Iris' world is literally upside down, can she figure out how to be right side up again?

TRANSCRIPT:
“Dang it”

“You think I would have learned by now that an ice cream cone is not the ideal snack for someone like me.”

“I’m Iris and I have lived my entire life upside down for as long as I can remember. I have a mom, a dad, and a brother, Breck. How is it that I’m upside down and they aren’t? Well we’ve tried everything we can think of, so now, we’ve all just adjusted to it and try avoid talking about it.

“Iris - why did you make such a mess?”

“Again, I’m in trouble. Oof. I wish I had someone I could talk to and that might listen. Mom and Dad don’t have the time and Breck doesn’t care.”

“At school, things aren’t much better. I try to make friends and blend in but you tend to stick out if you can only see the tops of people’s heads. Let’s just say, that doesn’t go over so well with the bald teachers or ones that are self-conscious about their hair.”

All of her classmates make fun of me - “Look at me - I’m Iris - I do everything upside down and just stare at people’s heads all day long.”

“Iris you are so weird.” (Laughing)

Laughing can be heard in the background.

“ I don’t think that I will ever fit in. No one can relate to me because they can do all of the normal things like play sports, go to the movies, swing on the playground.”

At home, we typically eat dinner quietly. I can’t eat without making a mess and having gravity bring things falling down.

One night as I got ready for bed, I decided that I have had enough of my life upside down - there has to be a cure or something to help me live right side up. “I’m going to figure out how to be right side up. I bet the tarot reader at the mall can help me. Some way, somehow.”

Iris heads to the mall and enters into the fortune teller’s shop.

“Seems to me that you are searching for a way to solve your unique problem. Am I close?”

“Yes, I am desperate.”

“The answer to what you seek is there. Be careful though as you must look within to find the true answer.”

“How do I do that?”

“You must figure out the way to make yourself happy, to forgive the past - including what happened to your animal friend”

“Just great - that didn’t help me. (Beat) I know, I will make a list of all of the possible things that might be causing me to be upside down.”

Because of that a local reporter gets wind of Iris and how she is trying to cure her upside down problem. Iris tries all kinds of things - riding a roller coaster, playing on the high gymnast bars.


Because of that she gets home to find out that she is now an instant celebrity after the local news story with offers to star in a movie, help the FBI gain secret information - Iris says yes with the hope that these things will help her feel happy and turn her right side up like the tarot reader promised.

“If I do these, something is bound to work. I’ve always wanted to be in a movie so this could be really cool and help me look within myself at my goals and then I’ll be right side up.”


Because of that she then meets a talent agent that sees Iris as a quick way to make some money and exploits her - scheduling interviews, appearances, roles, etc.

“You have to do this interview Iris - you need publicity for the movie.”

“I was only in it for two minutes - shouldn’t the main star do it?”

“Well the main star doesn’t live upside down and that is where the big money is. You had fun doing it right?”

ENOUGH! I just don’t want to do this. “This isn’t making me happy like it was at first and like I had hoped.” Iris starts to cry. I just want to be home.

Iris, honey, I have a letter for you.

Just when everything seemed hopeless, Iris receives an unexpected anonymous fan mail letter.

Der Iris,
I’ve been following your story on your quest to be right side up again and think that I might be able to help you. I too suffered from a life of living upside down. I was able to cure myself by thinking about what was making me so sad and actually talk about it. For me, it was moving away from all my friends when my dad got a new job. I was so scared to try something new causing my whole life to be upside down and wrong.



“Iris, what has gotten you so upset?”

“I just want to be normal. But nothing has been normal for as long as I can remember and it is making me sad and alone.”

“You can always talk to us you know.”

“You are always so busy with work and your own life that I’m afraid to bring things up.”

“What’s bothering you?”

“I’m tired of living my life upside down. I went and saw some tarot reader who told me that I have to forgive my past in order to make it stop.”

“Ah. I see. Well can you remember what initially made you sad?”

“I’m sad because I haven’t had a real friend since Goldie died.”

“Your fish? Why did you wait years to tell us?!”

“Yeah, my first friend. It was so sad that she just died. I had done everything to take care of her. You always seemed too busy to talk.”

“Don’t blame yourself for that. Everyone has sad things that happen in life. You just have to focus on the good so they don’t bottle up and turn your world upside down. You are so special, you just need to realize it and embrace it.”

Ever since then, Iris lets out a big sigh of relief. Maybe if she had come to her parents earlier and learned to channel some of that sadness and grief into something positive, she could have turned right side up a lot sooner.

The next day Iris wakes up and is right side up. She gets sad for a second as she thinks of Goldie and is momentarily scared at the idea of going out in the world to blend in but remembers all of the things that she can do now - play sports, go to the movies, and be her best right side up self.