Tears of the soul

[That which dwells in shadows]

Can't wait for the arrival of 'Afterlife'? Here's something to keep your mind occupied.

TEARS OF THE SOUL
SCENE ONE: [Summer's mother in bed, looking distressed] [Father in chair frowning, holding mother's hand]
Father: [Trying to smile] You're going to be fine... The doctors are going to fix you...
Mother: [unsure]I hope so... But if I don't make it somehow, then-
Father: [Shaken]You're going to be fine! We don't even need to discuss that!
Mother: But, if something should happen to me...
Father: I said that we weren't going to discuss that!
[Silence for five seconds]
Mother: Where's little Summer?
Father: She's with the babysitter, I didn't want her to have to see you like this...
Mother: Well I'm sure I'll see her soon, I'm sure they'll let m- Ugh... [Clutches chest]
Father: [Distressed]What's wrong?!
[Mother falls back, look of pain on face]
Father: Can I get a doctor here! There's something wrong with my wife!
[Mother closes eyes, body shaking violently]
Father:[Yelling] Someone get a doctor!
[Doctor rushes in]
Doctor: This is not good! Sir, I'll have to ask you to leave the room.
[Mother stops moving, looks peaceful]
[Father stands ground]
Doctor: Please sir, you need to leave the- [Checks pulse] Well... Too late now.
Father: [Yelling]How can you be so calm about this?
Doctor: Hey, it's my job... Time of death, eighteen twenty-three.
[Doctor leaves stage]
Father: [Sobbing] No! Julie!!! Why?!

SCENE TWO: [Summer sitting on ground, playing with dolls][Babysitter sitting in chair, reading book]
[Father enters, depressed]
Father: I'm back...
Babysitter: Thank god, I'm not sure how much more of this I could take... I mean- She was a little angel...
Summer: Daddy!!! [Runs up and hugs dad] When's mummy coming back?
Father: She... Won't be back for a while...
Summer: Why not?
Father: She... She... [Sobs]
Babysitter: Could I get that money now?
Father: She... She...
Babysitter: Uh... The money?
Father: She... Passed away...
Babysitter: Ah... Bad time, I'll come back tomorrow...
[Babysitter leaves stage]
Summer: What do you mean, passed away?
Father: It means...[Long pause] She won't be coming back...
Summer: But then who will buy me dollies?
Father: [Silence]
Summer: And cook for me? And read me stories at night?
[Father walks over to table, grabs box]
Summer: And who will give me lollies? And tuck me in at night?
[Father walks off stage, box in hands]
Summer: Daddy, where are you going daddy? [Runs after father]

SCENE THREE: [Father alone, standing in center of stage, gun in hand]
Father: I cannot live without you Julie, you were my everything, and now you are gone... But I'll be with you soon, and we'll be able to spend eternity together...
[Father holds gun up to head]
[Lights go out, gunshot can be heard]
Summer:[Offstage] Daddy! DADDY!!! [Sobbing]

SCENE FOUR: [Summer sits alone on chair][Dilushi and parents standing together]
Father: And you get out here, have a great day at school!
Dilushi: Thanks dad, try not to blow up the city at work today!
Father: I promise that I won't... It was bad enough the first time...
Mother: Yes, let's not have a repeat of that incident, I'm still trying to get the radioactivity out of some of my dresses...
Dilushi: [Laughs] Bye mum and dad!
Parents: Bye! [Drive off]
[Summer looks down, sad]
Dilushi: [concerned] What's wrong Summer?
[Dilushi sits down on bench]
Summer: Oh, you know, the usual...
Dilushi: Are those bruises on your arms?
[Summer pulls down sleaves, hiding the bruises.]
Summer: No... They're nothing...
Dilushi: They, did it again, didn't they...
Summer: Don't worry about it, it's for me to deal with...
Dilushi: Don't get any stupid ideas, just think about everything good that happens to you.
Summer: [mutters] Name one thing...
Dilushi: What was that?
Summer: Nothing... [Looks out into the distance] Here comes trouble...
[Bully enters stage]
Bully: Hey there emo, what are you doing? Cutting your wrists?
Dilushi: Leave her alone!
Bully: Why are you standing up for the emo, are you an emo too or something?
Dilushi: She's not an emo!
Bully: Fooled me! Catch you later losers!
Dilushi: What a jerk...
Summer: He's probably right... I am an emo, and a loser...
Dilushi: Don't say that! Why do you put yourself down like that?
Summer: Is that the bell, I've got to go to class...
[Both exit stage]

SCENE FIVE: [Dilushi sitting in car without seatbelt][Summer walks onto stage]
Dilushi: Hey, summer, want to go to the mall?
Summer: Why not... [Summer enters car and does up seatbelt][Dilushi starts driving]
Dilushi: Summer, about earlier...
Summer: I said, I don't want to talk about it.
[Summer switches on radio]["When you were young" plays]
Dilushi: Well, is there anything I can do to help then?
Summer: How about a tissue...
Dilushi: Check in the glove box.
[Summer opens glove box, hand searching inside][Pulls out anti depressants]
Summer: What are these?
Dilushi: Nothing! [Snatches container away]
Summer: Dilushi, what's wrong?
Dilushi: Nothing! I'm perfectly fine! Nothing is wrong!
Summer: The pills say otherwise.
Dilushi: What pills? There are no pills!
Summer: Those are clearly anti depressants, are you sure that you are fine?
Dilushi: They're just vitamins! Nothing more! I'm fine! Leave me alone!
Summer: Are... You okay Dilushi? Do you need any help?
Dilushi: What don't you understand about "Leave me alone?!"
Summer: Shouldn't you be watching the- Look out!
[Dilushi and summer open eyes wide, crashing][Dilushi flies forward, flopped through windscreen]
Summer: Ungh...[Falls unconscious]

SCENE SIX: [Summer lying in bed- in room]
Mother:[Offstage] Summer, get up! It's time for school!
Summer: But I don't wa- [Eyes open wide] Wait- What happened?!
Mother:[Offstage] Hurry up! You'll be late!
Summer: But you're-
[Mother bursts into room]
Mother: I'm what? Do I need to drag you out of bed?
Summer: What? No, but-
[Father enters room]
Father: What's going on, I heard threats!
Mother: Nothing's wrong honey, just trying to get Summer up.
Father: Oh... Okay then... [Dashes off]
Mother: I'll be back with a gun if you're not up soon... [Mother exits stage]
Summer: But... Okay, coming! [Exits room, smile on face]

SCENE SEVEN: [Summer in hospital bed, eyes closed, hooked up to machines][Doctor sits beside bed, eating sandwich]
Doctor: Poor girl, in a coma- and at such a young a age...
[Puts down sandwich]
Doctor: I wonder what it's like being in a coma, if anything goes through your head... Well- One can only wonder...

[Malum]

I think the ending was very good, as was the whole plot.

But it got a little too "generic teenage drama" for me with the pills Dilushi had.
Also, how would you do this on stage? Just wondering.

[That which dwells in shadows]

Most of it was pretty easy, except for the last two scenes. We ended up having to have Summer be in a hospital room with the doctor sitting in his chair frozen. Then Summer had to stand up and do the second to last scene, and then say "This... Isn't right..." And lay back down, which is when the doctor jumps to life and does his last couple of lines. The pills were part of the original plot that I had no part in, I only came up with the ending, which the others had decided had to have Summer perfectly happy with her life, which wasn't really possible from where she was. So it was either "And then she woke up," or "And she spent the rest of her life in a coma, living out her days in happiness," which I had suggested. The whole script however was written by me based on a plot that I was given. The actual performance was pretty horrible, all of the actors forgot their lines (except for the dad), Dilushi, who also played the mother, didn't show enough emotion in her lines, and Summer actually forgot one of the most important lines in the play: "Shouldn't you be watching the- Look out!" So the teacher who was doing the lighting started turning out the lights, I had to indicate to him to put them back up and then had to whisper very loudly to Summer what her line was, which she eventually said, but without emotion, making it sound like a casual thing to say to her friend. In the original, there was going to be an abuse scene, but I both didn't want to need to write that, and knew that we wouldn't have enough time to practice the scene well.

[Malum]

Well, I think your idea was very good for an ending.

Sorry the play didn't work out. I always hate it when that happens. One time in Drama class we had to dance to a song, my group chose "We Will Rock You", our coriography was awesome, but the CD was very quiet, and it ruined the whole thing.