A Play by Liani

CHARACTERS:

Shooting Star,  Age 17,                                          Blinking Star,  Age  19

SETTING:

In the dark skies above Saturn where all the young stars hang out.  It’s dark and  cold and a lot of pollution.  You see dark shiny specks, pollution, dirty gases.  It smells  like dirtiness, pollution. You can taste gas and hear loud crashes.

TIME: Right now
AT RISE:

Shooting Star is sitting on one of Saturn’s rings, talking to Blinking Star.

(They hug each other and he smiles at her but she doesn’t look too happy.)


Blinking Star

Hey!  What’s wrong?  What did you have to tell  me?

Shooting Star

(She’s looking down and looks up at him)

Blinking Star, I been doing a lot of thinking these past days since I graduated.

Blinking Star

(He grabs her and holds her to sit closer to him)

What’s been on your mind?
                                                                                                                                                                                    Shooting Star

You know how I been talking ’bout leaving the dark skies and traveling the Milky Way across the galaxies!

(Blinking Star looks down like he’s annoyed)

Shooting Star (cont)

Well, it’s time, and I really think this is what I need.  I need you to come with me.

Blinking Star
 
(Looks away from her)

Can we please talk about this some other time, Shooting Star!  I don’t feel like getting into this!

Shooting Star
(stands up, angry)

No!  We can’t!  The Milky Way’s gonna leave in an hour.

Blinking Star

Well, can’t we talk about maybe doing this next time it comes around!

Shooting Star
(becomes more angry)

I can’t believe you!  You know they only come every 20 years!  Blinking Star, I want to see what’s out there for me.  I want to shoot across the skies, but further than just the dark clouds all the time.  How can I put something off that means so much to me!

Blinking Star
(He starts to become real mad)

Because you know how stupid I think leaving is and plus I got……

                                                                                                                                                                                    Shooting Star (interrupts)

Got what!!  What do you have to do that is so important, huh!

Blinking Star

Everything! 
(He yells as he stands up)
How could you just tell me to leave all my friends and family for some fantasy you’re trying to chase!

Shooting Star
(a sad face falls on her face)
How could you say that to me?  (a tear falls from her eyes)   This isn’t a fantasy, Blinking Star!  These are real dreams and hopes.  Dreams and hopes I had  for us!

Blinking Star
(yells)
How can you say “us” when every time we talk about this, all I hear is you, you, you!  You and your dreams!  What about me, Shining Star.

Shooting  Star
(sits down next to Blinking Star and grabs his hand)
All my dreams and hopes have everything to do with you, Blinking Star.  That’s why I tell you to come with me!  I want so much better for you!  Than to be stuck in these dark…

Blinking Star
(interrupts)
Stuck!  I’m not stuck anywhere, Shooting  Star!  This is where I want to be!  Why can’t you understand!

Shining Star
How could you want this, Blinking Star!  To be in the dark!  How could you want all this chaos and pollution!  Haven’t you ever wanted to know what clear skies and bright clouds look like.

Blinking Star

No!  Shooting Star, this is my home.  This is my life – the darkness, the pollution,  all of it.  They are parts of me.  This is where my dreams are, Shooting Star.  This is all I know.

Shooting Star

I don’t understand, Blinking Star. How can you say those things are you?    Those horrible things can never be you, Blinking Star.  I know you and I know you’re way better than that!

Blinking Star

Shooting Star!  But they are and that’s what you need to see.  All  those  things that seem so dull and dark are what make me shine so bright.  Shooting Star, I can’t just leave here. I’ll no longer be the brightest.  You want me to hear out your dreams.  But it seems like you forgot all about mine. If I leave to brighter skies, how can I shine brighter that the other bright clouds and stars?

Shooting Star

Blinking Star, I would never forget your dreams.  But if you come with me you won’t have to worry about that.  Together we can learn to shine twice as bright and along the way you can grow and become even brighter.

Blinking Star

Shooting Star, you know I love you more than anything.

(Shooting Star smiles)

Blinking Star (cont)

And you are the only star in the universe I glow for.  I’ve known you my whole life and have never grown as close to any star more than you, but I don’t think I’m ready for such a big change, Shooting Star.

(Shooting Star’s face becomes sad again)

Blinking Star (cont)

I don’t think this is something I can do.
                                                                                                                                                                                    Shooting Star

I love you too, Blinking Star, but I can’t live like this anymore!  It’s time for me to grow and shoot across the galaxy!  Don’t you want that for me?

Blinking Star

You know I want the best for you and I want to make you happy, but I can’t understand what’s so wrong staying here?  Think about– (he grabs her and smiles) –you’re the brightest and fastest shooting star in the whole dark skies.  You got everything you need!

Shooting Star

But this isn’t everything I need.  There is so much more for me to do.  So much to learn  and I can’t turn this opportunity down!  I need to do this, Blinking Star!  But most of all I need you.

Blinking Star

And I need you too, Shooting Star, but I’m not ready for this.

Shooting Star

But I need you, Blinking Star.  I can’t glow without you!  Why can’t you just grow up!  I need you right now.  You don’t understand. 

Blinking Star

Shooting Star, I would never want to be apart from  you, but I don’t know why you’re getting so upset by this!

Shooting Star

Blinking Star, you mean so much to me but so do my dreams!   Blinking Star, I’ve got something really important to tell you that I hope will change your mind.                                                                                                   
                                                                                               
Blinking Star

What is it?

Shooting Star

I’m pregnant, Blinking Star

Blinking Star
(looking shocked)

So why would you want to leave at a time like this, Shooting Star?  This makes no sense to me.  Why would you want to leave our home when we can stay here and have a family?

Shooting Star

Because, Blinking Star, you know how I feel about the dark skies.  Why would I want to bring up a new shining life in a place like this?  I want our Baby Star to be able to know so much and have better.  (pauses) Don’t you want the same thing Blinking Light.

Blinking Star

You know I do, Shooting Star.  I love you and I’m going to love the star that we created.  I want the best for all of us.  But don’t you see it would be so much easier if we just stayed here and raised our baby star?  We would have everything we needed and have nothing to worry about.

Shooting Star

Blinking Star, if we left we wouldn’t have anything to worry about.  We would have each other.

Blinking Star

Okay.  Let’s say I do all this exploring stuff?  What will happen with me?  What about all my friends?  What about my bright shining here in the dark clouds?         

Shooting Star

Blinking Star?  Is that all you think about –your friends?  Or making sure you always shine the brightest?  I thought you loved me?  It’s time you choose either me, or your friends and these dark clouds.  I need  you Blinking Star!  But I need you to choose.

Blinking Star

How can you ask me to do something like that, Shining Star.

Shooting Star

What are you saying Blinking Star?  That you can’t choose?  Do all these people and things mean more to you than me?

Blinking Star

Shooting Star, you know they don’t!  But it seems to me you’re more worried about these  “dreams” than me and you.

Shooting  Star
(stands and becomes stern)

Because Blinking Star, it’s not just about me and you any more.  It’s about us and the little glowing life we created.  Blinking Star, this is something I need to do!  So I need for you to grow up and think about the future.  I’ve made my decision.  Now it’s time you made yours.

Blinking Star
(looking shocked)

So you would leave behind everything we have,  all the love we share for some dreams?  Don’t  you love me?
                                                                                                                                                           
Shooting Star

I love you so much Blinking Star and you know that and I need you more than ever, but that is my dream and I’ve made my decision.  Blinking Star, my greatest fear is to lose you, and to leave you   behind would be the hardest and most painful things I would have to do, but my dreams are  something I can’t just throw away and if you aren’t ready to grow and learn, then I’ll have to face my fears.  (Shooting Star Begins to cry.)  I love you Blinking Star.  You will always be the reason I glow but it’s time I start going.  I need to go now.
           
Blinking Star
(holding her hands and looking at her)

Shooting Star, I love you too and I want to be there for you and to hurt you is killing me but I  can’ t.  I just…

Shooting Star
            (interrupting, still crying)

That’s all I needed to know Blinking Star.  (she gets up and hugs him)  I love you Blinking Star.
(She lea)
                                                  
Shooting Star Monologue 

I’m so happy I’m finally going  to graduate school!!  But I’m having a lot of problems.  I’m tired of being in the clouds all the  time.  I want to see what’s out there for me.  I want to shoot across the skies but further than just the clouds all the time.  I want to see what’s out there for me.  I want to shoot across the skies but further than just the clouds.  I want to shoot across the whole galaxy and past the Milky Way and see where it takes me.  I know there’s something so great for me out there!  But something is holding me back, or should I say some one.  It’s Blinking Star!  I don’t know what to do about him!  I want him to come with me and learn and grow!  But all he wants to do is stay in the same old place we’ve always been!  I love him so much and I want better for him and I want him to know better is out there for him!  But he takes it as a joke.  I want him to come with me but if he won’t, what can I do!  I can’t leave him behind because what will I do  with out him and what if I do leave and the worst thing happens and he finds another star.  I’m so scared to lose him.  I love him more than anything.  I want to show him how happy he can be.  I know that if I got one chance to see all that’s out there and better I can leave all these dark skies behind,  but I need for Blinking Star to come!  I feel so held back, especially since I found out I was pregnant!  But I feel like it made things so much harder!  What will Blinking Star say when I tell him!  I wonder if he’ll be scared and leave me!  I feel like all my goals and plans are too much for him and he’s going to want to leave me alone.  I don’t know how to tell him!  But I can’t hide this from him!  I wonder if I tell him and the he’ll want me to stay here and raise the star!  I just wish he could understand my dreams and grow up.

Blinking Star Monologue

I’m having problems with my girlfriend, Shooting Star.  I don’t know what to do about her. l I feel like she’s always trying to change me!  I love her so much and I’m so proud of all the things she’s done!  But  can’t believe she would think about leaving the clouds!  She keeps on telling me that she wants me to leave with her but I love it here.  All our friends are here and this is all we know!  I wish she could just stop talking ’bout all this galaxy stuff!  But she never really sees where I’m coming from.  My whole life, all I ever wanted was to be the brightest star blinking.  I want to just live my young days as long as I can and where better to shine bright than in the dark skies!  I love Shooting Star and she means the world to me and I would never want to kill her dreams and it would just kill me to hurt her.  But I feel like I already am.  I been shining with Star Dust  and I know if Shooting Star ever found out it would just take all the glowing away from her.  I’m scaredshe might soon find out and then I really don’t know what I would do.  I don’t want to hold her back on her dreams but she can’t leave me!  And I don’t know if I’m ready to leave just now.

 



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