TERMINAL

Joe McCabe



A MAN and WOMAN (approximately the same age and both wearing shorts and tees or sweats) are walking across the stage together from left to right. THEY stop, embrace, and kiss. THEY resume walking. They are happy with each other. SHE bumps into an invisible wall and bounces back slightly stunned. HE is unaware of her problem and continues walking on alone. SHE turns toward the audience and tries to walk around the first wall, but SHE is stopped immediately by a second wall. Beginning to panic, SHE turns up-stage quickly and encounters a third wall. SHE tries to retreat back to the left and at once finds a fourth wall boxing her in. A red spotlight comes on HER. SHE waves and tries to call to HIM. SHE pounds on the wall closest to him. [Each time she tries to speak, the audience sees her mouthing the words silently. Each time either of them hits a wall, the audience hears a thump.] HE turns and looks at her. HE motions for her to join him. HE acts puzzled. HE goes to her, reaches out to take her hand but is stopped by the first wall. HE feels his way all around the box, and SHE keeps turning to face him. SHE feels clueless. SHE tries to shout: "What can we do?" SHE shrugs her shoulders. HE springs into action and looks around trying to find something he can use to break one of the invisible walls. HE picks up an invisible stick the size of a baseball bat and beats it against the walls. SHE flinches each time HE hits a wall. SHE is growing weaker. SHE is having trouble breathing. HE stops beating the stick against the booth. HE is exhausted, and HE realizes that HE'll never break a wall with the stick. HE slings the stick away. SHE notices a rock the size of a loaf of bread not far away. SHE points to it. HE picks up the invisible rock which weighs nearly 30 pounds. SHE slumps down and sits on the floor facing the audience. Her arms are around her knees. Holding the rock over his head with both hands, HE smashes it again and again against one wall. HE stops. HE realizes that HE can't break the wall with the rock either. HE heaves the rock away as far as he can. She coughs. She becomes bald. [Her wig falls off revealing a bald cap.] HE is shocked by HER baldness. SHE weeps and coughs. HE places both hands against the left wall. HE pushes with all his might trying to tip over the invisible booth, but it remains rigid. HE drops to his knees defeated. His forehead and one of his hands are pressed against the wall. HE stares at her. SHE weakly reaches out and touches the wall and her fingers brush against the place where his hand is. HER head falls against HER knees. HER body slumps over. SHE remains motionless. Dead. The red spotlight goes out. [The walls are gone.] HE holds her corpse and sobs. HE gently places her head on the floor, and arranges her body in a supine position. HE places her hands on her chest and straightens her legs. HE gets to his feet. HE stares at her and shakes his head. HE takes a few steps to the right. HE stops and looks back at her. HE exits slowly reluctantly dragging himself away from her as the lights dim to dark. The end.



"TERMINAL" won an Honorable Mention in the 2003 Lamia Ink! International One-Page Play Competition, and will be performed in NYC in Feb., 2004.