Saucers/Sources
June 17th, 2020
Starring: Suzette (female, late 70’s), Eli (male, early 30’s), Cooper (male, late 30’s)
Suzette’s apartment. Your classic “old lady’s” place: funky wallpaper, old bookshelves with tchotkes, a certain smell. Suzette sits in an old lounger, holding a cup of tea on a saucer. Across from her is a video camera on a tripod, which is operated by Eli, who holds a clipboard. Cooper stands to the other side of Eli, behind the camera, holding a boom microphone over Suzette’s head.
SUZETTE
Um…
Yes. I believe saw one. Once.
ELI
How well do you remember it?
SUZETTE
Very well.
ELI
Would you mind telling us about it?
SUZETTE
Absolutely.
Well the strange thing is that there wasn’t much too strange about it.
I had just come home from work late in the afternoon. I went out with the dog to get the mail, and as Nadine was relieving herself on the fire hydrant, I happened to look up, and there it was, clear as day.
ELI
What year was this?
SUZETTE
Oh, I don’t know for certain. My daughter was in college, so it had to have been mid-80s?
ELI
‘83 maybe?
SUZETTE
That sounds about right.
ELI
Do you remember what month?
SUZETTE
Must’ve been summertime, because I remember it being very humid. You could see the heat coming off the streets and on the horizon.
ELI
Very hazy?
SUZETTE
Yes. That was the only reason I couldn’t see it clearly. Only a shape.
ELI
Could you describe the shape?
SUZETTE
Well...it was odd. It was sort of shaped like a spaghetti strainer.
ELI
Maybe something like this?
SUZETTE
Yes.
Were you there too?
ELI
No. Actually, I wasn’t born yet.
We’re just very interested.
When you saw it, what did you think it was?
SUZETTE
I don’t know. Some kind of new plane.
I’ve always thought the government was spying on us.
ELI
Did you ever think that what you saw wasn’t from the government?
SUZETTE
No.
ELI
And what did you do next? Once you had seen it?
SUZETTE
I went back inside and started on dinner.
ELI
You didn’t think to tell anybody? About what you saw?
SUZETTE
No.
ELI
Did you ever think that maybe...what you saw wasn’t from Earth at all? Somewhere else?
SUZETTE
Like where?
ELI
Space? Another galaxy?
SUZETTE
Why would that happen?
...
ELI
I don’t know. We’re trying to find out.
SUZETTE
Why?
ELI
Because you saw what you saw.
SUZETTE
I don’t know what I saw.
ELI
Well…
You just told us, didn’t you? The spaghetti strainer in the sky?
SUZETTE
For all I know it could’ve been an airplane. The government spies on us, you know.
ELI
Ok.
(to Cooper) Let’s cut.
...
Thank you Miss Meyers.
SUZETTE
My pleasure.
ELI
Just one moment, ok?
Suzette nods and drinks her tea. Eli takes Cooper out of Suzette’s earshot.
ELI
Should I keep trying or…?
COOPER
I don’t know. Seems like a dead end, man.
ELI
I mean she clearly saw something…
COOPER
Even if she was totally with it, she couldn’t be our key source. She’s beyond the threshold of believability.
ELI
You’re right...it was sounding pretty good though.
COOPER
I know man. This is how it works.
ELI
Yeah.
...
Fucking alzheimers.