(of a given genre)

The context of the dialog

Four burglars have successfully robbed a wealthy antiques collector. They decide to flee into the wilderness and keep a low profile for some time. The dialog unfolds in a car as the gang speeds off into the southwestern American desert, in the middle of the night.

The characters

Hunter (leader) : Head of the gang; tall, care-free, a gambler.

Sparky : Small, nervous, greedy and mean.

Vijay : The intellectual of the group.

Kat : The young woman.

The dialog

Sparky (laughing) : “The look on that guy’s puss!”

Hunter (amused) : “Who you talkin’ about?”

Sparky (laughing) : “That guy we just ripped off!  I’m thinkin’ about the look on his face when he sees his big collection of Navajo jewelry is gone!”

Hunter : “I know somebody else who’s gonna bust a vein in his head! ...his insurance guy!”

...General laughter.

Kat (showing off a ring on her finger and taking a snobby tone) : “Madam’s jewelry ain’t too bad either!”

Hunter : “No wonder she has the nicest jewelry, with a husband that’s got the most valuable collection in Albuquerque.

Sparky (jokingly) : “Had the most valuable collection!”

...General laughter.

Sparky : “Hey, Vijay—what’s your problem!?”

Vijay (scowling) : “You shouldn’t have taken that Navajo statuette, Sparky.”

Sparky : “You’re makin’ a face ‘cause of that crummy statuette?!”

Vijay (scowling) : “That one, we shouldn’t have taken.”

Sparky : “And why not?  It looks cool!”

Vijay : “Maybe, but something’s not right.  We shouldn’t have stolen it.”

Hunter :  “Relax, Vijay, it’s only a piece of stone!”

Vijay (his anger beginning to build) : “A piece of stone that wasn’t mixed in with the others.  If the guy hid it that well, it’s because he had his reasons.  Don’t you think?”

Sparky : “Whaddaya mean by that?”

Vijay (his anger coming back) : “Well, why do you think he put two circles of salt around it?”

Sparky (mockingly) : “Oh-ho, he’s gonna do the Exorcist for us now!!!”

Vijay (angry) : “In any case, we shouldn’t have taken it.  It wasn’t part of the plan.”

Vijay’s firmness imposes a few seconds of silence.

Hunter : “People can do whatever they want in their own homes.  The important thing is that we can steal from them!”

Sparky is the only who laughs.

Kat :  So where’re we goin’?

Hunter (glad to change the subject) : “Don’t worry, a place where no one can bug us.”

Vijay : “Are you saying that for my benefit?”

Kat (calmly) : “Geez, Vij, don’t take everything so personally. (pause)  So where is this place?

Hunter (taking an exaggeratedly mysterious tone) : “It’s a... ghost-town!”

Sparky (brandishing his weapon) : “Ghosts or no ghosts, we got what we need to be goddamn left alone...(looking at his watch) Hey, my watch stopped working.”

Kat (looking at her own watch) : “Mine stopped too!”

Vijay (anxious) :  “Shit, me too!”

A heavy silence hangs over the group.  Fear begins to creep into everyone’s spirit.

Hunter (annoyed) :  “Where we’re going, we won’t need them.  Time doesn’t count in Hell.”