03: A Story In Cycles

Official Description: Jesse talks about being born in the Visser building. Mr. Davenport reassures Dan, but only slightly. And Samuel lectures his congregation regarding cycles, stories, and exploitation.

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[BRIEF BURST OF MUSIC—TWANGY GUITAR, THEN TAPE DISTORTION.]

[DAN SIGHS DEEPLY. THERE IS THE SOUND OF TAPE LIBRARY SHELVES BEING ROLLED OUT.]

Damn it. How hard would it have been to just put them in order from the start? “Ooo, here’s the tape, I’m going to clearly label it and put it in its proper place!” It’s called file management! [FOOTSTEPS.] ...Aaand I’m talking to myself. Cool.

[FIDDLES WITH THE TAPES, REMOVES ONE. FOOTSTEPS AGAIN. THE TAPE IS PUT IN THE TAPE PLAYER AND BEGINS TO PLAY.]

Here good?

A bit closer, about two inches away.

Cool. Great. Here we go. Do I sound good?

You sound wonderful. [SPOKEN INTO THE MIC.] Melody Pendras, April 12th, 18:31. Floor 12. Could I get you to say your name into the microphone?

Sure. Sure. [LOUDLY AND CLEARLY.] Jesse. Jesse Lewis.

Great. So, Jesse—

How are my levels? [CHUCKLES.] I know that’s what you were about to ask me.

Your levels are fine, Jesse. So, how long have you been living in the apartment building?

In Visser?

Yes, in Visser.

Everyone says its name. Feels weird not to. Don’t really know why.

Alright then, how long have you lived in Visser?

I was born here. [PAUSE.] Like, bornborn here. My mom’s water broke at the apartment and she had me on the stairwell. Not enough time to get to the hospital—I came out fast.

On the east stairwell?

Yeah, right over there. Mom got down to the third floor before she had to stop. Gave birth to me all by herself because—anyway, it’s still kinda weird walking up those steps.

[LAUGHING.] I’d imagine. Can you tell me a little bit about the building?

Sure. Quick and easy rundown. First off, Visser looks taller than it actually is. It’s only 21 stories, and people are always surprised by that. They think it’s gotta be like 30, maybe even 40. My guess is because the building curves. Like it’s about to fall on top of you. The floors are all the same plan, nothing special.

When I was little, I really wanted to get to the roof, but it’s blocked off. Like, the main stairs don’t even lead up to it. Still don’t know how the hell to access it. Anyway, city helps with the rent, but it’s not free. Tenants are all over the place. You won’t find millionaires or anything, but other than that, it’s all kinds of people.

And what was growing up here like, Jesse?

It’s just another place, you know? Not terrible, not great.

[PAUSE.]

Can you tell me more?

I mean, growing up here’s alright. My mom’s working most of the time, so I’ve gotta take care of Reggie. When we were little, we’d go exploring. Visser’s pretty big, so it’d be fun. Mom didn’t like it much, but—she was always away.

Did you find anything interesting when you explored Visser?

[AUDIBLY SHRUGGING.] Nothing, like, crazy. It’s all stuff I’m used to.

Really?

Yeah, it’s all pretty normal.

Hm. So tell me a bit about your daily life, Jesse. What do you get up to?

Like.. a day in the life of Jesse Lewis?

Sure.

Okay! So I get up, get dressed, shower sometimes. Get on the bus and go to school, which sucks. Listen to stories about some boring old dudes being killed by some slightly newer boring old dudes who are then killed by even newer boring old dudes. Get back to Visser, do some work, eat dinner, and head to bed.

Can you tell me about the work you do?

Like on tape? Because I already told you about it.

For the tapes, yes.

Okay, cool. I’m a runner.

And what does that mean?

Well, it means that whenever someone in the building wants something from the store but doesn’t want to go out, they’ll tell me what they want, give me the money, and I’ll go out and get it. I work for tips. It’s tricky because you have to keep all of the stuff they want in your head, and you have to give them the right change. It’s a lot of math. And you have to do it fast, because people are really impatient. Like, I only do it after school, so some of them have been waiting all day for me to get them thumbtacks or cheese or Reese’s Pieces, but if I take more than thirty minutes, they’ll be pissed.

And do a lot of tenants use your services?

Some, yeah. It’s mostly old people who think Meals on Wheels is shitty, and people with, you know, disabilities.

Does anyone else ask you to run for them?

Some people who don’t get out much, you know? Like they don’t like the outside world or something. They’ll have a list taped to their door when I arrive along with some money; I’ll leave the stuff outside their apartment once I’ve brought it back.

And what do the shut-ins ask for?

It varies. Sometimes it’s food, sometimes they ask me for like—hoarder shit. Like, one time the dude in 1504 asked me for “every purple object on the east side of the bodega.” Had to get a compass for that! Another time someone wanted a cup of water from the Hudson mixed with three of my own tears. [CHUCKLES.] And someone asked for five watch calculators that had been set to 5318008. You know, when you flip it, it spells—

[LAUGHING.] Oh, I-I’m aware.

Anyway, like I said, weird hoarder shit. But they always tip really well. It’s their money. No judgement, right? If they want a bunch of titty calculators, who cares?

Have you ever seen any of these people?

No?

You’ve never stayed to see the tenants retrieve the objects you brought them?

[CONFUSED.] No. It’s not—it’s not my role to see them.

[PAUSE.]

So. As a runner, you know the building?

Yeah, plus I’ve always lived here, you know? But running gets me places. I know a lot of tenants.

Jesse. I know that you grew up here, so you view Visser as normal.

I mean, it is normal.

Right, but from the outside looking in. Remember when I talked to you about how I grew up?

Yeah, but Visser isn’t anything like—

I’m not saying that it is. I’m just saying that things can appear normal when you’re inside of them, right? Let’s put it this way: is there anything in Visser that you wouldn’t tell the kids at school about?

[PAUSE.]

The eighth floor is creepy, but it’s just gang creepy. Drug creepy! You just avoid it, and you’re fine. Plus they mostly keep to themselves. They’re just high, you know? High people don’t have to make sense. The song isn’t creepy, exactly, but it’s its own thing.

I’ve heard about it.

Yeah, some people say they hear it. Like elevator music… but not. Not coming from anything.

Have you heard the song?

Sometimes I hum things to myself without, you know, realizing it, but that’s not strange, right? Yeah, it’s normal. [SNORTS.] You probably shouldn’t ask me about shit like that, you know. I mean, I’ve lived here my entire life—it’s something I’m used to. [BEAT.] I don’t know. But the stuff about the society—that’s different.

The historical preservation society?

It sounds less scary when you say it like that. Yeah, Samuel’s thing.

Why does it disturb you?

Samuel’s got his own shit going on, that’s all I know. Whenever they have their meetings in their apartment, I get a weird vibe. Just this weird vibe—I don’t know, I sound crazy.

You don’t sound crazy.

Yeah, and it’s like, a historical society. Who’d actually, like, think that’s cool? And I don’t like the way they talk about it. Jacob, Ashari, Marina, Gladys, all the tenants that have joined up. Samuel’s this grad school asshole, and they’re looking at him like he’s Big Dick Johnson or something. Like his shit don’t stink. Like he’s got this hold on them. And he’s only been here for like, four years, right. He acts like he’s lived here forever. It’s weird ‘s all.

Hmm. Jesse, I might have a little assignment for you.

[THE TAPE CLICKS OFF.]

Shit. [SIGH.] You know what, screw this.

[HIS IPHONE RINGS TWICE AND THEN CRACKLES AS THE CALL IS PICKED UP.]

Dan! Dan, it’s always really great to hear from you. What’s on your mind, buddy?

[DEEP BREATH.] Mr. Davenport. I appreciate you giving me this job and everything, and I’m enjoying—

Alright, Dan, no need to kiss my keister. Tell me what’s up so we can work on a solution that helps the both of us.

What the hell is up with those tapes? There is no possible way this is just a “historical preservation” project; there is something seriously weird with this shit. A dude that can vanish, shut-ins asking for tears, some sort of satanic boiler room—?

Dan, Dan. I’m gonna have to ask you to calm down a bit. Hold your horses.

Mr. Davenport, these tapes… aren’t normal. [GATHERING UP HIS COURAGE.] And if you don’t give me an explanation for what’s going on, well—I’ll just pack up my shit, call a taxi, and leave.

[BEAT.]

[COOLLY.] That would be breaking contract, Dan.

I realize that.

[PAUSE, THEN A DEEP SIGH.] Dan, uh—are you familiar with the multitude of studies that link poverty to higher rates of mental illness?

I mean, sure, yeah.

Then you’ll realize that you might not want to take the narratives of these truly disadvantaged individuals at face value. They’re all living in public housing, trying their best to survive amidst the crushing inequalities of city life. If some of their stories seem strange or... questionable, then that’s simply a manifestation of their altered thought process. And, of course, drug use is unfortunately common in these low-income environments. You understand what I’m saying, of course.

...sure.

That’s one of the many reasons we’re interested in preserving these tapes. We’re—fascinated by urban poverty, and this is such a wonderful record of that… lifestyle. It would be a shame for these people’s experiences not to be shared. [PAUSE.] They’re almost like, um… you like NPR, don’t you? They’re like those little radio documentaries, the—the uplifting ones. What were they called? Eh, doesn’t matter.

Can you… I guess I’d just be more comfortable if I knew more about the tapes? Like, who is Melody Pendras?

I’m not really familiar with her. Is she the interviewer?

Yeah, she’s the one asking the questions. She knows her shit, or seems to at least.

It seems like you’ve got a bit of a crush! [LAUGHS UNKINDLY.] Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me. I’m not really familiar with her specifically, but she must be a researcher. Sent to do some sort of anthropological survey or some such. Would you like me to Google her for you, Dan?

No, no, sorry.

Alright, I’m really glad we resolved this little issue. You’re not going to go leaving the archive, now, are you?

No. No, I’m good! I’ll be staying here.

Of course. You have a limited term; there is an end date to all this. And I really wouldn’t want you to break contract—then we’d have to get all lawyers involved, and it would become this whole thing. I really don’t want this to become a thing, do you?

No.

Good stuff, good stuff. Alright Dan, I’m going to say goodbye. Why don’t you go do what you do best and archive some of those tapes for us, okay?

Goodbye.

[CALL ENDS. DAN SIGHS.]

[NEW TAPE BEING PUT INTO TAPE PLAYER.]

[SPEAKING UNDER HIS BREATH, SEEMINGLY IN A CLOSET. ALL OUTSIDE NOISES ARE MUFFLED.] Jesse Lewis. April 13th. Shit, what did Melody—oh yeah, oh yeah, uh, 5:48 PM. Floor 6.

[OUTSIDE ARE FOOTSTEPS AND OVERLAPPING, INDISTINGUISHABLE CONVERSATION.]

Oh shit!

Hey, everyone, everyone, quiet down. [DOOR SLAMS SHUT. CONVERSATION FADES. IN A SHOUT:] I said quiet down!

Sorry, sorry. So, first of all, I’d like to thank Gladys for letting us use her apartment. Thank you, Gladys. Everyone thank Gladys! [SCATTERED CLAPS.] And thanks to Linda for the chips, those were pretty good. Could have used less salt. But I’ve been—I’ve been talking too much, sorry, so, uh, welcome to the biweekly meeting of the Visser Historical Research and Preservation Society. [APPLAUSE.] Save the applause for Samuel, guys.

Last meeting’s minutes, last meeting’s minutes, last meeting’s… minutes! Carl brought some great photos of Visser in the 70s. As we’d have said 20 years ago: groovy. We discussed the damage being done to the 8th floor and explored possible… solutions! Alexandra expressed a desire for the Society to collect membership dues, but this proposal was voted down because it was a terrible proposal. And, most importantly, Samuel explained Visser’s construction and the building’s significance. And, speaking of Samuel, on to the main event. Samuel, will you talk to us?

[CLAPPING/AFFIRMATIVE NOISES FROM THE CROWD.]

If I could have everyone’s attention. [A FEW MORE CLAPS, THEN SILENCE. HE CHUCKLES UNDER HIS BREATH.] Wonderful. Thank you, Jacob, for a lovely introduction. And thank you all for coming. Hmm. Unless anyone has any objections, I’ll get right into it.

I’ve discussed previously the… nebulous nature of this building’s construction. No one can quite pinpoint exactly when it went up. Sources say 1947, 1948. An architectural survey even place it as late as ‘52. Records are amorphous, shifting, unsure. But it was built, it exists—we can feel it, its presence. [SINISTER LAUGH.] We can feel it, can’t we?

[LONG PAUSE.]

[HE BEGINS TO WALK AS HE SPEAKS.] We’ve all felt it… its power. Its magnetism. Its force. I’ve touched on this concept before, and I’ll certainly come back to it. Before I do, though, I’d like to tell you a story about stories. And about the city of New York. [BEAT.] Before New York, this land belonged to the Algonquin people. They called the land Manna-Hatta. We stole that name from them, like everything else. When the Dutch came here, the Native Americans sold the land to them for a few glass beads.

[CHUCKLES.] Of course, this story isn’t true, but the facts don’t really matter; it’s the story we tell ourselves. A few decades later, the English took it from the Dutch, renaming New Amsterdam after James the second, the duke of York who would later become King of England. The English gave way to the Americans, and a middling port became an American metropolis, and an American metropolis became the Capital of the World, and the Capital of the World became a desiccated soulless husk upon whose streets you walk.

[PAUSE.]

My point. My point. My point is cycles. Cycles of stories we tell ourselves. We are part of a snake the size of the world, and it is devouring its own tail to stay alive. An ouroboros. There is nothing new under the sun. Circles of repeated, rhyming history. History that is built on blood. [HEAVY PAUSE.] Genocides. Slaveries. Murders. Exploitations. That’s the main one, exploitations. And it contains all of the previous words within its four syllables. The cycle of history is a cycle of exploitation and blood. And there are places that are—that are the point at which the snake’s fangs sink into its own flesh. The axle of the wheel. We’ve been looking for the reason why, but we all know this. That this place is… unique. A crossroads or an axle or a fulcrum. I… realize I haven’t said this as plainly before, but you all know this to be true, do you not?

[A PAUSE.]

Anyone?

I… yes.

Good. Good! I’m glad I’m not alone. I’m glad you’re accompanying me on this journey. Above all, there is a call, a force, a song. I can feel it on the edges of my mind, the boundaries of my perception. And you can feel it too, or you wouldn’t be here. Everyone in this room feels the wordless language of this structure. Its primal desire.

[VOICE TURNS COLD.] Everyone but one, perhaps. When you live with something for a long time, you can become blind to it. If you hear a bedtime story every night of your childhood, the story loses its power. The story becomes words, devoid of meaning.

I think that’s what happened to Jesse here.

Oh, shit.

Jesse, would you please turn that recorder off?

[FUMBLING AND THEN STATIC. THE TAPE WINDS TO A STOP.]

[FRANTIC, HEAVY BREATHING.] Damnit.

[PAUSE.]

[DEEP BREATH.] Hi everyone, um. I’ll keep this short. Still no info about Dan, and it’s—it’s—it’s been a while? So try and get this out to as many people as possible, that’s really important. Um, tell your friends, leave a review on iTunes, follow us on Twitter @archive81. Uh, we’re on Facebook, we’ve got a website—archive81.com. And if you know anything about what’s happened to Dan, email me at archive81@gmail.com, okay? Just— [SIGHS] yeah, okay, bye.

[END OF EPISODE THREE.]

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