Blind

So I wasn't making any headway on the novel so I took a scene that I was planning to write for it, and modified it to stand alone as a stage play. This is a very rough draft and has no title yet.

(The set is along the banks of a small lake/large pond within the woods.  Think creatively with the set.  There are many ways this can be done without using actual water.  The pond doesn’t even have to be shown, so long as the edges of it are.  Subtle outdoor noises are played throughout the show to give the impression of being at an actual lake and the lighting is dim because it is at night but the area is lit reasonably well because of the moon.  It is around 2 in the morning but it is not so much creepy as it is peaceful.  Mimi walks slowly and carefully onstage holding bag containing her sketchbook, flashlight, and pencils/pens and moves towards a rock or log to sit on.  For a moment, she pauses and takes in the lake and scenery around her.  She is neither happy nor content, simply observant.  Then she pulls out her sketchbook, a pencil and a flashlight and tries to both draw and aim her flashlight towards the page.  She is clearly struggling but keeps trying anyway.  A noise is heard offstage and Mimi instantly looks up, switches off her flashlight and cowers in fear, clutching her sketchbook to her chest.  She thought she’d be alone.  Parker enters from the opposite side of the stage and crosses to the pond, holding something in his hands.  He walks forward and walks to the edge of the lake and is obviously busy doing something. Despite the darkness, Mimi recognizes him and watches for a minute.   Then, she moves out of hiding.)

MIA

Parker?  What are you doing here?

(Parker is startled and drops what he is doing.  His surprise is soon replaced by recognition and then annoyance.)

PARKER

What the hell?  Whoa.  Okay, you can’t just sneak up on people like that.

MIA

Sorry.  I was just creeped out.  I mean it’s two in the morning and… seriously though, what are you doing here?

PARKER

I could ask you the same question.

MIA

My house is like right there.  It’s not that weird.

PARKER

It’s two the morning so it’s kind of weird…

 MIA

Are you stalking me or something?

PARKER

(Defensively) Look, I barely even know you.  I’m not… I mean I’m here to… I’m not stalking you. 

MIA

So I’m supposed to believe that you’re just here to go swimming or something?  I mean I know I’ve seen you around school but you could totally be a serial killer or something.  I have a rape whistle just so you know and I’m a really fast runner so-

PARKER

Believe whatever you want.  I don’t care.  Could you just leave me alone or something?  I actually have things to do.

MIA

(Now she’s defensive) And I don’t?  Wow.  Okay. 

PARKER

Oh so you’re not just here to hide behind trees and freak people out?

MIA

Whatever.  I don’t care.  I’ll just go.

PARKER

Thank you. 

(He smiles at her mockingly.  She glares back and starts to walk off.  She forgets to turn on her flashlight and as she walks, she trips, loses her balance and drops her sketchbook into the lake.  She jumps in and scrambles for it.)

MIA

Oh s**t.  S**t s**t s**t s**t s**t…

PARKER

What?  Did you drop something?

MIA

Oh God damn it.  S**t.

PARKER

What is it? 

MIA

It’s nothing.  It’s just um- God where is it?

PARKER

Should I help you find it or something?

MIA

No! No.  I don’t want you to- (She stops searching in frustration and sits down, visibly upset.  Parker sits awkwardly near her, but not so near that it appears comfortable for either of them.) 

PARKER

Was it something important?

MIA

None of your business.

PARKER

(Quietly under his breath and sarcastically) Well excuse me.

MIA

I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean that.  It’s just… personal.  It was important. I… I needed it. 

PARKER

Sorry.

MIA

Yeah.

PARKER

Should I go or…?

MIA

I thought you wanted me to leave.

PARKER

Well you’re obviously upset.

MIA

It’s fine. You don’t have to leave. 

(A bit of silence passes.  Mimi looks sadly out over the water.  Parker looks at the stars.)

PARKER

They’re amazing.

MIA

What? (Slightly startled.)

PARKER

The stars.  And I guess the water, too.

MIA

Yeah.  Wait.  You’re being all nice to me now.  Do you feel bad or something?  You don’t have to. 

PARKER

Well yeah.  You lost something.  You’re upset. 

MIA

It’s fine.  You don’t have to-

PARKER

I’m sorry. 

MIA

What?

PARKER

I’m sorry.  I was rude before.

MIA

So was I.

PARKER

I just don’t like people to think I’m rude.  I was just surprised that you were here and I don’t really know you that well so… I’m sorry.  To be fair, you kind of accused me of being a stalker.

MIA

I’m sorry too.  (Another awkward pause.) So why are you here? I mean I don’t want to pry or anything…

PARKER

It’s kind of weird.

MIA

Okay, now if you don’t tell me, I’m definitely going to think you’re a creep.

PARKER

Okay not weird, just embarrassing. 

MIA

I’ll try not to judge.

PARKER

Promise?

MIA

Sure.

PARKER

That’s reassuring.  (He chuckles.)  Fine.  Okay.  Look at the water.  (She turns toward the water.  He points toward the lake.)  See those fish?

MIA

I think so.  Hard to tell at night.

PARKER

Yeah.  I guess you can’t tell right now, but they’re really cool looking, all different colors.

MIA

So you come here to watch the fish…

PARKER

Sort of. 

MIA

Sort of?

PARKER

Yeah.  So you know Smith Lake?  (She nods.)  Well, people like fishing there.  It used to be a few but there’s more and more every day, too many for the lake.  They’re killing off all the fish and soon there won’t be any left in there.

MIA

Okay…?

PARKER

So a little while ago, I found this place and I figured I could move some fish from Smith Lake to here.

MIA

So in the middle of the night, you sneak fish from one lake to the other? 

PARKER

I told you it was kind of weird.

MIA

That is the last thing I expected you to say. 

PARKER

Look.  I just thought that maybe if I brought some here, then they wouldn’t just die out.  I don’t know.  It’s dumb.  I’ve never really said it out loud and-

MIA

No.  It’s not dumb.  It’s a little weird I guess.  I didn’t know you liked fish so much.  But it’s kind of sweet really. 

PARKER

Yeah?

MIA

Yeah.  I mean, you’re looking after something.  It’s noble, really, in a strange, fish kind of way.

PARKER

(Dryly.) Thanks.  (He looks out at the water again and she looks at him.  Suddenly he sees the sketchbook and jumps up.) Hey!  Is that it?  (He jumps in and reaches for it.)

MIA

What?!

PARKER

(He grabs it.)  Got it.  (He steps out of the water and looks down at the sketchbook.  Innocently, he flips through the first few pages.  She sees him looking at it and snatches it out of his hands.  He is surprised.)

MIA

(Hurriedly) Thank you.  (She checks to make sure the book is okay, flipping through the wet pages, disappointed by the water damage.  She sets it down in an attempt to dry it but eyes it defensively, avoiding eye contact.)

PARKER

Hey wait.  That was really cool.  Can I see it? 

MIA

No.

PARKER

I’m not trying to pry or anything.  I just thought those drawings were good and-

MIA

(Very defensively and even angrily.)  No.  (She stands and turns away from him.)

PARKER

Oh.  Sorry.

MIA

No.  I’m sorry.  S**t.  I don’t mean to be like this… I just… don’t like people looking.

PARKER

Hey.  Don’t worry about it.  No worries.

MIA

I’m sorry.

PARKER

(Trying to change the subject but failing miserably.)  So why are you here at two in the morning?  (Mimi looks away from him.)  Wait, should I not have asked that either? 

MIA

It’s fine.  I just…

PARKER

You don’t have to tell me.

MIA

No it’s okay.  It’s just… not something you can just blurt out to someone you barely know. 

PARKER

You know me now.  I’m a noble fish hero. (She smiles for a moment and then stops.  He sees the smile and keeps going.)  Bravely entering the dangerous lake waters, putting my life on the line for the fish in distress.  I feel like I should have a sword.  Don’t you think I should-

MIA

I’m depressed.

PARKER

What?

MIA

See?  It’s not really something I can just say in a conversation.  (He is stunned and doesn’t reply.  She stands.)  I don’t even know why I said that.  I don’t even know you.  You don’t just tell someone something like that. You can’t just blurt out, “Oh I’m depressed” in the middle of a conversation.  I’m so stupid sometimes.  I just…  That’s why I’m here.  When it gets bad I... I come here.  I come here and I draw because… because then I don’t have to think so much.  Sometimes there’s so much going through my head that thinking hurts and all I want is for it to stop and I can’t do anything about it and...  I can just sit here and take out that stupid book and draw.  I don’t show it to people.  I don’t look at it.  I don’t even like the stupid thing.  I just draw.  (Beat.)  And out here?  It’s peaceful.  It’s like the one place I can be alone.  That sounds cliché.  I just… I don’t… I don’t know.  (There is a pause.) 

PARKER

(He looks at her seriously.)  And tonight?  It… it got bad?

MIA

Yeah.  (She sits and looks straight ahead.  Dryly.)  Bad timing, huh? (He doesn’t respond.)  Yeah.

PARKER

(After a pause.)  You ever hear the one about the blind fish?

MIA

What?

PARKER

The joke about the blind fish.  What do you call a fish with no eyes?  (He waits for a response but she doesn’t reply.  He keeps going.)  A fsh.  Get it?  A fish with no eyes but like the letter I.  It’s a fsh.  (He trails off.  She’s looking at him, surprised.)  Look, I’m not good at that kind of stuff.  The serious stuff I mean.  I’ve never been good at that.  And that’s probably not good.  I should work on that… Whatever.  That’s not what I mean.  I just thought that maybe… maybe you didn’t need to hear me say that I’m sorry or that I understand… because I don’t.  It wouldn’t help… Not that I’m trying to help you or anything.  You didn’t ask for that. I just thought that maybe… if I could say something… if I could make you to smile, then that would be better than any of that other stuff.  I’m sorry.  It was dumb.  I shouldn’t’ve- (She kisses him.  It lasts awhile and then suddenly, she breaks off and turns away.)

MIA

Oh my God.  I’m sorry.  I should go.  I didn’t mean to… You didn’t want me to…. S**t.  (She turns and starts to leave, forgetting her sketchbook that she left out to dry.  He is still too stunned by the kiss to immediately react.) 

PARKER

Hey wait!  You left your… Wait!

(She’s too far and it’s dark so he can’t tell that she’s not completely gone.  She stops and turns, watching him.  He stops looking for her and turns to the sketchbook.  He reaches for it and she watches, tensely. He starts to open it and then stops, closes it firmly and puts it down next to him.  Then he sits and looks up at the stars, thinking.  She is surprised and then she smiles.  She comes back slowly.  He hears her and looks up, not surprised like the first time.  She sits down next to him, much closer this time, pushing the sketchbook to the ground to make room.  They sit quietly next to each other, looking at the stars.  As the lights begin to fade, he takes her hand and she smiles.)