The Blue Brick

by Dick Jaeger

Setting: Back patio of a suburban home

Actors:

Jim

Gary

GARY: It’s good to be back in the old neighborhood. What have you been up to lately,

Jim?

JIM: Had a great fishing trip up in Canada. We flew there. Caught so many fish the

return flight was overweight!

GARY: You’re kidding. The fish made the plane overweight??

JIM: Well, I had found a beautiful blue brick that I wanted to take home to Cleone.

But - - I hadda throw it out of the plane.

GARY: Hard to believe that made a difference, but I believe you. Still was good

fishing, huh?

JIM: Yeah, would do it again in a second.

GARY: Remember the day you asked me and Norm to help you and your brothers

to put together your above-ground swimming pool?

JIM: Do I remember?? (pause) My brother Ted was as stubborn as I was.

GARY: You three were arguing how to do the work. Nothing was going right.

Norm and I were lifting up and holding the frame best way we could.

JIM: Wasn’t working.

GARY: Finally you said, “If you guys can’t settle on how to do this, we are going to

have to read the instructions!”

JIM: Yup. When all else fails. . . .

Say, did I tell you about the excitement we had last weekend at our backyard picnic?

GARY: No, what happened?

2

JIM: A bear surprised us as we were eating. Boy were we scared. It approached slowly,

and we just did not know what to do. All of a sudden, the bear stopped. And a blue

brick hit it right on its head!

GARY: What? Where did that blue brick come from?

JIM: Oh, that was the blue brick I threw out of the airplane in the last story!

GARY: Arggh!

Well, gotta be going. (pause) I saw a blue brick out by your front door.

What’s that all about?

JIM: That? That’s the brick that hit the bear. I keep it there to remind the bear – or anyone

who shows up – that I’M ARMED!

THE END