42-year-old Bernie
He sucked at his old job. And sucked at any new job too. It was hard for him to find a new one. Everything he had started was over at some point. It just vanished away. And so it was at the movie theater, one might think. This is a story about Bernie and how everything has an end at some point, but further, that sometimes the end of it is nothing like you would expect it to be.
Let me tell you something about Bernie. He was a 42-years-old grown-up man who still lived at home. His mother was annoyed by that and forced him to go out and find a new job so that he finally could move out and live on his own.
Bernie was really interested in old films, so he managed to get a new job at an old movie theatre.
It was his first day at this old movie theater. A theater with old fancy wine read chairs and old velvet massive curtains in front of the big screen. Everything was old there. It even smelled old. One of the specialties of this movie theatre was that they only played the really old films, which were stored on big film rolls, that were so huge, that they needed more than one roll for one film. Thus, the rolls were very sensitive. A very old lady, who was the owner of the movie theatre, took good care of the rolls and the first thing she told every new employee was to only touch the rolls with the white cotton gloves stored in a fancy looking glass cabinet. It was bearing the inscription “Safety first”. Otherwise, the films could be destroyed and that meant they would be lost forever.
No pressure at all.
After Bernie got an introduction by the very old lady, he was a bit scared but curious to get to work. Just a few people were sitting in the theatre hall, waiting for the film to start. He opened the glass cupboard, and then he slipped carefully into the white cotton gloves.
Bernie managed to set everything up, as he was taught to, when the film was about to start. The old velvet massive curtains in front of the big screen opened and he dimmed the lights. He restored the gloves and started to eat the free salty popcorn he got from the very old lady. He didn’t like the sweet kind.
Everything went fine till about minute four or something, when he realized that he had twisted the film roll and if he would not change it the whole projector and film would be destroyed. He panicked for a second but then grabbed the roll, pulled it out and tucked it in correctly. The movie went on, and he was relieved.
A massive cloud of smoke could be seen on the big screen, expanding towards the upper corner, and Bernie was proud of himself he had not messed everything up. With this thought he grabbed dauntless into the popcorn bag. As he put the popcorn into his mouth, and raised his head again to see the screen, and he immediately chocked.
The Fuck?!
Something was off. Bernie kept watching. The smoke disappeared and all he was able to see was some sort of awkward forms. Moving forms, looking like cells under a microscope.
Was that on purpose?
Was that how the movie goes on?
Was that some sort of experimental film he heard about?
As he was sitting in the film room, he couldn’t hear the film. Those forms now looked like a moon crater for him, weird.
He looked at the film role as he took a glance at the fancy glass cabinet with the “Safety first” sign on it.
Hoooly shit, the white cotton gloves where still in it. He looked at his hands and the greasy salty layer on them.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Bernie had touched the sensitive roll with his greasy salty popcorn fingers. He must have ruined the whole film.
Minute 5 was almost over. The weird forms were still on the big screen. The 42-year-old Bernie stared at the screen. Oh god, this would be the next job he was getting fired from. For Sure. But then, at the end of minute 5, the forms slightly disappeared, and one could see the scheme of something that was looking like a geisha.
Relief.
He had not ruined the whole film. Just minute 5.
The rest of the film, Bernie was sitting in his little film room, paralyzed. He waited for the very old lady to come in, scream at him and to fire him. Soon the credits of the film were displayed on the big screen. Bernie had not noticed that the film was already over. Right in this moment the very old lady came into the film room. With a slight smile she asked Bernie if everything was ok and if he had any problems.
She said: I really liked the movie. And you?
Bernie answered: So...you watched it?
She: Yes, of course. I love these old movies.
Bernie could not catch up with what was happening.
Bernie: So, you saw those forms in minute 5?
42-year-old Bernie was sweating now.
The very old lady: Ah yes, this is a part where the time has taken its toll on the old roll. You know, this is a very old material and at some points it is just a bit broken.
Bernie felt like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. It was not him. He did not ruin the film.
Relief.
The very old lady: So, see you tomorrow for the evening shift then?
Bernie could not believe that he had not been kicked out right on the spot.
Bernie: Ah, yes thank you! See you tomorrow.
Bernie was not fired this day. And he wasn’t the days after. Finally, he was able to move out from his mother’s place and live one his own.
The end of this old film was not the end of Bernie’s next job.
Minute 5
My short story about 42-year-old Bernie is based on a short film clip. When I watched minute 5 for the first time I didn’t know what to do. The minute starts with schemes, almost like someone burnt the film. Black and white schemes, which flitted over the display. Moreover, it seemed like the moving pattern was in a loop. Considering the last picture in minute 5 the black and white schemes looked like the time ruined the film roll, as old film rolls are sensitive. What if not the time ruined the film, but a human? I am a clumsy person so I thought that I could write a short story about someone accidentally ruining the film. This is how 42-year-old Bernie came to life. Further, I wanted him to appear as a lost soul, someone who still lives with his mother, and nothing seems to go right for him. I included a lot of repetitions in the text regarding the repeating black and white schemes. Nevertheless, I wanted to include a plot twist. 42-year-old Bernie should get a happy ending. In the very end of minute 5 one could see a figure, a woman, that was dressed like a geisha. This was the perfect moment for a plot twist. Bernie had not ruined the whole film. While he still thinks that he will get fired, because in his opinion he ruined minute 5, it was just the old material which was broken at some point. In the end, 42-year-old Bernie finally can finally keep a job.
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