A Play by Kevin W.
| CHARACTERS: |
NEGATIVE, an earthquake. 100 years old. Lives under San Francisco. COLD, a volcano. Always hot.
|
| SETTING: |
In a wild forest.
|
| TIME: |
Afternoon, in the future. |
| AT RISE: |
A forest, redwood trees, leaves blowing, a river. NEGATIVE and COLD are talking. |
NEGATIVE
Cold, how you feel?
COLD
Fine. Just thinking about something.
NEGATIVE
What you thinking about?
COLD
Just things is going through my mind. I just don’t understand sometimes.
NEGATIVE
The same thing been happening to me too.
COLD
Hey – Negative – if you was holding something in, and you wanted to tell somebody but you don’t want to hurt ‘em, how would you say that?
NEGATIVE
What you mean? I understand what you saying, but how you saying it …
COLD
It’s like I feel something pulling me down, but I don’t know what it is.
NEGATIVE
What you mean, something pulling you down?
COLD
Why you acting different now? Ever since that girl came by, you been acting different.
NEGATIVE
Hold on, hold on, hold on. How you feel about me? That’s how I feel about you. I didn’t want to say nothing, cuz I didn’t know how it was gonna come out.
COLD
I ‘sposed to be your friend. What you mean, you didn’t know how it was going to come out. Don’t let no girl mess up our relationship.
NEGATIVE
Oh, oh, nah nah. I would never let no girl get between me and you.
COLD
I’m just gonna let everything out then. Why you acting all different? All like you better than me and stuff? I feel like you hiding something from me, and I don’t know what it is.
(COLD looks in NEGATIVE’s eyes. NEGATIVE’s eyes get so big. He close his eyes, look down, shake his head twice. COLD and NEGATIVE stare eye to eye. They just look at each other and pause.)
NEGATIVE
Nah, nah nah nah. It’s not what you think. If you feel that way, I’m sorry.
COLD
See, this is not true. You saying you sorry now. You acting different. You never say you sorry this fast. You always have some excuse or always trying to explain something, but now you giving up so fast. This is not you.
NEGATIVE
Wait, wait, wait, wait. Can I ask you a question?
COLD
What?
NEGATIVE
Is you hiding anything from me?
COLD
Not that I know of. … Hold on, hold on, hold on. I know I’m hiding nothing from you. What you talk like everything on me? You know what I think? It’s really you.
(COLD looks at NEGATIVE. NEGATIVE freeze again.)
Is you hiding something from me?
(NEGATIVE say nothing back.)
Is you hiding something?
(Still NEGATIVE don’t say nothing.)
COLD
Did you see Sara? She look like she getting’bigger, like she been eating a lot.
NEGATIVE
Oh yeah yeah yeah, yes she is.
COLD
Why you say it like that?
NEGATIVE
Like what?
COLD
All difficult.
NEGATIVE
I didn’t say it difficult.
COLD
Do you know anything about Sara I don’t know?
NEGATIVE
What you say? I didn’t hear you, I didn’t hear you.
COLD
Do you know anything about Sara I don’t know.
NEGATIVE
No. No I don’t. Do you know anything I don’t know?
COLD
Don’t play stupid with me.
NEGATIVE
I hate Sara.
COLD
Why you say that?
NEGATIVE
The reason why we arguing, cuz we both like Sara and we never act like this before.
COLD
You right. We never act like this.
NEGATIVE
Sara not all that cute anyway. I think she doing this on purpose, to make us go against each other.
COLD
I don’t think she like that. I think she’s a nice girl. But I could be wrong. You could be right.
NEGATIVE
We should just stop talking to each other. It should be just me and you.
COLD
A couple days ago, you was just telling me how Sara’s beautiful, and she’s a good girl, and you really like her, and all these good things about her. But now you saying all these bad things.
(NEGATIVE freezes. COLD looks at him. Sweat dripping down NEGATIVE’s face.)
I think you lying, Negative.
(Silence.)
COLD
I think you and her hiding something from me now. Cuz when I said she was getting a little bigger, cuz she was eating so much, you say yeah yeah so fast. I been thinking about that. And that’s one thing, but now you saying bad things about her.
NEGATIVE
Can I ask you one question? Do you got feelings for Sara?
COLD
You know what? Yes I do got feelings for Sara. Do you got feelings for Sara?
NEGATIVE
Yeah, I do. (Pause.) I got something to tell you.
COLD
What is it?
NEGATIVE
She pregnant.
COLD
What? That’s why you was acting funny. How many months is she?
(A tear come down Negative’s eye.)
NEGATIVE
Eight months.
COLD
I thought she was just getting bigger cuz she been eating a lot.
(NEGATIVE look at COLD and see the hurt on his face. COLD walks away.)
NEGATIVE
Wait, wait, wait.
(NEGATIVE runs up to COLD, grab his shoulder.)
I’m sorry.
(COLD looks at him.)
COLD
I knew it.
(COLD walks away from NEGATIVE. NEGATIVE walks away in the other direction.)
COLD
(out to the audience)
Man, I thought that was my friend. I never thought a person like him would do this to me. He was acting funny, but I didn’t think he’d do this to us.
(COLD turns around to NEGATIVE.)
I got a secret too. I heard she was pregnant too, but I didn’t believe it. I heard she was having a baby.
NEGATIVE
Oh yeah?
COLD
I heard it wasn’t yours.
(NEGATIVE starts shaking back and forth. It’s power. COLD falls and then gets up. COLD erupts, and lava comes out.)
NEGATIVE
If you heard this rumor, why didn’t you just tell me?
COLD
Cuz I didn’t think it was that serious.
NEGATIVE
Since this has happened, do you got anything else you been hiding from me?
COLD
One more thing. I got your sister pregnant.
NEGATIVE
What? You gotta be lying. Are you serious, or are you just playing?
COLD
I’m serious. I’m not playing. I was going to tell you when the time was right. So I guess this time is right. There you go, pal.
(NEGATIVE start shaking in circles, going up and down, knocking all the trees over, grinding together. Leaves falling from the trees. The Transamerica Pyramid falls. Then NEGATIVE looks at COLD. COLD start smiling.)
COLD
Know what the word is for today?
NEGATIVE
What?
COLD
Karma.
NEGATIVE
Ha ha ha. Very funny. All this time, I thought I was the bad person, but it was really you. I liked the girl, but I like you. I didn’t want to lose you to no female. That’s why I kept it from you.
COLD
You think I believe you?
NEGATIVE
Yeah, I think you believe.
COLD
Why you think that, and all what just happened?
NEGATIVE
Cuz you my friend.
COLD
If I was your friend, why you do all this to me?
NEGATIVE
Hold on, hold on, hold one. Red light. You lied to me too.
COLD
No, I don’t lie to you. I just didn’t tell you.
(NEGATIVE walks away.)
COLD
Wait, wait, wait. I’m sorry for not telling you.
NEGATIVE
OK, I’ll take your apology.
COLD
The next time me and you like a girl, we should not go against each other. We should just talk about it.
NEGATIVE
You right, from now on, if I got anything I’m holding in, anything I know, I make sure you be the first to know.
COLD
I never thought our friendship’d get this messed up over a female. And over rumors, and what he and she say, and all these negative things.
NEGATIVE
You right. I never knew I was changing like this. I thought I was the same.
(To be continued.)
