Homicidal, Suicidal and Mad as a box of frogs

[Non Compos Mentis]

[The scene opens with a view of a darkened room. As we look around we can only see complete blackness. As we move around further we notice a small grate in one of the walls where a small beam of light is squeezing through. As we look through this grate we notice a flash of light in the distance and then a man in a policeman-like uniform.

The light appears to come from his direction as we become aware that it is his torch that is emitting the flashes. The man then begins to move towards us and flashes the light right at us.

As he approaches the grate, the light from the torch illuminates the room and we notice that the grate is in a door. As the light continues to shine we look around the room to notice a man hunched and sat in the corner. As we look around more, we become aware that the room is padded from top to bottom and the floor is completely covered in the foam like padding.

The man finally reaches the grate and shines the torch right at the man in the corner….]

Man: Sean…..Sean…..Sean……

You never learn do you…..You never learn that you have to conform…..you have to give in to us or we cant help you….

[The man we now know is Sean looks up into the light and holds up his arm to block it….]

Sean: There’s nothing wrong with me…..

Man: There is…..You’re just too stubborn to notice it……to accept it…..

Sean: SHUT UP…..THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH ME…..

Man: Whatever you say….Just remember we’re only trying to help you……

[The man walks off as all of the light disappears. We are left in complete darkness as he disappears into the shadows.

As we stand in darkness we notice stern footsteps from a distance. The footsteps grow closer as we try to see any indication of human life.

We see nothing….

The footsteps stop close to us as we try once again to find any indication of life. We can see only a faint outline of a head and the only light reveals a gray goatee beard and a light reflection off a pair of glasses…]

Voice: We’re only trying to help you…..This institution is only trying to help you with you problems…..

Sean: Dakota……Don’t patronize me…..You want me to conform so you don’t have me as a blot on your record…..The one you couldn’t cure….You know why you cant cure me….There’s nothing wrong with me…..

‘Dakota’: Your Schizophrenic Sean….Trust me…..I’m a psychiatrist for god sake….

Sean: I am not a schizo…. There is nothing wrong with me…..

‘Dakota’: I’VE HEARD YOU SHOUTING AT YOURSELF…..IF THAT’S NOT SCHIZOPHRENIA THEN I SHOULD QUIT MY JOB…..

Sean: Maybe you should…..

‘Dakota’: Your not doing yourself any good…..

[‘Dakota’ moves off as we hear the footsteps begin again, this time they are moving away from us. They move off until we cannot hear them anymore.]


OK So I might have problems…..

I aint gonna let then now that though….

If they think I aint ill…..they’ll have to release me….


[Sean suddenly looks up and then around the room as if he is checking to see if anyone is in the room. There isn’t….]


Hello Sean…..

Again…..

You know you really should have let them help you…..

You have problems….

You have me….



Sean: Shut up…..Shut up…..


Now now Sean……

You really should keep quiet otherwise your INGENIUS plan wont come to fruition…


Sean: SHUT UP……

[Suddenly footsteps are heard and they are exactly the same as ‘Dakota’s’ from earlier. The footsteps slow down as if ‘Dakota’ is moving more tentatively towards the room. The footsteps then stop a little further away than before.]

‘Dakota’: SEAN…..YOU HAVE PROBLEMS…..LET ME HELP YOU…..


Sean….

What are you going to do…..

He’s heard you now…..

What are you going to do….


Sean: SHUT UP…..SHUT UP……

‘Dakota’: Sean…..I can help you…..all you have to do is say Yes…..


Don’t say anything…..

You don’t need his help….

You need ME….

YOU NEED MY HELP SEAN…..


‘Dakota’: JUST SAY YES SEAN…..

Sean: YES!!!!……FUCKING YES…..DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO…..

[The footsteps are heard rapidly moving off in the opposite direction. Sean falls quietly to the side as he hits the nearest wall. He slowly begins to sob as the pain of the voices grows and grows…..

The scene slowly fades to black….]

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[The scene opens with a view of a dark cityscape. It is clearly a view of a large city as the large number of high-rise flats and skyscrapers crowd the view. As the view begins to drop we realize that we are a long way from the commercial center on this city. We appear to be in an industrial area or a kind of slum judging on the appalling amount of rubbish and small groups of afro-Caribbean-Americans standing around on the number of street corners in sight.

As the view looks further down we see a large building that has multiple floor. The building that has a decidedly rustic look to it looks derelict until we see a number of people exiting it.

The view continues to lower and soon we are down to ground level. We ‘land’ in an alley as we face the building. We begin to move forward until we are out of the alley and have a clear view of the front of the building.

We look up and notice the company name on the front of it, ‘Freud Memorial Mental Institution’. As we study the building we notice movement out of the corner of our view. We notice the ripped T-Shirt and Jean Shorts that are characteristic of Non Compos Mentis…..]

Non Compos Mentis: The bane of my life for years…..

The one place that I feared…..The only place that I feared…..

This is the asylum that I spent a few years of my life in…..I don’t actually know how long I spent in there….You kinda lose all sense of time when you aren’t allowed a clock because you might use the bits to commit suicide with…..

They give you laminated paper so you don’t paper cut yourself to death…..

Believe it or not……I spent at least half of my time in there in a padded room with a straight jacket on…..

I was considered suicidal by them…..They though I could kill myself……

Hell they were probably right…..I probably could have killed myself…..

But I didn’t…..Because I knew that I would get out…..and here I am…..outside…..

I finally get my freedom and I choose to come back to this atrocity…..

How sick am I…..

[Our view is slight distracted when we notice movement from behind a curtain a few stories up. The curtain opens to reveal a middle age to elderly man with a gray goatee beard and thin spectacles. He has ear length gray hair and a long face. He is seemingly reminiscent of a gray Van Gough.

Where as we have noticed him, Mentis has not.]

Non Compos Mentis: They said they could help me…..

They said I needed help….

They said that they could turn my life around….

Oh they turned it around alright…..They turned me from a civilized man with good prospects into a Homeless immoral man with no career prospects because I couldn’t get a job….

They said they could help me…..

HaHaHaHa….

I didn’t need help….

I already had it….It pains me to say it but the voices were helping me….

They made me what I never was before….

They made me Driven….Determined….They made me realize that I was capable of so much more that the stupid life of a philosopher….

They showed me through my own pain that I needed the pain of others to fuel myself….

[The man in the window looks on as if he is confused by something…..]

Non Compos Mentis: Jorge…..Maddog…..If this is not enough proof of what you will be facing then I don’t know what I can show you…..

When you step into that ring at Living A Legacy…..You will facing off against someone that is Certifiably Suicidal…..Certifiably Mad…..Certifiably Murderous…..

You can take my word for the last one…..

You will take on the maddest….baddest….most violent…..most deranged Son Of A Bitch on the planet….

You will take on me….

And I will beat both of you…..1…2…3….

For I am Non Compos Mentis….

The Usher of Destruction.

[The scene slowly fades to black as we focus on the man stood at the window as he look on at Mentis who is unaware of his presence….]