Sunday, October 19, 2008

conflagration (n.) - a large destructive fire

LEWIS, a young man in an orange prison uniform sits across from DR. MURPHY, a female, court-appointed psychologist dressed professionally. A long pause, and then:

DR. MURPHY
Do you remember what happened?

LEWIS
No.

DR. MURPHY
There was a fire...

LEWIS
I don't remember.

DR. MURPHY
I only want to help you.

LEWIS
I DON'T REMEMBER! Why can't you understand that.

Pause.

DR. MURPHY
I didn't mean to upset you.

Pause.

DR. MURPHY
I only want to help you.

LEWIS
If you wanted to help me, you would leave me alone.

Pause.

DR. MURPHY
Lewis, I don't need to tell you, you are in a great deal of trouble here. [pause] The only hope you have is to as honest with me as possible. [pause] I only want to help you.

LEWIS
STOP SAYING THAT!!!

Pause.

DR. MURPHY
If you want me to leave, that's fine with me.

LEWIS
Leave.

DR. MURPHY
If it's not me you tell it will be someone else. A lawyer. A cop. Someone who could give two shits whether you end up in jail or worse yet, an electric chair.

LEWIS
You don't know what it's like to live with someone like that. Someone who hurts you.

DR. MURPHY
No. No, I don't.

Pause.

DR. MURPHY
But I want you to know that I understand what it's like to be alone. To be desperate. To be afraid.

Pause.

LEWIS
[sincerely]
Do you?

DR. MURPHY
I do. [pause] I want you to know, I'll be here for you, to listen, to your side of the story, at least. I don't know if I can do anything else for you, but at the very least, I'm here for you. If you need me.

Pause.

LEWIS
I might just take you up on that.


2 comments:

ashleynichols7 said...

hmmm that was interesting. It opened the door for lots of questions. Such as what did he do? Who hurt him? And what occurred in her life so that she feels that she can relate? Makes a person wonder. I liked it.

Anonymous said...

Good, it's like the beginning of a movie or the first twn pages of a book.