New Year Man
by C.M. Gonzalez

(Everything is broken.  Sometimes there is wind, and it burns.  Even the roaches have a hard time finding food.  Throughout, there is a lot of coughing, and wheezing.)
Maggie:
C'mere.

Marco:
(whimpering)

Maggie:
Please, just come be over here.

Marco:
Hurts to move. You come here.  I'll hold your hand, just don't make me move, Maggie.  I'm sorry.

Maggie:
It's okey.  Can I put my arm around you, maybe?

Marco:
For a little. It hurts.  I had a dream, just a little ago, Maggie.  One you'd like: The sky was still blue, and the clouds didn't hate us.  The air was cold, but we could lie under the sky.  I think you were eating a candy.

Maggie:
You were just a baby then.  How do you remember any of that?  Blue sky.  Hurts to remember that sometimes, Marco.

Marco:
I'm sorry.

Maggie:
It's alright.

Ragged Bob:
Disgusting!

Maggie:
Tell me more, what happened in your dream?

Marco:
Nothing really happened.  It was just feeling and smelling good things. 

Ragged Bob:
Shut up.

Marco:
The sky was bright, and blue, and the ground under me was green.

Ragged Bob:
Idiots! Little no-brains.  Our teeth are falling out of our heads, the clouds are black, and even the roaches can't eat.  You two little cooey marshamellows just lie there farting about your dreams.

Maggie:
Leave us alone, old man. If none of it matters, why do you stay here listening?  Crawl away and die by yourself.

Marco:
That was grass right?  In my dream?  I remember you told me about it one time.  It was green, and cold.  Cold, but it felt good.

Ragged Bob:
Where is she? Frenchy.  She said she was going for another walk to see if she could find food or whatever, waste of time.

Frenchy:
I crawled back a while ago.  I've just been sitting here, resting.

Ragged Bob:
Oh.  Didn't find anything this time either, I expect.  Where'd you go?

Frenchy:
Walked West this time.  Five miles out.  Peeked the old houses, and I sat in an old car and pretended to drive for a little while.  The wind stopped for a little while, and it was quiet for a while, so quiet I couldn't even hear my shoe steps on the broked glass.  So I started yelling, just to have something to listen to.  I walked down a big sandy hill, and I was in this big desert.  I stood and looked around and realized I was standing on Venice Beach.  The sand just kept going as far as I could see.  I got excited and ran for a little while to see if I could see some water.  And then I walked back.  Here, Maggie, I found this, I thought you'd get a chuckle out of it. (Hands Maggie a framed picture)

Ragged Bob:
What is that?  What did you give her, you found food?

Maggie:
No, not food.  I know this man, I think.  He's the New Year Man.

Frenchy:
Yeah.  Him.

Marco:
Like the Santaman?

Ragged Bob:
New Year Man? What is that?  Give it me.  Bet you didn't even try looking for food.

Frenchy:
It's just a picture.

Maggie:
He was one of the holiday guys, yeah.

Marco:
What did the New Year Man do?

Frenchy:
I don't really remember how exactly.

Maggie:
Everyone, all the people would come to a big party.  He'd throw a big party and everyone would have a big time.

Ragged Bob:
New Year's Eve.  Just another excuse for people to have a party.  Wasteful.  That sort of thing is why everything is like it is now.  An excuse for people to act foolish!

Frenchy:
What's wrong with a party sometimes?  New Years was a good holiday, I remember that.  My mum would let us stay up late for it.  It was something big, the year ending, and another one starting.  That was so good.

Marco:
What does that mean?

Frenchy:
It means you could start over again.  The old world would stop, so that in the morning a new one could be there for you: Ready for new things to happen.

Maggie:
It was like starting a new day, but bigger.

Marco:
A new world.  I like that.  Can we have New Year?  What do we do?

Ragged Bob:
No good.  The next morning, you were the same person, in the same house, on the same world.  It was a pointless celebration, they're one thing I don't miss.

Frenchy:
We can do New Year, Marco.  I think I'd like that.  It'd be fun for a little while.

Maggie:
Right before New Year, some of us would make Resolutions.  Promises to ourselfs, Marco, about what we'd like to do better in the New Year.

Ragged Bob:
This is foolish, I refuse...

Marco:
Oh, that sounds good, and then what?

Ragged Bob:
The sun gets smaller every day.

Frenchy:
You didn't make many resolutions did you, Robert?

Ragged Bob:
I don't believe in making promises I don't intend to keep.

Maggie:
Then, right at the end of the Old Year, we'd have a party. Lot's of food, but mostly singing and dancing.

Frenchy:
And clocks!

Maggie:
Yeah, that's right.

Frenchy:
When it got real close to the end we'd count down how much time was left until the end of the Old Year.  That was so much fun.  Then everyone would hug, and tell each other how great it felt to be together at the beginning of a New Year, and it did, it felt so good.

Maggie:
My family, we ate grapes for counting down.  My mama would tell me that each grape I ate was one wish for the New Year.  Twelve grapes, one for each number.

Ragged Bob:
My family would have donuts.  The morning after.  My family would have donuts.  I remember that's what we were doing that morning.

Marco:
Grapes and doughnuts!  I had a doughnut one time, with Frenchy.  That time when we found the library.

Ragged Bob:
When was this?  You've been hiding food.  Where are these donuts? We should take them from you.

Maggie:
This was weeks ago, Robert.  Frenchy found some doughnuts, we gave them to you and Marco.

Ragged Bob:
Ah. Yes.  Thank you.  You didn't eat any?  What was wrong with them?

Frenchy:
Not a thing, aside from being very stale.  Maggie and I split one, and gave the other two to you and Marco.  We thought you needed them.

Ragged Bob:
Thank you.

Maggie:
And it seemed to shut you up for a little while.

Ragged Bob:
The sun is going to come up very soon, I suppose we can count down from that.  Yes?

Marco:
Oh.

Frenchy:
Confetti! (Throws some dust over her head, Maggie applauds)

Maggie:
Confetti!

Ragged Bob:
(Scanning the horizon)It's coming up now.  Are you all ready?

Maggie:
We always counted from 12?  Did you guys do 10 or 12?

Frenchy:
What?

Ragged Bob:
It's starting now! 

TEN!

NINE!
(Though a dim, greasy light, the Sun, such as it is, begins to shine brighter on them)
Frenchy and Maggie join in:

EIGHT!

SEVEN!

SIX!

FIVE!

FOUR!

THREE!

TWO!

ONE!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

(Maggie and Frenchy toss confetti again)
Maggie:
It's here, a new year!  Happy New Year, Marco!  Marco?  Marco?

Frenchy:
Marco?

Ragged Bob:
God damnit...