Mr. Arlison: So, why did Cro-Magnon create these cave paintings? Was it for aesthetics, rituals, physical rewards of some sort, or as a record for future generations?
Brianna: Maybe the beast was screaming.
Mr. Arlison: I’m sorry, maybe the what?
Brianna: The beast.
Mr. Arlison: What beast?
Mr. Arlison: What, inside the cave? I suppose they could have believed there was a beast of some sort further down in the cave.
Brianna: What?
Mr. Arlison: Well, if that were the case, then they may have believed that drawing it pictures of food, as it were, would have appeased it. Some sort of spiritual feeding maybe. But even that would qualify as ritualistic.
Brianna: You mean like all the rituals associated with superstitions, right?
Mr. Arlison: Yes, exactly.
Brianna: Yeah, that would make sense. But that wasn’t what I was talking about.
Mr. Arlison: Really? Well, it was an interesting idea at least.
Brianna: Yes, and entirely your own at that.
Mr. Arlison: Okay, so what beast were you talking about? A real one?
Brianna: Um, sure, we’ll go with that.
Mr. Arlison: Go on.
Brianna: I meant the beast inside the artist.
Mr. Arlison: Well, during this period it would have been more likely that one would find an artist inside a beast, but go on.
Brianna: Well, it’s like this, yeah an artist could create something for all the reasons they give, but I find it rather annoying that everyone is leaving out the most basic reason an artist creates: the artist who creates because he must—because he just can’t stop himself from doing so. Because it’s like there is some primitive, slowly starving beast inside purring, soft as a whisper, until it awakens. As the veil of sleep slowly slides away and it becomes more angry, ravenous, and desperate it begins screaming at him, ever louder, ever more shrill.
The Beast: Write! Write now! Write anything! Feed me! Feed me your words! The bitter, the sweet, the murderous, the maddening! All of them! I want them, I need them!!! Write something, write anything!!!!
Brianna: He can’t ignore it or escape it. It claws at him constantly. And keeps screaming.
The Beast: Write! Do it now! Write or I will burn from your mind every shred of sanity you ever imagined yourself to possess and scatter it in the breath of eternity! I will scar you! I will break you! I will waste you from the inside out! Now, write!
Brianna: And so he obeys.
Mr. Arlison: Are you okay?
Brianna: Oh, yes. Why?
Mr. Arlison: Um, well, you seem a bit… upset.
David: He means mental.
Brianna: What? Mental? Oh.
(Strange and confused looks from all around.)
Brianna: Oh, no, no, no. I’m sorry. I’m not crazy, I just forgot for a minute.
Mr. Arlison and David together: Forgot what?
Brianna: That cave-dude was a painter.
As with most dialogue I read it as a comic in my head. Keeping that in mind, is "The Beast" a seperate entity or is it "Brianna" yelling this in scary mode? Also this works great as a stand alone anecdote or joke.
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