AT CURTAIN RISE
SCENE 1
ALEX and HARPER walking along a path in the woods. Leaves, branches, and other debris cover it so it’s hard to tell where exactly it ends and the forest begins. Hemlocks surround the path blocking their view of too much else. The sides of the path seem to rise around them until they’ve become the steep walls of a narrow ravine. The day is a nice cool day, almost perfect for a hike, but there are more than a few clouds in the sky.
HARPER glances nervously up ahead. Her gaze flits around every which way, as she tries to spot the danger she believes is lurking everywhere. She stops occasionally to adjust her ill-fitted hiking gear.
ALEX walks ahead of her, back straight, eyes fixed on the map in front of her. A backpack full of supplies is on her back. She walks with a kind of rehearsed confidence, her back straight, her hair tied tightly behind her, her eyes ahead.
HARPER looks behind her, worriedly.
HARPERWhere are Felix and Ellie?
ALEXThey’re probably up ahead.
HARPERShould we wait for them, just in case? I didn’t see them pass by.
ALEXThey’ll be fine Harper. They’re probably setting up camp as we speak.
Just off stage is a branch blocking the path.
HARPERYeah but—
HARPER is the first to spot it. She stops immediately however ALEX, oblivious keeps walking.
HARPERAlex, look out!
ALEX stops abruptly. She turns to HARPER, and HARPER points up ahead. ALEX stops stunned for a moment.
HARPERYou could’ve run straight into that—
ALEXHarper—
HARPERTripped and fallen—
ALEXHarper! I’m fine!
HARPER begins to speak when ALEX continues.
ALEXWe’ll just have to go around it.
HARPERHow?
ALEXWe’ll— She looks around the ravine.
ALEXIf I can find where we are on the trail the map should show us how to get around.
She takes off her backpack and begins to dig for the map.
HARPERIf?
ALEXDon’t worry. I know where we are… kind of.
HARPERKind of?
ALEXI have a general idea.
HARPERHow general?
ALEXWell… I know we’re in the woods.
She turns and begins to look over the map intently. HARPER begins to pace anxiously.
HARPEROh god, you got us lost, didn’t you?
ALEX[looks up from the map] Don’t be ridiculous we are not-
HARPERWe are lost! Dead lost.
ALEXYou’re being overdramatic—
HARPERFelix and Ellie. If we got lost then—
ALEXTry calling them.
She rushed to her phone and attempts to call them. ALEX does the same.
HARPERBattery’s dead.
ALEX No service.
HARPER begins to pace back and forth. She feels a drop of rain fall on her.
HARPERWhat was that?
ALEX (still looking at the map)What was what?
HARPER begins to speak when she feels another drop fall on her.
HARPERThat. Alex is it—
ALEX (looks up skeptically)You’re imagining things. It’s not—
Rain begins to fall.
HARPER —raining…
ALEX puts her phone back in her pocket. While HARPER stands in shock, ALEX takes off her backpack and begins to take things out of her backpack, to set up camp. HARPER notices and looks at her frantic.
HARPERWhat are you doing?
ALEXUnpacking. We need to set up camp.
HARPERAlex no, we can’t!
ALEX doesn’t respond, she just continues to take things out of her bag.
HARPERFelix and Ellie are out there and—
ALEXThey have a tent and food. They'll be fine.
HARPERWe don't know that. We have most of the food, and it’s raining out.
ALEXExactly. It’s raining out. We need to set up camp now.
HARPERBut—
ALEXJust help me, will you?
HARPERAre you sure it’s safe here?
ALEXWe'll be fine.
She swings a tent bag over her shoulder and picks up a covered sleeping bag, which she tosses at HARPER.
ALEX (throwing it)Here, take this.
Harper begins to object but then thinks better of it. ALEX begins to set up the tent.
HARPERYou know you said hiking was fun.
ALEXWell, obviously I didn't think this would happen, did I?
HARPER paces while clutching her wrapped sleeping bag to her stomach. She uses the sleeping bag like a stress ball. She hears a noise.
HARPERAlex, What was that?
ALEX doesn’t respond.
HARPERAlex!
ALEXIt was probably nothing Harper.
HARPERThat’s what you said about the rain! I heard something out there. What if it’s a bear? What do we do then?
ALEXIt’s not a bear Harper.
HARPER You don’t know that!
ALEXHarper bears don’t live around here.
HARPER begins to pace more fiercely.
HARPERGod, I’m going to die in the middle of the woods, all because of you.
ALEXYou’re not going to die.
HARPER resumes pacing. While ALEX sighs and continues working on the tent. HARPER turns to her, setting down the sleeping bag.
HARPERHow long are we staying here?
ALEXJust the night.
HARPERThe night? Felix and Ellie could be dead by morning.
ALEXThey'll be fine.
HARPERAnd if they’re not?
ALEXThen they’ll be just as not fine in the morning.
HARPERYou don’t care one bit, do you?
ALEXOf course, I care, they’re our friends! I just also think we have to look at the practical side of things. It’s rainy it's dark, and we don't even know for sure that they're lost.
HARPERI still think we should go after them.
ALEXHow? We don’t even know where we are, let alone where they are.
HARPERWe can’t just leave them out there, stranded like that. We have to try.
ALEXWe'll search for them in the morning.
HARPER moves away from ALEX. She takes a deep breath and looks to the trails up ahead. She walks forward and ALEX pretends not to notice, she fiddles with the details of the tent.
HARPERIf you won’t go, I will!
ALEXWhat?
HARPER begins to push at the fallen tree.
ALEXHarper what are you doing? There's no way to move that.
HARPER doesn’t respond. ALEX stops looking at the tent.
ALEXHarper stop!
HARPER doesn’t respond again.
ALEXYou’re going to get yourself hurt.
HARPER continues to push at the fallen tree. ALEX stands up. HARPER continues to push and ALEX walks over towards her. The tree begins to tilt toward HARPER. ALEX pulls her back. HARPER falls on the forest floor, while ALEX turns and begins to pace.
ALEXYou are such a child! You know that right?
HARPER stands.
HARPERI’m a child? We wouldn’t even be in this mess if it wasn’t for you! You won’t even take responsibility for what’s happened. You don’t even care that our friends are out there stranded!
ALEXI do care!
HARPERYou have a funny way of showing it.
ALEXIt’s not like we’re less stranded, you know! Felix and Ellie can handle themselves just as well as us.
HARPERNone of us would even be out here if it weren’t for you!
ALEXI screwed up, okay? Is that what you want to hear? I screwed up and now we’re lost and I don’t have a way to fix it.
HARPER sinks to the ground slumped against the tree.
HARPER (quietly)I hate staying here, Alex. At least out there I’d know I was doing something… here… I … I feel like a bad person... if anything happened to them.
ALEXHarper, you're—you're not a bad person—just promise me something.
HARPERWhat? ALEXDon’t go charging off into the woods alone… I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you too.
Pause.
HARPERWe'll stay here. If you think that’s best.
ALEX nods.
ALEXWe will look for them in the morning.
HARPER sighs and sits down. ALEX follows her lead.
HARPERI’m just so worried. About them… about us.
ALEXI’m worried too.
HARPERI just—I know that if I were out there I’d want someone to find me. Staying here… it feels selfish.
ALEXYou’d want people to find you, but you wouldn’t want people getting lost for you, would you?
HARPERNo… but what if by going out there we could make them safe?
ALEXWe might… but we could also get even more lost… We don’t know what would happen.
HARPER You, think they’re okay, out there?
ALEXHonestly? (HARPER nods) I don’t know.
HARPERDo you think they will be?
ALEXI hope so. At least we’re safe.
HARPERBut what happens when we leave? We may not run into bears, but how are we going to move that tree? What we can’t find another way around? What if we really are lost?
ALEXIt won’t do us any good to think of that now.
HARPERI just wish there was something we could do.
ALEXWe can rest. (HARPER lays down).
HARPERIt’s stopped raining.
ALEXThat’s something.
HARPER nods.
ALEXI am sorry.
HARPERFor what?
ALEXFor getting us lost. You’re right. I’m the one who dragged us on this stupid hike anyways. It’s my fault Felix and Ellie are lost.
HARPERThere were circumstances outside your control.
ALEXMaybe, I still should have thought ahead more. I should have known we could get lost, I was being reckless and stupid and—
HARPERWe’ve made do for now, and we can figure out the rest tomorrow, right?
ALEXRight.
HARPER walks over and grabs a sleeping bag for ALEX before she begins to unpack the one HARPER tossed her.
HARPERFor the record, I’m glad I came with you. Even if it turned out somewhat…
ALEXDisastrously?
HARPERI wasn’t going to use that word… but yeah.
ALEXFor the record, I think you're a good person.
HARPER (yawning)Thank you. (pause) And we’ll be okay. I know we will.
ALEX Thank you, but...
HARPER doses off.
ALEX (quietly)We’re not out of the woods just yet.
The lights fade out.
CURTAIN FALLS
THE END
SCENE 1
ALEX and HARPER walking along a path in the woods. Leaves, branches, and other debris cover it so it’s hard to tell where exactly it ends and the forest begins. Hemlocks surround the path blocking their view of too much else. The sides of the path seem to rise around them until they’ve become the steep walls of a narrow ravine. The day is a nice cool day, almost perfect for a hike, but there are more than a few clouds in the sky.
HARPER glances nervously up ahead. Her gaze flits around every which way, as she tries to spot the danger she believes is lurking everywhere. She stops occasionally to adjust her ill-fitted hiking gear.
ALEX walks ahead of her, back straight, eyes fixed on the map in front of her. A backpack full of supplies is on her back. She walks with a kind of rehearsed confidence, her back straight, her hair tied tightly behind her, her eyes ahead.
HARPER looks behind her, worriedly.
HARPERWhere are Felix and Ellie?
ALEXThey’re probably up ahead.
HARPERShould we wait for them, just in case? I didn’t see them pass by.
ALEXThey’ll be fine Harper. They’re probably setting up camp as we speak.
Just off stage is a branch blocking the path.
HARPERYeah but—
HARPER is the first to spot it. She stops immediately however ALEX, oblivious keeps walking.
HARPERAlex, look out!
ALEX stops abruptly. She turns to HARPER, and HARPER points up ahead. ALEX stops stunned for a moment.
HARPERYou could’ve run straight into that—
ALEXHarper—
HARPERTripped and fallen—
ALEXHarper! I’m fine!
HARPER begins to speak when ALEX continues.
ALEXWe’ll just have to go around it.
HARPERHow?
ALEXWe’ll— She looks around the ravine.
ALEXIf I can find where we are on the trail the map should show us how to get around.
She takes off her backpack and begins to dig for the map.
HARPERIf?
ALEXDon’t worry. I know where we are… kind of.
HARPERKind of?
ALEXI have a general idea.
HARPERHow general?
ALEXWell… I know we’re in the woods.
She turns and begins to look over the map intently. HARPER begins to pace anxiously.
HARPEROh god, you got us lost, didn’t you?
ALEX[looks up from the map] Don’t be ridiculous we are not-
HARPERWe are lost! Dead lost.
ALEXYou’re being overdramatic—
HARPERFelix and Ellie. If we got lost then—
ALEXTry calling them.
She rushed to her phone and attempts to call them. ALEX does the same.
HARPERBattery’s dead.
ALEX No service.
HARPER begins to pace back and forth. She feels a drop of rain fall on her.
HARPERWhat was that?
ALEX (still looking at the map)What was what?
HARPER begins to speak when she feels another drop fall on her.
HARPERThat. Alex is it—
ALEX (looks up skeptically)You’re imagining things. It’s not—
Rain begins to fall.
HARPER —raining…
ALEX puts her phone back in her pocket. While HARPER stands in shock, ALEX takes off her backpack and begins to take things out of her backpack, to set up camp. HARPER notices and looks at her frantic.
HARPERWhat are you doing?
ALEXUnpacking. We need to set up camp.
HARPERAlex no, we can’t!
ALEX doesn’t respond, she just continues to take things out of her bag.
HARPERFelix and Ellie are out there and—
ALEXThey have a tent and food. They'll be fine.
HARPERWe don't know that. We have most of the food, and it’s raining out.
ALEXExactly. It’s raining out. We need to set up camp now.
HARPERBut—
ALEXJust help me, will you?
HARPERAre you sure it’s safe here?
ALEXWe'll be fine.
She swings a tent bag over her shoulder and picks up a covered sleeping bag, which she tosses at HARPER.
ALEX (throwing it)Here, take this.
Harper begins to object but then thinks better of it. ALEX begins to set up the tent.
HARPERYou know you said hiking was fun.
ALEXWell, obviously I didn't think this would happen, did I?
HARPER paces while clutching her wrapped sleeping bag to her stomach. She uses the sleeping bag like a stress ball. She hears a noise.
HARPERAlex, What was that?
ALEX doesn’t respond.
HARPERAlex!
ALEXIt was probably nothing Harper.
HARPERThat’s what you said about the rain! I heard something out there. What if it’s a bear? What do we do then?
ALEXIt’s not a bear Harper.
HARPER You don’t know that!
ALEXHarper bears don’t live around here.
HARPER begins to pace more fiercely.
HARPERGod, I’m going to die in the middle of the woods, all because of you.
ALEXYou’re not going to die.
HARPER resumes pacing. While ALEX sighs and continues working on the tent. HARPER turns to her, setting down the sleeping bag.
HARPERHow long are we staying here?
ALEXJust the night.
HARPERThe night? Felix and Ellie could be dead by morning.
ALEXThey'll be fine.
HARPERAnd if they’re not?
ALEXThen they’ll be just as not fine in the morning.
HARPERYou don’t care one bit, do you?
ALEXOf course, I care, they’re our friends! I just also think we have to look at the practical side of things. It’s rainy it's dark, and we don't even know for sure that they're lost.
HARPERI still think we should go after them.
ALEXHow? We don’t even know where we are, let alone where they are.
HARPERWe can’t just leave them out there, stranded like that. We have to try.
ALEXWe'll search for them in the morning.
HARPER moves away from ALEX. She takes a deep breath and looks to the trails up ahead. She walks forward and ALEX pretends not to notice, she fiddles with the details of the tent.
HARPERIf you won’t go, I will!
ALEXWhat?
HARPER begins to push at the fallen tree.
ALEXHarper what are you doing? There's no way to move that.
HARPER doesn’t respond. ALEX stops looking at the tent.
ALEXHarper stop!
HARPER doesn’t respond again.
ALEXYou’re going to get yourself hurt.
HARPER continues to push at the fallen tree. ALEX stands up. HARPER continues to push and ALEX walks over towards her. The tree begins to tilt toward HARPER. ALEX pulls her back. HARPER falls on the forest floor, while ALEX turns and begins to pace.
ALEXYou are such a child! You know that right?
HARPER stands.
HARPERI’m a child? We wouldn’t even be in this mess if it wasn’t for you! You won’t even take responsibility for what’s happened. You don’t even care that our friends are out there stranded!
ALEXI do care!
HARPERYou have a funny way of showing it.
ALEXIt’s not like we’re less stranded, you know! Felix and Ellie can handle themselves just as well as us.
HARPERNone of us would even be out here if it weren’t for you!
ALEXI screwed up, okay? Is that what you want to hear? I screwed up and now we’re lost and I don’t have a way to fix it.
HARPER sinks to the ground slumped against the tree.
HARPER (quietly)I hate staying here, Alex. At least out there I’d know I was doing something… here… I … I feel like a bad person... if anything happened to them.
ALEXHarper, you're—you're not a bad person—just promise me something.
HARPERWhat? ALEXDon’t go charging off into the woods alone… I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you too.
Pause.
HARPERWe'll stay here. If you think that’s best.
ALEX nods.
ALEXWe will look for them in the morning.
HARPER sighs and sits down. ALEX follows her lead.
HARPERI’m just so worried. About them… about us.
ALEXI’m worried too.
HARPERI just—I know that if I were out there I’d want someone to find me. Staying here… it feels selfish.
ALEXYou’d want people to find you, but you wouldn’t want people getting lost for you, would you?
HARPERNo… but what if by going out there we could make them safe?
ALEXWe might… but we could also get even more lost… We don’t know what would happen.
HARPER You, think they’re okay, out there?
ALEXHonestly? (HARPER nods) I don’t know.
HARPERDo you think they will be?
ALEXI hope so. At least we’re safe.
HARPERBut what happens when we leave? We may not run into bears, but how are we going to move that tree? What we can’t find another way around? What if we really are lost?
ALEXIt won’t do us any good to think of that now.
HARPERI just wish there was something we could do.
ALEXWe can rest. (HARPER lays down).
HARPERIt’s stopped raining.
ALEXThat’s something.
HARPER nods.
ALEXI am sorry.
HARPERFor what?
ALEXFor getting us lost. You’re right. I’m the one who dragged us on this stupid hike anyways. It’s my fault Felix and Ellie are lost.
HARPERThere were circumstances outside your control.
ALEXMaybe, I still should have thought ahead more. I should have known we could get lost, I was being reckless and stupid and—
HARPERWe’ve made do for now, and we can figure out the rest tomorrow, right?
ALEXRight.
HARPER walks over and grabs a sleeping bag for ALEX before she begins to unpack the one HARPER tossed her.
HARPERFor the record, I’m glad I came with you. Even if it turned out somewhat…
ALEXDisastrously?
HARPERI wasn’t going to use that word… but yeah.
ALEXFor the record, I think you're a good person.
HARPER (yawning)Thank you. (pause) And we’ll be okay. I know we will.
ALEX Thank you, but...
HARPER doses off.
ALEX (quietly)We’re not out of the woods just yet.
The lights fade out.
CURTAIN FALLS
THE END
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