Normal-Neil Bartram

[00:00.151]Thomas [00:00.305]And so i started writing. Anything and everything got put on paper. [00:05.685]A one-sentence preface... [00:06.864] [00:07.077]Alvin [00:07.219]From a book i gave you. [00:08.076] [00:08.238]Thomas [00:08.370]... Nudged me into a "neat career" as... [00:09.962](he tears the page from the book.) [00:11.041] [00:13.432]This isn't about me. [00:14.351] [00:14.654]Alvin [00:14.819]Isn't it? [00:15.512](thomas writes.) [00:15.670]Thomas [00:16.132]We are gathered to honor the life of alvin kelby. [00:20.348]Write what you know tom. [00:22.830]Write what you know. [00:24.438](alvin selects another story and reads.) [00:25.011] [00:25.406]Alvin [00:25.611]A stupid squashable bug. [00:28.090]A story about alvin and thomas. [00:29.642] [00:29.841]Thomas [00:30.011]One afternoon, when i was fourteen, [00:33.062]I borrowed one of the magazines my father kept hidden in his nightstand. [00:37.837]I found alvin at the bridge by the falls staring intently at a butterfly. [00:42.405](alvin steps into the past.) [00:43.019] [00:43.196]Alvin [00:43.375]Tom. Watch this. They say that every time this butterfly flaps [00:47.462]It causes a tiny ripple in the air that can spread out and grow and change wind currents and [00:54.630]Weather patterns. They call it the butterfly effect. One flap could cause a blizzard in africa. [01:01.841] [01:02.150]Thomas [01:02.757]To any other fourteen-year-old, alvin was a freak. [01:05.992]Alvin [01:06.267]I prefer the term "individual". Watch. [01:10.712](thomas joins alvin. They watch the butterfly for a very long time. Nothing happens.) [01:11.867] [01:24.055]Thomas [01:24.246]This is ridiculous. [01:25.676]Al, we’re starting high school in the fall [01:28.454]And you don’t seem prepared for that at all. [01:31.326]When everything is different [01:33.226]And the kids are mostly new. [01:34.963]You’ll see high school can be hard [01:37.080]On ‘individuals’ like you. [01:39.599] [01:39.818]Alvin [01:39.982]Whoa. It's flapping. [01:42.656] [01:42.996]Thomas [01:43.157]It’s a bug. A stupid, squashable bug. [01:48.431] [01:49.311]Thomas [01:49.643]Look at this magazine, alvin. [01:51.808]See what regular guys are obsessed with. [01:55.079]You’re chasing insects [01:56.305]While you could be learning [01:57.421]What miss april tattooed her giant breast with. [01:59.894](thomas shows alvin the cover of the magazine.) [02:00.091]Alvin [02:00.374]Get that out of my face. [02:01.453]Thomas [02:01.628]Being eccentric was fine [02:03.178]When it was just junior high. [02:06.521]If you want to fit in at high school, al, [02:08.928]Be normal. [02:10.769]Just try. [02:12.128](thomas opens the magazine.) [02:12.887]Miss april... Likes action movies, stock car racing, and soup. [02:17.125]You like soup. [02:18.692] [02:18.964]Alvin [02:19.137]She looks uncomfortable. Crap. Where’d the butterfly go? [02:23.512] [02:23.802]Thomas [02:24.000]You’re gonna need to be different alvin. [02:26.434]You gotta draw less attention. [02:28.973]It’s better to just be like one of the crowd [02:31.133]Than a dweeb who dropped in [02:32.625]From the fifth dimension. [02:33.841](alvin sees the butterfly.) [02:34.088]Alvin [02:34.421]There you are. [02:35.545]Thomas [02:35.689]Wouldn’t you like to be more [02:37.088]Than just ‘that weird kelby kid’? [02:40.165]You could fly under the radar, al [02:42.853]Be normal. [02:43.976]Alvin [02:44.126]Shhhhh! [02:44.952]Thomas [02:45.136]No more playing with bugs, alvin. [02:47.736]No more wearing your dead mother’s robe. [02:51.396]There are bullies and thugs, alvin. [02:53.659]Every one a potential alvin-o-phobe. [02:57.097](the butterfly flaps.) [02:57.370]Alvin [02:57.642]Whoa! [02:58.821]Thomas [02:59.016]The tiniest transgression, [03:00.873]Like to stick out or rebel, [03:03.336]Will destroy their first impression [03:05.840]And turn high school into hell. [03:08.205]Al! [03:08.961]Alvin [03:09.112]Sh! [03:09.885]Thomas [03:10.062]I threw miss april at the butterfly. [03:12.006](thomas does so. The butterfly flies away.) [03:12.161]Alvin [03:12.480]No! It’s flapping. It’s flapping. It’s flapping a lot. Oh my god. [03:16.209]There’s no telling what chain of events you just set into motion. [03:18.595]Thomas [03:18.725]Nothing's gonna happen! [03:19.667]Alvin [03:19.808]Don’t move. If a stupid, squashable bug can have that kind of power, what about us? [03:26.602]Thomas [03:26.822]Alvin moved his finger. [03:29.024]Alvin [03:29.188]What do you think that did? [03:30.179]Thomas [03:30.338]And then his hand. [03:31.412]Alvin [03:31.566]Or that? [03:32.238]Thomas [03:32.378]And then his whole arm. [03:33.494]Alvin [03:33.646]Or that? [03:34.314]Thomas [03:34.445]Until he was flapping around like some crazed pterodactyl. [03:38.573]Alvin [03:38.714]Woo hoo! Look at me tom. I’m changing the weather. I’m redirecting the jet stream. [03:44.977]I’m melting the polar ice caps. [03:47.439]Thomas [03:47.627]Nothing is changing! You look like an idiot! [03:51.806] [03:52.137]Nobody said it was easy, alvin [03:54.725]Nobody said it was pretty. [03:57.246]And hearing this stuff from a friend may be hard, [03:59.357]But not knowing at all would be twice as shitty. [04:03.812]You’ll get through high school unnoticed [04:05.556]Then you’ll thank me, you’ll see. [04:09.701]So don’t be the guy who bucks every trend [04:12.362] [04:12.557]Alvin [04:12.710]Give me that magazine. [04:13.580](alvin picks up the magazine and examines it closely.) [04:13.730]Thomas [04:14.244]Who i have to justify and defend. [04:17.573]Alvin [04:17.755]I didn’t see that before. [04:20.141]Thomas [04:20.275]If you want to keep being my best friend [04:22.672]Be normal... [04:25.500](alvin plucks something from the cover.) [04:25.670]Alvin [04:26.183]A caterpillar. [04:26.994]Thomas [04:27.217]... Like... [04:27.673](thomas selects a story and alvin falls to the ground writhing in pain.) [04:27.801]Alvin [04:28.077]Tom! [04:29.245]Thomas [04:29.421]Bullies and thugs. [04:30.362]Alvin [04:30.507]Tom! [04:31.044]Thomas [04:31.189]A story about alvin kelby. [04:32.400]Alvin [04:32.548]Tom! [04:33.139]Thomas [04:33.283]For our tenth grade halloween party, [04:34.806]Alvin came to school dressed as his mother’s ghost again. [04:37.284]Bathrobe and all. [04:38.369]Alvin [04:38.493]Tom! [04:39.110]Thomas [04:39.258]What was cute at six was just weird at fifteen. [04:41.046]Alvin [04:41.347]Tom! [04:42.017]Thomas [04:42.153]Donnie carter chased alvin all the way to the bridge and, by the time i got there, [04:45.448]Had him pinned to the ground and was pummeling him mercilessly. [04:48.298]Alvin [04:48.453]Tom! [04:48.937]Thomas [04:49.078]Get off him! [04:49.695]Alvin [04:49.829]Tom! [04:50.399]Thomas [04:50.541]I said get off him now! [04:52.245](thomas helps alvin to his feet.) [04:52.404]Alvin [04:52.781]He’s got my robe, tom. [04:53.830]Thomas [04:54.031]Give him the robe, donnie. [04:55.000]Alvin [04:55.144]Please give it back. [04:55.740]Thomas [04:55.889]Give it back now. [04:56.556]Alvin [04:56.727]No. Don’t do that. No no no. Please. Please. Don’t! [04:58.716]Thomas [04:59.039]Donnie threw the robe over the side of the bridge and ran away. [05:05.138]We watched it disappear over the falls. [05:07.697] [05:11.969]But seriously al, what were you thinking?