Post by Douglas Crane on Jan 6, 2022 23:06:35 GMT -5
It’s a beautiful December day not long ago, bit chilly, but the sun being out makes it a very pleasant one.
A little girl walks hand and hand with her parents along Park Avenue, having just come out of Grand Central Station in New York City.
Her older brother and sister walk ahead, taking in all the sights from the big city but the little girl just keeps saying how she can’t wait to see the big Christmas tree. As the parents stop to look at a downtown map sign to see where to first, the little girl wanders off. She heads towards a building with tall glass windows and behind them, a pyramid of TVs is displayed, all playing the same movie: Fred Clause. The little girl watches on, and as she does, her smile is swept away and her eyes get watery and eventually a tear falls down her cheek. The camera pans away from the little girl to watch the movie scene…
Out on the woods on a snowy day, the oldest of the two Claus brothers, Fred, is up on a tree talking with his best friend Chirp-Chirp, a cute little blue bird. Fred is opening to his little friend about dealing with his annoying little brother and how he really doesn’t want to hate him but before he can go on the tree shakes. Fred looks around confused but then the tree is suddenly cut down causing Fred to fall along with chirp-chirp’s birdhouse, which gets completely crushed from the impact. Fred’s younger brother, Nick, comes from behind the tree holding a big hacksaw, all smiles, thinking he has done a good thing by cutting down the tree, which happens to be Fred’s favorite. He tells him they can now bring it inside the house so he can have it nearby all the time. Fred completely ignores Nick and instead watches as his best friend flies away. The movie’s voiceover is heard saying…
The camera pans back to the little girl but she is there no longer, instead, we see Douglas Crane, a second tear running down his right cheek, trying to catch up to the first one. The scenery has completely changed, and we are no longer in the big apple but in the middle of the woods, some where in Columbus, Ohio; site of the next big event for Project: Honor's Proving Ground. Crane is wearing a plaid jacket with fluffy white collar, jeans and rugged boots, and is staring at a small 19” TV, the old-style tube ones, which sits on top of a decaying tree trunk…
Douglas Crane: You cut down my favorite tree in the entire world TJ Thompson, so now it is only natural that we…
He brings up an axe he was holding and in a single swing he brings it down hard on the TV, cutting it in half, sending sparks, glass and plastic flying every which way and getting a good chunk from the tree trunk as well.
…must chop you the fuck up!
Crane continues to swing the axe violently at the decaying tree trunk until there is nothing but the root left. He tosses the axe to the side and falls to his knees exhausted. He grabs one of the chopped pieces of wood and holds it like a father holds his baby for the first time and just like that father would, he begins talking to it as he pets it.
Douglas Crane: A few nights before Christmas I made a promise…
But I failed..
All thanks to you TJ Thompson.
You made a liar out of me as I promised the tree at Rockefeller Plaza that no harm would come to it despite John Blade and I trying to destroy each other… and while it was you that did the cutting, I can’t help but feel responsible because it was my actions against you a few weeks earlier that led to you reacting in such a harsh manner.
Why couldn’t you come after me TJ? After my so-called team lost to your team at Proving Ground, I didn’t go and kill your favorite pet, or destroyed your favorite car. No, I went right after you and dropped you on your head! Why didn’t you come at me?! ME?! MEEEEE!!!!
Because he is an insignificant worm that knows that the black bird that is us would eat him up and swallow him whole. Fuck feeding the baby birds.
Douglas Crane: Oh I get it, you wanted to hit me where it hurts the most right? Why go for the head when you can go after the heart?
We have no heart.
Douglas Crane: Well all you managed to do is anger the child inside of me and believe us when we tell you, that little girl is the worst of us and if I let her out, 10 chainsaws would not be enough for you to stop her from tearing you from limb to limb with our bare hands. I might just give up my seat at the helm come Unbreakable Resolution Two just so you can see what we, Douglas Crane, are really capable of.
Then, maybe, just maybe, the Project: Honor bosses will finally take notice and give us a shot at the Warrior Rising Championship.
Focus…
Douglas Crane: I mean why give a shot to a guy who’s been busting his ass since joining Project: Honor; trying to make an impact, trying to make a name for ourselves.
Focus!
Douglas Crane: Nah, instead, let’s give a title shot at not one, not two, not three BUT FOUR brand new random people that just joined the promotion! Let’s ignore Douglas Crane who has been putting on decent performances, who defeated a pretty good wrestler in John Blade and instead let’s give a shot to all 4 of them if they win their match against the “OGs” who are really not even a bunch of “has-beens” but a bunch of “never weres!”
ENOUGH!
Douglas Crane: Fine…
If… no… WHEN we dispose of TJ Thompson, our opportunity will come…
Douglas Crane: and if it doesn’t?
Release me…
Crane smiles.
He tosses the piece of wood to the side and then jumps to his feet, as he does, he hears the sound a branch makes when someone steps on it. He quickly turns around and grabs the man, who was coming up behind him, by the throat.
Man: Ugh! Mr. *gasp* Crane, please!
Crane studies the man and lets him go; he quickly falls to the ground, grabbing at his throat, gasping for air.
Douglas Crane: Who are you?!
Man: *cough* what? Sir, I’m John, John Muller, I-
Douglas Crane: I don’t know any John Muller!
Crane looks around confused.
Douglas Crane: Where are we?!
John Muller: We were just talking not 30 minutes ago on the phone. You’re in my farm, my tree farm here in Columbus, Ohio… You came to check in on your tree order… I wasn’t here yet so you asked one of my workers if you could wait for me in the back…
Douglas Crane: I did?
John Muller: Yes, I just got here and came to check on you and… Oh my, is that my Grand Papi’s TV? What’s it doing out here? What happened to it?! He gave it to me before he passed away, it means the world to me!
Douglas Crane: Oh, that, um, a tree fell on it I’m guessing.. I wasn't here, found it like that… They say that if a tree falls on a TV, does it make a sound? No wait that’s the wrong saying… How does it go again?
John Muller: Why would you do this sir?!
Crane stares at Mr. Muller blankly and then adjusts the glove on his right hand as he makes a fist.
Douglas Crane: I said, I didn’t do this… You believe me, don’t you John? Do I look like the violent type? I just made a nice, large charitable donation... why would I be involved in such a random act of violence and rage?
Mr. Muller gulps hard and realizing he has no real other choice, takes a step back and agrees…
John Muller: Um, yes, of course I believe you sir. Was probably just one of my workers going postal or something... Thank you sir, for your donation... Um, yes, why don’t we just move on and uh, you can follow me so you can see your generous donation at work?
Douglas Crane: Thank you.
Mr. Muller leads the way and now we see the rest of the forest setting, which isn’t much of a forest at all once they leave this area and the cabin office of Columbus State Parks. There seems to have been a lot of deforestation in this area of Columbus as once we get a large view of the setting before us, we see a lot of bare spots where either trees have been cut down or areas where fires have engulfed everything. Mr. Muller hops on a nearby Jeep and asks Douglas to join him; he obliges. They pull off, heading for a large clearing where we see some farmers working out on the fields.
John Muller: The area you have chosen to plant one thousand trees in is not too far from here, we’ll be there in a few minutes.
Douglas Crane: No problem.
John Muller: So what do you do for a living Mr. Crane?
Douglas Crane: We wrestle.
John Muller: We? Alright... What promotion?
Douglas Crane: Project: Honor.
John Muller: Oh yeah, I know of them… heard they were in town. Is that why you are here? Is that why you chose us? We feel so honored if so.
Douglas Crane: I wanted it to be in New York, but couldn’t, so I figured I choose the next town we visit. Location doesn’t really matter, it is the deed that counts.
John Muller: Very true, well we are grateful.
As we get closer we start to make out the line of trees, in their early stages, that have been freshly planted and a few farmers and workers tending to them and the ground.
John Muller: That was a nice donation you did, most people plant one or two and the big budget folks usually do a dozen or so mainly for TV purposes, but we have never gotten a one thousand tree donation, this is great for the environment, thank you so much.
Douglas Crane: No need to thank me, kill a tree-plant a tree right?
John Muller: I’m not sure that’s how that saying goes-
Douglas Crane: Well, a thousand in this case. It’s a good number, and it’s a good enough number that will take away the guilt I feel right?
John Muller: Guilt? I mean to donate and have one thousand trees planted; you must have done something pretty big… Did you start a fire? Did someone die? What did you do Mr. Crane? What did you-
Release me!
Douglas Crane: WE DIDN’T DO A DAMN THING!!
Crane reaches for Mr. Muller with both hands and begins to choke him again! Mr. Muller struggles to break free and drive the jeep at the same time and quickly they end up going off road. The Jeep bounces around a few times, but once it hits a large rock it’s all over as it causes it to flip on its side and go rolling down a hill.
The scene goes to static…
When it comes back, we see Douglas Crane staring blankly at the one thousand brand new trees planted before him. His jacket is off, and we see he has dirt all over his face and body and has a cut in his forehead, a busted lip and a few more cuts on his arms and chest. Behind him we see black smoke emitting from the upside-down Jeep. Mr. Muller is sitting, unconscious, against a pile of hay. Some of the workers and farmers have gone to aid him.
Douglas Crane: Look what you made me do TJ Thompson? I almost killed Mr. Muller and myself in the process, deprived myself of looking at this beautiful site before me. Many years from now, when you and I are long gone, these trees will be as tall if not taller than the tree at Rockefeller Plaza that you killed. The future definitely seems bright, but for you TJ Thompson, the future is now and in a few days when we step into the ring, it will be your darkest day yet.
Do you remember your assessment of me last year when you said that you didn’t think I was going to do well? That I wasn’t any good? Well it’s January 2022 and I am still here in Project: Honor doing quite well, having won my first match and looking to make it two in a row by defeating, no, destroying you. I know our match doesn’t have any stipulations, but that is perfectly fine as there are many ways I can destroy you with just my bare hands. As you so aptly put it back then, I love wrestling and I am all about it. We may be many things, we may be getting pulled every which way mentally but the one thing that brings us all into focus is wrestling. The one thing we all agree upon when that bell rings is hurting our opponents, no matter who they are. We are going to hurt you TJ, we are going to hurt you bad.
You also claimed that my life was depressing. The only thing depressing about my life right now is having to deal with the likes of you, and while you may say ‘hey, you asked for this’; all I really asked for was competition and if it wasn’t coming to me, I was going to go find it regardless of who or whom it was.
But fine, I asked for you and found you... I found someone who is in denial of who they truly are: a sick and twisted individual who claims others are but doesn’t realize he is really one of us. Yeah TJ, you are one of us, put all the silly teenage boy jokes aside, enough with the puns and dad jokes and realize that you are just as fucked up in the head as we are… But don’t worry, if you would rather just be a simple John Doe, a vegetable, I will be more than happy to be the one that leaves you in that state.
After all, I came pretty close a few weeks ago, but this time…
we will finish the job.
The scene goes to static…
A little girl walks hand and hand with her parents along Park Avenue, having just come out of Grand Central Station in New York City.
Her older brother and sister walk ahead, taking in all the sights from the big city but the little girl just keeps saying how she can’t wait to see the big Christmas tree. As the parents stop to look at a downtown map sign to see where to first, the little girl wanders off. She heads towards a building with tall glass windows and behind them, a pyramid of TVs is displayed, all playing the same movie: Fred Clause. The little girl watches on, and as she does, her smile is swept away and her eyes get watery and eventually a tear falls down her cheek. The camera pans away from the little girl to watch the movie scene…
Out on the woods on a snowy day, the oldest of the two Claus brothers, Fred, is up on a tree talking with his best friend Chirp-Chirp, a cute little blue bird. Fred is opening to his little friend about dealing with his annoying little brother and how he really doesn’t want to hate him but before he can go on the tree shakes. Fred looks around confused but then the tree is suddenly cut down causing Fred to fall along with chirp-chirp’s birdhouse, which gets completely crushed from the impact. Fred’s younger brother, Nick, comes from behind the tree holding a big hacksaw, all smiles, thinking he has done a good thing by cutting down the tree, which happens to be Fred’s favorite. He tells him they can now bring it inside the house so he can have it nearby all the time. Fred completely ignores Nick and instead watches as his best friend flies away. The movie’s voiceover is heard saying…
“Chirp-Chirp” never returned.
The camera pans back to the little girl but she is there no longer, instead, we see Douglas Crane, a second tear running down his right cheek, trying to catch up to the first one. The scenery has completely changed, and we are no longer in the big apple but in the middle of the woods, some where in Columbus, Ohio; site of the next big event for Project: Honor's Proving Ground. Crane is wearing a plaid jacket with fluffy white collar, jeans and rugged boots, and is staring at a small 19” TV, the old-style tube ones, which sits on top of a decaying tree trunk…
Douglas Crane: You cut down my favorite tree in the entire world TJ Thompson, so now it is only natural that we…
He brings up an axe he was holding and in a single swing he brings it down hard on the TV, cutting it in half, sending sparks, glass and plastic flying every which way and getting a good chunk from the tree trunk as well.
…must chop you the fuck up!
Crane continues to swing the axe violently at the decaying tree trunk until there is nothing but the root left. He tosses the axe to the side and falls to his knees exhausted. He grabs one of the chopped pieces of wood and holds it like a father holds his baby for the first time and just like that father would, he begins talking to it as he pets it.
Douglas Crane: A few nights before Christmas I made a promise…
But I failed..
All thanks to you TJ Thompson.
You made a liar out of me as I promised the tree at Rockefeller Plaza that no harm would come to it despite John Blade and I trying to destroy each other… and while it was you that did the cutting, I can’t help but feel responsible because it was my actions against you a few weeks earlier that led to you reacting in such a harsh manner.
Why couldn’t you come after me TJ? After my so-called team lost to your team at Proving Ground, I didn’t go and kill your favorite pet, or destroyed your favorite car. No, I went right after you and dropped you on your head! Why didn’t you come at me?! ME?! MEEEEE!!!!
Because he is an insignificant worm that knows that the black bird that is us would eat him up and swallow him whole. Fuck feeding the baby birds.
Douglas Crane: Oh I get it, you wanted to hit me where it hurts the most right? Why go for the head when you can go after the heart?
We have no heart.
Douglas Crane: Well all you managed to do is anger the child inside of me and believe us when we tell you, that little girl is the worst of us and if I let her out, 10 chainsaws would not be enough for you to stop her from tearing you from limb to limb with our bare hands. I might just give up my seat at the helm come Unbreakable Resolution Two just so you can see what we, Douglas Crane, are really capable of.
Then, maybe, just maybe, the Project: Honor bosses will finally take notice and give us a shot at the Warrior Rising Championship.
Focus…
Douglas Crane: I mean why give a shot to a guy who’s been busting his ass since joining Project: Honor; trying to make an impact, trying to make a name for ourselves.
Focus!
Douglas Crane: Nah, instead, let’s give a title shot at not one, not two, not three BUT FOUR brand new random people that just joined the promotion! Let’s ignore Douglas Crane who has been putting on decent performances, who defeated a pretty good wrestler in John Blade and instead let’s give a shot to all 4 of them if they win their match against the “OGs” who are really not even a bunch of “has-beens” but a bunch of “never weres!”
ENOUGH!
Douglas Crane: Fine…
If… no… WHEN we dispose of TJ Thompson, our opportunity will come…
Douglas Crane: and if it doesn’t?
Release me…
Crane smiles.
He tosses the piece of wood to the side and then jumps to his feet, as he does, he hears the sound a branch makes when someone steps on it. He quickly turns around and grabs the man, who was coming up behind him, by the throat.
Man: Ugh! Mr. *gasp* Crane, please!
Crane studies the man and lets him go; he quickly falls to the ground, grabbing at his throat, gasping for air.
Douglas Crane: Who are you?!
Man: *cough* what? Sir, I’m John, John Muller, I-
Douglas Crane: I don’t know any John Muller!
Crane looks around confused.
Douglas Crane: Where are we?!
John Muller: We were just talking not 30 minutes ago on the phone. You’re in my farm, my tree farm here in Columbus, Ohio… You came to check in on your tree order… I wasn’t here yet so you asked one of my workers if you could wait for me in the back…
Douglas Crane: I did?
John Muller: Yes, I just got here and came to check on you and… Oh my, is that my Grand Papi’s TV? What’s it doing out here? What happened to it?! He gave it to me before he passed away, it means the world to me!
Douglas Crane: Oh, that, um, a tree fell on it I’m guessing.. I wasn't here, found it like that… They say that if a tree falls on a TV, does it make a sound? No wait that’s the wrong saying… How does it go again?
John Muller: Why would you do this sir?!
Crane stares at Mr. Muller blankly and then adjusts the glove on his right hand as he makes a fist.
Douglas Crane: I said, I didn’t do this… You believe me, don’t you John? Do I look like the violent type? I just made a nice, large charitable donation... why would I be involved in such a random act of violence and rage?
Mr. Muller gulps hard and realizing he has no real other choice, takes a step back and agrees…
John Muller: Um, yes, of course I believe you sir. Was probably just one of my workers going postal or something... Thank you sir, for your donation... Um, yes, why don’t we just move on and uh, you can follow me so you can see your generous donation at work?
Douglas Crane: Thank you.
Mr. Muller leads the way and now we see the rest of the forest setting, which isn’t much of a forest at all once they leave this area and the cabin office of Columbus State Parks. There seems to have been a lot of deforestation in this area of Columbus as once we get a large view of the setting before us, we see a lot of bare spots where either trees have been cut down or areas where fires have engulfed everything. Mr. Muller hops on a nearby Jeep and asks Douglas to join him; he obliges. They pull off, heading for a large clearing where we see some farmers working out on the fields.
John Muller: The area you have chosen to plant one thousand trees in is not too far from here, we’ll be there in a few minutes.
Douglas Crane: No problem.
John Muller: So what do you do for a living Mr. Crane?
Douglas Crane: We wrestle.
John Muller: We? Alright... What promotion?
Douglas Crane: Project: Honor.
John Muller: Oh yeah, I know of them… heard they were in town. Is that why you are here? Is that why you chose us? We feel so honored if so.
Douglas Crane: I wanted it to be in New York, but couldn’t, so I figured I choose the next town we visit. Location doesn’t really matter, it is the deed that counts.
John Muller: Very true, well we are grateful.
As we get closer we start to make out the line of trees, in their early stages, that have been freshly planted and a few farmers and workers tending to them and the ground.
John Muller: That was a nice donation you did, most people plant one or two and the big budget folks usually do a dozen or so mainly for TV purposes, but we have never gotten a one thousand tree donation, this is great for the environment, thank you so much.
Douglas Crane: No need to thank me, kill a tree-plant a tree right?
John Muller: I’m not sure that’s how that saying goes-
Douglas Crane: Well, a thousand in this case. It’s a good number, and it’s a good enough number that will take away the guilt I feel right?
John Muller: Guilt? I mean to donate and have one thousand trees planted; you must have done something pretty big… Did you start a fire? Did someone die? What did you do Mr. Crane? What did you-
Release me!
Douglas Crane: WE DIDN’T DO A DAMN THING!!
Crane reaches for Mr. Muller with both hands and begins to choke him again! Mr. Muller struggles to break free and drive the jeep at the same time and quickly they end up going off road. The Jeep bounces around a few times, but once it hits a large rock it’s all over as it causes it to flip on its side and go rolling down a hill.
The scene goes to static…
When it comes back, we see Douglas Crane staring blankly at the one thousand brand new trees planted before him. His jacket is off, and we see he has dirt all over his face and body and has a cut in his forehead, a busted lip and a few more cuts on his arms and chest. Behind him we see black smoke emitting from the upside-down Jeep. Mr. Muller is sitting, unconscious, against a pile of hay. Some of the workers and farmers have gone to aid him.
Douglas Crane: Look what you made me do TJ Thompson? I almost killed Mr. Muller and myself in the process, deprived myself of looking at this beautiful site before me. Many years from now, when you and I are long gone, these trees will be as tall if not taller than the tree at Rockefeller Plaza that you killed. The future definitely seems bright, but for you TJ Thompson, the future is now and in a few days when we step into the ring, it will be your darkest day yet.
Do you remember your assessment of me last year when you said that you didn’t think I was going to do well? That I wasn’t any good? Well it’s January 2022 and I am still here in Project: Honor doing quite well, having won my first match and looking to make it two in a row by defeating, no, destroying you. I know our match doesn’t have any stipulations, but that is perfectly fine as there are many ways I can destroy you with just my bare hands. As you so aptly put it back then, I love wrestling and I am all about it. We may be many things, we may be getting pulled every which way mentally but the one thing that brings us all into focus is wrestling. The one thing we all agree upon when that bell rings is hurting our opponents, no matter who they are. We are going to hurt you TJ, we are going to hurt you bad.
You also claimed that my life was depressing. The only thing depressing about my life right now is having to deal with the likes of you, and while you may say ‘hey, you asked for this’; all I really asked for was competition and if it wasn’t coming to me, I was going to go find it regardless of who or whom it was.
But fine, I asked for you and found you... I found someone who is in denial of who they truly are: a sick and twisted individual who claims others are but doesn’t realize he is really one of us. Yeah TJ, you are one of us, put all the silly teenage boy jokes aside, enough with the puns and dad jokes and realize that you are just as fucked up in the head as we are… But don’t worry, if you would rather just be a simple John Doe, a vegetable, I will be more than happy to be the one that leaves you in that state.
After all, I came pretty close a few weeks ago, but this time…
we will finish the job.
The scene goes to static…
