11. A Main Character

Here she is, one of the main characters, in part. She is malleable and will be put into situations that have yet to come. She will change and lose and gain qualities. We will use some or all of what we've got. One thing is for sure: she is a geek. Ladies, she needs a name. What do you think?

Here is a quick idea for the first scene we ever see her in and then a stream-of-consciousness summary:

Apartment. Night.

A bowl full of melted chocolate.
An ashtray full of ashes and butts.
A stack of starlight mints, unwrapped.
A box of lightbulbs.

MAIN CHARACTER gingerly takes a light bulb out of a box and dips it into the bowl of chocolate, daintily dipping from above. She pulls the light bulb out by the metal tip, pauses, and then blow dries it on full blast.

(Close up)
She licks the chocolate light bulb by sticking her tongue out flat and rubbing the light bulb on it.

She removes the cigarette butts from the ashtray and pours the ashes over the light bulb, which stick to the moisture from the lick. She puts dots of hot glue from a glue gun on the chocolatey-ashy light bulb and gently adheres starlight mints.

CUT TO:

A shelf of light bulbs dressed with various things- plastic, stamps, hair, nacho chips, flowers, etc. Each light bulb has a name tag.

CUT TO:
An empty spot on the shelf, with a name tag: "Big Jim." MAIN CHARACTER gently places the newly- made light bulb on the shelf and adjusts it.

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She makes light bulbs. Well, the light bulbs are already made. She makes people out of light bulbs. She makes light bulbs into what people would be if people were light bulbs. Melted orange plastic, jutting out from all sides, with soft blue fabric underneath- that's her boss, Clara. A light bulb dipped in chocolate with cigarette ashes and starlight mints, Big Jim across the street. Stamps, dog hair, and perfume is her Grandma who's not really her Grandma and whiskey with nacho cheese and flowers is Itty Bitty John in the wheelchair who got hit by a car last year. She makes the light bulbs alone at home after work at the grocery store most days. She doesn't screw them into shine. The glue will melt.

She had a boy over one time, a bagger who works third shift with greasy hair and a limp. He put Roxy the Bartender in the bedroom ceiling lamp to try to "set the mood." All the strings of red plastic melted, which was pretty at first and then started to stink. The hairspray started to smoke and one of the neighbors called the fire department. He never came back and now everybody knows she makes light bulbs. 34 total, not counting the first Roxy.