A short play by Brett Temple
GIRL and BOY sit at tables. On the table are slabs of pink clay: one pile sitting next to BOY and a smaller pile sitting next to GIRL. Behind them, being projected is a count down. BOY looks reasonably more cleaner than GIRL. As lights come up, timer starts countdown from 5:00 minutes. BOY and GIRL begin molding some of their pink clay.
BOY - What's yours going to look like?
GIRL - I don't know. Maybe like a watermelon or something like that.
BOY - Really you don't think that's too big?
GIRL - Well they said we can make it as big as we want, right?
BOY - Well ya gotta be reasonable. Are you sure you could handle it? I mean watermelons are big.
GIRL - What do you recommend then?
BOY - I don't know, it's all relative to the person.
GIRL - I could probably handle... a softball. That's a good size. (Adds on more clay to the mold.)
BOY - Ehh.
GIRL - What?
BOY - Well --
GIRL - You don't think I can handle it.
BOY - I know people like you. I know your limits
GIRL - Come on.
BOY - I just don't want to see you hurt yourself.
GIRL - You just don't want to see me succeed!
BOY slams his clay against the table. - 4:00 minutes remaining
BOY - I would love to see you go far in life, but I think there comes a time when we need to be reasonable.
GIRL - Your future has been planned out for years. I gotta make my own and I think a softball is a good size for me. (Adds more clay to the mold)
BOY - You're making a bad decision.
GIRL - Says who?
BOY - Says Them. (Points towards the Timer)
GIRL - Well screw Them!
BOY - Oh that's real funny. Who do you think is paying for you? (Beat) Not you. We know you wouldn't be able to afford it.
GIRL - (Referring to the 'wealth insult') There ya go, I knew it was coming out sooner or later.
BOY - God you are impossible to work with.
BOY and GIRL remain silent for a bit. They continue working on their clay molds. Eventually GIRL runs out of clay to use, while BOY still has excess amounts of clay not being used. GIRL notices and it makes her frustrated. - 2:00 minutes remaining
GIRL - May I please use some of your clay?
BOY - No.
GIRL - You're obviously not using it.
BOY - Uhh, yeah. I will be.
GIRL - I don't have anymore, please could I just take some.
BOY - Maybe it's God telling you, that it's big enough.
GIRL - I'm atheist.
BOY - Okay, then Satan.
GIRL - .. What?
BOY - (Quoting himself) 'There comes a time when we need to be reasonable.'
GIRL - Well can't you see that I need help? I mean no one is helping me here. You can easily just lend me --
BOY - Lend you?! God I think you seem to forgot that the world doesn't constantly revolve around people like you.
GIRL - I'm not poor, I just don't have as much as you--
BOY - My parents BOTH work full time jobs. I rarely seem them. They work their asses off and although I might be more well off because of them, doesn't mean I don't have my own problems. So all those nights where I stayed up wondering where they were to tuck me in, are compensated with this clay. I earned it. I'm using it.
GIRL -You have it hard. (Beat) I've been homeless since I was 11.
BOY - And ya know what, I'm sorry. I truly am, but be grateful you're getting at least some clay.
1:00 minute remaining. GIRL leans back in her chair and just stares at her 'apple' sized clay mold. BOY continues to put the finishing touches on his 'softball' sized clay mold.
GIRL - Then I guess this is it.
BOY - Yup. 1 minute.
GIRL - No point in me trying to --
BOY - Nope.
GRL - You know if I just had the chance--
BOY - Believe me I know. I know. I know. It isn't fair. Nothing is fair nowadays. You play by the rules then it's over. But (Beat) I'm just as much a piece in this game as you are.
GIRL - I know, it's not your fault. (Beat) It's their's. (Points towards the Timer)
GIRL gets up. 30 seconds remain
BOY - What are you doing?
GIRL - Remember what you said about 'knowing our limits'?
BOY - Yeah but I --
GIRL - Sometimes we need to break them.
GIRL darts offstage and comes back on with a clump of pink clay. 3x the size of her current mold. GIRL watches in shock that someone would break the rules like that. 10 seconds remain. GIRL walks over to her clay mold and confidently slams the new clay onto her old mold: creating a 'watermelon' sized mold. She stands confidently as the Timer finishes. 3 seconds remain. 2 seconds remain. 1 second remains. END.
Lights go out on the BOY and GIRL. The last slide of the projection, pictures a brain and below states:
'make a mind before someone else does it for you.'
END.
GIRL and BOY sit at tables. On the table are slabs of pink clay: one pile sitting next to BOY and a smaller pile sitting next to GIRL. Behind them, being projected is a count down. BOY looks reasonably more cleaner than GIRL. As lights come up, timer starts countdown from 5:00 minutes. BOY and GIRL begin molding some of their pink clay.
BOY - What's yours going to look like?
GIRL - I don't know. Maybe like a watermelon or something like that.
BOY - Really you don't think that's too big?
GIRL - Well they said we can make it as big as we want, right?
BOY - Well ya gotta be reasonable. Are you sure you could handle it? I mean watermelons are big.
GIRL - What do you recommend then?
BOY - I don't know, it's all relative to the person.
GIRL - I could probably handle... a softball. That's a good size. (Adds on more clay to the mold.)
BOY - Ehh.
GIRL - What?
BOY - Well --
GIRL - You don't think I can handle it.
BOY - I know people like you. I know your limits
GIRL - Come on.
BOY - I just don't want to see you hurt yourself.
GIRL - You just don't want to see me succeed!
BOY slams his clay against the table. - 4:00 minutes remaining
BOY - I would love to see you go far in life, but I think there comes a time when we need to be reasonable.
GIRL - Your future has been planned out for years. I gotta make my own and I think a softball is a good size for me. (Adds more clay to the mold)
BOY - You're making a bad decision.
GIRL - Says who?
BOY - Says Them. (Points towards the Timer)
GIRL - Well screw Them!
BOY - Oh that's real funny. Who do you think is paying for you? (Beat) Not you. We know you wouldn't be able to afford it.
GIRL - (Referring to the 'wealth insult') There ya go, I knew it was coming out sooner or later.
BOY - God you are impossible to work with.
BOY and GIRL remain silent for a bit. They continue working on their clay molds. Eventually GIRL runs out of clay to use, while BOY still has excess amounts of clay not being used. GIRL notices and it makes her frustrated. - 2:00 minutes remaining
GIRL - May I please use some of your clay?
BOY - No.
GIRL - You're obviously not using it.
BOY - Uhh, yeah. I will be.
GIRL - I don't have anymore, please could I just take some.
BOY - Maybe it's God telling you, that it's big enough.
GIRL - I'm atheist.
BOY - Okay, then Satan.
GIRL - .. What?
BOY - (Quoting himself) 'There comes a time when we need to be reasonable.'
GIRL - Well can't you see that I need help? I mean no one is helping me here. You can easily just lend me --
BOY - Lend you?! God I think you seem to forgot that the world doesn't constantly revolve around people like you.
GIRL - I'm not poor, I just don't have as much as you--
BOY - My parents BOTH work full time jobs. I rarely seem them. They work their asses off and although I might be more well off because of them, doesn't mean I don't have my own problems. So all those nights where I stayed up wondering where they were to tuck me in, are compensated with this clay. I earned it. I'm using it.
GIRL -You have it hard. (Beat) I've been homeless since I was 11.
BOY - And ya know what, I'm sorry. I truly am, but be grateful you're getting at least some clay.
1:00 minute remaining. GIRL leans back in her chair and just stares at her 'apple' sized clay mold. BOY continues to put the finishing touches on his 'softball' sized clay mold.
GIRL - Then I guess this is it.
BOY - Yup. 1 minute.
GIRL - No point in me trying to --
BOY - Nope.
GRL - You know if I just had the chance--
BOY - Believe me I know. I know. I know. It isn't fair. Nothing is fair nowadays. You play by the rules then it's over. But (Beat) I'm just as much a piece in this game as you are.
GIRL - I know, it's not your fault. (Beat) It's their's. (Points towards the Timer)
GIRL gets up. 30 seconds remain
BOY - What are you doing?
GIRL - Remember what you said about 'knowing our limits'?
BOY - Yeah but I --
GIRL - Sometimes we need to break them.
GIRL darts offstage and comes back on with a clump of pink clay. 3x the size of her current mold. GIRL watches in shock that someone would break the rules like that. 10 seconds remain. GIRL walks over to her clay mold and confidently slams the new clay onto her old mold: creating a 'watermelon' sized mold. She stands confidently as the Timer finishes. 3 seconds remain. 2 seconds remain. 1 second remains. END.
Lights go out on the BOY and GIRL. The last slide of the projection, pictures a brain and below states:
'make a mind before someone else does it for you.'
END.