INT. COMMUNITY CENTRE - SUPPORT GROUP ROOM - EVENING
(A circle of uncomfortable-looking individuals sit on folding chairs. A whiteboard reads: "Follow Your Dreams! (No Refunds)" Linda, the overenthusiastic group leader, beams at them.)
LINDA: Welcome, everyone! It’s so inspiring to see so many dream-chasers in one place! Who’d like to share this week’s triumphs?
(Silence. The members exchange glances.)
GARY (muttering): I found out I can’t legally sell my kidney in Nepal.
LINDA (clapping): What a journey, Gary! And remember, every setback is just a setup for a comeback!
GARY: It was a setup, alright. By the Nepalese police.
LINDA: Personal growth comes in mysterious ways! Anyone else?
CAPTAIN DAVE (grumbling): I was scammed by a parrot.
LINDA: Wow! A unique learning experience! Tell us more.
CAPTAIN DAVE: Bought a talking parrot to be my first mate. Said it knew the way to buried treasure. Just led me to a Tesco car park and demanded crisps.
JUDITH (sniffling, dabbing at her swollen eyes): I spent my life savings on a cat café and I am literally allergic to my own business.
LINDA: That’s wonderful, Judith! Challenges help us grow!
JUDITH: My doctor says I will literally die if I stay in the café any longer.
LINDA (nodding enthusiastically): What a dramatic arc! The hero faces adversity!
TINA: I haven’t written a single word of my novel in two years. But I have tried every seasonal latte at Starbucks.
LINDA: But writing isn’t just words on a page, Tina. It’s the experience of being a writer!
TINA: Then I am an Olympic-level writer.
DR. MARCEL (in mime mode, slowly sinking into an invisible despair box): …
LINDA: Dr. Marcel, I can tell from your energy that you’re growing through this process.
GARY: He’s literally miming a noose, Linda.
LINDA (ignoring this): This is so inspiring! Now, let’s all visualise success! Close your eyes and picture yourselves thriving in your dreams!
(All close their eyes. They open them again. Nothing has changed.)
CAPTAIN DAVE: Nope. Still a broke pirate in a Travelodge.
TINA: Still no novel.
JUDITH (wheezing): Still dying.
DR. MARCEL (miming being buried alive): …
LINDA (brightly): Great! Now let’s chant: "I am living my dream!"
GROUP (monotone, dead inside): I am living my dream.
GARY: And my dream is a nightmare.
CAPTAIN DAVE: And my nightmare has a parrot in it.
LINDA: Wonderful progress, everyone! Same time next week!
(They all groan as they trudge out, except for Dr. Marcel, who mimes being carried out by pallbearers.)
FADE OUT.






