My First Play

Well, I can't call this my first play because it isn't actually my own. A person in my  wrote a script and I had to rewrite it so here it is:Part 1:

Scene 1:

            N1: Lincoln College. Children are walking hurriedly back and forth, while there is a group of four 18 year old girls, Chelsea, Emily, Tracey, and Vanessa, who are gossiping until they see a classmate, sleepy looking Amanda a.k.a. Mandy, walk by.

            V: And guess what Jane said? She said Adam – hey, did you guys just see Amanda?

            T: Wow, she looks exhausted. I wonder if she ever slept last night.

            E: I doubt she did sleep yesterday. After that horrible car crash…I wouldn’t be surprised if she suffered from nightmares for the rest of her life. It must have been horrifying, that lorry coming straight for her car –

            C: Don’t be silly. Of course that’s not the reason.

            E, V, T: THEN WHAT???!!!!!!

            [Chelsea looks around, enjoying the attention]

            C: Don’t you ever listen to what she says? Her father’s got a REALLY bad a snoring problem. Mandy says it’s as though a nail is being drilled into her ear for the entire night.

            E: In reality, if such a bizarre situation took place, there would be several reasons for which Mandy’s statement could not be true. For one, if a nail was being drilled into her ear, it would most surely puncture her eardrum, rendering her hearing quite useless –

            T: Ever heard of a “figure of speech”, Emily? ’Cause I doubt you have. Why don’t you forget your overlarge brain for once and try to enjoy a normal conversation?

            V: In less demeaning words, get a sense of humour.

            E: Hmph. It seems as though my only friends do not accept me for who I am. [She stalks away]

            V: If she expects us to go running after her and apologize, I SO am not doing that. What is up with her anyway?

            C: Why, didn’t you here? She missed the bonus question in her Science exam and only got 144%...

            [They all exit. Enter Emily. Amanda is sitting alone on a bench.]

            E: That was rather rude of them. Bunch of insensitive warts, they are. Oh, hi Amanda!

            A: (startled): Huh? Oh, good to see you too, Emilia.

            E: My name is Emily.

            A: That’s what I said: Emily.

            E: Umm… well, I was just wondering why you’re looking so depressed.

            A: That’s nothing, just thinking of Mum.

            E: Is she stable now?

            A: Yeah, pretty much. I still miss her though. Well, bye then!

            [Amanda leaves.]

            E: What is up with her?

            C, T, V: What is up with who?

            E: Oh, it’s you lot again. Why are you here? Plan on calling me “nerd” or “geekozoid” again?

            V: Oh, no, you rude girl. We wanted to apologize for our – er – unacceptable behavior earlier today.

            C to T: Didn’t she just say she would never do that?

            T to C: Yeah she did, that filthy hypocrite. Promises stand for nothing these days.

            E: Oh, how sweet! Why don’t we apply some force on the ground such that the ground provides an equal and opposite to allows us to move forward in the direction of the class?

            V: Err…you mean “walk” don’t you?

            E: As it may be to you simpletons. If you haven’t realized, I’m giving you a taste of your own medicine.

            V: I hate me.

            C and T: So do we.

Scene 2:

            N2: Inside the class, Emily is explains her conversation with Amanda to her friends. They are just as concerned as she was.

            T: Wow, she must be missing her mother a lot.

            C: Yeah, I heard she used to bake lemon cakes. I wonder how Mandy feels without them. Of course (she says hurriedly because of the looks on her friend’s faces), her mother is much, MUCH more important than some stupid cakes.

            E: What I was thinking was that we should go to her house this evening –

            Teacher: GIRLS!!! STOP TALKING THIS MOMENT OR I SHALL INFORM YOUR PARENTS! Emily, dear, I know you know all the answers, but please don’t disturb the other children.

            E: Sorry ma’am.

            V: I bet you love being teacher’s pet.

            [Emily sighs and scribbles down something.]

            E to V: Here’s her address. Pass it to Trace and Chelsea too.

            V: Sure thing. But how do you know her address?

            E: We studied together for the exams.

            [Tracey and Chelsea are eavesdropping.]

            C: Wow. I bet Mandy loved that.

            T: More like Emily dictating all the answers and Amanda trying to make some sense out of her droning. I’d hate to be in her –

            Teacher: TRACY PORTER!!! YOU BETTER TELL ME WHAT I WAS SAYING THIS MOMENT!!!

            T: Er…something about Napoleon?

            Teacher: WHAT WAS HIS LAST NAME?

            T: I’m not sure, but I think it’s "born of fart."

            Teacher:  I EXPECT BETTER ATTENTION FROM YOU IN FURTHER CLASSES. AND DETENTION THIS EVENING! CLASS DISMISSED.

            [After they leave the class. Tracy looks angry.]

            E; Napoleon’s last name is Bonaparte.

            T: Close enough! But not for that awful woman. That’s not it, however. I won’t be able to come to Amanda’s house!

            C: Oh, that’s terrible news! I know you wanted lemon cake – Oh yeah, there is no lemon cake. You’re not missing much, then.

            V: Honestly, is the only thing you think about FOOD? The poor girl almost lost her mother! We should comfort her, not sit around and eat LEMON CAKES!

            C: Fine, sorry. Some people have issues… Oops. [as Vanessa glares at her.]

            E: You know the address, right? We’ll come there at four o’clock.

            V: Gifts necessary?

            E: No! It’s not her birthday party, for God’s sake.

            N1: Everyone is happy except for Tracy, who has to write “I will not refer to gaseous excretion in the class” a hundred times on the board.

            N2: At four o’clock, the friends meet as planned. Tracy is still drawling on the board.

            E: Hello, guys! Let’s ring the doorbell shall we?

            C: No, we’ll sit out here wondering why the heck we came here if we’re not going to ring the bell.

            [Vanessa rolls her eyes and rings the doorbell. It takes a few seconds but a disgruntled looking Amanda opens the door.]

            A: Who is it – Oh, hi Emilia, Vanesser and Chess. Where’s Bracey?

            V: Are those code names for us or something?

            A: Don’t be silly, you’re acting like that isn’t your name. Come on in!

            [They all enter into her bedroom.]

            A: Well, this is my bedroom.

            [The three look at each other hesitantly before Tracy bursts out:]

            T: Amanda, the three of us and [she coughs] Bracey would like to offer our sympathy. We have never experienced anything quite as heart-wrenching as almost losing our mother –

            A: What are you talking about? Oh, my mom? She came back, and she’s all right now.

            C: Umm…well…

            V: We came to see how you were doing without your mum. But if she’s here, we’d better get going, shouldn’t we [she coughs again] Emilia?

            N1: But Emily was thinking of something else.           

            E: So if your mom’s back, why are you so distracted?

            A: Why I’m so distracted? Well…I guess I could tell you three, and maybe Bracey too. Ever heard of AIDS?

            C: Does it mean that you grow stupider every day until you need AID to study for everyday things? Or that you broke your leg so bad you need the AID of a stick to help you walk? Although you don’t seem to be hurt in anyway…

            A: What about HIV?

            V: Oh, there’s a person in our society who has got it. Everyone said he went a bit funny in the head. We’re kept away from him because he’s a bad influence and we might get it in the end. I heard that it’s contagious.

            A: I’ve got it.

            V and C: WHAT??!!!

            [Chelsea, who was touching Mandy’s hand, flinches and jumps up.]

            V: AHA! That’s why you’re so confused! You’ve got HIV!

            A: What do you –

            C: What do you want from us, freak? Trying to spread the disease? Why’d you let us in?

            A: Listen –

            V: GET AWAY FROM US! YOU’RE PLANNING TO DESTROY EVERYONE ELSE’S IMMUNE SYSTEM SO WE’LL SUFFER WITH YOU! WELL I’M NOT GOING TO LET THAT HAPPEN!!

            C: NEITHER AM I!! COME ON, EMILY!

            E: I’m not going anywhere.

            V and C: ARE YOU MAD? YOU’LL DIE IN A MONTH OR SOMETHING, THANKS TO THIS- THIS- THIS MONSTER!

             E: I won’t die, thank you very much. If you both want to, go home.

            V and C: Very well. You wait, Emily. We won’t visit you even on your deathbed!

            [Vanessa and Chelsea leave]

            E: Sorry about that.

            A: Oh, no I was expecting that, Emilia.

            E: My name’s Emily. And why were you expecting it?

            A: All, right, Emily. And I expected it because my mom had the same reaction.

            E: I’m sorry. Er…do you have a boyfriend?

            A: No, why? Oh, no, I got it because of a blood transfusion.

            E: I’m guessing that you lost a lot of blood during the car crash.

            A: Correct. The only thing I hate is that by tomorrow, the entire school will know. And I won’t have any friends.

            E: You’ve got me.

            A: True. Thanks, Emily, you made me feel a lot better.

            E: I can help you more. My teacher loves me. I’ll tell her to ask for a campaign explaining the true nature of AIDS. As for Chelsea and Vanessa, I never thought they would act this way. I’ll try to set things right for you.

            A: Wow, thanks, Emily.

            E: You’re welcome.

           

           

VIbrancy and viVAcity

I was told to write a review of our annual even, VIVA, so this is what I wrote:

 Vibrancy and Vivacity

            The sunlight broke through the hills, illuminating the rows of eager children desperate to fight their way to victory in a competition or perfect a newfound talent in the workshops. The lofty hills provided a stunning backdrop to the mega event that was to begin in a few minutes.

            The bell rang. A wave of students fought their way to their designated rooms, separating as they pounded up or down stairs. It was not long before the twanging, singing, yelling, screaming, clicking, and tapping filled the corridors, exhibiting the exuberant pandemonium ensuing from the many rooms.

            Brilliant in its conception yet simple in its execution, Vibgyor’s Viva provided a stepping stone for all those children who required something new, something momentous to enter their lives at home and at school. When it was first introduced into Vibgyor High, NIBM Pune last year, it was as though a dream had come true. It was the wish of many to master the art of archery, yet it seemed as though this hope would eventually dissolve into nothingness. The school seemed to read our disheartened minds and revealed to us that there would be a VIVA, and it would include Archery, Fencing, Photography, Graphology, Robotics, and many other amusing yet endlessly helpful topics. Such joy that filled our hearts! It is inexplicable, all-consuming. It was as though all my wishes had come true in the single moment that our respected Principal, Mrs. D. Ahlowalia, revealed to us our school’s plans for the upcoming VIVA.

            It is incredible how certain ideas flourish with age. I must admit; my belief that VIVA could match its previous success seemed a tall order to me. Yet, once again, I was surprised. To say that it had exceeded all the students’ expectations would be an understatement. To say that it was unbelievably successful would be closer to the truth.

            This year, VIVA took a scientific turn. This bore no complaints from me; I had always found myself as a more educational and less athletic person. Forensics held a certain charm for me: I have always been fascinated by crime solving through biology. It is as though one receives all the mystery and adrenaline he can hope for; all the while using advanced scientific techniques to discover the absconding culprit.

            This was not the only modification in VIVA this year. Vibgyor provided the children to flaunt their looks and personality in the “Viva Prince and Princess”; allowed budding swimmers to showcase their talents in the “Splash Dive” swimming competition; and allowed teams to dribble their way to victory in football and basketball. The winners of the events would be given the opportunity to visit the original Vibgyor in Mumbai for the Mega-Viva event, that, I remember wistfully thinking, must have been incredible.

            VIVA is original. I have never seen any other school offer anything as complex, unique, and helpful and the VIVA. It is a method to release our tension and reveal our hidden talents to those who believed that we were beneath them.

            Yet, on the last day of VIVA, I look at the faces of my fellow schoolchildren and they all say the same statement:

            Ah….Viva is over, now we must return to drown in the sea of studies.

            And then:

            It was so fun. I can’t wait until next year.  

           

Schools!

Here's a poem I wrote in a hurry:

Schools!

Schools! With swimming pools,

ID Cards, books, and other tools,

Filled with kids and other fools,

Adults who think they’re really cool,

Boring us till we start to drool,

Plus all those people who sit on stools,

Always saying: Welcome to our School!