Economy of Fear

Dave handed out coffee — this time the coffee machine didn’t object, because Dave explained it was a “creative process”.

Gluk, taking the opportunity, polished the remotes, while Winglet sat on his back and carefully watched for order.

— I used to film different things, — Dave said, looking at an empty screen. — Kind movies. About love, about friendship, about the importance of being yourself.

— I watched one, — Gadget unexpectedly said. — “The Octopus Who Wanted to Hug the Whole World”. It was… a good film.

— Good? — Dave smirked. — It flopped. Nobody wanted to watch about hugs. Everyone wanted horror. About fear. About someone killing someone.

— People have always wanted scary things, — Shadow noted.

— No, — Dave shook his head. — They were made to believe they wanted scary things. The Guild. They control ratings, audience, distribution. If you don’t film what they want, you’re nobody.

He pointed to a stack of old discs in the corner.

— My films. Twenty years of work. And now they gather dust because the Guild bought the rights and banned them from being shown.

— Why? — Spark asked.

— So no one remembers I can film kind things. So everyone thinks I’m only capable of horror. So I believe it myself.

He fell silent.

One of his hands reached for the discs, but he jerked it back.

— Don’t, — he said. — Not now.

— And the contract? — Cheddar asked. — You said you’re a hostage.

— The contract, — Dave smirked. — I signed it ten years ago. I needed money to shoot a new film. The Guild gave it. And in return, I gave them everything. Rights to my old work, to new work, to myself. If I break even one condition, they take it all. Even the park. Even the monsters.

— And the conditions?

— Ratings. Every month my attractions must hit a certain number of views. If ratings drop, the Guild takes part of the park. If they drop more — more. And if they drop to zero…

He didn’t finish.

His hands trembled.

— What then? — Gluk asked.

— Then I’m nobody. No films, no park, no name. Just an octopus who once filmed something.

Silence fell in the hall.

Even Winglet stopped squeaking.

— And that’s why you force the monsters to scare, — Cheddar said.

— I do, — Dave nodded. — But now they can’t. The cheese produced downstairs changes them. They become… gentle.

— Gentle? — Spark repeated.

— Yes. They want to hug, purr, be scratched. Like when your robot cleaned them — they just melted. And they’re supposed to roar and scare.

— But that’s good! — Gluk exclaimed. — Gentle monsters are happy monsters.

— For monsters — yes, — Dave sighed. — But for me — it’s a catastrophe. If ratings drop any lower, the Guild takes everything. I’ll be left with nothing.

— And if ratings go up? — Cheddar asked.

— How? — Dave smirked. — I don’t have money for new attractions. No ideas. No strength. I can’t even shoot a film — my hands don’t listen to me.

One of his hands, the one that loved petting, reached out to Gluk again.

— See? — Dave said. — They do what they want.

— Maybe they know what they want, — Shadow said quietly. — And you don’t.

Dave looked at her.

In his eyes was something new — maybe hope.

— What do you suggest? — he asked.

— We’ll help you raise the ratings, — Cheddar said. — But not with fear.

— Then how?

— With laughter.

Part Three: The Problem

— Laughter? — Dave stared at Cheddar like he was crazy. — You’re suggesting I make comedies? Now? When my monsters are turning into plush toys?

— Exactly now, — Cheddar nodded. — You said it yourself: monsters can’t scare anymore. So we change the format.

— But the ratings…

— Ratings will drop, — Cheddar agreed. — But if we don’t change, they’ll drop anyway. And if we make the park funny, we’ll have a chance.

Dave pondered.

His hands froze, and the hall went quiet.

— I tried, — he said. — Tried to film funny things. But I can’t. I forgot how it’s done.

— You didn’t forget, — Shadow countered. — You’re just afraid.

— Afraid?

— Afraid it won’t work. Afraid it won’t be funny the right way. Afraid people will laugh at you.

Dave lowered his eyes.

— Maybe, — he admitted. — But I don’t know where to start.

— With the monsters, — Gluk said, rolling closer. — They’re already funny. When you clean them, they rumble and melt. That’s funny.

— Rumbling monsters aren’t funny, they’re… touching.

— And touching can be funny too, — Gadget argued. — Like if a big scary monster is afraid of a tiny mouse.

— Or if it tries to scare, but a butterfly flies out of its mouth, — Spark added.

— Or if it roars, but it comes out “meow”, — Gluk chimed in.

Dave looked at them.

Then at his hands.

One of them, the one that loved petting, carefully rose.

— Meow, — it said quietly.

— That’s not me! — Dave yelled. — It’s her!

— Then try to negotiate with it, — Gluk suggested. — It’s yours. It should listen.

— It never listens!

— Because you don’t love it, — Gluk said. — You’re afraid of it. And it feels it.

Dave looked at his hand.

It froze, as if waiting.

— I… — he began. — I’m not afraid. I just…

— Just what? — Spark asked.

— I just don’t know how to handle it.

— Then try to pet it, — Gluk suggested. — Like I clean. Circular motions.

Dave carefully raised another hand and touched the one that was petting.

It flinched, then relaxed and wrapped around it, as if hugging.

— Oh, — Dave said. — That’s… nice.

— See? — Gluk said. — They just want love.

— Everyone wants love, — Shadow added. — Even monsters. Even octopuses.

Dave stared at his hands for a long time.

They had finally stopped fighting and just lay there, intertwined.

— Alright, — he said. — I’ll try. But I need help.

— We’ll help, — Cheddar nodded. — But first — Barsik. Where is he?

— Below, — Dave answered. — In the deepest lab. Where they make the emotion cheese.

— Why didn’t you get him out?

— I can’t. The only way there is through the factory, and the factory is guarded. The Guild doesn’t let anyone in.

— Then we’ll go through the factory, — Cheddar decided.

— It’s dangerous, — Dave warned. — The cheese there… is alive. It reads emotions. If you get scared, it will absorb you.

— And if we don’t get scared? — Spark asked.

— Then you’ll surprise it. And cheese doesn’t like surprises.

— Even better, — Cheddar smirked. — We love surprises.