Play 143: Imagining Things

CHARACTERS
BEN, 17

(Ben is standing on the corner of a crowded city street holding a sign that says “Will Work for Ideas.”)

(A buisiness man in a nice suit walks by in a briefcase.)

BEN
Do you have any ideas?

(He exit.)

BEN
(Yelling after Him.)
Just one?!

(Beat.)

(An old woman enters.)

BEN
Please, help!

(She briefly glances at him, then keeps walking.)

BEN
(Yelling after her.)
I’ll do anything!

(She exits.)

BEN
(Muttering.)
Fuck.

(A man enters, on his shirt, in giant letters, is written “Ideas for Free!”)

(Ben stares at the shirt in shock as the man walks past him and exits.)

(His expression suddenly shifts from shock to worry.)

BEN
Wait, no, come back!

(He rushes over to the side of the stage where the man exited, and looks offstage.)

(Beat.)

BEN
Fuck!

(He walks back to where he had been standing with a pensive and confused look on his face.)

(He shakes his head.)

BEN
I must be imagining things.

(A man dressed as a gigantic sheet of paper with the word “Ideas” written in foot tall letters on it enters.)

(Ben stares at it. He blinks, then rubs his eyes, and looks at it again, appearing to be surprised once again when he sees it is still there.)

(It walks over to Ben, and stands in front of him for a few seconds. Ben continues to stare at it in outright shock.)

(It walks offstage, Ben’s eyes following it in disbelief the entire way.)

(Pause.)

BEN
Okay (beat.) I’m definitely imagining things.

(The giant sheet of paper re-enters. It walks past Ben again, and exits.)

(Ben remains standing silently in confusion.)

BEN
I really need to get more sleep.

(Beat.)

(He drops the sign on the ground, and walks offstage.)

(Blackout.)