Blind and Death
A.M. Hounchell
2017 ©
Characters:
Ralph, young guy
Martin, Ralph’s close friend
Sheila, funeral director
Sam
Scene 1:
Setting: A room with two chairs. Present.
(Ralph and Martin are sitting in chairs as lights come up. Martin is reading a book.)
Ralph: I’m lost.
Martin: And?
Ralph: I don’t know what to do with myself.
Martin: And?
Ralph: I feel purposeless.
Martin: And you feel for some reason I can give you purpose? You think that I have my shit more together than you? Maybe you should look again. I’m a shit hurricane.
(Ralph stares into the distance)
Ralph: I wish I could be turned off like a robot. I don’t want to kill myself. I just want to be away. I want to enjoy restful sleep and the empty nothing. I don’t want to be, but I want to come back. I need hibernation.
(Martin sits his book down)
Martin: That’s copping out of killing yourself.
Ralph: I don’t think so. I just don’t want to have to deal with all of this. I want to be able to… pretend I have emotions again.
(Martin faces Ralph)
Martin: That’s stupid. Just look at yourself. You aren’t old. You aren’t frail. You aren’t dying. You have both of your legs for Christ’s sake. Just grow up.
Ralph: I know, but I just don’t think I can do it.
Martin: Kill yourself to death or care about living?
Ralph: Either. I feel so weak. I feel like at any moment I’ll melt into the floor. I feel like nothing. I’ve felt this way since graduation.
(Martin picks up his book)
Martin: You are being a coward. Shut up.
Ralph: You’re being heartless!
(Martin throws the book across the stage)
Martin: I am not being heartless. Look at what time it is. I’ve sat here and listened to you whine about killing yourself for five hours. Five goddamn hours. Do you think it’s easy listening to my best friend talk about killing himself? Do you think there’s some kind of magic protocol to deal with this? Did it ever cross your mind that I don’t know what to say? You’re a moron.
You can live and do so many great things, and you want to waste that opportunity to destroy yourself. You know what? I hope you kill yourself. Go ahead and try. I dare you. You just want to have a woe-is-me-moment and it’ll pass. Like mine always do. I’m sick of listening to this. Go ahead and slit your wrist and jump off a bridge, because clearly I can’t talk you out of this. What you need is a professional to talk you down from that childish cliff face that you are lost on.
(beat)
Ralph: You’re right. It was selfish of me to bring this up to you. I’ll see you around, Martin. I hope that book ends nicely.
(Ralph stands and begins to exit the stage. Silence.)
Martin: Please come back.
(Ralph leaves stage and Martin sits by himself)
Martin: Please come back
(Silence)
Martin: Please! I’m sorry. Don’t leave.
(Silence, followed by Ralph shouting offstage)
Ralph: I can’t do this anymore!
Scene 2:
(Lights come up on Ralph and Martin. They are sitting opposite each other again. Time has passed.)
Martin: This book is harder than I thought to read. The character just seems like he is going through the motions. It feels like his emotions left him a long time ago.
(Ralph looks up)
Ralph: So?
Martin: It is just a hard book to read. I don’t really care about the character. He is just an emotionless brick, who could be tossed off of a balcony for all I care.
Ralph: Why don’t you tell me how you actually feel?
(Martin stares at the book)
Martin: No one in the story cares about him, and I don’t know why I should care about him.
Ralph: Have you considered that it isn’t a good book?
Martin: No. I thought maybe there’d be a silver lining, but the character’s life just continues to get shittier and shittier. Even though, he continues to be a brick.
Ralph: Just read a different book. Seems like it would be easy. Step one, find a different book. Step two, read that book instead.
Martin (still not looking up): I’m just invested in how it’ll end. I’m hoping that something beautiful happens. I’m hoping that there will be a little light that makes him feel less like a brick.
Ralph: Why read a book if you don’t like it?
Martin: Life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, you know?
Ralph: But if you change your perspective anything can be happy.
Martin: That’s cute coming from you of all people.
Ralph: What was that?
Martin: Nothing. I was just sighing. You are probably right. There’s no reason that I can’t just
throw this book aside and read a different book. I could read anything.
Ralph: Got any idea what you will read next?
(Martin lightly sets the book down)
Martin: I was thinking about reading Of Mice and Men. At least I know how that ends already.
Ralph: Oh that sounds interesting. I’ve never read that.
Martin: It’s very good. It’s about two best friends, who hang out until one has to leave town. It’s probably my favorite book actually, even though it is a little sad at the end.
Ralph: I was hoping that it would be about a mouse and a guy becoming best friends or something.
Martin: You’re thinking of the movie Ratatouille, which is neither a book or about a mouse. It’s a pleasant movie though to be fair.
(Martin stands up)
Martin (continued): You know, I’ll be right back. I’m going to grab my book from the study.
(Martin exits and Ralph continues sitting)
Ralph: You forgot your book in here!
(Silence)
Ralph: Martin, the other book is in here!
(Silence)
Ralph: MARTIN!
(Fade to black)
Scene 3:
Funeral parlor. Not many people. Two chairs. Present.
(Lights come up on Sheila and Martin sitting in the chairs)
Ralph: I never thought this was going to happen.
Sheila (remaining calm): No one plans for others to die. It is just God’s will. Your friend is in a better place. You cannot grieve those in a better place, because you are worse off than them. They are without worry for eternity.
Ralph: I never wanted this to happen. I’m going to hell for what I did. I should have known. Why didn’t I know?
Sheila: Sweetheart, no one wants their friends to die. Otherwise why would you be friends with them. If you wanted your friends to die, they’d be your enemies. People don’t attend the funerals of their enemies unless they are their friends.
Ralph: I don’t want this to happen. I just want to talk about the stupid book.
(Ralph looks above him. Distant look)
Sheila: You cannot change the past. That is the beauty of mistakes. They can never be rewritten. Our choices lead us down the path that creates who we are.
Ralph: I could have asked more questions. I could have taken more interest in his goddamn book. If I had just listened to him for a second.
Sheila: Do you think anymore of his family will make it?
Ralph: I see his blood in the snow and his broken legs when I close my eyes. It’s always there, no matter what I do. It’s bright like the sun looking back at me. His twitching fingers grasping for nothing.
(Sheila pats Ralph on the leg)
Sheila: Try not to think too much about that. It wasn’t your fault, and it’ll never be your fault. You cannot predict the actions of others. You can only predict the actions of yourself.
Ralph: He was reacting to me. It’s my fault. I could have easily predicted what would happen and taken action.
Sheila: And the weather? Was that also your fault?
Ralph: I was cold to him.
Sheila: You can’t blame yourself for everything that happens. Some things will always be out of your control. Other people’s lives are out of your control. The future is out of your control.
Take care. I hope you make it home safely after the service.
(Ralph continues sitting by himself, holding the book)
Ralph: I don’t know what the protocol for a funeral is. Am I supposed to walk up there? Talk to your body like you could still get up? Am I supposed to cry? Be angry? What’s the answer? Am I supposed to apologize for making everything about me?
(Ralph placed his hand over his face)
Ralph: I found your book. You dropped it on the way out. I don’t want to ruin the ending for you, in case you want to finish it. I don’t think the character was like a brick at all. It actually has a nice ending, believe it or not.
(Ralph places book on chair and stands)
Ralph: I’ll miss you. (Ralph exits and stage to black)
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