He went down like a stone. Nuff said.
Max: As scary as that story is, it's also funny.
Amos: If you say so.
Max: I'm sure you also hear lots of things.
Amos: For sure. During the day the kids run around, but at night the couples come out. Especially on a full moon.
Max: Ahhh
Amos: Yeah. Valentine's Day they take over the place. They come here to quarrel too.
Max: I'm sure.
Amos: Some come to study.
Max: Any favourite things?
Amos: The Spoken Word festivals. I really like those. The young poets come and perform. They see so much. The way they write those poems. We should listen to them.
Max: Yes. We've covered a few Spoken Word events on our channel.
Amos: Christmas is nice too. I usually help the council to put up all those lights! So many people come to see it. It's nice. Then the Masqueraders* come. Oh boy! When they come, I know that Christmas is here. Papa Djab, the Ti Djabs, Acrobat, Pi Bann, Uncle Sam with his wife Sarafina, Chouval Bwa and Marie Ansent. I love them all.
Max: What's the most unusual thing to happen here?
Amos: There's a human body buried over there.
© 11 April 2022
* A true Saint Lucian Christmas tradition with the characters listed.
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