Dreams of Arcadia

Tonight’s TweetPlay: “A Tinfoil Moon” A young man’s quest for education puts him under the thrall of a madman, with disastrous consequences.

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Once upon a time, there was an idealistic young boy, hungry for knowledge.

After graduating from High School, he spent his summer hard at work saving money for college.

He’d been accepted to the prestigious new Beck University, but there were no scholarships available.

Scholarships, he was told, were a “socialist” concept. “We teach you to pull yourself up by your boot straps,” they said.

He couldn’t wait for his first day. His cat, Mr. Sprinkles, on the other hand, wasn’t amused.

Neither was his girlfriend.

Nevertheless, the day arrived and he left for school. His dad bid his usual fond farewell.

He was greeted on campus by his orientation coach, who filled him in on certain expectations.

His coach gave him his official school uniform.

Then sent him to his medical exams.

First was the eye exam:

It was a bit uncomfortable.

Then came the dentist:

He seemed to be looking for something.

The hardest part was the hernia check:

Yeah, it hurt a bit.

Finally, he was taken to his room, past the motivational posters that lined the walls.

And the television monitors that repeated the school’s motto over and over and over:.

He met his roommate, who at first unnerved him a bit.

Until they exchanged gifts of friendship. He got a T-shirt.

The next day was spent attending a welcoming assembly:

It was quite the show.

They even had a marching band!

At last, the moment he was waiting for arrived. The welcoming address by the chancellor!

It was a glorious speech. The chancellor spoke of steering them down the paths of destiny.

The chancellor spoke of a metaphorical “house on a hill.”

And he wept for what he called the loss of the American Dream.

He said he had a vision for the future.

He said the world needed to look to the heroes of the past.

And he suggested that the students band together to hunt down the weak.

He showed how special glasses could be used to identify threats to soceity.

And eliminate them before they could drain the country’s precious bodily fluids.

The crowd loved it!

The boy return to his dorm filled with energy. He threw himself into his studies.

Unlike the other students, he ignored the campus parties.

He was content. Until that one fateful day when storm clouds loomed on the horizon.

There were reports the chancellor had been charged with a serious crime!

Mr. Sprinkles was definitely NOT amused!

There were protests on campus. They were put down violently.

Eggy Weggs, innocent and pure:

Met a gruesome demise at the hands of the rebellious.

More sordid evidence emerged about the chancellor’s behavior.

The chancellor retreated to his bunker and fell into a state of deep despair.

He tried to console himself with food.

Then, inevitably, with the bottle.

Children openly despised him.

Even the animals turned against him.

The chancellor saw his home taken away:

And felt the terrible sting of hubris scorned.

The students took their protests to Washington:

But, for some reason, they weren’t taken seriously.

Eventually, the University itself was closed. Abandoned to the ghosts of dreams gone by.

The boy had nothing left. His ideals had vanished. Alone, he found himself on the streets.

He found himself attacked and beaten mercilessly by his former classmates and friends.

He suddenly understood that he was now one of the so-called “weak.” The police proved it.

One day, though. An angel came and offered a helping hand:

And at last the man learned the lessons of grace.

~~ THE END