a conversation
[privacy failed; public]
[a woman's voice, strained with nervousness.] H...hello?
Hmm? Hey Mom, phone's ringing! ...Aw, fine, I'll get it. Who's there?
Is... Is this Billy? [a deep breath.] It's the head librarian at the... the Mayfield Library. N...now, it seems Billy has a... book overdue.
Huh? You gotta be joking, lady. Reading's for nerds, I don't go to the library! You must have the wrong house.
It says Billy... Smith. [it sounds like she's gritting her teeth.] Right here. [there's the sound of pages rustling.]
Well, you must have the wrong Billy Smith, then. If that's all, I'm gonna hang up now, okey doke?
Wait!
...Huh?
[suddenly the tone of her voice changes; it's not so tired any more. it sounds a lot... younger.] Look, I'm tired of this! Just-
[and it changes again, old and weary and timid.] It's not nice to... t-tell lies, young man.
[the boy's voice changes as well, ever so slightly. it's annoyed, now, carrying an edge that seems odd coming from the mouth of one so young.] I'm not telling lies, lady. You're the one telling lies. You always lie! Even back then-! [...as if shamed by the outburst, he falls silent for a moment.]
...I didn't do anything.
D-don't pretend you haven't got a clue why I'm calling. Respect your... [her tone is bitter:] ...elders.
Someone h-had been... asking around for you. [a short little sound, again in that strangely youthful tone. it sounds like 'hmph!'.] W-weeks ago... But I'm calling about that highway.
Well, I'm pretty popular! [he laughs, brightly.] And look, I don't know anything about any dumb old highway. Maybe you should ask my dad.
...Or my sister.
[her tone is suddenly haughty.] Why don't you ask her?
[he falters.] W... Well why should I? It's not like I care.
[her voice changes again, strangely, and now it seems like the phone's been passed off to someone else entirely. it sounds like a teenaged girl now- nothing like the woman before. but she continues the conversation seamlessly.]
You're scared of her, huh?
A-Am not! What's the matter with you, anyway!? I thought you were supposed to be calling me about- about a lost book. [his voice is a guttural snarl.] Stop messing around with me, you bi-
...
...mean lady!
[her laughter is timid, a bit hysterical and breathless. it's clear the girl's nerves are just as frayed as the old woman's were.] You are! You're scared of her!
[her laughter abruptly stops.] Not that I'm one to talk.
Y-Yeah. You aren't. So why don't you just shut your mouth, you crazy old broad? Huh?
Gosh, 'cause I don't have to live with her. [a soft, stuttery laugh.] That's what you got for being such a loony and a suck-up! What kind of reward is that?
[she draws in her breath, as if steeling herself.] He's worried about that highway. But I should've known you'd still be too crazy to even care. I thought a selfish man like you would be all over that!
I'm not a man- [he practically hisses it.] I'm just a little boy. Duh. Okay? So I don't care anything about any dumb old highway or anything like that, so why don't you just shut the hell up and leave me alone you crazy bitch?
You're already alone! [her tone is faintly hysterical again.] You already got what you wanted, you know! You're alone 'cause we kicked you out!
[and now his tone is somewhat frantic as well. his voice does not rise in pitch, but rather, it falls: becoming the deep, gruff growl of a grown man] They kicked me out because you were a lying little bitch! You lied and turned them all against me, so I didn't have any choice!
But you LOST, didn't you!? Hahahahaha! You lost, and your precious pallie Grey is dead and rotting, and big bad old Olney is now big bad old Grady, and you're just a crazy old hag now! SO THERE!
[her voice trembles a moment- emotional, sorrowful] I-if Mr. Grey could see you now...! He'd know I was right! He believed me. A creep like you! It was only a matter of time, you know, before we turned you out. We should've left you outside, let you starve to death or be eaten. Gosh, wouldn't that be the nicest? It'd be a kind thing for someone like you!
[she's clearly angry now.] Then I'll visit the highway myself. You can stay here running away from Lucy...!
[she slams the phone down.]
Shut up, shut up, shut up, SHUT UP! [he continues to shout into the phone, even after she's gone.] Goddamn you, goddamn you, just shut up, just shut up...
[the man's voice breaks into tears, and slowly regresses in age- until the only sound that can be heard is the sniffles of a small boy.
click.]
[ooc; Neither Billy nor the Librarian will be responding to any returned phone calls, but your characters are free to speculate on what they've just heard here.]
[a woman's voice, strained with nervousness.] H...hello?
Hmm? Hey Mom, phone's ringing! ...Aw, fine, I'll get it. Who's there?
Is... Is this Billy? [a deep breath.] It's the head librarian at the... the Mayfield Library. N...now, it seems Billy has a... book overdue.
Huh? You gotta be joking, lady. Reading's for nerds, I don't go to the library! You must have the wrong house.
It says Billy... Smith. [it sounds like she's gritting her teeth.] Right here. [there's the sound of pages rustling.]
Well, you must have the wrong Billy Smith, then. If that's all, I'm gonna hang up now, okey doke?
Wait!
...Huh?
[suddenly the tone of her voice changes; it's not so tired any more. it sounds a lot... younger.] Look, I'm tired of this! Just-
[and it changes again, old and weary and timid.] It's not nice to... t-tell lies, young man.
[the boy's voice changes as well, ever so slightly. it's annoyed, now, carrying an edge that seems odd coming from the mouth of one so young.] I'm not telling lies, lady. You're the one telling lies. You always lie! Even back then-! [...as if shamed by the outburst, he falls silent for a moment.]
...I didn't do anything.
D-don't pretend you haven't got a clue why I'm calling. Respect your... [her tone is bitter:] ...elders.
Someone h-had been... asking around for you. [a short little sound, again in that strangely youthful tone. it sounds like 'hmph!'.] W-weeks ago... But I'm calling about that highway.
Well, I'm pretty popular! [he laughs, brightly.] And look, I don't know anything about any dumb old highway. Maybe you should ask my dad.
...Or my sister.
[her tone is suddenly haughty.] Why don't you ask her?
[he falters.] W... Well why should I? It's not like I care.
[her voice changes again, strangely, and now it seems like the phone's been passed off to someone else entirely. it sounds like a teenaged girl now- nothing like the woman before. but she continues the conversation seamlessly.]
You're scared of her, huh?
A-Am not! What's the matter with you, anyway!? I thought you were supposed to be calling me about- about a lost book. [his voice is a guttural snarl.] Stop messing around with me, you bi-
...
...mean lady!
[her laughter is timid, a bit hysterical and breathless. it's clear the girl's nerves are just as frayed as the old woman's were.] You are! You're scared of her!
[her laughter abruptly stops.] Not that I'm one to talk.
Y-Yeah. You aren't. So why don't you just shut your mouth, you crazy old broad? Huh?
Gosh, 'cause I don't have to live with her. [a soft, stuttery laugh.] That's what you got for being such a loony and a suck-up! What kind of reward is that?
[she draws in her breath, as if steeling herself.] He's worried about that highway. But I should've known you'd still be too crazy to even care. I thought a selfish man like you would be all over that!
I'm not a man- [he practically hisses it.] I'm just a little boy. Duh. Okay? So I don't care anything about any dumb old highway or anything like that, so why don't you just shut the hell up and leave me alone you crazy bitch?
You're already alone! [her tone is faintly hysterical again.] You already got what you wanted, you know! You're alone 'cause we kicked you out!
[and now his tone is somewhat frantic as well. his voice does not rise in pitch, but rather, it falls: becoming the deep, gruff growl of a grown man] They kicked me out because you were a lying little bitch! You lied and turned them all against me, so I didn't have any choice!
But you LOST, didn't you!? Hahahahaha! You lost, and your precious pallie Grey is dead and rotting, and big bad old Olney is now big bad old Grady, and you're just a crazy old hag now! SO THERE!
[her voice trembles a moment- emotional, sorrowful] I-if Mr. Grey could see you now...! He'd know I was right! He believed me. A creep like you! It was only a matter of time, you know, before we turned you out. We should've left you outside, let you starve to death or be eaten. Gosh, wouldn't that be the nicest? It'd be a kind thing for someone like you!
[she's clearly angry now.] Then I'll visit the highway myself. You can stay here running away from Lucy...!
[she slams the phone down.]
Shut up, shut up, shut up, SHUT UP! [he continues to shout into the phone, even after she's gone.] Goddamn you, goddamn you, just shut up, just shut up...
[the man's voice breaks into tears, and slowly regresses in age- until the only sound that can be heard is the sniffles of a small boy.
click.]
[ooc; Neither Billy nor the Librarian will be responding to any returned phone calls, but your characters are free to speculate on what they've just heard here.]