Note for the Rebels: I returned my prologue to it's original, impressionistic sketch form. Which means any details about the street play got removed from there, because that play was not 'it'. So, for everyone, this chapter is the first part where you get the play as it is supposed to be. Enjoy :)
23 September, 2050
They were two planets. The laws of physics had not yet decided what the balance of all the forces pushing them closer and pulling them away was going to be. So, they circled each other, keeping in their orbits.
It was almost 6 o' clock. They took their places. The gong was struck. It began.
***
VOICES
by Caleb Sylvester,
Harry Henderson
and Roxie Bedelia
Act I. Scene I.
[The inside of the cab of an RV truck. On one side of its small lookout are various scientific contraptions, consoles and analog dials. At the other side is a large desk with a study lamp and a sewing machine pushed to one side beside a kitchenette including a stove and a tiny fridge.
A young man in a torn and stained, dull white lab coat sits in a chair, fingering the consoles. A digital calendar reads 23 March, 2087. A young woman is seated on the table studying under the lamp.]
HALA: (gets up and opens the fridge) Out! Everything is out!
ADRIAN: Shush! I'm almost there with my rechecks ...
HALA: I'm so tired, I've no energy to walk down this long intestinal street and reach the market around the curve.
ADRIAN: Once I'm done here, the space-time curve will be what I conquer next!
HALA: (closing the fridge) The silence is so deep, I can hear every pang scream.
ADRIAN: Screams would be redundant, when I capture the ghost in a bottle.
HALA: (loudly raps at the table) Not even a single bottle of milk left. You finished it all, didn't you?
ADRIAN: (flippantly thumps his chest) Sustenance is needed for the work of this genie!
***
He was composed today, but the crowd was already buzzing. Fully expecting an oppositional read of Hala from the lead actress, people seemed raring to applaud at the right moment. A lot of the spectators were already on their feet hooting at her loud rap.
He consciously decided to speak with more energy. It was not time for his character to get out of control yet. But he needed more oomph against her sway on the gathering.
***
HALA: But what about me? I'm not even a pet?
ADRIAN: Listen. I need you to come over here and sit in peace for a moment.
HALA: You just want me to shut up.
ADRIAN: And come over. And sit in peace for a moment.
HALA: Tell me why. I'm so hungry!
YOU ARE READING
The Girl Who Kept Running
Mystery / ThrillerHe ran into her at street theater. She was a force of nature, not a casual first time hire. She brought the house down with her performance, literally pulled the audience to their feet in standing ovation. Her performance was too real, unnerving, de...
