Moxy

A ridiculously complicated play I started. The punchline is some chick dies.



Act 1 Scene 1
A woman lies on a beach. She sputters and coughs up some water. She rolls over and her chest heaves. Her eyes are closed and she breathes deeply for a moment.
Man's voice: I won't let you hurt the ones I love.
She pinches her eyes together. Her brow furrows and her bottom lip begins to quiver.
Woman's voice: You can't stop, can you?
She begins to sob quietly, the water coming up to lap at her toes as she rolls into the fetal position.
Man's voice: I can't do this anymore. I-I just...I need...
Woman's voice: See what you've done?
Sobs rack through her and she clings to her shoulders in the sand.
Act 1 Scene 2
A woman in a seashell pink dress steps quickly out onto a balcony. She breathes deeply and walks to the railing. She has a glass of wine in her hand and she drinks the contents quickly when she hears the door opening. A man in a dark blue silk shirt walks slowly out to her. He stands beside her and says nothing.
Woman: Loud, huh?
She sets the glass on the balcony and turns to appraise her newfound companion. He continues to stand solemnly, a light breeze making ripples across his chest.
Man: I won't let you hurt the ones I love.
The woman falters for a moment, then turns quickly knocking the glass from the ledge. She leans over after it.
Woman: No!
The man leans over and the sound of ocean waves crashing against rocks can be heard. He chuckles to himself. She turns and looks at him indignantly. He looks for a moment into her face and begins to laugh much louder.
Woman: You can't stop, can you?
Man: No, I don't think so ma'am.
She looks at him and looks again over the edge. The door opens again and a woman in white top walks out to join them.
Woman: Monty! What are you doing out here?
The white topped woman looks for a moment at the gentleman standing beside Monty.
Woman: And in such dashing company.
Monty: I (She looks over at the man and shakes her head), I forgot my purse. I'm just going to run and get it.
Woman: Do you know where you left it?
Monty: Yeah, I got it, no worries Joline.
Joline: Okay fine, just watch out for Mark; you know he is still prowling about inside...
Monty: I know, I know. I'll be right back.
Monty rushes off, disappearing through the doors. Loud music and the sound of people's voices is heard for a moment. Joline turns and looks at the man in blue. He is looking out toward the ocean, his back to her.
Act 1 Scene 3
A small clump of chairs sit before a stage. The people are sitting and ruffling through their programs when the lights go down. They sit quietly and wait.
Guy's voice: Ugh finally!
Girl's voice: Ma feet!
A man and a woman amble onto the stage wearing hiking clothes with large packs on their backs. Another couple appears behind them after a moment. The woman are Monty and Joline, respectively.
Another male voice: Jeez, it's gorgeous up here.
Another girl's voice: Mark, you gotta get something cooking or I will die.
Mark: Uhh, I'm pretty sure that's woman's work...
Second girl: Helen! Are you hearing this?! You MEN are supposed to provide!
Helen: It's true, where's my newly murdered meal?
Mark: Well, you and Margaret can just wait for a few hours, in the empty, dusty cabin (cleaning, as they should); and Hank and I will venture boldly into the wilderness to stab bunnies.
Hank: Uh huh.
Margaret/Joline and Helen/Monty: Puhlease.
Helen, who has ventured ahead, stops for a moment. She looks out past the stage at something in the distance. Her brow furrows and she turns back towards the group; just as Margaret is slapping Hank playfully on the arm.
Helen: (serious) Mark? Is that the cabin?
Mark: Yeah, why?
Helen: Up there? In that clearing?
Mark comes up and stands by Helen. She points and he looks out with her. After a moment he nods and looks at her.
Mark: Pretty nice, huh?
Helen: Yeah.
Mark: Y'know (trying to distract her from whatever she is thinking about) my aunt and uncle lived up here for a really long time when I was younger. We used to come up an visit them pretty consistently back then. I remember once, I was running around with my cousins, y'know, and I accidentally tripped; and my uncle kept this pile of broken table saw blades (they were tucked away in his shed, but that's where we happened to be playing, y'know); and I landed right on them.
Makr begins to tug up the leg of his pants.
Mark: How I got this scar.
Helen looks down at this and smiles.
Mark: What?
Helen: Nothing. Guess I just like the idea of you as a little kid running to your mom, all teary eyed.
Mark: Hey, lookit that scar! It hurt!
Helen: Awww, so cute; you're still doing it!
Mark: HA!
Hank ambles up, Margaret under his arm, pressing against him.
Hank: That it?
Mark: Yep.
Hank and Mark make eye contact for a short moment and then begin running. They run off the stage.
Helen and Margaret: GUYS!
Margaret: A race! Really!?
Helen: C'mon!
They run after the boys and the lights go down.
Act 1 Scene 4
Lights are dim, a small glow begins to rise from the center of the stage. It builds into a campfire. The two couples sit around the fire, each leaning against each other. Hank clears his throat.
Hank: SO I know it's a beautiful night, but we ARE around a campfire IN Colorado.
Helen: What about Colorado?
Hank: The hotel Stephen King based the Shining off of is in Estes Park!
The group looks at him.
Hank: Estes Park is in Colorado.
Group: Ahhh...
Mark: Sooo...
Helen: A ghost story?
Hank nods and looks into the fire. Helen and Mark look down at it, waiting.
Hank: I heard a really good one at camp one year.
Margaret: Which camp?
Hank: It was called Ft. Moxy. I went there for a long time as a kid, and then, when I got out of high school, I worked there a few summers.
Margaret: Hmmm.
Hank: It was great 'cause every Wednesday night, we had this big campfire and then went back to our cabins. Then, once everyone was settled, we would tell a scary story. All the kids knew which day it was and bugged us for what story we would tell. They had heard ones like “Crazy Jose” and “The Nazi”, so they were always excited for a new story. Among us counselors, we even had a private bet on who could tell scariest story.
Hank clears his throat. The group looks up at him.
Hank: So, the scariest one I ever heard, was during my second summer. I couldn't tell you who made it up or where it came from, but it damn near scared the bejeezus out of us. It went like this:
The lights rise on the other side of the stage. The scene shows a group of men and women standing around in a loose group, chatting casually.
Hank: Every year there are new counselors at Ft. Moxy.
A man steps forward to shake that of a new arrivals.
Hank: I mean really fresh fish. People who had never even attend the Mox as a camper. One of these one year was called David.
The group pats the new kid on the back.
Hank: David was well liked and generally a good counselor. He got his kids to eat and made people laugh and was pretty much a sweet guy.
A man in mechanics jumper steps forward.
Hank: Now the camp had for a long time, a caretaker. He was rather grizzled, but friendly and helpful. He was always quick with a one liner and could fix a busted toilet in a pinch.
The caretaker walks up to the group and stands with them.
Hank: It was also common knowledge that the caretaker had a dog, whom he loved dearly. The dog's name was Jack, though no one quite knew why. They said it was his dead son's name. They said it was the name of the man who had taken his wife. They said lots of things.
The group laughs and the caretaker smiles.
Hank: Every once and while, though, the caretaker would need to go and do some work out in woods that the camp owned. Now Jack hated to be cooped up all alone in the house, but was pretty tolerable if you let him sit outside and sleep in the sun. On these days, the caretaker would chain his pup up in front of his shed and ask:
Caretaker: He bub, will you watch my dag?
David: Sure thing, sir.
Hank: And most of the time, it was fine. The dog would lay and you could leave it alone for a while, but you had to remember to bring it water every now and then; sit with him and talk. Most of the time, this was fine. Most of the time.
The caretaker exits and the boy goes and gets a water dish. He sets it on the ground on the far side of the stage, presumably before the dog. He smiles and pats the air and then looks over his shoulder. He looks back towards the dog and then backs away, waving. He continues to smile and wave until he finally disappears off stage.
Margaret: But thats not what happened.
Hank: No.
The boy runs out on stage. Cricket noises play in the background.
Hank: He forgot all day, but remembered that night and returned to see if the dog was alright. He found an over turned water bowl and something else.
The man shines his flashlight around and picks up the water dish. He sets it down suddenly and jumps back. Moving carefully, he edges to back toward the dish, but moves past it. He looks around for a moment and then picks up a stick. With it, he tentatively lifts the dead body of a snake. He drops it and the tail rattles. The lights go down on that side of the stage and the focus returns to the campfire.
Hank: Well you can pretty much guess that word started to get around, at that point. Everyone knew what had happen. The tried to console to caretaker, but he wasn't really seen around much. People said he had flown the coop for a city farther south others said he worked the night shift now; so as he wouldn't have to deal with the kids or their neglectful counselors.
The lights come up on the otherside of the stage and a group of counselors, David included, walks out laugh and joking.
Hank: Now a year past, like birds flyin' back North, the counselors returned to Mox. The hadn't forgotten the caretaker orhis “dag”, but they didn't discuss it either. Everything set itself to rights more or less.
The crowd evaporates and David stands on stage, his smile in place for a moment. The lights dim to indicate darkness. He begins to walk and a man in a jumper, face obscured, bumps into him. He stands for a moment and looks back, shocked and confused.
Hank: Then strange things started to happen.
The lights go down on the campfire.
David turns and a set of bunk beds roll out. He sits and yawns. Finally he lays down to bed. Lights go dark and a sheet is unrolled from the top of the stage. Cricket and other night time noises play.
Hank: It started on the first night, with his first cabin of campers. Dave went to sleep and he had a dream.
A crimson light begins to shine, pulling a silhouette of the bunk bed onto the sheet. As he lays there, there is the sound of giggling and running feet. Whispers. The red light fades almost to darkness. Suddenly it returns and a figure of a boy is seen standing over David. The lights flash white and David's silhouette sits up in bed, gasping. The boy is gone.
Hank: Now, David was...uh...disconcerted, out of wack I 'spose; to say the least.
Mark: Did it happen again?
Hank: Settle down, now; I'm getting to it man.
Hank: So anyways, the next day, he's a wreck right? But he gets through it, just hustles and bustles his way about. He is beat.
Here again, the silhouette of David walks to the bunk and lays down in it. He rolls over on his side and stops moving. Slowly, the red light begins to shine. It grows brighter and brighter, until the shadows displayed in hard lines instead of amorphous blobs. It recedes again, the stage becoming almost pictch black. Suddenly it opens up, two figures now pictured. David awakes with a shout.
The lights fade. The campfire is illuminated. The lights so low one can only make out faces.
Hank: So this continued for the next few days, driving David to the point of madness. He could barely function. The other counselors thought him ill and picked up the slack with raised eyebrows and hushed whispers. Finally the week dwindled. David, having only slept a handfull of hours in the past few days, could no longer care what became of him in his dreams. He wanted only to rest peacefully for a few moments at least.
Silhouetted again, David meanders to his bed. He falls into it and rolls over carelessly. From there things fade to an eerie black. Everything seems alright and that he will be able to sleep peacefully this night. The pause draws out. Hereagain, the red light begins, slowly, to shine. The forms of a crowd of children stand before David.
All at once, the curtain comes up. The lights wink out and a slam is heard. The red light begins to shine again, this time illuminating David and another figure on stage. It is taller and broader. As the lights slowly draw up, the caretaker's worn face comes into view. It is dirty and disfigured, but still recognizable. He smiles greasily at David. He turns and walks a few steps, turning back to look at David. There is a sound of childrens laughter and footsteps. Then the caretaker walks away; and as the lights fade, David is shown walking after him.
Hank: And he was never seen or heard from again!
The campfire is the center of attention now, if only for a moment. All of the hikers/actors look into the fire and seem to contemplate.
Lights go down.
Act 2 Scene 1
Monty is in the middle of a crowded room. She is moving through people. She wears the black workout pants and a hooded sweatshirt. Joline, in the white top, stops her.
Joline: Are you going to the party?
Monty: Sure, I guess.
Joline: You HAVE to!
Monty: I know, but I just don't...uh...i don't know...
Joline: Is it about (she puts up her fingers and hooks them) “Hank”?
Monty: I guess. I just don't really want to deal with him, right now; what with everything happening so fast, y'know?
Joline: What's going on?
Monty: Well, I got an offer from a playhouse...
Joline: (Screams) Which one!
Monty motions at Joline to draw her over and then whispers in her ear. Joline squeals a second time and looks at her. Her face sobers.
Joline: This is it! I'm so glad it is finally happening for you!
Monty: Thank you, it means a lot. I'm just really nervous 'cause I'm supposed to be meeting the rep tomorrow...