LEGENDS by Juan
CHARACTERS: La, the lava, 17 years old.
Rocky, the volcano, 17 years old.
SETTING:The edge of China on top of a mountain. A very dry rough surface. Hot rocks. Clouds in the distance. Birds. There is the smell of melting rubber, wet hot sweat, the smell of thunder approaching, and hot molten lava with a fresh scent of burning daffodils. A cold breeze runs up the back of the volcano. Wind blowing. Chattering volcanoes, rocks and lava saying, “Rocky is the best.” They are chanting his name, very loud and anxious for him to come back out. Below the mountain, at the edge of the city, people playing around. Lots of buildings.
TIME: 2 a.m.
AT RISE: ROCKY is talking to a lava girl. She got a coke bottle figure with clay the color of orange. She’s a nice little sizzling looking thing.
ROCKY
Man ma I’m sittin here thinkin like I’m tryin to be a legend. My bruh La—you know the dude that be with me—his parents already a legend. Everybody knows them.
But what I heard is they didn’t even destroy Russia by they self. They had help. Other volcanoes helped them. Man I know. I be out here every day. How you gone tell me what I know and don’t know. Girl you better be cool, I just met you. Is yo parents a legend? Man I know what I’m talkin about. La’s parents – they exploded and mixed with my parents lava and went to Russia. Yeah, that’s right. My parents was part of that. And you was tryin to get at me foul. My parents told me that out they own mouth. Man I’m hot right now because nobody don’t know and they think that La’s parents is just great legends. That’s why I’m trynna get my recognition so my mom and pops can get they recognition. La been spinnin off on me. We meet up every morning at the beginning of the day but after we destroy stuff for a couple of hours I try to look for him but he dips off on me. I think he been going to plan on me. I think he trynna become a legend. We done talked about it before a couple of times. I’m ready to go look for dude right now. But I gotta finish talkin to you. Cuz all this little sentimental stuff is kinda getting to me, and I aint into all that. Yeah like how I’m talkin about my family. I wanna get to talkin to you a lil more. Hey though ma I see him comin down the mountain. I’m gonna go block him. Cuz I got a feelin he finna go destroy the whole country. And me? I’m tryin to get back the recognition that my family supposed to have.
(ROCKY leaves. LA crawls out a volcano. He looks around then he looks down at the city. He stands at the edge of the volcano.)
LA
Man I be tryin to be out here every day in China man destroyin. That’s what I do. I roll down that mountain and I use my lava to destroy these buildings. I be out here a couple of hours but then when I go meet up with my boy Rocky it seem like he be getting all the attention when we be going out to destroy. I don’t be tryin to hate on my bruh but it feel like I’m gonna have to start hatin. He got too much attention. I’m trynna have more attention than he got. I don’t get why he get more attention. He don’t have the legacy I have. I feel like my family is a legend. My family was the only lavas that ever destroyed a whole country. 1980. Russia. Man they did they thing. They cause worldwide panic. The only two ever to cause it. I feel fueled to do the exact same thing they did. ‘Cause they got all the gratitude from all the other volcanoes and flowers. Man I’m trynna be like them. I feel if my parents could do it I can do it. But if I can’t be like them I don’t feel like I can claim them as my parents. I wouldn’t want to humiliate my family legacy by not being destructive. So I’m thinkin like I gotta get out there and destroy. I’m on my way down the mountain. As I go down I’m gaining momentum and I’m gaining something else too but I don’t know what it is yet. I feel energized. And now I’m gonna do what I feel. The city comin clear as I ease my way down. I’m gonna go destroy and I’m not gonna let anyone stand in my way. There’s no rain in sight. My lava is getting hotter and hotter. Lava bubblin. I’m almost down the mountain. Feelin extra hot. The city is like a arm’s length away. I hear people screaming but I don’t care. I’m gonna destroy the whole country today. Folks will be proud of me now there’s no way they can reject me. Hey bruh you got to move, I’m not feelin none of this, you got to get out my way. I’m on one right now. You think you can stand in my way? No one’s gonna stand in my way. I’ll put you out.
(Enter, ROCKY blocking LA’S path. LA sees a small rock on the side of the mountain and beings talking to it.)
Bruh Rocky standin here ackin like he don’t wanna move out my way. I don’t know what dude’s problem is but we gone have some problems in a minute. This supposed to be my best friend. We grew up together and everything. We destroyed our first car together. I knew bruh had some haterism in his heart. I just never knew it would come out. I never felt betrayed like this before—not by someone that I felt was my brother. I don’t think I’ll be able to trust anyone again. I am traumatized by his betrayal. I’m hot right now and I’m drained, my energy is dying and I know he doin it on purpose. He trynna take my energy. He knows which way to get me. But what is the real reason why he betrayed me? I wanna know the reason. I feel like asking him right now. (To ROCKY.) What’s up with my bruh Rocky like? I ain’t feelin all this haterism that’s goin on man.
ROCKY
You been dippin off on me and hecka stuff. Man I ain’t feelin you accusing me of all this stuff.
LA
What stuff you talkin bout? what you sayin talkin bout I’m accusing you you got a guilty conscious or sumthin?
ROCKY
Naw bruh I have something else on my mind. I been stressin out man.
LA
I don’t care about none of that. Cuz I been hearin things lately that ain’t been soundin right. I been hearin you been trynna backdoor me.
ROCKY
Backdoor you? I ain’t got time to be arguing with you. You know the storm is comin so you know we don’t got that much time to be living.
LA
I know.
ROCKY
So I’m a be frank with you – that my parents helped yo parents when they destroyed the country of Russia – my parents helped yo parents.
LA
Nah. (Pause.) Nah bruh you lyin.
ROCKY
They never got they recognition. Your family never told anyone. They let everybody believe that it was just them that threw it down. As a consequence my family doesn’t have a legend. Your family has theirs. La I’m gonna take this any way any how. I deserve to have legend. So if I got to block you from destroyin China then I will.
LA
Wait wait wait a minute who did you hear this from? (Pause.) Do you really think my parents would do something like that? We been friends forever. And you really think my parents would do that? I am appalled.
ROCKY
My parents told me this from their own mouths. I don’t care what you think. I know the truth. You should too.
LA
I know the truth.
ROCKY
You what?
LA
I know. I been knew.
ROCKY
You knew and you wouldn’t tell me? We supposed to be best friends. Other volcanoes turned their backs on me when I was just a mountain because my family didn’t have a legacy and everyone else’s family did. They see me as undependable. I had to feel the heartbreak of my parents. Do you know how that feels?
LA
No. But that don’t got nothing to do with the situation. So move out my way or I’ll have to use force. Cuz the storm is approachin and we’re finna die cuz the storm is finna put us out. So either you and me we’re both gonna become a legend or I’m gonna become a legend. So what’s it gonna be?
ROCKY
Do you even care about me? We’re friends right or that’s what I thought.
LA
Have you known what I’ve gone through after all this time you’ve been getting all the attention? Within the bowels of the earth. Inside my corner of the volcano. Small space. No room to move around. Light from the red and orange lava that bubble around with the titanic plates and the burnt crust. I shut down when my father compared me to you. “I will disown you. If you don’t prove to me and my friends that you can destroy a city you won’t be my son anymore. I saw Rock’s son Rocky destroy cities.” He yelled and shook me. He shook me, Rocky. I’d go to the corner of the volcano and hide and be quiet. I just wasn’t hard like my father. But then… I just happen to be on my way pouring down from the mountain and there goes Rocky… everyone started talking about you and no one was talking about me. I felt like I was nothing. You wasn’t giving me no friendship like a friend should. I was lonely. I needed their negative energy to feed off of so I could destroy the country. So my negative emotion helps me do what I need to do. I don’t have no feelings for no one. I want my father’s approval. For me not to have his approval it would mean that he would shun me. We’re friends but we got to look after our own, ain’t that right?
ROCKY
Is that how you feel? Is that really how you feel?
LA
Yup. I’m empty cuz I don’t have no feelins about destroying. Now move.
ROCKY
I’ll kill us both if I have to.
LA
I’ll force you out of my way. I did give you an option though so I’m not that cold hearted.
So will you come with me or not?
ROCKY
Will you give me the same recognition or will you do me like your parents did?
LA
Didn’t I just tell you I’m not that cold hearted? So answer the question.
ROCKY
Yeah but only under one condition. You let me destroy most of the city.
LA
You know you still my friend right?
ROCKY
I know. The storm is coming. I see the clouds in the distance. If one of us don’t destroy China before the storm comes we won’t be able to achieve legendary status because it will keep raining and everything will be wet. The storm is going to destroy us. We know we going to die. At sunrise the clouds will come over the mountain and stop the volcanoes from erupting molten rocks and leave the volcanoes dormant forever.
LA
So let’s go. Let’s leave our names behind before we die.
(They hear an eruption from the mountain. ROCKY sees the lava girl making a quick crawl towards the city while ROCKY and LA stand there looking stupid.)
The city is almost up in flames.
ROCKY
That’s that lava girl I was talkin to earlier.
(There is no way they can become legends before they die. The rain starts pouring.)
LA
Rocky, I’m so—
OVER AND OUT.
