Top Dead Center VIII

MYRAS

You gotta kill a dog.

FELLA

What?

MYRAS

A dog.

FELLA

I have to what?

MYRAS

You gotta kill one.

FELLA

A dog.

MYRAS

A dog.

 

FELLA

I have to.

 

MYRAS

Kill you one.

 

FELLA

I don’t understand.

 

MYRAS

You gotta take a dog an kill it.

 

FELLA

I mean why?

 

MYRAS

What?

FELLA

Why do I have to kill a dog?

MYRAS

Make that engine run right.

FELLA

What?

MYRAS

Laws of nature.  Laws of man.

FELLA

I still don’t—

MYRAS

I’ll set it out real simple.  When an engine’s bout to die, it’s because you didn’t take care of it.  It lost its juice, its soul.  Well you gotta sacrifice something that’s gonna put that back.

FELLA

The engine’s about to die?

MYRAS

That engine is dead dying dead fella.  Won’t make it even back down the hill unless we fix it right, done once and for good.

FELLA

I still don’t understand—

MYRAS

Oh yes you do.  You just ain’t comfortable with the concept.

Top Dead Center VII

FELLA

So what’s wrong with it?

 

MYRAS

Now let’s pretend I just explained the whole works to you.  And let’s pretend I said a lot of which you really don’t know dick from donuts, and you stand there nodding at me going uh huh uh huh uh huh and when I say that’s that, you say, fine, and I say then I better get to work, so then I fix her.

 

FELLA

So you’re not going to tell me?

MYRAS

I ain’t gonna waste good air trying to explain something that you don’t have no hope of understanding in the first place.

FELLA

So what now?

MYRAS

So toss me one of those beers.  That’s better.

FELLA

So then I’ll just.  I guess I’ll just wait or—

MYRAS

Hold up fella. Hold yourself up.

FELLA

Yeah?

MYRAS

You got a job to do yourself.

 

FELLA

I have a job?

MYRAS

A serious job.  A key element.  Essential.

FELLA

I’m listening.

MYRAS

I’m dead-on serious fella.

FELLA

I said I was listening.

MYRAS

No bullshit.

FELLA

No bullshit.

MYRAS

Not an ounce.

FELLA

Alright what?  I’m listening for Christ’s sake!