Friday, August 28, 2009

Week 32, Day 222 - “Body Falling Downstairs Slowly”

“Body Falling Downstairs Slowly”

Written by Joe Janes

8/28/09

222 of 365

Cast:

Nora, 30s

Julia, teens

Bill, 60s

Erik, 20s

(Lights up on Nora, a casually dressed woman in her late 30s, walking and carrying a large bag of groceries. Her cell phone is ringing and she has fist full of keys she’s fumbling with. The keychain is overloaded with stuff like a poker chip, bottle opener, light, pepper spray, etc.)

NORA

God dammit, God dammit, God dammit….Hold on, hold on… Oh, fuck…

(She grabs her cell phone from her purse. While fumbling around, Nora twists her foot and begins to fall in slow motion. The groceries fly out of her hands, perhaps aided by an actor dressed in all black. Her keys, similarly aided, fly in a different direction. Same with the purse. She manages to cling to her cell phone. She is falling down a short flight of stairs. She freezes. Julia, dressed like a punky teen from the 80s appears.)

JULIA

Looks like you’re going to die.

NORA

This is weird. Go away.

JULIA

You should have stayed with me in high school.

NORA

I’m not gay, Julia.

JULIA

You were in high school, Nora.

NORA

I don’t know what I was in high school, but I wasn’t gay.

JULIA

You loved me.

NORA

Maybe.

JULIA

You loved me. Why else would you be thinking of me now?

(Nora, moving in slow motion, reaches out to Julia who walks off. Nora twists and freezes, again. Bill, 60s, appears.)

BILL

Hey, Pumpkin.

NORA

Daddy! Help me.

BILL

You never come visit me.

NORA

You’re dead.

BILL

I have a gravesite, you know.

NORA

I hate cemeteries.

BILL

Well, you’ll have plenty of time to get used to them.

NORA

Daddy! I’m sorry!

(She reaches for him in slow motion and he walks off. She twists again and holds out her arms to block her fall. Erik, the Angel of Death, appears, playing a game on his iPhone. He is dressed all in white.)

NORA

Who are you?

ERIK

Erik, the easily distracted angel of death.

NORA (pointing)

Look! The Oscar Mayer Weiner Mobile!

ERIK (squeals)

I love that thing!

(Erik quickly walks off. Nora and all her flying-through-the-air items fall hit the floor in real time. She has hurt a few things. We hear a voice on her cell phone…)

NORA

Ow.

JULIE (on phone)

Hello? Nora? Nora, are you all right?

NORA (picking up phone)

Hello?... Julia? Julia! I can’t believe it. I was just thinking of you…Oh, I just tripped down some stupid stairs. I’m all right…You’re in town!... Hell, yes, I’d love to get together… Right now is perfect. Come on over. Do you mind if we swing by the emergency room first?

(Nora passes out.)

JULIE (on phone)

Hello?…Nora?

(Lights fade.)

Week 32, Day 221 - "WASP-18"

“WASP-18”

Written by Joe Janes

8/27/09

221 of 365

CAST

WASP-18, star

WASP-18b, planet

(Lights up on WASP-18, a sun, being orbited by WASP-18b, a planet. WASP-18b circles WASP-18 at least three times before WASP-18b sighs, loudly.)

WASP-18

Did you say something?

(WASP-18b ignores this and continues spinning around WASP-18. WASP-18 sighs once more.)

WASP-18 (continuing)

If you’re not going to tell me, I’m not going to pry it out of you.

(WASP-18b looks angry, slows for a second, but keeps orbiting, This time closer to WASP-18.)

WASP-18B

You think the world revolves around you, don’t you?

(WASP-18 is dumbfounded, but eventually finds the words.)

WASP-18

Yes.

(WASP-18b, pissed, spins a little faster and closer to WASP-18. This upsets the surface of WASP-18.)

WASP-18 (continuing)

Hey, hey!

WASP-18B

What’s the matter? Can’t handle it when someone gets too close?

WASP-18 (shrugging)

Plasma tides! Plasma tides!

WASP-18B

Don’t make excuses. You like it.

WASP-18

This bulge is not a good thing. You’re playing with fire.

WASP-18B (mocking)

You’re playing with fire.

WASP-18

I told you I needed space.

WASP-18B

Well, help yourself. Take the whole frickin’ galaxy for all I care.

WASP-18

Look, we have to work together. There’s no reason why we can’t try to get along.

(WASP-18b thinks about this and spins around WASP-18 a few more times.)

WASP-18B

You’re right. You’re right. You’re warm, you’re bright. I get attached. Stuck in my ways.

WASP-18

We’ll figure it out. I’m not going anywhere. And neither are you.

WASP-18B

Yah. We’ll figure it out.

(WASP-18b orbits WASP-18 a few more times, screams and hurdles towards and grabs WASP-18)

WASP-18

Plasma bulge!!!

(Blackout. We hear the sound of a planet exploding on impact into a sun.)