Tag Archives: Play

Daily Inner Dialogue

PLEASURE CENTER: We don’t really need to get up at 6.

LOGIC CENTER: Yes, we do. I figured it out last night.

PLEASURE CENTER: But you were being overly cautious. No, we can get up at 6:30 and still have plenty of time.

LOGIC CENTER: What? No. What data are you basing this off of?

SENSORY INPUT: The bed is very nice and warm, and closing our eyes and drifting would feel very nice.

LOGIC CENTER: You are not helping.

PLEASURE CENTER: That’s right. Reset the phone. Close our eyes. Mmmmm.

LOGIC CENTER: [At a shout but fading into the distance] No, don’t. Don’t listen to them! They’re being unreasonable!


The Little Boy & the Window

[Lights fade in on an empty room with an open window. From it is heard a lazy buzzing. The window’s screen is lying on the floor. A little boy runs into the room with a toy car.]

BOY: Vroooom! Vrooom! [He laughs as he bangs it into furniture and walls.] Vrooom! Honk! Honk! Get out of the way, or you’ll get run over! Vrooom! [The buzzing outside gets louder. The little boy sees the open window and screams.] Daaad! Aaaaaah! Daaad! [He drops the car and dives under the furniture, still screaming.]

DAD: What happened? Why are you under the- [He steps on the screen.] Did they sting you?

BOY: He wants them to! [The buzzing increases.]

DAD: Did they sting you?!

BOY: No!

DAD: Go to your room – no the bathroom! You have your pen?

BOY: Yes, but they’re-

DAD: Good. Use it if you get stung. Close the door until I tell you to open it, ok? Go now! [As soon as the little boy leaves the room, he dives for the window and slams it shut. The buzzing is quieter but still audible. There’s a shifting sound.] Don’t you dare open that window. Not an inch! You get the rest of those bees out of the house and close every window you opened. Do it now, or I swear we will move. And Missy moves with us. [We hear several windows shut abruptly, and the buzzing sound cuts off completely.] Don’t you ever do that again, or I will take them both and leave. You understand me? You will never. See. Her. Again.


The Little Girl & The Plane

LITTLE GIRL: Let go! [She strains to pull a toy plane off the ground.] Let go! It’s mine! [There’s no reply. She yanks on the plane, and suddenly, the plane moves across the floor away from her. Its sudden movement makes her fall backwards.] Ow! Mooo-oooom!

[We hear the sound of rushing footsteps as the little girl cries. The door bursts open, and a woman rushes in.]

MOM: What happened? Are you hurt? [She rushes to the little girl, and seeing no injuries, pulls her close.] What’s wrong, sweetie?

LITTLE GIRL: Mooom, she…[sniff] w-wouldn’t let…[sniff] m-me p-play with my…[sniff] my plaa-aa-aane!

MOM: What? Why not?

LITTLE GIRL: She… [sniff] she says girls [sniff] caaan’t.

MOM: Well, that’s not very smart. [The little girl jumps and stares up at her mom. Simultaneously, the plane moves with a hard thunk.] You can throw all the tantrums you want. It won’t change the fact that girls can play with planes just fine. [The plane clanks again, and the mom looks levelly at the air above it.] And anyone who steals a little girl’s toy is just plain mean. [There’s silence except for the girl’s sniffles. The mom gets up and easily picks up the plane.] Here you go, honey. Play all you want.


My Top 10 Posts: Happy 6th Month Anniversary!!!

I still can’t believe I wrote that right, but, yes, today marks the 6th month anniversary of starting this writing experiment. I am officially halfway through my year-long challenge of writing and posting something new every day. And what a trip it has been so far!

This blog has been through short stories, poems, bits of plays, ongoing novels, and even a webhost migration. Not to mention lots of new readers (thank you!!!). It seems only fitting to do something special, so why not celebrate with my 10 favorite posts from the 6 months so far?

I’ll tell you why not. That means I have to pick 10 favorite posts! (What? How?!)

Instead, I’ll say that I picked 10 of my favorite posts, and to be honest, the fact that it was hard to choose delights me. The fact that I still like and enjoy most of these posts months later means that I must be doing something right – however hard it makes picking out 10.

To make it easier, I removed the novels from the running (as an ongoing story, they get so much extra effort that it simply wouldn’t be fair to compare them to the rest!), and here are the 10 I finally decided on in no particular order:

10. “Not a What

There are days when I wish I’d actually said this in response to people. On the other hand, it always sounds a bit Dr. Seuss-ish to me. I may like the idea better than the poem.

9. “Can’t

I chose “Can’t” because I like the two angles it explores and the ambiguity between them. Plus, it’s a pretty universal issue, which I like in a poem. It’s also one of the earliest pieces from this experiment.

8. “Love

Speaking of universal issues, this is a requisite for poetry. If you’re writing poems, at least 1 has to be about love, right?

7. “Tangled Web

Spider-like, they sit and watch
Subtle, deceptive
Camouflaged
Hidden

read more.

6. “See the Headline: ’45 Minutes Stolen’

This is a bit lighter and fluffier than most of the other poems I’ve chosen, but it makes my literal mind happy. And it’s always fun to see evidence of my struggle against constantly rhyming.

5. “Or Not

A little more recent, this poem is another with an appealing ambiguity for universal issues. I wrote it in September, and I have a feeling I was facing some sort of decision at the time – but that’s a pretty safe guess (I was alive at the time, so…).

4. “Teatime

Although I’ve been choosing poems so far, “Teatime” is a little different. After months of promising to do a play or a bit of a play, this was the first to be posted. Even though it’s a better script for an online comic than an actual stage production, I enjoy it (although I have been told that my humor is a bit warped).

3. “The Fields

I love the idea of this poem. It’s a bit twisted, and as a writer, there’s little quite as gleeful for me as hiding coarse, inelegant meaning in poetic language.

2. “The People Paradox

The longer I live the truer this poem seems. I’m not really old enough to say that yet, but still…

1. “When IDEAS Attack

Finally, the post that started it all. You may not know this, but the very first post on this blog was an article (a slightly NSFW article at that). It’s a wonderful feeling for me to read it again 6 months later and enjoy it as much as I did when I first posted it on Weebly. I hope you enjoy it, too.

Here’s to another 6 months!

Time is short, but we go on
With words and thoughts and feelings.
I’ll keep on writing (please, forgive the slant rhyme)
And thanks so much for reading!


The Old Man & The Stairs

OLD MAN: Yeah, I know you hate that picture. You’ve told me so since the day I put it up. [There is silence as the old man moves toward a stairway.] No, I ain’t gonna take it down. You can save your breath and stop askin’ me. [Silence again as the man pauses by the picture as if listening.] Well, I like it, and it’s my house. [He reaches the base of the stairs.] What the- [Grunts and straining sounds can be heard.] You stop that! [More strain.] You let me up the stairs right now, or so help me, I-

WOMAN: Dad? What’s the matter?

OLD MAN: [Glaring at the air in front of him.] Nothing’s the matter.

WOMAN: But… you were shouting. Do you need help up the stairs?

OLD MAN: I’m fine. Go back in the other room and watch your show.

WOMAN: But-

OLD MAN: Now, it’s my house. If I want to shout a bit, I can. You go leave me to it.

After giving him one last worried glance, she leaves.

WOMAN: He said he was fine.

MAN: He didn’t sound fine. If he’s having trouble with the stairs-

WOMAN: His doctor said he’s healthy as a horse!

MAN: But what about his mind? You heard him just now. It might be time.

WOMAN: He’d hate to leave this house…

The old man’s glare at the air hardens.

OLD MAN: [In a whisper] You ever try anything like that again, and I’ll burn this house down before I take down that picture.

The lights go down as the old man easily climbs the stairs.


The Old Woman & The Light

OLD WOMAN: I’m sorry that it bothers you, dear, but I always rock when I knit. I’m not sure I could stop now if I tried. [There is a pause. In the silence, a light flickers.] Yes, it does. It’s an old rocking chair. Nearly as old as I am. [She laughs.] It could be me creaking. [The light turns on and off abruptly and repeatedly while glowing brighter.] Now, now. Remember: it’s not your house anymore.

[A door opens and closes, and footsteps approach. The light blinks off as Peter enters.]

PETER: Hi, Grandma!

OLD WOMAN: Peter! What a nice surprise. Come here, and give me a kiss.

PETER: [He leans down and kisses her cheek. Then, he glances around the room.] Were you on the phone? I thought I heard voices.

OLD WOMAN: [Laughing.] Oh, you know how it is with us old folks. Sometimes, we natter away just to prove we’re still here.


50 Word Play: The Cost of Doing Business

This is an experiment (an experiment within an experiment! Oooh! How meta!). Seriously, though, I’m not sure if there are rules for this. I decided to count only the dialogue and stage directions (not the character names).

CHARON: Condolences, welcome, congratulations, blah, blah, blah. I will be your ferryman for eternity. Place 5 euro in the box and enter.
BUSINESSMAN: Euro? You mean an obol. Here you go.
CHARON: Euro only.
BUSINESSMAN: What?
CHARON: Go to the exchange.
BUSINESSMAN: But the stories say an obol!
CHARON: Since when?
BUSINESSMAN: When? Forever!
CHARON: You’re relying on that?


Teatime

SMOLDER: I hate to say it, but I think teatime is over.

CINDER: Surely not! You’ve barely even poured the cups.

SMOLDER: I know, Cindy, but I did try to warn you.

CINDER: On the contrary! You objected so long that even agreeing to have tea took forever. And now you say we’re finished without the least reason for it.

SMOLDER: It is nearly 4:30.

CINDER: … yes, and? Do you have another engagement? Is there some-

KNIGHT: Die, foul villains!

SQUIRE: Go get them, sir!

CINDER: How dare you!

SMOLDER: Here we go.

KNIGHT: Stand and fight, fiend!

CINDER: Look what you’ve done! That was our great-grandmother’s! Just how do you think you’re going to pay for this?

KNIGHT: You’re the one who’s going to pay.

SMOLDER: Sir, I wouldn’t advise- …Too late.

KNIGHT: Hey! Let me down!

CINDER: That cup was thousands of years old! Do you have any idea how hard it is to find tea sets in that size?

KNIGHT: Put me down, or I’ll… tea sets?

SQUIRE: Why you beast! Take tha-

SMOLDER: I wouldn’t bother her at the moment. She was very fond of that set.

SQUIRE: Aaaaaaaah!

KNIGHT: What have you done to him? If you hurt him, I swear I shall-

SMOLDER: He seems to have fainted.

CINDER: Well, set him on the couch, for goodness sakes. As for you, I demand restitution!

KNIGHT: Then fight, demon! Or do you only attack helpless damsels and squires?

CINDER: Damsels? What the devil is he talking about? What would we want with damsels?

SMOLDER: I did try to warn you.

CINDER: You can’t possibly have objected to tea simply because… Smo, you didn’t.

SMOLDER: Me? Certainly, not. Cousin Comb, however… umm, well, it seems that he is off his medication again.

CINDER: But he lives two kingdoms over!

SMOLDER: I know. He and Aunt ‘Ferno came for a visit a few weeks ago. He went out for a bit – said he was going to stretch his wings. The next thing I know, these knights started showing up. And they always come at teatime. They’re quite amazingly predictable. I have yet to understand-

CINDER: You explained, surely!

SMOLDER: Well, certainly. I could hardly do otherwise. But you’ve seen for yourself how well they listen! They come in swinging, and that’s that. And when I contacted Aunt ‘Ferno, she refused to do anything about it.

CINDER: Of course. You know as well as I do that she would never admit her precious Combustion could do such a thing.

KNIGHT: Er… Pardon the interruption, ladies, but are you saying that a different dragon took the damsels?

SMOLDER: It certainly wasn’t us!

CINDER: Really, damsels are such insipid creatures. I much prefer tea and biscuits.

SMOLDER: Besides, it’s horribly impolite to eat things that can talk.

CINDER: Quite.