July 12, 2005
Week 12 - Impossible Dreams 1
Episode 2
Night. Hal sits by a duck pond in a park, in Huntington, Long Island. His bicycle is propped on its kick-stand next to the bench.
In his hand he cups a pile of small stones. He tosses one into the water. It lands with a quiet splash, producing concentric circles of expanding rings.
Suddenly, the silence is shattered by a high pitched yell. “Freeze, mechanical fiend!”
Hal’s head snaps up and he looks around.
A tall, gangly man emerges from the trees behind the bench. His face is covered by a cheap, plastic Coyote mask. He is wearing a college sweatshirt with a large letter “C” on the chest. A window curtain, safety pinned at his neck, flows behind him like a cape.
“Do not fear son,” he says. He looks at the bicycle. “I’ll save you from this robotic menace.”
Hal stands up. “What? Get away from me.”
“This is a scout droid from Epsilon Theta Four,” the man says. “It has been sent to earth to probe our defenses, in preparation for an imminent invasion.” He kicks the cycle, knocking it down. “It is vital that it be destroyed immediately.”
“Hey!” Hal yells. “You’re crazy! Get away from my bicycle!”
The man looks at Hal. “Ahh…,” he says. “I understand… it has taken you under its hypnotic control… Do not fear… I shall disable it without allowing harm to come to an innocent, such as yourself.” He pulls a large wrench from a pouch at his belt and holds it over the cycle. “Now, fiend! Feel the wrath of my Coyote’s Jaw!” He brings the wrench down, hard, on the cycle’s front wheel.
“Hey! Hey!” Hal screams, backing away. “Somebody help me! Help!”
The man looks at the cycle. Several spokes have been knocked out of place. “There! It has been crippled. Perhaps this show of strength will prevent the war before it starts.”
Hal stares at the wheel. “You asshole!” he yells. “You broke my bike! Now how am I supposed to get home!”
The man nods. “Yes… the hypnosis ray usually takes several minutes to wear off…” He looks at Hal. “When it does, son… Spread the word! Tell the citizens of this fine metropolis that they no longer need live in fear. For they are now protected by…” He stands up straight. “Coyote Man!” He pulls the curtain in front of his face and then runs back into the trees behind the bench. Soon he has disappeared from view.
Hal stares at the trees, his mouth hanging open. He looks back at his bicycle. His eyes begin to tear. “F--king asshole!” he mutters.