Day 172: The Dominoes King

The Dominoes King
by
Matt Zurbo

 

Gus was a serious kid!
(Small Latin American kid, scruffy hair, Cute, serious face – wide eyes, low eyebrows across top.)

All the other kids played in the street.
(Kids playing in street, in front of typical Latin American houses. Gus walking past them, seriously.)

But the serious people played dominoes!
(Gus’s hair can just be seen at table of adults. Most old, some overweight, some skinny, bald, hairy, topless, shirt on, etc… adults. A few standing around, watching.)

The rules were fairly basic.
(Image of the basic rules of dominoes.)

But there was an art to it.
Drama was important!
(Gus slamming down a domino! Adults at table reeling back in shock.)

Vital!
(Two adults standing, arguing over the table, face-to-face, while Gus and another adult calmly play.)

Gus was the best!
(Big, fat man throwing dominoes in the air, and Gus, still serious expression, wins.)
Serious people don’t like being beaten by a little kid.

“I have no more money!” the man raged.
”I’ll play you for your pants,” Gus said.
(Big man pointing angrily to Gus, who is standing there, serious.)

Gus didn’t care!
(Big man standing with no pants on.)

He could see them cheating.
(Man with fake arm, and dominoes falling out of his shirt, being dragged away from table, shouting. Gus is still at table, with only one domino left, serious, pointing at cheater.)
And didn’t mind pointing it out.

Gangsters threatened him.
(Gus playing, serious, against gangster with bodyguards. Gangster’s gang standing over Gus)

So what? The locals had learned to love Gus!
(Gangster and bodyguards now have no pants. Other people from the start are standing around Gus, jeering retreating gang.)

Gus’s government was serious, too.
(Gus, serious, at domino table, military man opposite him standing with no pants, pointing furiously at Gus.)
They didn’t want a little boy representing them overseas!

But they couldn’t stop him either!
(Gus in prison, playing through prison bars, with prison guard, who has no pants.)

The people had no money or food.
(People cheering as they carry Gus (serious) over their heads, out of prison.)
They needed a hero!

The dictator was brought to play Gus for the right to rule.
Why not?
Nothing else worked.
(Serious looking general brought by locals to be in front of serious Gus, dominoes table in background.)

He didn’t stand a chance.
(General with no pants, looking defeated. Crowd in background, throwing Gus, serious, in the air.)

Gus negotiated better deals for his country.
(Gus playing at table, big U.N. behind them. Gus making domino move. African delegate playing him is throwing his head back in defeat. Other delegates from around the world, including USA, China and Russia, are standing, dumbfounded, with no pants.)

He made the people feel more confident.
(Latin American bar, everybody in work clothes, smiling, cheering. Gus, looking serious, playing on television above the bar.)

Tourism was up.
(Tourist around Gus, watching him play. Many are bartering with street vendors, buying things.)

Once the country was well again, they put Gus back in the playground.
He was still a kid, after all.
(Hands of a local placing Gus in playground with other kids.)

And that was that!
(Gus, serious, standing at little kid’s table, looking straight at reader while reaching to make another domino move against a kid who is focused on the game.)

 

 

 

The End