Play 213: Strange Story

CHARACTERS
JAMES, 18
EMILY, 18

(They sit in a coffee shop, there are drinks and some small pastries on the table.)

EMILY
Sure.

JAMES
It’s a little hard to understand.

EMILY
Just tell the story.

JAMES
Okay.

(Beat, he takes a bite from a pastry.)

So, I was at school, and I was hanging out with Robert.

EMILY
Why were you both at school?

JAMES
School wasn’t over yet.

EMILY
Oh.

JAMES
I actually don’t remember if it was Robert though, I think it was, but I can’t really remember too clearly.

(Beat, he takes a sip of his drink.)

So anyways, we’re hanging out at school and walking through the hallways and stuff.

EMILY
What’s hard to understand?

JAMES
It’s coming.

(Beat.)

So, we were in Physics class, and our teacher had brought in cookies for some reason.

EMILY
That’s cool.

JAMES
Yeah.

(Beat.)

So when it was done, I took a cookie and left, but I couldn’t eat much of it really, I felt a little sick.

EMILY
That sucks.

JAMES
It’s okay.

EMILY
Wait, was Robert still with you?

JAMES
No, he kind of vanished at some point.

EMILY
(Slightly confused.)
Oh.

JAMES
So then I went to the computer lab, I forget why.

EMILY
Is this story going anywhere?

JAMES
Yeah, just a bit longer.

EMILY
Okay.

(She takes a sip of her drink.)

JAMES
So anyways, once I finished whatever it was I was doing in the computer lab, I went outside to leave, and it was odd, where the main doors normally are there were these glass doors that like opened automatically.

EMILY
Wait, they changed the doors?

JAMES
Yeah.

EMILY
When?

JAMES
I’m not sure really, I just know they were like that by that time.

EMILY
That’s weird.

JAMES
So anyways, then this one teacher—I forget which one—came in, and she started smoking and the fire alarm went off.

EMILY
I don’t remember the fire alarm having gone of lately.

JAMES
Well it did.

(Beat.)

EMILY
Okay.

JAMES
So we all headed outside like usual.

EMILY
(Starting to get bored.)
Okay.

JAMES
And it was odd, a bunch of random people were there like some friends of mine from middle school.

EMILY
(Confused.)
What?

JAMES
It was strange.

EMILY
How did they get there?

JAMES
No clue.

(Beat, she takes a sip from her drink.)

EMILY
(Flatly.)
So what happened next?

JAMES
So then stuff started getting really weird.

EMILY
(Regaining some interest.)
Yeah?

JAMES
So then I got this bizarre feeling that something was horribly wrong.

EMILY
Really?

JAMES
Yeah, and then the ground split open, so I started running but something grabbed me from behind—

EMILY
(Very confused.)
What are you talking about?

JAMES
I’m telling you what happened.

EMILY
But it doesn’t make any sense.

JAMES
Well it was a dream.

EMILY
What?

(Beat.)

JAMES
Did I forget to tell you that?

(Beat.)

EMILY
Yeah.

(Beat.)

JAMES
Oh.

(Beat.)

Now I understand why you were confused.

EMILY
Yeah.

(Beat.)

So then what happened?

(Blackout.)