It is end of the year; Paul visited his friend at NYC to spend Christmas together. Paul is eating chips, and his friend just finished reading some funny but rude comments on YouTube video of Paul, making Paul embarrassed.
“Gee, Paul, I just saw you were nominated for the YouTube thing. I mean, you are like, famous, right? Maybe we should make more items, like, like Tumbler. That video was surely funny…”
“It is strange how people would look at the finger that points the moon, not the moon itself. People tell me double rainbow is not something to sob about, but let me ask: when did you guys in NYC ever saw a rainbow, let alone a huge double rainbow that almost looked like a triple rainbow? Except on the T-shirts you make homosexual wear. Have you ever looked at the azure sky right after the rain, expecting a rainbow, or did you look at your gray city, complaining that your new shoe would be muddy and you’d have to buy a new one? Yet you say a double rainbow is not something to be impressed about.
I have asked what the meaning of rainbow was – and the answer I got from a university was that it was because of some water molecules. Now I graduated elementary school too, mind you. I haven’t asked about ‘how’; I asked ‘why’. Why nature would grants us such gift? What is it trying to say through this? Let me tell you, Jim, that video had only 40% of its color. Rainbow is supposed to be the symbol of hope, blessing – Noah received rainbow after the big flood; it was the symbol of the ancestor’s blessing for many Native American tribes; but here in America? What was the meaning of rainbow? How should I take it? I know you are atheist so I won’t talk about heaven. But I felt myself lifted when I saw that rainbow, Jim, and let me tell you, I know I was seeing something that was… that was out of this world.”
“Well, Paul, you are surely out-of-this-world.”
Jim made a funny face. He thought about recording this speech and uploading on YouTube as the sequel of Double Rainbow, but then he changed his mind. Starting to be bored, he searched for ‘related video’ in order to make himself more enjoyable.
“And to tell you something, Jim, when the same video was uploaded in January, nobody cared – some were even as impressed as I was, even though they did tell me that I seem over excited. It was after six month, when you – the star YouTube uploader – uploaded it in the ‘humor’ category. At first people thought it wasn’t funny, but when they had a feeling that other people laugh at it, they just laugh. It’s not the content, Jim. It’s the manipulation – people volunteer to be manipulated. That’s why they can’t focus on double rainbow, and focus on me – who doesn’t even show in the video.”
“Yeah, OK. I get it Paul. I won’t make a Tumbler. Let’s just sell Double Rainbow T-shirts – it’s making a lot of money. Now be quiet and take a look at this video – it’s a girl moaning over her pet dog’s death and it’s hilarious; I mean, the death of dog is sad and all, but it happens all around the world! Wow, she’s now hitting her head against a tree…”
Eun Young,
ReplyDeleteCongrats on being the first to post! And congrats for writing such thoughtful dialogue. It's poetic, insightful, and full of unique rainbow-related tidbits that I'd love to hear the Rainbow Guy saying in his own unique hippy lingo.
Having watched that particular video many times, I think it's fair to assume that he might have been high on some sort of drug. You present him in a much more sober light here, and I like that. I can just see him in NYC telling people they don't understand the truth about rainbows.
The last part of this is very philosophical, and says a lot about internet culture these days. I hope there isn't a video about a girl crying over her deceased dog, but there probably is and/or will be.
Again, very well expressed. This is a nice moment. You could add some more description and characterizations - things like the chips are a start. Paul is a bit of a chubby looking dude, and indeed he'd be eating chips. But what kind are they? Organic? What kind of shirt is he wearing? What are some things about Jim that make him a typical Manhattan yuppy?
In a way, I like what you've written because it is sparse on detail, and focuses more immediately on what the character has to say. In that regard, you could describe what you've written as prose. It's poetic narrative, more so than short fiction.
Excellent!