Post by Yuno on Apr 11, 2013 4:09:01 GMT
Hiya. This is an exercise I did for my college play writing course. The idea was to imitate a play we already read in class as best we could. For those that know her I was trying to imitate Naomi Iizuka's Language of Angels. Part of the assignment is to just post it randomly and see responses so...I figured post it on the forum I'm active on. Any and all opinions are appreciated especially from those who have read or seen the play it is based upon.
Good Dogs Die With Their Tennis Ball
By Jaka Wescott
At rise, a gender ambiguous person with blond hair and a worried expression stands mid stage chewing their lip and turning rubber band bracelets on their arms.
Kyle
This is what I remember. This is how it happened.
Jenny had told me to stay inside with Donny. Donny wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. And she wasn’t blunt enough to be useful in that regard. But she was loyal and always willing to pick up anything dropped. Jenny had told me to behave myself and keep Donny inside and quiet. She told us that if we were good we’d both get a treat. Donny and me really liked those.
It was all Donny’s fault really. Her face drew you in when you looked at it. Those ears and that nose that could smell the whole wide world all drew you into those eyes. Those big, huge, brown, watery eyes always seemed to get their way. It was impossible to not try to make those eyes happy.
Those eyes made me take Donny outside. We liked to bounce the ball. I’d throw it, and Donny would go get it and then drop it at my feet. That was Donny’s favorite way to pass the time. But I got bored of it. I thought to myself. Well if I just throw it farther maybe I’ll have time to go inside and find where Jenny keeps the treat.
So I hurled that gross, old tennis ball way down the drive until I couldn’t see it anymore. Donny took off after it. She’d been returning my ball for almost a decade. I took advantage of her trusting nature. When she was out of sight yelping as if to guarantee the ball’s safe return, I went inside.
When I came back out, Donny wasn’t there. Donny never came back. Sometimes when the night gets real dark and I’m alone without a loyal friend in the world by me. I go outside and throw out a tennis ball just to hear the sound of her paws scrambling across the astro turf grass and her enthused bark.
The lights dim slightly and Kyle throws a tennis ball off stage. The sound of a dog barking happily echoes. Kyle walks off towards the ball and freezes off to the side of the stage. A brown haired, plain looking 30 year old woman walks out on stage. She is at the end of a smoke. She puts it out on the ground and lights up again before beginning.
Jenny
What happened that night!
Well I don’t know. The Carsons were gone out for a night on the town. They did that a lot. I was a normal girl, between babysitting and school it was hard to make time for boys. So here I am, watching the Carson’s brat and yappy (please do not swear). That kinda work can make a girl want to scream. So when Timmy Fennigan pulls up in his truck and offers me to get in I don’t say no.
I told Kyle to keep quiet. I told Kyle to keep Donny behaved. I promised them a treat to be that way. I’d done it before. I’d done that a lot before. Timmy Fennigan pulled up in the Carsons’ drive a lot back then. But that damn child didn’t listen.
How could I know he’d taken Donny outside? I was in Timmy Fennigan’s car.
The lights drop out for a moment and the sound of a happy dog barking sounds again. When the lights come back up Jenny is in a car with Timmy, a boy that appears like the quintessential greaser.
Timmy
Hey.
Jenny
Hey, Timmy.
Timmy
I’ve got some of the good stuff. I don’t suppose you want to try some with me?
Jenny
Of course. I’m so stressed out with these (please do not swear) twerps driving me nuts. That’s just what I need.
Timmy
What’s in it for me?
Jenny
Shouldn’t you just give it to your girlfriend? I do enough for you as it is.
Timmy
There’s the stuff you do for me…and that’s fine for the stuff I give you. But this here is the good stuff…
Jenny
Baby, you know if you’re good to me I’m good to you.
Timmy and Jenny begin to make out. They go at it hard for several moments as the sound of a car passing the drive echoes, Timmy pulls away from Jenny.
Timmy
Hey, shouldn’t you be watching the brat so nothing bad happens?
Jenny
Kyle will be fine. Sides, I haven’t been with you in too long. I need the good stuff you give me.
Timmy
You really shouldn’t leave that kid alone. Supervision and responsibility are the hallmarks of our society.
Jenny
Shut the (please do not swear) up. What are you a philosopher? Are we gonna have a go or should I go?
Timmy
(beat)
Well…
(beat)
I guess Kyle will be fine without you for a few hours.
The lights go down, Jenny moves over to the side of the stage opposite Kyle and freezes in place except for the few times she lights a new cigarette or puts one out on the ground. Timmy stands up taking center stage while the dog barks.
Timmy
Donny!
(beat)
Donny!
I loved that dog. Donny was a really nice dog. She used to chase after my car. Not because she wanted to hurt it, but just because she loved the thrill of coming after my truck for a block and a half. I used to go to her during the summer when the Carsons’ brat was at summer camp for gender displaced youths. And the Carsons would be at work all day. I’d go and get Donny. I’d take her out on the open road with me. She loved to stick her head out the window and bark at all the things we passed.
Donny and me were summer buddies. Sometimes I’d dream about stealing Donny away and just taking off with her. Me, her, a nice stash, and the open road. Back then I was a rebel. I didn’t need anyone. But I valued loyalty…Donny was loyalty. I figured with her I could camp out in an alley way and smoke and if anybody (please do not swear) with me she’d be there.
That day I went to see Jenny, I didn’t mean for anything to happen. I saw Jenny pretty regularly. There was a girl who could do and deal with the best. Jenny wasn’t afraid to be a crack *crow caw*, and I wasn’t afraid to be with a crack *crow caw*. It was easier to be with Jenny than with a normal girl. She didn’t expect as much of you.
Anyway, me and Jenny finished. So I’m pulling out of the drive-way and I’m about to get on the road and I look over at this creek that ran at the edge of the Carsons’ property and I see this yellow ball floating downstream. So I pull off the road figuring I’ll get it as a reminder of Donny until summer comes. But when I get close, I see that it isn’t just a ball, but Donny is there.
Turns out that she drowned holding onto that ball. I don’t quite know how it happened. She must have broken her neck or paw or something in the water. But she was clinging to that ball with all herself. She died with a yellow tennis ball clamped in her mouth. I know that brat threw the ball. It kills me every time I think about it. She died choking on obedience.
The lights go down again. Kyle and Timmy switch places on stage. The sound of a dog panting and splashing echoes.
Kyle
It was a pretty long time ago that the police showed up at our door with Donny in a bag with sirens and charges of animal cruelty. My parents were pretty furious. I’d told them Donny was in her dog house. The cops said it looked like someone had broken her neck and tossed her in the creek.
After all the charges were pressed and PETA had their spotlight I ended up in a new camp. A camp for kids with worse issues. I had to learn all about myself and the sacredness of all life. We had all the regular activities, but with a lot more counseling. When my counselor would ask me how I felt about Donny he never believed I hadn’t killed the dog. But I told them all that I didn’t. I told them it was an accident. I told them she’d just been getting my ball. But they never found the ball. I could never prove it.
I’ve talked to Jenny once or twice since. She smokes a lot and talks about how important it is to be responsible. She’s going to be a teacher for 6th graders. Timmy Fennigan is this super successful musician. You hear him on the radio and stuff. He wrote a book. It’s pretty cool to know a rock star. Pretty unfortunate that he crashed off the road into that raven. Just unlucky I guess.
The lights dim and Jenny and Kyle disappear. Timmy gets in his car and starts driving. The radio is blasting and he’s moving with the music. There is a tennis ball on his dashboard. A commercial comes on the radio for the Humane Society. Timmy is visibly shaken and jerks the wheel slightly. The tennis ball bounces and he reaches out to steady it. As he does this motion he looks up about to crash off the highway. The lights go down on Timmy reaching for a tennis ball.
Black Out.
Good Dogs Die With Their Tennis Ball
By Jaka Wescott
At rise, a gender ambiguous person with blond hair and a worried expression stands mid stage chewing their lip and turning rubber band bracelets on their arms.
Kyle
This is what I remember. This is how it happened.
Jenny had told me to stay inside with Donny. Donny wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. And she wasn’t blunt enough to be useful in that regard. But she was loyal and always willing to pick up anything dropped. Jenny had told me to behave myself and keep Donny inside and quiet. She told us that if we were good we’d both get a treat. Donny and me really liked those.
It was all Donny’s fault really. Her face drew you in when you looked at it. Those ears and that nose that could smell the whole wide world all drew you into those eyes. Those big, huge, brown, watery eyes always seemed to get their way. It was impossible to not try to make those eyes happy.
Those eyes made me take Donny outside. We liked to bounce the ball. I’d throw it, and Donny would go get it and then drop it at my feet. That was Donny’s favorite way to pass the time. But I got bored of it. I thought to myself. Well if I just throw it farther maybe I’ll have time to go inside and find where Jenny keeps the treat.
So I hurled that gross, old tennis ball way down the drive until I couldn’t see it anymore. Donny took off after it. She’d been returning my ball for almost a decade. I took advantage of her trusting nature. When she was out of sight yelping as if to guarantee the ball’s safe return, I went inside.
When I came back out, Donny wasn’t there. Donny never came back. Sometimes when the night gets real dark and I’m alone without a loyal friend in the world by me. I go outside and throw out a tennis ball just to hear the sound of her paws scrambling across the astro turf grass and her enthused bark.
The lights dim slightly and Kyle throws a tennis ball off stage. The sound of a dog barking happily echoes. Kyle walks off towards the ball and freezes off to the side of the stage. A brown haired, plain looking 30 year old woman walks out on stage. She is at the end of a smoke. She puts it out on the ground and lights up again before beginning.
Jenny
What happened that night!
Well I don’t know. The Carsons were gone out for a night on the town. They did that a lot. I was a normal girl, between babysitting and school it was hard to make time for boys. So here I am, watching the Carson’s brat and yappy (please do not swear). That kinda work can make a girl want to scream. So when Timmy Fennigan pulls up in his truck and offers me to get in I don’t say no.
I told Kyle to keep quiet. I told Kyle to keep Donny behaved. I promised them a treat to be that way. I’d done it before. I’d done that a lot before. Timmy Fennigan pulled up in the Carsons’ drive a lot back then. But that damn child didn’t listen.
How could I know he’d taken Donny outside? I was in Timmy Fennigan’s car.
The lights drop out for a moment and the sound of a happy dog barking sounds again. When the lights come back up Jenny is in a car with Timmy, a boy that appears like the quintessential greaser.
Timmy
Hey.
Jenny
Hey, Timmy.
Timmy
I’ve got some of the good stuff. I don’t suppose you want to try some with me?
Jenny
Of course. I’m so stressed out with these (please do not swear) twerps driving me nuts. That’s just what I need.
Timmy
What’s in it for me?
Jenny
Shouldn’t you just give it to your girlfriend? I do enough for you as it is.
Timmy
There’s the stuff you do for me…and that’s fine for the stuff I give you. But this here is the good stuff…
Jenny
Baby, you know if you’re good to me I’m good to you.
Timmy and Jenny begin to make out. They go at it hard for several moments as the sound of a car passing the drive echoes, Timmy pulls away from Jenny.
Timmy
Hey, shouldn’t you be watching the brat so nothing bad happens?
Jenny
Kyle will be fine. Sides, I haven’t been with you in too long. I need the good stuff you give me.
Timmy
You really shouldn’t leave that kid alone. Supervision and responsibility are the hallmarks of our society.
Jenny
Shut the (please do not swear) up. What are you a philosopher? Are we gonna have a go or should I go?
Timmy
(beat)
Well…
(beat)
I guess Kyle will be fine without you for a few hours.
The lights go down, Jenny moves over to the side of the stage opposite Kyle and freezes in place except for the few times she lights a new cigarette or puts one out on the ground. Timmy stands up taking center stage while the dog barks.
Timmy
Donny!
(beat)
Donny!
I loved that dog. Donny was a really nice dog. She used to chase after my car. Not because she wanted to hurt it, but just because she loved the thrill of coming after my truck for a block and a half. I used to go to her during the summer when the Carsons’ brat was at summer camp for gender displaced youths. And the Carsons would be at work all day. I’d go and get Donny. I’d take her out on the open road with me. She loved to stick her head out the window and bark at all the things we passed.
Donny and me were summer buddies. Sometimes I’d dream about stealing Donny away and just taking off with her. Me, her, a nice stash, and the open road. Back then I was a rebel. I didn’t need anyone. But I valued loyalty…Donny was loyalty. I figured with her I could camp out in an alley way and smoke and if anybody (please do not swear) with me she’d be there.
That day I went to see Jenny, I didn’t mean for anything to happen. I saw Jenny pretty regularly. There was a girl who could do and deal with the best. Jenny wasn’t afraid to be a crack *crow caw*, and I wasn’t afraid to be with a crack *crow caw*. It was easier to be with Jenny than with a normal girl. She didn’t expect as much of you.
Anyway, me and Jenny finished. So I’m pulling out of the drive-way and I’m about to get on the road and I look over at this creek that ran at the edge of the Carsons’ property and I see this yellow ball floating downstream. So I pull off the road figuring I’ll get it as a reminder of Donny until summer comes. But when I get close, I see that it isn’t just a ball, but Donny is there.
Turns out that she drowned holding onto that ball. I don’t quite know how it happened. She must have broken her neck or paw or something in the water. But she was clinging to that ball with all herself. She died with a yellow tennis ball clamped in her mouth. I know that brat threw the ball. It kills me every time I think about it. She died choking on obedience.
The lights go down again. Kyle and Timmy switch places on stage. The sound of a dog panting and splashing echoes.
Kyle
It was a pretty long time ago that the police showed up at our door with Donny in a bag with sirens and charges of animal cruelty. My parents were pretty furious. I’d told them Donny was in her dog house. The cops said it looked like someone had broken her neck and tossed her in the creek.
After all the charges were pressed and PETA had their spotlight I ended up in a new camp. A camp for kids with worse issues. I had to learn all about myself and the sacredness of all life. We had all the regular activities, but with a lot more counseling. When my counselor would ask me how I felt about Donny he never believed I hadn’t killed the dog. But I told them all that I didn’t. I told them it was an accident. I told them she’d just been getting my ball. But they never found the ball. I could never prove it.
I’ve talked to Jenny once or twice since. She smokes a lot and talks about how important it is to be responsible. She’s going to be a teacher for 6th graders. Timmy Fennigan is this super successful musician. You hear him on the radio and stuff. He wrote a book. It’s pretty cool to know a rock star. Pretty unfortunate that he crashed off the road into that raven. Just unlucky I guess.
The lights dim and Jenny and Kyle disappear. Timmy gets in his car and starts driving. The radio is blasting and he’s moving with the music. There is a tennis ball on his dashboard. A commercial comes on the radio for the Humane Society. Timmy is visibly shaken and jerks the wheel slightly. The tennis ball bounces and he reaches out to steady it. As he does this motion he looks up about to crash off the highway. The lights go down on Timmy reaching for a tennis ball.
Black Out.
