(Lights up on the same bench. Father is sitting on the bench, looking at a photo in his wallet. He looks away and says nothing, then puts his wallet away.)
(After a moment of Father sitting in silence, MOTHER'S GHOST enters- played by the same girl who played the SEXY NURSE. She comes up behind Father and rests her hands on his shoulders gently. She moves gracefully and slowly, and has an air of sadness about her.)
Father: ...I'm sorry, hon. For everything. I failed you, I promised I was going to do my best for Michael. And apparently I didn't try hard enough.
(Mother's ghost nods, then moves to rest her head against the top of Father's head.)
Father: (cont'd) And now my- our- your boy- he's dying. He'll be comin' to meet you soon, love.
(Mother's ghost nods again, then moves to sit on the ground next to Father and rests her head on his leg. Father wipes his eyes to hide his tears. There is a long, heavy silence.)
Father: I miss you, Elaine. I'll see you sooner or later. Hopefully sooner, with how things are going with Michael and all. I feel like I've already lost so much, and now losing something I haven't had for a long time somehow hurts worst of all.
(Mother's ghost looks up at Father, then stands. She gently places her hands on Father's face, then kisses his forehead, then returns to her original position behind him. She rests her head on his shoulder.)
Father: ...How can I reach him, hon? I want to make things better before he... y'know.
(Mother's ghost moves her hands to rest over Father's heart and lingers there for a moment. He sighs. There's a moment where it looks like he realizes what she's asking of him- look within himself and he'll find it- but then he scoffs and moves to sit up fully, away from Mother's ghost.)
Father: Nothing. Obviously, nothing. Y'know, I don't know what I expected.
(He stands and leaves, leaving Mother's ghost to stand there by herself. She stands there for a long moment, then leaves the opposite direction that Father did.)
[Lights down.]
YOU ARE READING
Black Parade - A One-Act Play
Short StoryA short play about family, love, and loss. I recently got the honor of directing this at my school. 8/10 experience, would recommend trying... with more rehearsal time than a week. This show is kinda meaty, not gonna lie.
