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The Pull of Fate
CHARACTERS
NARRATOR - Omniscient. Wry. Emotionally distant, as narrators are.
ONE - Calm and collected. Seeks stability.
TWO - Quiet and meek. Goes along with things.
THREE - Aggressive and impulsive.
FOUR - Sarcastic. Just a little rebellious.
SETTING
A dry, lifeless room.
TIME
The present, or something enough like it.
(LIGHTS UP on a mysterious room. A couch sits stage right, while a cardboard box with the word “Box” scrawled on the front rests farther down stage left. There is one closed door upstage. The NARRATOR stands down stage right, facing the audience, while ONE, TWO, THREE, and FOUR sit dazedly on the couch.)
NARRATOR
Our four befuddled characters awake in a mysterious and unfamiliar locale.
ONE
(Standing.)
Whoa! This is a pretty mysterious and unfamiliar locale!,
NARRATOR
said one.
TWO
(Standing.)
Where are we?,
NARRATOR
pondered another.
THREE
(Standing.)
I’m getting out of here!,
NARRATOR
exclaimed a third, without a clue of what would soon unfold.
FOUR
(Standing, walking towards the NARRATOR.)
Hold it.
NARRATOR
(Turning to FOUR.)
Pardon?
FOUR
What did you say?
(Beat.)
Just now.
NARRATOR
Just now?
FOUR
Just now.
NARRATOR
(Bending down and picking up a script.)
“'I’m getting out of here!’, exclaimed a third, without a clue of what would soon unfold.”
(Sets the script back down.)
That’s it.
FOUR
Well, that’s… ominous.
ONE
Hey! Do you know what’s going on?,
NARRATOR
(Turning to the audience.)
one rudely interrupted.
THREE
Who are you?,
NARRATOR
another cried, like a petulant child.
FOUR
You know we can hear you, right?
NARRATOR
The four decided to pick on the harmless and humble narrator in order to mask their own feelings of vulnerability.
THREE
(Angrily.)
Hey, shut up!
NARRATOR
But their existential panic was about to increase tenfold–
ONE
Could you please explain what’s happening?
NARRATOR
But their existential panic was about to increase tenfold…
(Pausing, noting their silence.)
…When it came to their attention that someone in the room would die.
(A long beat.)
THREE
Well, I’m leaving.
(THREE power-walks to the door and gives it a push, but the door does not budge. THREE pushes again, a little harder.)
NARRATOR
There was no escaping this reality…
THREE
You’ve got to be kidding me.
NARRATOR
Just as no amount of pushing could open the door.
THREE
Could you please stop that?
NARRATOR
Look, I’m sorry, I’m just reading my lines.
ONE
(Standing on the couch.)
Look. Everyone. I don’t… really know what’s going on. I don’t think any of us do.
(A beat. The four glance over at NARRATOR.)
NARRATOR
Well, don’t look at me. Go on.
ONE
(Turning back.)
Anyway. We may not know how we ended up here. But if we put our heads together, I’m sure we’ll figure something out.
NARRATOR
(To the audience.)
The talky one was a riot at parties.
ONE
Stop. Everybody look around for a key, or something.
NARRATOR
(As the four search.)
They scanned around the door, under the couch, and all over the floor, neglecting the painfully obvious Box of Convenience resting nearby.
TWO
What?,
NARRATOR
questioned the quiet one, and searched the Box of Convenience.
FOUR
Wait.
TWO
What?
FOUR
Don’t move.
THREE
Yeah. Don’t let the narrator tell you what to do.
TWO
(Pausing.)
…I’m confused,
NARRATOR
declared the quiet one, and searched the Box of Convenience.
FOUR
Don’t do it.
TWO
Why not?,
NARRATOR
The quiet one shrugged, searching the Box of Convenience.
FOUR
Because maybe none of this has to happen.
(A long silence. Everyone is frozen.)
ONE
Hey, I’m… I’m just gonna… search the Box of Convenience.
FOUR
No!
(ONE opens the Box of Convenience and reaches inside.)
NARRATOR
The Box of Convenience was empty, apart from…
ONE
(Removing the contents.)
…straws.
NARRATOR
(Overplaying, to the audience.)
How… convenient!
FOUR
There is absolutely nothing convenient about that.
THREE
A key would’ve been nice.
NARRATOR
Suddenly, the talky one reached an all-too-clear conclusion.
ONE
One straw is short.
(Beat.)
There are five straws. We have to draw straws. Because–
NARRATOR
(Casually.)
Someone in the room will die.
ONE
Exactly.
THREE
Absolutely not,
NARRATOR
declared the angry one, before drawing the first straw.
(A long beat. THREE and the NARRATOR stare each other down. THREE, frustrated, snatches the first straw from ONE’S hand. FOUR does the same. Then, TWO. ONE extends a hand to the NARRATOR.)
ONE
Go on. There are five of us.
NARRATOR
(Staring at ONE before turning to the audience.)
This was highly unusual–
ONE
Go ahead.
(The NARRATOR, eyes closed, draws a straw. The five stare at each other. Beat. They open their palms. THREE has the short straw.)
THREE
Oh, no.
NARRATOR
It became apparent who had drawn the shortest of the straws.
THREE
You know, you really didn’t have to say that. I said “Oh, no.” I think it’s… already pretty obvious.
(Beat.)
ONE
So.
(Beat.)
Now what?
FOUR
We don’t… have to kill anyone today, do we?
NARRATOR
I hope you’re not asking me. I don’t know.
THREE
This is ridiculous! I’m not dead! I’m not dying!
NARRATOR
(Unhelpfully.)
Someone in the room will die.
THREE
This is a waste of time!,
NARRATOR
the angry one shouted, angrily, and went to the Box of Convenience.
THREE
(Madly.)
You know what? That’s a good idea! I think I will go to the Box of Convenience!
(THREE does so, rummaging through the box and removing a pistol.)
Aha!
NARRATOR
It was, in fact, very convenient.
THREE
All right. Fine! So maybe one of us is gonna die here. But it isn’t gonna be me!
(THREE wildly spins from one figure to another.)
Who is it gonna be?
NARRATOR
Nobody wished to respond.
THREE
So it’s you!
(Running up and holding the gun to the side of the NARRATOR’S head.)
Maybe you were the one destined to die all along!
NARRATOR
(Absurdly calm.)
Best not to assume that any of this is predetermined.
(To the audience.)
The angry one said,
THREE
I’m going to shoot you in the head right now!,
NARRATOR
with great confidence, though it was actually a lie.
THREE
Excuse me?
NARRATOR
(Turning to THREE.)
Oh, pardon. What I’m trying to say is… you are lying.
THREE
Are you calling me a liar?
NARRATOR
(Thinking.)
Well, um.
(Beat. Confidently.)
Yes.
THREE
You don’t think I have the guts? Is that it?
NARRATOR
I don’t know about all that. But–
THREE
Then how would you know?
NARRATOR
I don’t know. It’s just…
(Awkwardly motioning to the script on the floor.)
the script says you’re lying.
(A long, intense pause. THREE lowers the gun, trembling.)
THREE
Yeah, you’re right.
FOUR
Hey, hey, it’s fine, it’s fine.
(FOUR puts a hand on THREE’S shoulder. THREE whirls around, panicked, and impulsively shoots FOUR. Bang! A long silence.)
THREE
Oops,
NARRATOR
said one, in a surprisingly sincere tone.
(A long silence. Suddenly, ONE, TWO, and THREE all rush for the door. They push, but the door does not open.)
ONE
What are we doing wrong?
THREE
I shot the wrong one!
ONE
I don’t think it’ll do anything!
THREE
I shot the wrong one! I have to shoot someone else!
ONE
Wait, stay calm, we’ll figure out another–
(THREE whips the gun around and shoots ONE in the thigh. Bang!)
ONE
(Very loudly.)
Owwwwwwwwww!
NARRATOR
The gunshot wound was very painful.
(TWO snatches the gun from THREE and runs away from the door. THREE follows.)
THREE
Hey! Wait! Don’t–
(TWO shoots THREE in the chest. Bang! THREE collapses behind the couch. A long beat. TWO, surprised, walks around the corpse. TWO shoots THREE twice more, just to make sure. Bang! Bang! Another long beat. TWO is baffled, and shoots a fourth and final time. Bang! A long beat. TWO drops the gun, moves to the couch, and sits. ONE limps over to join TWO. A long pause.)
ONE
I thought only one of us was supposed to die.
NARRATOR
I didn’t say that. I said, “Someone in the room will die.” My wording was very specific. You should pay attention.
(TWO suddenly begins gasping for breath. TWO dies. A long pause. NARRATOR glances over.)
Natural causes.
(Beat.)
That’s the death I was talking about. The rest, all of you did on your own.
(A long pause. ONE stands, then limps to the door. ONE pushes the door again. It does not budge.)
ONE
Why won’t it…
NARRATOR
Pull.
(ONE pulls the door open easily. ONE sighs, and limps off.)
END
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This play is about the power of suggestion. There are many who will try and shape the lens through which we view the world, who make the uncertain or unlikely appear inevitable. It doesn't take much to be pulled in.