I will be rewriting the previous playwriting from 2021-2022 at TAMIU. I did it to refresh my memory and how the plays were performed on stage. I am still in-progress writing and learning what genres and themes to fit in with the characters. It is also tricky to write full-length acts well like William Shakespeare. But for now, short plays will be on here.

Playwriting is mostly on dialogues, monologues, and fewer characters on stage and performing a variety of skills. It is similar to short stories but with fewer locations throughout the act.

Basically, not the films or movies described above. It still contained comedy or tragedy.

Remember, short plays can be like 10 minutes to one hour. The format will be different, so you can take your pace reading it and imagine how the plays performed on stage.

Characters

Jay Jump

Anywhere between 12 and 17 years old.

Sofie Some

Anywhere between 12 and 17 years old.

Shadow

Between 20 and 30 years old.

Scene: In a semi-darkness on stage. This scene will never change.

Time:

Present Day.

A mysterious figure is sitting in an upside-down wine glass. He never leaves the place but predicts the victims, who already run away and never confront the fear. He will try to control one person to look at his dark side, yourself.

In a semi-darkness on stage, the large cloth covers the large upside-down wine glass. We are seeing SOFIE SOME first standing and then JAY JUMP is running towards her.

JAY

(runs across the stage and sighs in relief. He has short bushy, brown hair; a green top with short sleeves, and long black pants with pockets. He is wearing blue tennis shoes.)

I am glad that I escaped from it. I do not wish to see it. Repeat, I do not want to see it again in my entire life!

SOFIE

(looks at him with surprise. She has short, black hair; no makeup, white plain dress up to her knees with straps on her shoulders. She has black shoes with straps around her ankles.)

Are you okay, Jay?

JAY

I am fine. I mean, good!

SOFIE

Okay. Then, let’s have a walk to see something special.

JAY

(looks at the audience)

Not for me. I need to go home. (whispers) I already run and I do not want to go for a walk. I need to relax my conscience from it.

SOFIE

Are you sure, kid?

(JAY hears a whisper and runs off backstage. At the same time, she shrugs.)

He is acting weird again. I wanted to know why and what happened to him. He is going crazy like… I do not know!

(walks stage right and sees a small upside-down wine glass on a glass table. She is awed by the look of the vessel and she could not turn away from it until she hears a voice.)

SHADOW’S VOICE

(sounds eerie in the dark)

Do not run. Do not look away. Do not scream. Look into the eyes of fear. Try to see your personality and character in a pair of eyes. You will see the dark self of yourself. And it is not anybody's shadow, but yours.

SOFIE

(turns around and looks into the eyes of the shadow. Right away, she screams and runs away.)

I cannot believe that I ran away from a man’s voice. He, I mean it spooked me. I need to tell my friend about this voice!

JAY

(appears standing and relax, but alarmed at her approach)

Why do you go there? You need to get away from the rich people. They are strangers!

SOFIE

Strangers? I do not think so. I hear a voice, a manly voice. It says like...

JAY

Oh, no! Do not say that! It is a curse, who goes to meet… Do not say it! Just forget about it.

SOFIE

Okay, I will.

JAY

Good. Just stay away from rich people and rich stuff. And avoid the voice!

(SOFIE is walking away from him and hears a louder whisper than before.)

SHADOW’S VOICE

Do not walk away from me. Just look over here. I wanted to be seen by a human person. I do not care if it is a girl or a boy. I do not try to make you do wrong. Just try to see me. I am right behind you.

SOFIE

(raises an eyebrow in question)

I want to, but my friend says, ‘I should get away from rich people and rich stuff. And avoid the voice.’ I need to keep my eyes on the road.

(walks away)

SHADOW’S VOICE

I need to keep an eye on the victims. They are running away from fear, which is me. They are not listening to me. What have I done wrong to humanity? Do I belong here in the world with humans? No one cares about fear. But they only care for their own things and chores. They forget who they are as a person, not their dark selves. So cruel, humans!

(JAY appears slowly on stage.)

JAY

(embraces his arms like shivering)

Did I just feel the chills, just now? I hope not. But I do hope to run away from it before I get caught. Seeing it will be a curse for my entire life! My family is scared of the thing itself. I cannot let it catch me off guard!

(exits)

SHADOW

(The large cloth that covers the large upside-down wine glass falls down dramatically. You can see his right leg over his left leg sitting down on a wine glass stool with the wine glass in his left hand. It is half full of red wine. He is wearing very dark clothing like a tuxedo. He has short black hair and normal skin. In addition, he is speaking loudly inside the vessel as SOFIE looks at him in awe.)

Why is everyone running away from me? Do I look scary? Ugly. Filthy. Stupid. What is it? I am sick of seeing people’s eyes turning away from me. I am just a mere darkness and cannot move within the wine glass. But the victims can move without thinking and running wildly around a circus and get lost in thought. They will suffer more than the darkness itself and they will run out of time and there will be no chances to live with fear. As a result, I see no bravery, but cowards. I dislike their personalities, period.

However, one person will make a difference. Just one person will change it. Is it a she or a he? I do not know and am careless about gender. I just wanted to see and make the person look at the fear, which is me. He or she has to see it and... be brave and surprised by who you are looking at. You are looking at your dark side, yourself.

Yourself is human just like yourself. I do not mean selfish but have a personality

yourself. Do I like it? It depends on you and yourself to look at fear.

SOFIE

(enters)

I want to say that you are a handsome man. And you made a point on the appearance of what people think of you as a person. I do not care what they think of you. Actually, what am I supposed to say to a… rich man? Wait (pause) to look at something.

(pause) I remember that I saw a wine glass on a glass table. It was pretty transparent and cool.

SHADOW

I want you to see the upside-down wine glass on a glass table.

SOFIE

Like a mirror to reflect on me?

SHADOW

Not everyone did it. But you did it without question.

SOFIE

Was I the only one who can see it?

(points her finger at herself)

SHADOW

(In the meantime, he stands and walks towards her. He is within the large upside-down wine glass.)

Was I forcing you to see it yourself to make a difference in human history? Was it? If I were to get the first victim over here, then he or she makes a difference. I did not mean you cannot. Maybe, you can make a difference in that you see me without question and fear. But everyone else is running away from me.

(drinks a bit of wine)

SOFIE

Ah, I know who runs away from you. He is my friend, Jay. Plus, I think that he is acting weird.

SHADOW

He is my first victim. The very first one in this time period. You know that I hate people running away from me like a creep. Do I look scary to you?

SOFIE

(shakes her head)

No, not at all. (swoons) You look so handsome that I feel like I am daydreaming about your beauty.

SHADOW

(walks to the stool and puts down the wine glass on the stool and he walks towards her with his two hands on the glass. He breathes in and out slowly.)

I wonder if it is very weird for me to do this… The...

JAY

(runs to push her aside and he glares at SHADOW)

What are you doing? I do not want to get caught by it.

(looks at her while she gets up on her feet and taps her back)

We should run!

SOFIE

(glares at him)

You push me. Why? You see not a friend, but a weakling in front of someone. Am I weak? A weak girl?

JAY

No. We should run. Now!

SHADOW

(his voice is very grim)

Running away again.

JAY

(turns around quickly)

Shut up!

SOFIE

Do not scream at him like that.

JAY

It is the thing that I am talking about to avoid.

SOFIE

(confuses)

Who? Exactly?

JAY

The thing. (his finger points at SHADOW) Just avoid the voice at all times.

SOFIE

(lowers his finger)

You are not talking about him. You are only talking about avoiding the rich people and rich stuff. Not him. Plus, he is not the thing. He is a handsome man.

JAY

Really? A handsome man that can attract you. It is a monster more than anything that I fear. We should run this time.

SOFIE

(crosses her chest)

I refuse.

SHADOW

(appears behind SOFIE)

Are you trying to dispel the bad side of yourself to be the good side without the bad side? Or you just look innocent all the way through despite friends and family. Conscious and unconscious. Love and hate. Fear and fearless. And so on…

JAY

(gasps)

Shut up! It is nothing like that. You cannot be human by saying those innocent words. Only humans can say these things with imagery and emotions. And you have to get away from her.

SHADOW

Nothing, but a liar to your dark self. I can feel it through my blood and cells. In addition, you are hurting another victim about your age. You are doom, the first victim.

JAY

(walks back a few steps)

I wish that you are gone and you are back to hell. I do not want to do anything with this. This kind of problem is in the past, not the present or the future. I want to go home and forget all about this. I need no one to teach me a lesson about life. I can do it myself with confidence. I want freedom. I want to live a good life without seeing you and stopping me from living.

Do I care about Shadow? Do I care about my friend, Sofie? Do I care about my family? No, I do not. I want to live a lonely life. Better off without people and darkness. When I die, I have no connection with anyone, but myself.

(puts his right hand over his chest)

SHADOW

That is your choice, the first victim. Then, the rest of humanity will follow in your footsteps and die in vain because of your choice. You are not thinking smart for them. I do not care about gender, who will survive on this planet Earth? They can…

But, you are no different than they are. What I am seeing is the truth. We all do not look different from one another. I mean light and dark goes with the good and evil. They are gathered hand in hand. Problem and solution.

SOFIE

He has a point.

JAY

(looks at her in surprise)

You are following his way of being scary and evil. I do not care. I am not here.

(runs away from them.)

SOFIE

(sighs deeply)

Now, he is acting weirder than I thought.

SHADOW

Dark self, give me your hand.

(SOFIE looks surprised and gives her right hand to his left hand. He takes it.)

I feel a bit different from your hand. Is it a warm touch or an icy heart? Is it a warm welcome or a cold stare? None that matters if you are the only one who can make a difference, a dark self.

(his other hand touches her right hand)

SOFIE

Do you mean making a difference to my friend?

SHADOW

Do not dare to ask me this kind of question. You are on task to make him realize that he is wrong and you are right. Is it worth being here and doing nothing about it? Or you can run after him and say this meaning of dark self.

SOFIE

Dark self? Which is me. I wonder why.

SHADOW

Go now!

SOFIE

For what?

SHADOW

(walks away from her.)

Do you want me to repeat myself and you will be in the upside-down wine glass with me for eternity?

SOFIE

I want to say... (realizes) Oh, I will see my friend this evening.

(SHADOW exits and JAY arrives on stage.)

Hi, friend!

JAY

(surprises)

You are still here! You have not run from… it. You have been so different to me since I met you. I thought that we have similarities as friends. I guess that I was wrong and you are so… into it. Like a couple. You and it. I am not here once again.

SOFIE

(tries to stop him from running away)

Wait! I want to say that I want to meet you now. We are still friends. I want you to… sit down and realize what you have been through.

JAY

You mean (pause) it!

SOFIE

Just sit down.

JAY

Is this a trap? If it is a trap, I am no longer a friend to you. Do I trust you? I do not want to sit down and realize that you are on the side of Shadow. The darkest and creepiest way of humanity, I have nothing to do with it.

SOFIE

Please, sit down. Just once.

JAY

Never! Not for you and not for Shadow.

(runs away from her and stops by SHADOW and stutters.)

How can you get here so fast and so momentarily? Are you out of the cage? Man, you are so creepy.

SHADOW

(walks toward him as JAY walks backward. And then, SHADOW grabs his throat, not tightening though.)

You are creeping me out, the first victim. I am tired of you running away from me. You are a victim of time and darkness. You are still unchanged from the time that I first saw you. You need to realize now that you have a dark self by yourself.

JAY

Never! I have nothing to do with you.

SHADOW

This is not about me. It is about you.

JAY

How?

SHADOW

(pulls him closer to his face)

How? It is about you and your own fears. You are running from yourself. I represented you.

SOFIE

(interrupts)

I understand him.

SHADOW

Quiet!

(lowers his voice only JAY can hear.)

Do I look ugly to you? Do I look stupid? Why have you been running away from me? Is it a simple understanding that you have missed your entire life? I mean that you have been lost to me. If you were not my first victim, then anyone can be my first victim. Does gender matter to me? Does it matter to you? Who are the victims? And what they have done to themselves. You are harming yourself, boy. I did not come to scare you. Instead, I give guidance to you.

(He has two wine glasses in two hands. One is half full of wine on his left hand and the other is upside down on his right hand.)

One choice can be good and the other is bad. The first victim, you do not have much time for this. Decide or leave it to your friend. She will decide for herself.

JAY

(gulps)

I cannot believe what you say to my friend right here. Does she have a choice like mine? Are we on the same coin to figure out in a short time? I do not think so. Plus, you do not even look nice to me. You have been after me for so many years. Then, I met her as a friend. However, you are… Not my spirit.

SHADOW

(turns to the audience)

A spirit, you say.

SOFIE

What do you mean by spirit? You mean he is a demon.

JAY

My choice is to keep myself away from you so I can live in peace. Or better, I can break all your glasses to signify no change in me.

SHADOW

(looks at JAY)

Really? You are making these drastic changes in human history. Humans will follow in your footsteps and they will not realize that this is death to themselves. Are you sure that you are doing for all of humanity, the first victim?

(JAY fell silent as SOFIE gasps)

You are letting your conscience die within yourself, boy. You are not looking at me carefully and you are not listening to me at all. You are so… lost in your own thoughts and heartbeats. Rhythms can make you feel cowardly. You need to be here, not there. Not running anymore!

(JAY pushed him hard and the wine glasses fell on the floor. And the liquid on the wine glass spilled on the floor. SOFIE cries in horror.)

You!

(he is on the floor and his finger points at JAY )

You… break… my… (screams) wine glasses!

JAY

(turns around to backstage)

Ah, I made a choice to just run.

(runs backstage. SOFIE stops crying and looks at SHADOW on the floor.)

SOFIE

Are you okay, sir?

SHADOW

Second victim, will you make a choice for yourself?

SOFIE

I would have chosen the upside-down wine glass. It means a lot to me because it is so transparent and beautiful.

SHADOW

Then, you are understanding yourself and your dark self.

(SOFIE exits first and SHADOW draws out the napkin from his pants pocket and wipes the spill on the floor. He carries the broken wine glasses on his hands and then, he gets up and exits. Then, JAY appears on stage.)

JAY

(is running on stage. His body bent forward as his arms covered his knees on the floor. He is alone in the semi-darkness on stage.)

I am alone in the darkness. I have chosen to leave without options. Do I have options? No. I do not. None of my family members ever have options. They say “Run!” I always hear “Run, Jay!”

I felt the urge to run away from… fear, itself.

Just run, run, run like a gingerbread man, who is created alive and soon to be eaten. Just like me. (his hand is over his chest) Me as a gingerbread man. Instead of getting eaten, I…run away as fast as possible. Away from Shadow and… Sofie. Away from them. I had to be alone in the darkness.

I had to… do nothing. Just nothing, but silence.

SHADOW

(claps and appears behind him)

I can hear your dark self wants to be silent.

JAY

(alerts)

You had to get away from me.

SHADOW

(taps his shoulder)

I cannot.

JAY

(stands up and turns)

No, I mean it to myself to just run.

SHADOW

No, do not run from me.

JAY

What do you want from me? I have broken your wine glasses. You just need to be gone!

SHADOW

To your dark self, the first victim. Your dark self needs healing!

JAY

No, I do not need your help. I need no one, but myself.

SHADOW

(takes a deep breath and sighs)

The second victim has chosen the upside-down wine glass.

JAY

What does it mean?

SHADOW

She understands her dark self.

JAY

And?

SHADOW

You want to find it yourself. I will not say an answer to your “and?” (emphasizes) You can be somewhere with the second victim.

JAY

I guess that I need to talk with my friend, Sofie.

(SHADOW exits and SOFIE enters.)

SOFIE

Hi, Jay! We meet again.

JAY

I have a question about the wine glasses. What do you choose?

SOFIE

I chose the upside-down wine glass.

JAY

Why?

SOFIE

I like the color itself. The transparent look on the wine glass.

JAY

(turns away from her)

Shadow says, “You understand your dark self.” Is it true, Sofie?

SOFIE

I believe so. That he is correct.

JAY

(turns to her and shouts) Why are you not running away from it? Shadow is bad for you and it is bad for everyone. Why can you not run from it?

(SOFIE stays silent.)

Are you not brave enough to run away from it? Are you just too lazy to be just looking pretty at it? It can attract you with love and energy. Why are you not running away from it?

SOFIE

Why are you screaming like my father? Are you so related to him by any chance? Are you hurting your own friend for your own amusement? Screaming can help you relieve stress. That’s it? There is more to it than screaming, Jay. Do not be a kid.

JAY

And stop getting serious with me. How about this? Just walk with Shadow and be on your honeymoon and forget about me. Totally forgetting about me. Do your own thing.

I, on the other hand, follow my family’s tradition of just keeping my distance from the shadow. I will survive on behalf of my family. I wanted to be free from its chains.

SOFIE

So?

JAY

You really do not understand me, Sofie. You are a weak girl. A weakling in the entire planet of Earth. So weak and no one needs you. Not even Shadow. I guess that I can be wrong--

SHADOW

(appears to grab his neck once more.)

The first victim, you are getting too far from your own fears. You need to calm down without me putting you in the wine glass.

JAY

The wine glass? Which one? Do not tell me there is a tiny one with you.

SOFIE

He mentions the bigger one. You can be his prisoner for life.

JAY

(turns to her and startled)

What? No. Do not. Put me in the… cage. I need to run!

SHADOW

Too late!

JAY

Give me time, please.

SHADOW

No more tries, the first victim. You are coming with me.

JAY

(screams like a long note) Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

(SHADOW drags him to the large upside-down wine glass. He picks up his wine glass with red wine from the stool and drops him ruthlessly on the stool and says.)

SHADOW

There you are, the first victim. You are finally home.

(JAY whimpers like a puppy and has tears coming down his face. SHADOW ignores him and looks at the audience. He takes a sip from the drink.)

Do not look at him with sad eyes. Be serious and enjoy your stay in the wine glass. You will be in control of yourself to look at your dark self. The dark self is not running away from the original self. They are like you, the first victim. Be brave and be accepted in your own way.

JAY

Me? (cries) No, I have not understood it since my parents say, “Run, Jay!”

SHADOW

(looks at him)

This is not like you, the first victim. Then, what do you want for yourself? Ask yourself this question.

JAY

(shakes his head)

I am not going to do it. I want freedom!

SHADOW

Your freedom is here. (touches the large wine glass with the smaller wine glass to ring a note) Right here, Jay.

Characters

Alyssa

14-15 years old

Dusk

20-25 years old

Perrin

16-17 years old

Scene: The forest is burned down and polluted (some trees show cuts/marks). This scene will never change.

Time:

Present Day.

After the short war between humans and elves, the audience sees two men and an elf talking in a modern landscape. Plus, the idea of the cure will restore health or is it not?

The landscape has cut tree barks and marks; a tree stump is visible in the stage front, where the elf ALYSSA sits. A large mound is in the stage center while the men, DUSK and PERRIN argue beside her.

DUSK

(has short black hair, a black shirt, and a belt holding a dagger underneath his brown leather jacket. A pair of used boots that has mud in them.)

You lead the men to kill the elves. You are a beef jerky. I will have that as a snack than talking to you, now.

(takes out the beef jerky and chews a tip)

PERRIN

(has short brown hair, a brown-torn shirt with short sleeves, and a belt around his jeans. A pair of used shoes. He carries a small, peach bag with a small bottle. The bottle contains the pink liquid.)

This is messed up! I did not lead the men into the forest. You blame me that I have not done it. I am told to bring the men into the war zone. You did it to wipe the entire elf race.

By the way, they look beautiful and elegant.

ALYSSA

(has a pair of pointed ears, yellow hair, and light makeup. She wears a long pink dress with sleeves and bare feet. A thin white bracelet circled her right hand. She is sitting on a stump facing the audience.)

We are beautiful for once. When you came with thousands, we were hiding and putting dirt on our skins and bodies to blend in with the smoked trees and dirt. We looked like the bugs from the ground.

Even the younger ones get sick by swallowing the dirt. There was one elder who can heal the elven tribe. But he, too was sick because of air pollution.

Once becoming sick, we are losing our strength to fight back. The world turned against us into mud. Every day, we feel the world cloudy and dark. So our minds played tricks on us to feel that we go through the puddle just for no reason, but the particles in the mud forced us to feel heavy and dying.

PERRIN

(looks at her, then at DUSK)

See, you make the forest, the elves, and even her sick!

DUSK

You are still a beef jerky to me.

(eats halfway of the beef jerky)

PERRIN

You did not see it and understand what you have done to nature and humanity. You are the culprit for the war crime.

DUSK

You are the culprit. You lead the men into the forest and make them sick with your sweet talk and weapons.

ALYSSA

You sounded like the baby elves whining for their mothers to give milk. I cannot give supplies to you. You are both dirty and blaming like wild animals. I cannot deal with your dirty mouths, I am leaving.

(she stands and exits on stage right)

PERRIN

See, you make her go away.

DUSK

(turns to stage right)

Beef jerky, you are the blame. You are the scary one here. I am not part of this problem, but you are.

(exits stage left)

PERRIN

(looks angry, forms fists)

Man, he talks like that since he is a kid. Why do I have to be the one carrying his dirty tasks and still blaming me? He never, never, never being nice to me. Just throwing me off my back.

(looks at the bag and shakes it gently)

That one makes me calm. I like the jingling sounds.

(looks at the audience)

I like to sing, my friends. Despite the look of a pitch-black hole, I want to see the light and greenery that once grew on the grass and around the mound.

(sings out of tune)

THE GRASS IS GREEN, THE SKY IS BLUE, AND THE BLOOD IS RED.

BLOOD SHOULD NOT BE BLOOD.

IT SHOULD NOT BE BLOOD.

IT SHOULD BE YELLOW

AS THE SUN RISES HIGH IN THE HEAVENS

(stops and thinks for a second)

SUN RISES WITHOUT BLOOD

NO MASSACRE

BUT PEACEFUL

AND CALM THE LONELY ELF

(ALYSSA enters from stage right and looks at him about to interrupt him)

THE ELF IS HERE!

(PERRIN’s hands welcome ALYSSA)

ALYSSA

Yes, I am here! What are singing about?

(PERRIN looks surprised and looks at her briefly, ALYSSA looks at the bag that PERRIN holds)

What is that?

PERRIN

(hides the bag behind his back)

Nothing to look at. It is nothing to be curious about.

ALYSSA

I am already curious. Just show it to me.

(her hands extend, PERRIN gives her the bag and she opens it for the bottle with a pink liquid. Her smile is radiant.)

How did you find it, human? I cannot believe you have it from the mound, a place where the elves have lived for many centuries. This is the cure for the forest!

PERRIN

I did not give you the cure. I already give you the stress relief medicine that Dusk created before the war. Please, do not ask him how he made it just for you, or do not ask him that I give you this. I am a young thief at times.

ALYSSA

Oh, good!

DUSK

(enters on stage left, suspects the bottle, and rushes to grab it from ALYSSA’s hands.)

You cannot have this as a gift. I am not making this for you. I am not giving to Perrin or nature. (looks at PERRIN) I am just selfish! I want this, and no one has this special power. So leave it and do not think about it while I am gone.

(exits on stage left while ALYSSA is confused and PERRIN shrugs)

ALYSSA

Really? He knew it all along. He is the mastermind behind the bottle. But I am still curious as we speak. I want the bottle. This cannot be true that he created it for himself, is he?

PERRIN

If you were me, no questions asked.

ALYSSA

But I have lots of questions for him.

(PERRIN exits stage right. DUSK enters from stage left with the bottle. ALYSSA straightens her back.)

I have many questions for you, human. May I ask one of them?

DUSK

(pulls his head back and laughs)

Ha, ha! Try me, Alyssa.

(shakes the bottle in front of her eyes)

Talking about this bottle? No, thank you.

ALYSSA

Are you the one making this bottle just for a human to carry in the bag?

DUSK

This bottle is for me. Only for me. I created it for me. And you are nothing like the rest. You are…

(ALYSSA crosses her chest)

I am just selfish, that is all.

ALYSSA

(looks up and down at him)

I sensed from the mound that you have killed the elven race with your men. You were the one behind this.

I have so many questions to ask you. Please, answer them with honesty.

DUSK

(his body looks away from her to the audience. He is about to exit the stage. ALYSSA tugs his elbow and takes the bottle to prove her point. He looks at her.)

Trying to make me talk. You are a sly fox.

ALYSSA

Are you the one leading the men against the elven race? Are you the bloodthirsty creature in my dreams? Are you the most disturbing one that cannot talk to me? Are you the man of getting away from me who makes you powerful and being some goblin and blames on another human?

DUSK

Stop asking, Alyssa. If I have a sister who asks such questions. I would have slapped her. I would slap you for that reason.

ALYSSA

If I get slapped by your bare hand, your hand stained with dirt and blood of the elves and nature. You are so cruel to us all. Even I still reside here.

Still, I did not have confidence that you make the bottle with the pink liquid just for a cure. What is your purpose?

DUSK

(closes to her face)

I am a selfish man. I did not make a cure. I made this for myself.

(looks at the bottle)

I would have slapped you and--

(takes the bottle and exits quickly)

ALYSSA

Before my thoughts say, “Get after him.”

He is getting away with his selfish desires, and what else? Why he even thinks about slapping me? Why has to be this immature to an elf like me?

Humans like him do not learn a lesson and strive to know what the problem is. His problem is… Not admitting the truth to me. He hides the truth well.

I am still curious about the bottle. Is that a cure for someone or something aside from himself?

(sits on a mound quietly and thinks quietly until PERRIN comes)

PERRIN

Asking questions to Dusk? I assumed.

ALYSSA

I tried. He gives no honest answer.

PERRIN

I can sing to make you forget about it for a while.

ALYSSA

I do not want to. I want to find him and-- Wait! I can talk to the bottle as a healer.

PERRIN

You can try. (shrugs)

ALYSSA

(shakes the bottle gently and sees bubbles forming and disappearing.)

Bottle with the pink liquid, may I ask you something?

(pause)

Is Dusk your creator of this bottle?

(pause)

If so, did he slap anyone for his amusement?

(pause)

If he did, then what is the purpose of the bottle?

(pause)

Ah, it said. Yes to all of my questions. The purpose of the bottle is to create for me! A surprise gift.

PERRIN

At least in good hands.

ALYSSA

At least in my hands!

DUSK

(arrives and rushes to grab the bottle, but ALYSSA stands with her hands on her waist. He looks of determination and serious.)

I heard you talking to the bottle. You should have not said it, and know my dirty secrets!

ALYSSA

You have dirty secrets. What else are you hiding from me?

(her hands touch her chest)

DUSK

(grunts and punches PERRIN on purpose)

You are a fox, the sliest one! I hate foxes like you.

ALYSSA

You are misunderstanding, human. I am an elf here. What else that you want to say to me? More dirty stuff?

(DUSK is about to say more but stops.)

PERRIN

Whoa, I learned a lot from the elf. Who is brave, smart, and asks tons of questions to a man, Dusk. Not to make a fuss. Dusk is already impatient.

DUSK

(looks angry)

The beef jerky is impatient and blames it on himself. You can do that as well, Alyssa. I am… out!

(DUSK looks for an exit. ALYSSA gives back a bottle to his hand. He glances at it and looks at the audience to show the bottle.)

I made this for no one. I am honest with that. I made it for myself. By the way, I like strawberries and pink.

(exits on stage right)

ALYSSA

(shocks)

You! (points at stage right with her finger and says the words slowly) You… are… the… one… keeps… saying… That I did not know.

(looks at PERRIN evenly)

PERRIN

(shrugs)

Dusk likes pink and strawberries. I like singing and seeing the world around us not dying and questioning too much. It gets too much on the offensive side. I did not mean to be rude.

ALYSSA

Right, human.

PERRIN

(sings out of tune)

THE GRASS IS GREEN, THE SKY IS BLUE, AND THE BLOOD IS RED.

BLOOD SHOULD NOT BE BLOOD.

IT SHOULD NOT BE BLOOD.

IT SHOULD BE YELLOW

AS THE SUN RISES HIGH IN THE HEAVENS

(stops and thinks for a second)

SUN RISES WITHOUT BLOOD

NO MASSACRE

BUT PEACEFUL

AND CALM THE LONELY ELF

THE ELF IS HERE!

ALYSSA

If this has not happened to Dusk, then the entire forest is alive. The questions I asked him earlier won’t even matter. He can be a good person.

PERRIN

(continues singing)

QUESTIONS SHOULD NOT BE TOUCHED

BUT ANGERED HIM EVEN MORE

MUCH MORE THAN THAT.

HE GOT OFFENSIVE PRETTY QUICK

AND HE SLAPPED PEOPLE FOR FUN.

ALYSSA

Why does he do that? I wonder.

PERRIN

(says normal)

I think it happened right after creating the bottle with the pink liquid.

ALYSSA

When will he appear?

PERRIN

Let’s hide in the back of the mound so we can hear him saying.

ALYSSA

That will be awesome!

(they hide behind the mound. Then, DUSK arrives from stage right shaking the bottle, expecting to burst from a bomb, and sits on a mound.)

DUSK

I wonder what this does. Aside from being a doctor. I will drink it and become…

(looks at the audience for a response)

Dead. I will be dead. Of course. I put some chemicals that include biodegradable to decompose my body.

I am looking at death itself. Death breathes and haunts me. I could not resist it.

Alyssa can live, but I cannot. Dead is always with me. I mean that they are always with me. With me! Until I rot to the grass (his hand touches the ground and moves his hands in swift motion) the grass turns into trees to make flowers, and flowers bear fruits to humankind.

I never give a chance to the men who have trained that they have already lost their sanity. They already contaminated the earth with oil spills, air pollution, and garbage. They already did, so they are out of their minds to make the Earth inhabitable.

(hands form fists) I want to stop these horrible deeds by men. But it was too late, so the dead overwork humankind. They must chill in icy cold water, drink fresh juice, and eat popsicles in the summer. They have to cool down. (hands lower in waves, then his one hand moves toward his chest)

I, on the other hand, do not receive such treatment. I do not get a break. But I did my task to make Alyssa live, not the thousand elves. Still, it is not enough for the elves to live on. They already passed.

You do not have to thank me, Alyssa. You can go on with Perrin the beef jerky!

(stands up straight, walks across from the mound to the stage front, and sits on the stump)

I have one more thing to say. I may be wandering about the landscape without trees. Then, the growth will begin with seeds, seedlings, bushes, and trees. The same goes for one elf and human. The sky will change from dark to light. It has to stay light forever. There is hope, Alyssa and Perrin!

(removes the tap from the bottle and drinks it whole thing. DUSK feels the pain in his body, his face distorts, and collapses on the stage. While the bottle rolls out through the stage floor, PERRIN and ALYSSA jump out of the hiding spot and approach him. PERRIN is checking his neck for pulses.)

ALYSSA

What should we do, human?

PERRIN

The beef jerky is gone.

(curtains fell)