I don’t know who’s writing the script, but whatever you think about the Occupy Vancouver protest and tent city, you have to admit it’s an epic story.

Death, drama, defiance, destiny. Tale of Two Cities meets Hamlet meets V for Vendetta, with a bit of Cheech and Chong thrown in for comic relief.

And we still don’t know how it’s going to come out, although you get the feeling there will be no Hollywood happy ending.

What began as a spontaneous burst of protest energy has deteriorated into chaos and grief with two suspected drug overdoses in three days and the death of one of them, a young woman identified as Ashlie Gough.

This sad human tale has massive political ramifications worthy of a Dickens novel. It’s all going down on the eve of an election, and the politicians are trying to score as many points as possible without looking as if they are trying to score as many political points as possible.

Cue the weatherman who predicts torrential rain over the next three days.

If you think the morale in the tent city is bad today, wait a few days as it sinks into a morass of mud and paranoia.

Meanwhile, Hamlet, er, Gregor Robertson, stands on the sidelines wringing his hands, at first declaring the protesters can stay indefinitely and now, with the overdoses, declaring an end to Occupy Vancouver. He’ll get back to us on when and how.

As Robertson dithers, the fire department seems to be running the city, as firefighters negotiate with the protesters to improve safety conditions on the site.

It reminds me of that Sprint commercial on cable TV: What if Firefighters ran the world? A grizzled veteran steps up to the mic before an assembly of other grizzled veterans: “OK, guys, what about the budget? Balance it! Who wants better roads? We do! How about clean water? Aye!” After 30 seconds, the grizzled veteran steps off the podium. “Dis is the easiest job I ever had.” Assembled veterans chuckle. We could use a little of that practical wisdom here.

But there’s something haunting about Occupy Vancouver, and as it falls apart, as these things inevitably do, let’s not forget that they are there to do our dirty work. They are there to protest greed and inequality, and the latest poll says 51 per cent of Vancouverites agree with that. Of course, 75 per cent want them to pack up – and leave only a legacy behind.

It’s a story we can tell our grandchildren … if we dare to have any.