Ajar, by the Door
A short play by Ernio Hernandez
LIGHTS UP.
CHARM walks on stage, stops on a mark and looks out toward the audience. TIME walks on stage slowly, stops on a mark and slowly looks out toward the audience. BOTH take a deep breath.
TIME. Good evening…
CHARM. Good evening.
(A long pause.)
TIME. Do I start?
CHARM. Do I?
TIME. I uh…
CHARM. Please, be my guest.
CHARM takes a step back and motions TIME to take the lead. TIME looks down, checks the mark, adjusts and slowly looks out at the audience again. After a long pause…
TIME. (wistfully) Ah… look at all the lone… (abruptly) No. You know what? On second thought, you go.
CHARM. What? Oh. Are you sure?
TIME. Yes, I think it best if you start.
CHARM. That’s fine.
TIME. Do you mind?
CHARM. No, not at all. Happy to, even.
TIME. I wouldn’t want to… you know…
CHARM. Want to…?
TIME. Steal your, uh… thunder or…
CHARM. Oh.
TIME. Not to say that…
CHARM. Oh no, no worries. I didn’t take offense.
TIME. Good, good. Please don’t. That was not my…
CHARM. Nonono, no worries.
TIME. Good.
TIME steps out of the way and motions CHARM to take the lead.
All yours…
CHARM steps forward and looks right out at the audience, launching into…
CHARM. I remember my father would leave us at night, my brother McKenzie and I…
TIME. (cutting him off) Whoa, whoa, whoa.
CHARM. What? What’s wrong?
TIME. Is that how you’re going to start?
CHARM. Yeah. I mean, that’s how I… what?
TIME. That’s fine. Maybe I should just let you…
CHARM. No, have you got a better idea?
TIME. I mean, I wouldn’t want to… you know…
CHARM. Want to…?
TIME. Tell you how to tell your story or…
CHARM. Oh.
TIME. Not to say that…
CHARM. Nonono, no worries. Please.
TIME. Well you see… I would, you know…
TIME steps up, looks down, checks the mark, adjusts and slowly looks out at the audience again. After a long pause…
You see what I mean.
CHARM. Mmm, I think so. You mean like…
CHARM looks down, checks the mark, adjusts and slowly looks out at the audience again. After a long pause…
I remember my father would leave us at night, my brother McKenzie…
TIME. Mmnmm.
CHARM. What?
TIME. It was good. Just…
CHARM. Slower?
TIME. Maybe. Not slower, just…
TIME looks down, checks the mark, adjusts and slowly looks out at the audience again. After a long pause…
Did you see it?
CHARM. I think so. It’s more…
TIME. You want to lure them in.
CHARM. Ahh. I see. Yes.
TIME. Yes?
CHARM. Lure them. Totally.
TIME. No.
CHARM. Wait? Not lure them?
TIME. Yes, yes lure them. But not… totally.
CHARM. Oh. Right no, I meant…
TIME. You get it.
CHARM. Yes. I get it.
TIME. Good.
TIME steps out of the way and motions CHARM to take the lead.
All yours…
CHARM looks down, checks the mark, adjusts and slowly looks out at the audience again. After a long pause…
CHARM. I remember my… father. He would leave us at night. My brother… McKenzie and I followed him one time. (rushing) Earlier, we found a note with his writing. It seemed to be the words of a sermon…
TIME. That!
CHARM. What’s that?
TIME. That no one will hear.
CHARM. Too soft?
TIME. It’s… too… (speeding through CHARM’s words like a list:) “Father,” “McKenzie,” “writing,” “the words of a sermon…” THAT no one will hear. No one comes… (luring motions towards himself)
CHARM. Near?
TIME. IN! You want to lure them… (luring motions towards himself) in!
CHARM. Oh.
TIME. Look…
TIME points and walks over to a man in audience.
Look at him…
CHARM. That guy?
TIME looks at the man in the audience.
TIME. Yeah, I know. He’s not really working, darn…
TIME looks around the audience. Then suddenly, an idea…
Ah! Ding! His socks, just look at his socks.
CHARM. His socks…? Okay…?
TIME. His socks are your father, lurking off… in the night.
CHARM. Right, but…
TIME. But what?
CHARM. Well, what do I do if… or when there’s nobody there. (to man in audience) No offense, sir.
TIME. What does HE care? Nono, listen…
TIME walks about the audience, shouting…
ALL THE LO… (pausing to look at the audience) LOVELY… people, (to CHARM:) WHERE… do they all… (pausing)
CHARM. Come from?
TIME. NO! ALL THE… LOVELY people, WHERE do they all… BELONG
CHARM. I don’t get it.
TIME walks back to the stage and points to CHARM’s chest.
TIME. Here. In you. This is your story, welcome them in here. Get back.
CHARM. Get back?
TIME. Get back to where YOU once belonged. You’re not telling this story to (points to man in audience) his socks, you’re telling it to… (gestures to whole audience)
CHARM. Ah… look at ALL the lovely people.
TIME. AHHH!
CHARM. Look at all the lovely people, got it. Wow. Yes. I get it. Totally.
TIME. Ah! wait…
CHARM. No, not totally! I mean, I just… I get it. Thank you!
TIME. My pleasure.
CHARM. Oh no, wow, sorry. I just realized I’ve been completely hogging up the time. I’m so sorry. Do you want to start your story before they shut the lights on us?
TIME. Oh. But you haven’t finished…
CHARM. Nonono. Uh… (rushing to the end of his story) “we caught him… wiping the dirt from his hands as he walks from the grave… blah, blah, blah… no one was saved.” Scene!
CHARM takes a step back and motions TIME to take the lead. TIME walks forward slowly, looks down, checks the mark, adjusts and slowly looks out at the audience again. After a long pause…
TIME. My dearest… Eleanor.
BLACKOUT.
Ajar, by the Door by Ernio Hernandez
Copyright ©2018 | Ernio Hernandez | All Rights Reserved. (For permission to perform, contact author at ernio @ ernio.com)
Ernio Hernandez is a writer of plays, poems, short stories, humor and other flights of fancy.
Other plays include: My Condolences |The Last Call | The Middle of Things | Translation by