BUTTERFLIES FROM THE BRONX Written by David Zheng
It’s a peaceful evening in The Bronx, the sky the color of mango. We’re at St. James Park off of Jerome Ave. The melodic jangle of Mr. Softie ringing in the background. Sounds of running, pushing, crying, laughing are heard from the mob of children playing tag. Then we hear the sound of soft crunching. Beyond the children, the swing set and slide, the trees and blades of grass, are two lil caterpillars – MICKY and NERV – chilling on a large leaf. Micky munches and munches, turning the leaf into Swiss cheese. Nerv stares off into the distance. MICKY YOOOO! I’m so fuckin hungry. I can’t stop eating. I’m gonna be so thick when I’m done that I’ma be a fuckin problem in these streets. I feel like I could bench press a whole twig. You know what I mean? NERV I don’t really have an appetite today. I don’t know. I just feel weird. You don’t feel weird? MICKY Aw man, don’t tell me you still thinking about Lily. I told you. Once these girls become butterflies, they forget all about us. But don’t worry, our time is coming. Micky chokes. Eye balls poppin out their lil sockets. He dramatically gags as if he’s about to die. Then – MICKY Ight, we good. False alarm. Bitch ass twig tryna kill me before I peak. NERV Micky... I don’t want to change. MICKY Huh? NERV To become a butterfly. MICKY You trippin, Nerv. Don’t you wanna learn how to fly? NERV I do! But what If I can’t get my wings to work and I die. MICKY I ain’t scared of no bitch ass death. I’m scared that I’ll never know another life beyond the one we’re living in now. NERV I just really like what we’ve been doing, you know? Just eating and hanging out all day. MICKY Exactly, Nerv! All we do is eat and make holes in things. Ain’t you tired of being so small and slow and slimey and useless? I’m tired of looking like this. LOOK AT US. DO YOU SEE THIS? WE LOOK LIKE GREEN CHALLAH BREAD! I wanna be hot and soaring through the world. NERV But we’re safer here. At home. MICKY What is safety but a personal interpretation of comfort? NERV But what if something goes wrong? What if I don’t hatch from the cocoon? MICKY You always worry so much. NERV What if I don’t like who I become? What if I become a moth? WHAT IF I BECOME A MOTH?! MICKY Nerv. You my boy. We been in this caterpillar shit for weeks now. You my day one. My brotha from another motha. My bug from another slug. My pillar from another – I can’t think of anything that rhymes with pillar. BUT. If you become a moth... if you, my boy, from day one, become a moth... thennnnnn I can’t really rock with cha. Gonna be bad for my image, you feel me? NERV What the fuck. MICKY Not saying that you will become a moth, but if you do, you own it and make a life out of it..
The sun sets, and everything disappears into the vulnerable darkness. The kids. The parents. The trees. The buildings. The cars. The shops. Student debt (hehe). Racism. Flat earth-ers. People who pay $12 for a smoothie. The pimple on the back of my neck. IT ALL DISAPPEARS. VOOM. VANISHED.
Time passes. Maybe a week goes by. Maybe a whole month. Maybe even 3 whole fucking years. That’s right. Google it.
But then – finally –
The sun slowly rises and light breaks through the fragile leaves. Hanging on the branches are two thick lil cocoons.
Complete stillness. Then, a pulse. One of the cocoons shakes and stirs, swinging back and forth. The pulsing gets more dramatic, and we realize something inside is fighting its way into a new life. Quick, animated-like, punches happen inside the cocoon. Then – NERV I’M A FUCKING BUTTERFLY! MICKY! LOOK AT ME! I’m FLYING! Nerv looks at the other cocoon, still intact. NERV MICKY? The cocoon wobbles. Then cracks. Then breaks. Micky breaks out of his cocoon. NERV Uh. MICKY YOU’VE GOT TO BE FUCKIN KIDDIN ME. You guessed it. He’s a moth. MICKY No no no no no no no no no. I can’t do this Nerv. NERV Micky. MICKY WHAT! NERV You look great :) MICKY I wanna go fuck shit up. NERV Let’s go to Central Park! I wanna land on some dog’s nose. MICKY Naw. I gotta better idea. NERV What? MICKY Let’s go to someone’s closet and fuck up their clothes.
END.