———–<.thom.ophi>———–

Up Late, Late At Night

an abstract on treasure versus trash in modern film

Episode 002

Act I

By Thomas Typewriter & Ophidia Typewriter-Operahouse

(c) 2026 Jason Arcand & Suzanne Arcand

———–<:type.house:>———–

FADE IN TO BLACK

FADE IN

EXT. THE TRASHIPELIGO ISLANDS, EVENING

LS OF A MODEL OF THE ISLAND.

Looking upon the garbage covered isles we hear the sounds of slumber and someone murmuring in his sleep.

CUT TO…

INT. THE TRASH HOLE. NIGHT
A large cavern in the base of the Trashipeligo Island’s dormant volcano, Mount Trashuvius finds T-RASH THE TRASH GOD sleeping. His large abstract mask-like face floats over a smoking pool of sludge and magma. Surrounding him are piles of trash. T-RASH’S eyes are dimmed as he sleeps trapped in a nightmare.

T-RASH THE TRASH GOD
(murmuring to self) “No, no, no, what do you mean there is no more oil? What are we going to make plastic out of? What about the plastic? What about the plastic!”

T-Rash shakes awake.

T-RASH THE TRASH GOD
“Oh, man what a nightmare. A world without plastic, what a horror show. Thankfully that will never happen. 

T-Rash looks around the room.

T-RASH THE TRASH GOD
“Well, since I am up, I might as well have a late night snack. A nice tall glass of trash juice should put me right back asleep. (Shouting out) B-MAX! D-VID! Get me a glass of trash juice!”

T-Rash waits and waits. 

T-RASH THE TRASH GOD
“B-MAX! D-VID! Get in here! You’re god grows impatient!”

From the bottom of one of the trashpiles crawls out THE SORE MOUSE. An anthropomorphic computer mouse slicked with various oils, greases, and mystery juices, it looks over at T’rash.

THE SORE MOUSE
“Hey, keep it down. Some of us are trying to have a tea party.”

T-RASH THE TRASH GOD
“Sorry. Hey, have you seen my two assistants?”

THE SORE MOUSE
“No. Hold on. (Shouts back into the trash pile he crawled out of) Hey, Parched Hare! Muddy Hatter! You guys seen those two helpers to T-Rash.”

THE PARCHED HARE
(off-camera) “The interns?”

THE MUDDY HATTER
(off-camera) “Didn’t they get electrocuted? Hey, see if he has any wine.”

THE SORE MOUSE
(to T-Rash) “No. They got electrocuted. Do you have any wine?”

T-RASH THE TRASH GOD
“There is some toilet wine two mounds of trash over.”

The Sore mouse waves goodbye and wiggles back into the trash pile.

T-RASH THE TRASH GOD
“Electrocuted? I don’t recall them getting…”

INSERT MS OF THE TELEVISION

CUT BACK

T-RASH THE TRASH GOD
“Oh, yeah, they did didn’t they. Just like in that one John Ritter movie or that one Lou Jacobi movie or that one episode of Amazing Stories, or that other episode of Amazing Stories. (to self) What was going on in the Eighties. (out-loud) Oh, well. I wonder what they are up to right now.”

T-Rash picks up the remote for his TV and presses on.

CUT TO THE TELEVISION

MS OF THE TELEVISION

A large cathode ray television sits in the midst of piles of trashbags and clutter. An extra antenna has been ad-hoc added onto the back of the television. The Television flicks on with an audible POP and HUM. A bright dot appears in the center of the television’s screen.

PAN IN ON THE TELEVISION SCREEN

The dot grows to fill the whole screen. A faint image of a highway with an on and off ramp flickers across the screen.

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