Screenwriter Mystery

New York, on the bar counter.

Arthur is doing his best, doing all kinds of funny performances with extremely exaggerated expressions.

His face was shriveled and sunken, with simple clown makeup painted on it, pulling the corners of his mouth to barely put on a cheerful expression, and every move he tried to show the funny and exaggerated sense of a clown.

However, obviously, Arthur doesn't have much talent in comedy acting.

On the stage, he did his best to perform comics.

The guests at the off-stage bar responded indifferently.

"Hey, get out of here, clown!"

Putting down the wine glass in his hand, a man with a beard shouted at Arthur.

"You are wasting our time, I didn't come here to watch your poor performance!"

The bearded man's words clearly expressed the wishes of many guests in the bar.

"Go down, go down!"

"Go down, woohoo, go down..."

They all booed and blasted Arthur on the stage.

Facing the boos from the guests, Arthur's antics became stiff, he twitched the corners of his mouth to try to maintain a cheerful expression, but found that he couldn't do it at all.

"Your show time is over, Arthur!"

Noticing the reaction of the guests in the bar, the boss immediately shouted to Arthur on the stage.

"but I……"

Hearing the bar owner's voice, Arthur looked backstage with a pleading expression on his face.

He wants to continue his acting.

"No but, get me off the stage now."

However, without giving Arthur any explanation, the bar owner rudely interrupted his words.

He waved his hand to the staff behind the stage. Accompanied by the intense music, a group of scantily clad dancers waited on the stage and began to provoke a seductive dance amid the whistles of the guests.

But Arthur was pushed to the edge of the stage by the movements of these dancers.

It is incompatible with the frenetic atmosphere on the stage.

……

"This is the first time, Arthur."

Backstage, the boss looked at the atmosphere of laughter and laughter on stage, turned his head and glanced at Arthur's thin figure in front of him, and couldn't help saying.

"You screwed up again."

"My place is a bar, not a charity place."

"I'm very sorry."

Holding the performance props that hadn't been put down, Arthur begged: "Please give me another chance, I really need this job, please!"

In the face of Arthur's pleading, the bar owner's words finally stopped.

He knew some of the situation in the other's family, he was poor and took care of his sick mother.

If you lose the job in the bar, it may indeed make the other party's already miserable life even more miserable.

"..."

Thinking of this, the boss sighed.

Looking at Arthur in front of him, he said, "Okay, I'll give you one last chance, Arthur, I hope you don't screw it up this time."

"I promise."

Hearing the boss softened, Arthur nodded hastily, with an ugly smile on his haggard face.

"Perhaps, you should consider changing jobs, Arthur."

Looking at the man who was thin due to long-term malnutrition, the bar owner rarely put forward his own suggestion.

"There is still a lack of a cleaner in the bar. If you want, I can give you a chance to try it."

"I promised my mother that I would be a good comedian and bring her laughter."

Facing the boss's proposal, Arthur fell into a long silence.

He knew very well that the current days could not last long, but thinking of his sick mother at home, he still shook his head and rejected the offer of this job.

"This is the last chance Arthur. If you can't let the guests accept it tomorrow, I can only ask you to leave."

Seeing Arthur rejecting his proposal, the bar owner suddenly lost his plan to communicate with him again.

After giving the ultimatum, he turned around to do more important things.

Backstage, Arthur silently watched everything on the stage.

He saw the bearded guest who had scolded him before, and now he was showing an excited expression to the performance on stage.

The guests who threw him off the stage were obsessed with the gaudy performances on the stage.

……

"Did you see that guy just now, his eyes have always been on you..."

"Perhaps, you should try and ask him out. I think he will be willing to spend money on you."

"I don't like that guy. He has too many beards on his face."

"Who took away my costume, I will use it tomorrow!"

"I don't know, maybe... I saw her..."

Inside the bar, with the end of the lights.

Backstage, the performers left the dressing room in twos and threes.

Sitting in the far corner of the room, Arthur took off the clown makeup on his face in front of the broken mirror, revealing his haggard and sad face.

He took off his colorful and large costume, and his bony body was clearly shadowed by the dim light in the dressing room.

Putting on his old old-fashioned shirt, Arthur stuffed the costume into the iron cabinet in the room and tore off the mocking sticker stuck on the cabinet.

Bang!

Turn around ~www.readwn.com~ and leave.

With the sound of the door closing, the stickers slowly drifted and fell from the trash can in the dressing room.

A line of distorted text was revealed.

"You're not funny at all, Joker!"

……

"Is it because I think too much, or the world is too crazy."

"You know, the environment is not good, Arthur."

"New York has always been one of the regions with the highest unemployment rate in the United States. People living here are more or less depressed. No one has had a smooth life these days."

Hospital, office.

For Arthur's question, the doctor responded with a standard response.

This year, the United States elected an unprecedented black president.

However, the new president's inauguration did not bring them much change. After the election, life continues. The poor will not become rich because of an election. They are still poor.

"What about you, Arthur, how are you doing recently? Does it help you to talk to someone?"

"It's still the same as before."

Facing the doctor's question, Arthur had a bitter face.

"Maybe doctor, you should prescribe heavier medicine for me."

Hearing Arthur's request, the doctor looked down at the medicine list in his hand.

"Arthur, you are already taking seven medicines. I think this will help you a little bit. Besides, you can't pay more for better medicines."

"..."

The doctor's straightforward answer undoubtedly hit Arthur's biggest dilemma.

He has no money.

He lowered his head silently, looked at his thin hands, and said in a low voice, "I just don't want to be so sad all the time."

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