Press c for captions, then use arrow keys for script scrolling @DREADOVERLOAD and Samuel (not real)
Script: Title: The Echo of Memory Characters: SAMUEL (80s): Soft-spoken, precise. He wears a cardigan and sits in a well-worn armchair. He has a habit of smoothing the fabric of his sleeve. DREADOVERLOAD (12): A curious boy with a digital recorder. He is leaning forward, listening intently. [INTRO] DREADOVERLOAD (Speaking into the mic, slightly nervous but focused) Hey everyone, welcome to the first episode of my new project. I’m DREADOVERLOAD, and I’m here today with Samuel. He’s lived through things most of us only see in movies or history books. I wanted to talk to him because I think it’s important to hear the real stories before they’re gone. Thanks for being here, Samuel. SAMUEL It is my pleasure, DREADOVERLOAD. It is better to speak than to be forgotten. DREADOVERLOAD Is the volume okay for you? I want to make sure I get every word. We can stop whenever you want if it gets to be too much. SAMUEL The volume is fine. You are young to be asking such big questions, but silence is what I am used to. It is the speaking that takes the effort. DREADOVERLOAD I really appreciate it. I want to start with the "before." When you think of your home in Poland before the war—back when you were my age—what is the first thing you see? SAMUEL (A small smile) My mother’s hands. She was always peeling apples for us. The scent of the tart juice and the sound of the knife against the skin... that was safety. We didn’t feel like "victims" then. We were just kids who lived in a house with a blue door. Then, the blue door was marked. Then, the door was broken down. DREADOVERLOAD How do you even handle that? Going from being a normal kid with a name to... just a number? SAMUEL (He looks down at his forearm, though it is covered by his sleeve) You don’t think about it at the time. You disappear. To survive, you must become very small. You don't think about "history"—you think about the mud. You think about the exact second the guard looks away so you can pick up a frozen potato. You become a ghost long before you die. DREADOVERLOAD I’ve heard people talk about the "will to live." Did you feel like you were fighting to stay alive, or were you just moving because you had to? SAMUEL It was my brother. We were in the camp together. Every night, we would whisper a "dream menu" to each other. Roast chicken. Fresh rye bread. He made me promise that if he didn't oppose to make it, I would eat a meal for both of us. He died just three days before the soldiers came to save us. (He pauses, smoothing his sleeve) I have spent sixty years eating for two people. It is a heavy way to live. DREADOVERLOAD Does the world look scary to you now? After seeing the worst things people can do? SAMUEL People ask me if I am angry. I don't have the energy for anger. I prefer kindness, but I don't trust it easily. I look at the world today and I see how quickly things can change if people aren't careful. DREADOVERLOAD That’s pretty heavy. It makes me feel like I need to pay more attention to things. SAMUEL It should. Memory isn't for the past, DREADOVERLOAD. It’s a warning for you. If you forget what the smoke smelled like, you won't recognize the fire when it starts again. DREADOVERLOAD (Quietly) What’s the main thing you want someone my age to know? SAMUEL That I was once a twelve-year-old boy who liked apples, just like you. I wasn't a "survivor" then—I was just a child. Don't look at us as symbols in a book. Look at us and see yourself. Because the distance between your life and mine is much shorter than you think. DREADOVERLOAD (Taking a deep breath, looking at the recorder) I... I don't really know what to say after that. Thank you, Samuel. Truly. (To the mic) That was Samuel’s story. I think I’m going to go sit outside for a bit and just think about what he said. Thanks for listening to the first episode. This is DREADOVERLOAD, signing off.
