by Nathan Wada

Created on: August 17, 2009

SETTING: 4 a.m. An Ashram in Mumbai, India. Nate, an uppity American finance consultant is attempting to meditate. The scene's principal action occurs between the regions of Nate's brain.

CHARACTERS

NEOCORTEX: processes higher functions such as analytical thought and language. Personified as a bookish, button-downed yuppie.

PRIMARY AUDITORY CORTEX: primarily responsible for processing sound information. Depicted as a headphone-bedecked punk skateboarder.

AMYGDALA: performs a primary role in the processing and memory of emotional reactions. Represented as a very emotive and dramatic person.

(Nate assumes the meditative position by sitting down and crossing his legs. He closes his eyes and exhales. His brain gets to work.)

AMYGDALA: (whining) Nope, nope, nope, this is NOT right. HR will hear of this. I am the amygdala of one of Wall Street's rising young consultants and I'm working at 4 a.m. in some third-world hippie commune.Travesty of travesties. Epic injustice. Cosmic misfire. Borders on...

NEOCORTEX: (interrupts Amygdala's tirade) Amygdala, friend, you wanna keep it down over there. Trying to meditate here.

AMYGDALA: (shrilly) I will NOT keep it down. You're the one who brought us here. I kept saying, "let's go to Hawaii. Or at least Milan, y'know somewhere the neurotransmitters can stretch their legs in," but your stupid analysis convinced Nate that this is what he needed.

NEOCORTEX: Seriously Amygdala, I'm asking for a favor: just let me do my thing for two hours, okay? That's all I'm asking. And then we can get back to working on how to win Marcia back.

(At this point, Primary Auditory Cortex comes noisily bounding in.)

PRIMARY AUDITORY CORTEX: Mornin' kids! A cockadoodlediddily-day to you all. You guys gotta listen to these moskeeters; I tell you what, they don't build 'em like this back in Manhattan.

NEOCORTEX: (angrily) Dude! What is WRONG with you?! Can't you see that I'm meditating here? How many times did I tell you last night that I needed quiet in the morning?! And why are you even up? Go back to sleep.

PRIMARY AUDITORY CORTEX: Whoa, aggression! Easy there princess. Thought you said you the point of this trip was to try to zen out.

... What happened to you man? You used to be cool. Where's the Neocortex who actually put a whoopie cushion on Anderson's chair during that big board meeting?

NEOCORTEX: He grew up, OK? You should consider it too. Look, just go over there and play with Amygdala. Seriously guys, two hours! I'm begging

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