I just got home from work and a rehearsal dinner. I really have no idea what to write about, so this is all I could come up with. This may or may not be based on the Rudolph Wurlitzer novel Nog. Let’s see if I can finish this before midnight.
Merritt
Dave drives his dirty white van down an abandoned highway in the middle of the desert. He pulls up to a commune on the side of the road. People start to leave their tents and come out to greet the truck. The van has the words, “Say Hi” written on one side and “Fear the Creature Inside” on the other. The leader of the commune, Lockee, comes up and bows to Dave. The rest of the people soon follow. Dave is given a package and then heads back on the road.
Dave is in Chicago, trying to convince people to come and see what he has in his truck. He cannot convince anyone. People throw things at him and tell him to shut up. He doesn’t take it to hard. He has a flash back to being a boy and living on the streets here. He remembers seeing this same van and a man, also named Dave (we’ll say Dave2), trying to sell people in the same way he is now. In this flash back Dave2 asks him if he wants to see inside the truck. Dave says no way, he’s not that stupid. Dave2 opens up the truck and shows him what’s inside, a big rubber octopus.
Dave is in Minneapolis trying the same routine with the same reaction. He heads back on the road. Here he flashes back to being on the road with Dave2, they would both try and sell people on the octopus, a 2 man grift of sorts. People still don’t buy into it, but the two of them have fun. Dave2 is protective of Dave, who is called Tyler in these flash backs.
Dave heads back to the commune, the people there are all very welcoming. He tells them stories around a camp fire, we see the scene cut to a flash back of Dave2 telling the exact same stories around a very similar looking camp fire in a similar looking setting. The scene keeps cutting between the two of them telling the same story. Dave in these flash backs keeps growing older.
That night Dave is in Lockee’s tent, they both seem to be high on something. Lockee is acting like the whole thing is a vision quest. Dave is talking him through it, much like Dave2 (in flash backs) would guide people and eventually Dave. There is a glimpse of Dave’s vision quest, which is him at a giant dinner table eating people. A waiter would keep coming by to ask what if he wanted more. Every time he said yes, and every time the waiter would call Dave by a different name.
Lockee has a moment of clarity, sort of. He pulls out a revolver and points it at Dave, who is not afraid. Lockee then hands Dave the gun. We see a flash back of Dave as a teenager and Dave2 telling him that it is time they go their separate ways while eating at a fire. Dave agrees and walks away, but then stops and turns around to see Dave2 curled over in pain, and vomiting profusely. Dave sits back down at the campfire and continues to eat. Dave2 finally dies and Dave searches him for the keys to the van. He takes off and we see him telling people his name is Dave and trying to get them to see his octopus.
Back in the tent Lockee has told Dave that on his vision quest his end would come from Dave, that he is honored and to continue west to a boat that will take him and the commune to the new world. Dave takes the gun pulls the trigger and the whole commune comes out, not in a rush but as though they know what has just happened. Dave exits the tent to see everyone outside looking at him, then they all return to their beds. Dave sleeps in Lockee’s tent with the body next to him. In the morning, the body is gone and the group is waiting outside for him. Dave takes the giant rubber octopus out of the van and leaves it on the ground, the people of the commune all gather into the truck.
When they hit the coast they are able to find the ship Lockee was talking about earlier. The commune all boards the ship, the captain greeting them all by name as the board. Dave is the last one to board and the captain greets him with a handshake and says, “good to see you again Mr. Lockee.” Dave nods and enters the ship. As they sail off the commune start to talk to Dave and referring to him as Lockee as well. The ship sales onward and the credits roll.
THE END with 2 minutes to spare!