By Shadiya Beckett and Maygen S. Tavares

Share:

A CIA book goes missing after accidentally being loaned from the library. In a hunt to find the missing book, the CIA goes on a chase to prevent the country’s darkest secrets from being exposed.

Diane: How many days can I borrow this book for?

NARRATOR: HEATHER LOOKS UP FROM HER PHONE, ROLLS HER EYES AND LOOKS BACK DOWN.

Diane: Hello, I know you can hear me.

Heather: I barely work here, do I look like a for-real librarian?!

Diane: I don’t care, I just want to know how many days I can borrow this book.

NARRATOR: HEATHER SCOFFS AND RELUCTANTLY SCANS LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE (LFE) BY CELESTE NG. SHE PLACES THE BOOK ON THE COUNTER.

Heather: Umm, two weeks…do you have your library card or whatever?

Diane: Here it is, my dear.

NARRATOR: HEATHER SCANS THE LIBRARY CARD BUT NOTICES A BOX WITH THE NEWEST EDITION OF THE BOOK ON THE FLOOR NEXT TO HER.

Heather: Ew, a whole box of this lame book.

Diane: Oh! Those look brand new. Can I take one of those instead?

NARRATOR: HEATHER TAKES THE TOP BOOK FROM THE BOX AND HANDS IT TO DIANE.

Heather: Whatever, here you go. Bye.

NARRATOR: DIANE WALKS OUT JUST AS AUNT BEETLEJUICE COMES BACK FROM THE BATHROOM.

Aunt Beetlejuice: Much better. Thanks, hon, for watching the front desk.

NARRATOR: AT 8PM, AUNT BEETLEJUICE LOCKS UP THE LIBRARY’S DOOR AND HEADS BACK TO THE FRONT DESK WHERE HEATHER IS STILL BUSY ON HER PHONE.

AUNT BEETLEJUICE GOES OVER TO THE BOX OF BOOKS TO BEGIN INVENTORY.

Aunt Beetlejuice: Heather, did you take a book from this box? There’s one missing.

Heather: Yeah, I did. So what?

NARRATOR: AUNT BEETLEJUICE FRANTICALLY LOOKS FOR THE SECRET BOOK THAT HAS A MARKING ON THE INSIDE, BUT CAN’T FIND IT.

Special Agent, I’ve been tracking the book and its current location is three miles away. We must assemble a task force to retrieve LFE.

– Aunt Beetlejuice

Aunt Beetlejuice: Heather, why don’t you go get us a pizza from Domino’s, buffalo chicken and spinach? You can get yourself that dessert you like, as well.

NARRATOR: AUNT BEETLEJUICE HANDS HEATHER $30. HEATHER LEAVES AND AUNT BEETLEJUICE RUSHES TO THE LANDLINE IN THE BACK OF THE REFERENCE AISLE.

Aunt Beetlejuice: Pigeon Post-It 853, O’Malley. Special Agent, before you lose your marbles, we can fix this. You know my bratty little niece, Heather? Well, she sort of loaned out LFE. But we know who has it and we know they are unaware of the contents of the book. Shall we wait the two weeks or shall I retrieve the book myself?

Special Agent Cragen: Are you out of your forsaken mind? We cannot retrieve this book! Any added suspicion will seriously jeopardize the agency as a whole and both countries! O’Malley, you are a liability. Fix this or you will be dealt with accordingly.

Heather: Aunt Beetlejuice, what’s the point of having a cellphone if you don’t ever answer it?! They’re out of chicken, do you want pepperoni instead?

NARRATOR: STARTLED, AUNT BEETLEJUICE DROPS THE PHONE.

Aunt Beetlejuice: That’s fine, darling. I’m just a bit busy back here. Sorry I missed your call.

NARRATOR: AUNT BEETLEJUICE PICKS THE PHONE BACK UP.

Aunt Beetlejuice: Special Agent, you still there?

NARRATOR: AT HOME, DIANE COZIES UP IN HER BED AND GOES TO GRAB LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE, BUT REALIZES IT’S MISSING. SHE ROLLS OVER AND GOES TO SLEEP.

Diane: I’ll look for it in the morning.

NARRATOR: LITTLE DOES DIANE KNOW THERE IS CURRENTLY A STRANGE MAN RUNNING DOWN HER FIRE ESCAPE WITH THE BOOK. 

BACK AT THE LIBRARY, HEATHER HAS RETURNED AND AFTER HAVING DINNER WITH AUNT BEETLEJUICE, SHE’S STUFFED AND FALLS ASLEEP ON ONE OF THE LIBRARY COUCHES. MEANWHILE, AUNT BEETLEJUICE ACTIVATES THE BOOK’S GPS TRACKER FROM HER COMPUTER AND SEES THAT LFE IS ON THE RUN. SHE GOES TO THE PHONE AND CALLS SA CRAGEN.

Aunt Beetlejuice: Pigeon Post-It 853, O’Malley. Special Agent, I’ve been tracking the book and its current location is three miles away. We must assemble a task force to retrieve LFE.

SA Cragen: O’Malley, I’ll do this once to save our home countries. Not for you.

NARRATOR: SIRENS AND LIGHTS FOLLOW A RED BMW M8.

Police Officer: Affirmative, we are tailing a red BMW M8 Maryland license plate PWR85NE.

SA Cragen: This is Special Agent Cragen with the CIA. I order you to pull your vehicle over and turn off the engine.

NARRATOR: THE BMW DOESN’T STOP, SO THE POLICE PUT DOWN ROAD SPIKES. THE BMW HITS THE SPIKES AND SPIRALS OUT OF CONTROL, BUT COMES TO A STOP IN A DITCH. UNARMED AND SURROUNDED BY ARMED LAW ENFORCEMENT, THE MAN IS FORCED TO SURRENDER. HE IS TAKEN TO A MOBILE INTERROGATION UNIT WHILE TECHS SEARCH HIS VEHICLE.

SA Cragen: Where is the book?!

NARRATOR: THE MAN LOOKS UP, ROLLS HIS EYES, AND LOOKS BACK DOWN.

SA Cragen: Okay, tell me who you are and what you want with the book?

Adam West: My name is Adam West and I’m with the Journalists Against Government Lies. I am well aware of the contents within your book and will expose the truth to all.

SA Cragen: What does Pigeon Post-It 853 mean to you?

NARRATOR: ADAM WEST LOOKS BAFFLED. SA CRAGEN REALIZES THAT HE DOESN’T KNOW “THE SECRETS.” AUNT BEETLEJUICE KNOCKS ON THE INTERROGATION ROOM DOOR.

Aunt Beetlejuice: We found the book!

NARRATOR: SA CRAGEN TURNS TO THE FEDERAL AGENTS IN THE ROOM.

SA Cragen: Lock him up! I can’t wait to see you again. And I will.

Process

At every pair session, somehow Shadiya and Maygen’s conversation run off on a tangent. What started as a discussion about the books they are currently reading or would like to read, led to the premise of this short dramedy. As the mastermind behind Pigeon Post-It 853, Shadiya has a natural ability to create different forms of art. Together mentee and mentor transformed what began as casual banter into a short story using audio, photo, and text elements.