THE GAME THAT NEVER STOPS Tales from the Loop — Country Road Kids Inspired by Stranger Things
Chibi:
“He’s still out there.”
Mara:
“I know.”
Chibi:
“He didn’t go home.”
Mara:
“No.”
Chibi:
“He keeps doing it.”
Mara:
“Yes.”
Chibi:
“Over and over.”
Mara:
“Yes.”
Pause.
Chibi:
“Do you think he gets tired?”
Mara:
“No.”
Chibi:
“Everyone gets tired.”
Mara:
“Yes.”
Chibi:
“He doesn’t.”
Mara:
“No.”
Chibi:
“That’s cheating.”
Mara:
“Yes.”
Chibi:
“Let’s play something.”
Mara:
“What?”
Chibi:
“A game.”
Mara:
“What kind?”
Chibi:
“One where you have to stop.”
Mara:
“…okay.”
Chibi:
“You run until it hurts.”
Mara:
“Yes.”
Chibi:
“Then you stop.”
Mara:
“Yes.”
Chibi:
“And if you don’t stop…”
Mara:
“You lose.”
Chibi:
“Yes.”
Mara:
“That’s not how most games work.”
Chibi:
“No.”
Chibi:
“But this one’s better.”
Mara:
“Why?”
Chibi:
“Because it tells you when something’s wrong.”
Pause.
Mara:
“He wouldn’t lose.”
Chibi:
“No.”
Mara:
“He’d just keep going.”
Chibi:
“Yes.”
Chibi:
“And he’d win.”
Mara:
“Yes.”
Silence.
Chibi:
“That’s a bad game.”
Mara:
“Yes.”
Chibi:
“Let’s make another rule.”
Mara:
“Okay.”
Chibi:
“If you fall…”
Mara:
“Yes?”
Chibi:
“You stay down for a bit.”
Mara:
“Why?”
Chibi:
“So you remember it.”
Mara:
“He wouldn’t stay down.”
Chibi:
“No.”
Mara:
“He’d get up immediately.”
Chibi:
“Yes.”
Chibi:
“Like it didn’t happen.”
Mara:
“Yes.”
Chibi:
“That’s also cheating.”
Mara:
“Yes.”
Pause.
Chibi:
“You think he’s playing a different game?”
Mara:
“Yes.”
Chibi:
“What are the rules?”
Mara:
“He doesn’t have any.”
Chibi:
“That’s not fair.”
Mara:
“No.”
Chibi:
“If you don’t have rules…”
Mara:
“You can’t lose.”
Chibi:
“Yes.”
Chibi:
“And if you can’t lose…”
Mara:
“You don’t know when to stop.”
Silence.
Chibi:
“So you just keep going.”
Mara:
“Yes.”
Chibi:
“Even if something’s wrong.”
Mara:
“Yes.”
Chibi looks toward the distance.
Chibi:
“He doesn’t know he lost.”
Mara:
“No.”
Chibi:
“But he did.”
Mara:
“Yes.”
Pause.
Chibi:
“What did he lose?”
Mara:
“The part that says ‘enough.’”
Silence.
Chibi:
“That’s important.”
Mara:
“Yes.”
Chibi:
“Can you get that back?”
Mara watches the ground.
Mara:
“Not if you keep playing.”
Long pause.
Chibi:
“What if he stops?”
Mara:
“He won’t.”
Chibi:
“Why?”
Mara:
“Because it works.”
Chibi looks down.
Chibi:
“That’s a bad reason.”
Mara:
“Yes.”
Chibi:
“You think anyone tells him?”
Mara:
“No.”
Chibi:
“Why not?”
Mara:
“They like the game.”
Silence.
Chibi:
“Do you think they’ll play too?”
Mara:
“Yes.”
Chibi:
“Even if it’s bad?”
Mara:
“Yes.”
Chibi:
“Then the game spreads.”
Mara:
“Yes.”
Chibi:
“And no one stops.”
Mara:
“No.”
Very long pause.
Chibi:
“What happens then?”
Mara looks ahead.
Mara:
“There’s no one left to lose.”
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