Random Sequence

Scenario 36 (excerpt 1)

Teenage Anarchy, or A Clockwork Frog

"Today, I want to be a mall pirate," said Oscar, an angry-at-the world boy genius, with an evil adolescent laugh. "And you dudes are my posse, my gang from hypnagogic hell. Let's create some confusion. Okay?"

Jett, Colby, and Brick snickered and nodded.

Oscar led them toward the "V" store where they made sour faces at all the smartphones on display and then walked up to the counter. "How do we jam ringtones?" Oscar asked the clerk behind the counter. "Huh? Why?" said the clerk. "They ring in the movies," said Brick, mock serious. "It's like a multiplex contest, with all those disco snippets."

"It breaks our concentration," said Jett.

"I can't help you there," said the clerk.

"What good are you?" said Colby.

The gang left the "V" store and headed for the Japanese counter in the food court. "How do we invest in sushi futures? We want to make money on sushi!" said Oscar. The woman behind the cash register looked puzzled. "You want sushi?" she said.

"No, idiot. We want surfer tattoos!" said Colby. The woman turned around and screamed "Manager!"

"Oh forget it," said Colby. "You're just confusing us. You're undoing my last six months of counseling. Your attitude is a therapy blockade!"

The boys moved on to what they called the Shut-Up Victoria store, where voluptuous manequins modeled racy underwear. "I want a bra with nude thresholds!" said Brick. "You know, a bra that self-destructs. My girlfriend is inhibited." The sales clerk gave him an irked look. "You kids need to leave," she said. "This isn't Spencer's."

The guys shuffled off to the "town square" of the mall, where senior citizens sat on benches around a fountain. "Slob sunsets!" Oscar yelled. "Listen up! We're all on a sticky road here, but it looks like you're sitting it out. Where do we go from here? Huh? Huh, slob sunset people?"

And old man looked up from the book he was reading. "It's not easy being green, is it?" he said.

"Oh, good one," said Oscar. "Ribbet, ribbet, ribbet...."

[Not to be continued. This writing exercise isn't the story I referred to below on Nov. 3rd.]