story by Patrick Breheny

                                               INTERVIEW WITH A DEAD MOVIE STAR

       I:               So, what’s it like for you now?

  DMS:               Oh, you know…if you don’t know, I could never tell you, and if you did 

know, I wouldn’t have to.

      I:                I don’t know.

 DMS:                You will. What’s it like there now?

       I:               In what way?

  DMS:               Do people remember me?

        I:             Sure. Everybody knows your name, the names of your movies.

   DMS:             Do they watch them?

       I:             Sometimes.

    DMS:           When?  

         I:           Well, maybe at a class about a certain style or genre. Occasionally at a revival house.

     DMS:          One night?

          I:          A few nights.

     DMS:          Then something else..?

         I:           Well, yeah…movie theaters.

     DMS:          Have you seen my movies?

         I:           All of them!

     DMS:         When was the last time you watched one?

          I:          It was…

    DMS:           How long ago?

        I:           Fifteen, seventeen…could it be?...twenty two years ago.

    DMS:          Why don’t you watch them more?

        I:           There’s…new…stuff.

     DMS:         Could you watch one tonight?

        I:            Sure.

      DMS:         The whole thing?

         I:            Okay.

      DMS:          There’s one that’s my favorite. Could you watch it every night?

          I:          That I can’t promise.

      DMS:         Would anybody?      

     I:               Maybe there’s somebody who does.

      DMS:         A cultist.

          I:          Isn’t that good?

       DMS:        Better than nothing. Does such person exist?

          I:          I don’t know.

       DMS:        Could you find out.

           I:         I’ll try.

        DMS:        How?

            I:        You know…Internet search…Social media

        DMS:       What are those?

            I:       If you don’t know, I could never explain.

        DMS:       You’re making a joke.

            I:         A little.

         DMS:       My situation is no joke.

            I:        I believe you.

         DMS:      So you’ll watch my entire movie tonight?

            I:       I’m afraid if I do you’ll keep coming back.

          DMS:     If you don’t I’ll keep returning.

            I:        Why me?

           DMS:    Why not you? I like you.

            I:        Your repertoire is…You were in about sixteen movies.

            DMS:    Oh, ignore that beginning shit.

             I:         Why? You were young then. Handsome.

           DMS:       I was never handsome. Rugged. Okay, start there and work forward.

             I:          I’m looking for you on my lap top.

           DMS:      Huh?

              I:         It’s a computer.

           DMS:       Connected to the top of your lap?

              I:         Sort of…I’m having trouble---your name…everybody knows it, but like a lot of famous stars, you spelled the first name in a strange way.

          DMS:        You don’t know how to spell my name?

              I:          I haven’t seen it in print for a long time.

           DMS:         Aghhh!

             I:            Hello?

            DMS:         Ayeee! I am starting to disintegrate. I’m disappearing from this world, ceasing to exist.

             I:             I suppose that’s inevitable after a while.

           DMS:          Don’t be so smug. Agghh!

             I:           Hello?   Hello?...Let it be said, the audio is still operating, but I can only record my own voice. I can just hear my voice. For now…I am…hearing… my voice…

copy...r...ri....ah well...

And back in the known world, Copyright, all rights reserved by Patrick Breheny---I wonder if INTERVIEW Magazine would want this...?