TUDAWR9

TUDAWR

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Characters: Me, her, a cat, the Universe

Setting: a Movie Theater

I was at that point where you can't eat anymore popcorn, where you tell yourself that the last bunch in your hand will be the last, where the over accumulation of salt in your mouth makes your teeth gritty and your tongue oily. But I kept eating. At the same time I was staring at the screen. My mind was neither watching the film nor eating away at the tortured kernels of maize. I was doing both and neither at the same time, I was seriously annoyed. So I ate another handful and kept staring. I wasn't able to transform a third mental activity into and actual physical manifestation and make myself either stop staring at the screen and fully concentrate on finishing the bag of popcorn or stop eating and pay and fully concentrate on the film.

I payed for the ticket, pay attention to the movie.

I payed for the popcorn, pay attention to popcorn.

I'm confused.

How I wished I could be outside looking up at the nightsky letting these thoughts drown among the stars. Wow, that was very well structured thought, good syntax, very poetic, very smart.

I remember reading that smarter people eat more salt than, than, than, than the people that don't eat as much salt as the people that eat salt.

Ouch! Brain freeze.

I'm even more confused than before. But my fourth or fifth wave of thought is telling me I should concentrate on the salty popcorn.

But wait! Theatre is art and poetry in movement; I read once that observing and learning to appreciate others' artistic manifestos makes you smarter than, than, you know, than me and you. Maybe not you, but maybe you. Now all the voices in favor of concentrating no watching the film are yelling louder than the popcorn cheerers.

Now the popcorn team comes back with redoubled strength gracefully and learnedly speaking about dietary values and tasty butter butter butter. Movie-team steps back, for a second hesitating, taken aback. They ground their feet, close their fists, straighten their overcoats and sombreros, and prepare to strike back. Entertainment, joy, imagination, music, action, beauty!

Ouch, ouuuch, ouuchh, ouuch! This is too much, I feel a brain-industrial refrigerator freeze about to take over!

Meeeeowwww.

I turn around and look at what I thought was an empty seat next to me. But instead I see that there is a cat inside an empty bucket of popcorn staring straight at me through a pair of 3-D glasses.

Meeow? I answer back instantly regretting it, I don't speak cat.

Wait, what? Ok, that is definitely too much. Brain iceage. Begin systems shutdo....

"Hey mister!" said a female voice. The lights were on, the cat was gone, and I was alone stare-ing blankly into a disappointingly empty screen and holding a mouthful of soggy bland popcorn half-way to my mouth.

"Hey mister, closing time".

I love going to the movies. And eating popcorn.

The Universe Remains