By Sheila Liljeqvist
A slightly surreal play, in which four women are condemned to endlessly question why they died.
Anthea
Beatrice
Carin
Dani
(We are in a strangely lit, dark kind of place. Gradually some darker shapes are discernable. The shapes begin to slowly form into a human appearance as the light increases slightly to reveal four women in various static poses.)
Anthea: (she appears dazed, in shock) It was so quick...so...quick..you know, you think you have your whole life ahead of you....gone.
Beatrice: (sobbing, tiredly distressed as if she has been crying for a long time) Why didn't I listen? Why?
Carin: I don't regret anything. Not a thing. You can't say I didn't do my best. What chance did I have? No-one could have done any better It's not fair.
Anthea: I was going home. We were going to work it all out..it was going to be allright. I didn't see...so quick.
Dani: It wasn't quick enough for me. I thought I could stop it all..end it all..get off the merry go round....What a joke!
Bea: (still sobbing to herself) Why?
Dani: There wasn't supposed to be anything... after. Nothing. I just wanted to escape all the pain. (sad laugh)
Bea: Why didn't we listen?
Carin: Listen? No one told me anything. It's not fair! It aught to be down in black and white..available to everyone.
Bea: I knew. I was going to get around to....I knew.
Anthea: Really? You knew?..And you didn't do anything about it?
Bea: I thought I had lots of time.
Anthea: So did I.
Bea: Car accident wasn't it?
Anthea: (nods sadly) I was on my way home. We'd been separated you see. My husband and I. It just wasn't working you know, but we were going to give it another go. We were going to go to Venice. Sort of the honeymoon we never had...
Bea: Venice. Nice.
Anthea: I always wanted to go.....so quick.
Dani: How'd it happen?
Anthea: I don't know...I don't remember...It was so quick? There was a truck...It was just..there, and then...I...wasn't. So quick.
Dani: Shame.
Anthea: Yes. A terrible shame. I never had a child...
Carin: They're not worth the effort. I slaved for my kids- gave up everything for them- raised them all by myself. No one was there for me. And did they care? They took off as soon as they could and I never saw them except when they wanted something. Mark didn't even come to the hospital.
Anthea: Accident?
Carin: Cancer. It's not like they didn't know I was going.
Anthea: I'm sorry.
Carin: Sure.
Dani: Life is the pits. Why didn't it end?
Anthea: You wanted to die?
Dani: Suicide.
Bea: Why?
Dani: Why not? Life is the pits. We're all here now anyway aren't we? What difference does it make. I only wish I'd never been born.
Carin: Well it's too late now. It's not fair. We should have been warned. It's not fair.
Anthea: (There is a pause before Anthea speaks again. She appears dazed, in shock) It was so quick...so...quick..you know, you think you have your whole life ahead of you....gone.
Beatrice: (sobbing, tiredly distressed as if she has been crying for a long time) Why didn't I listen? Why?
Carin: I don't regret anything. Not a thing. You can't say I didn't do my best. What chance did I have? Noone could have done any better It's not fair.
Anthea: I was going home. We were going to work it all out..it was going to be allright. I didn't see...so quick.
Dani: It wasn't quick enough for me. I thought I could stop it all..end it all..get off the merry go round....What a joke!
Bea: (still sobbing to herself) Why?
Dani: There wasn't supposed to be anything... after. Nothing. I just wanted to escape all the pain. (sad laugh)
Bea: Why didn't we listen?
Carin: Listen? No one told me anything. It's not fair! It aught to be down in black and white..available to everyone.
Bea: I knew. I was going to get around to....I knew.
Anthea: Really? You knew?..And you didn't do anything about it?
Bea: I thought I had lots of time.
Anthea: So did I.
Bea: Car accident wasn't it?
Anthea: (nods sadly) I was on my way home. We'd been separated you see. My husband and I. It just wasn't working you know, but we were going to give it another go. We were going to go to Venice. Sort of the honeymoon we never had...
Bea: Venice. Nice.
(The lights slowly fade and the women blend back into shapelessness as the conversation repeats itself eternally.)
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© Sheila Liljeqvist 1998
All rights reserved. NO changes may be made to this script without the express
approval of the author.
This play may be performed free of charge, on the condition that copies are
not sold for profit in any medium, nor any entrance fee charged. In exchange
for free performance, the author would appreciate being notified of when and
for what purpose the play is performed. She may be contacted at: jinilil@optusnet.com.au