Eighteen/Twenty-One

Here's my first play for 31 Plays in 31 Days! :)

Eighteen/Twenty-One

by

R. K. Futty

LIGHTS UP on a brass bed down stage left, an empty window upstage of it, and a door frame stage right. Faded floral blankets cover a mound which is JULIA. She breathes slowly but isn’t asleep, simply staring out her window at the rain. Her rain. A loud thunderclap fills the room, but she doesn’t move. She breathes once more.

MOTHER (singsong)

Good morning, good morning! Time to wake up! Get up. (beat) Get up, get up, get u-up!

JULIA

No...

MOTHER

C’mon Sleepyhead, time to get up, get out of bed. (silence. A shift.) Julia Marie you get up this instant!

JULIA

What’s the point?

MOTHER

Don’t give me that crap. (silence. Another shift.) The sun is shining, birds are chirping, everything’s beautiful!

The sound of birds chirping is drowned out by the persistent storm. MOTHER goes over to window, looks out, and smiles.

JULIA

...it’s raining.

MOTHER

It most certainly is not!

JULIA

Can’t you hear it beating beating beating little paths down the pane? drip. drip. drip drip. splash splash. drizzle. drizzle. beat beat beat beat beat. over over over over over. Watch them fall, watch them fall, two by two they kill them all.

MOTHER

I don’t know what’s gotten into you.

JULIA

Into me? Nothing’s gotten into me. It’s what’s flowing out of me that the problem. I’m nothing, nothing. Nothing at all. that’s what they tell me. pounding pounding pounding between my skull til my brain melts through my ears! OH! I have no soul. I HAVE NO SOUL! It’s deep dark down the center path, missing, missing, where did it go? (beat)  I am nothing but a hole.

JULIA now pulls the blankets into her. She has not left the bed. A few moments.

MOTHER

Oh Julia, stop being so melodramatic.

JULIA

There’s something wrong with me.

MOTHER

There’s nothing wrong with you.

JULIA

Maybe that’s the problem... (Beat. Beat. Beat.)

MOTHER

GET OUT OF BED!

MOTHER lunges at her, JULIA grabs onto the brass bars of her headboard.

JULIA

YOU CAN’T MAKE ME!

They struggle. MOTHER eventually lets go.

MOTHER

Fine. I’m getting your father. (Exits stage right through the door.)

JULIA (laying down)

You can’t...

MOTHER (offstage)

Alan! Aaaalaaaaan!

JULIA

It’s not...

ALAN and MOTHER talk as they enter Stage Right, pausing before going into JULIA’s room.

MOTHER

-after everything we’ve done, you think she’d show a little gratitude.

ALAN

Perhaps it’s not a question of gratitude-

MOTHER

And the way she looks- it’s disgusting! She obviously hasn’t showered in days. She’s being absolutely ridiculous. No matter what I say she won’t get out of bed!

ALAN

Maybe she doesn’t want to face the day... (stares)

MOTHER

Don’t just stand here. Do something!(exits stage right)

ALAN

(to self) I’ll have to remember- (stomps into room) Julie! Julie get up. (silence) Julie, c’mon, enough of this already. (beat) Helloooooooo. Earth to Julie (beat) Seriously, nothing? (beat)Okay stop it. (beat) Stop it right now. (silence) Julie, I’m losing my patience. (beat) Why are you doing this? (silence) Get up. (beat) Get up (beat) GET UP!

ALAN grabs JULIA and forces her to stand. She looks down and away with dead eyes.

ALAN

Okay. Good. Now, if you’ve got nothing better planned I’m going to put you to work. You’re sure as hell not going to lay here all day moping around. I don’t care what day it is. Look at me when I’m talking to you! (She doesn’t move) Julie! (no reaction) Speak to me. (still nothing. He grabs her and shakes her hard. She flops like a newborn.) SPEAK TO ME! (he sets her down.)

JULIA

You’re going to die.

ALAN slaps her back handed and hard. Freeze.

ALAN JULIA

This isn’t how it goes. This isn’t how it goes.

JULIA starts circling ALAN.

ALAN

What are you doing?

JULIA

You’re already dead. Cold down underground, where no one knows your name. Deep and long forgotten. You have no eyes to see or ears to hear or face for Mother to love.

ALAN

Stop it.

JULIA

A shadow, nothing more.

ALAN

I’m right here!

JULIA

You aren’t anywhere.

ALAN

Shut up or I’ll-

JULIA

(laughs) A shadow has no power over me.

ALAN

Leave me alone!

Silence. ALAN and JULIA lock eyes then turn front. beat.

ALAN JULIA

I’m already gone. I’m already gone.

LIGHTS OUT.