Blood of Inversion: Sitting with Strangers
A while ago I started working on a story called Blood of Inversion. This is a theatrical re-working of the first scene from Her First Friend, which already existed in prose. I think I have convinced myself that the entire story is better suited to this format, and shall continue writing it as theater from here on out.
Nature of piece: theater
Universe: the metaverse
World: base world (~Earth)
Characters: Alexis (Alex), Sid (Syrine)
(Lights up on ALEX, alone. Elsewhere on stage are, at the very least, two chars signifying adjacent seats on a train: one by the isle and one by the window.)
ALEX: I was 19 when Syrine found me.
(Enter SID, neutral.)
`Syrine.' That was the first name she gave me. We were both on a train, I with one suitcase, she with one purse. I'd taken a seat alone by the window, and was hoping no one would want to sit next to me.
(ALEX sits. SID becomes animate, and mimes making her way down the isle, scoping out a place to sit.)
SID (to ALEX): Excuse me.
ALEX: She did.
SID: Excuse me, is this seat taken?
(ALEX shakes her head. SID sits.)
SID: So, where to?
ALEX: What?
SID: Where are we headed? (She looks up at the overhead storage.) Is that your suitcase?
ALEX: Um. Yeah. (Pause.) Oh! Do you need ---
SID: No no, I don't have anything. I was just wondering.
ALEX: Oh, all right.
SID: So where are you going? With your suit-case.
ALEX: College. Bellsworth.
SID: Oh, me too! I'm glad --- I was hoping you were. I hate sitting with strangers. (Alex stares at her.) It's silly, I know, but . . . there was an incident, when I was ten. (ALEX fiddles with her cell phobe and ignores her.) I haven't really gotten over it. I was on a plane flying back from New York to Chicago --- that's where I live --- and . . . well, there was no one with me, so I had to sit next to one. A stranger. He hardly fit into his seat. (She laughs.) The whole flight he didn't say anything, just slept or stared ahead with his eyes --- fish eyes. He looked just like a fish. (She laughs again.) Then, just as we were landing, he woke up . . . and vomited. Not into the bag like they said to do, but right into my lap. All over my favourite dress. Then, for the first time, he looked me right in the eyes and said, (she affects a voice) "I'm sorry, miss. I have motion sickness." (Pause.) Motion sickness. To think, just MOVING can make him throw up! What if I caught it? I couldn't speak, I'd never been so terrified in my life. (Pause.) You don't have motion sickness, do you? (Pause.) Of course you don't --- you're girl. Everyone knows only boys get motion sickness. (She smiles serenely, and stares out the window.) It is a beautiful day, isn't it? It's funny, people think we're spoiled with beautiful days in California. (She gives ALEX a significant look.) Where I'm from. But we don't get this much there. It was raining earlier. I like the sun best after the rain. Everything glistens, like new . . . life-like. (Pause.) Like life.
(She stares out the window. Noticing her silence, ALEX looks up and regards her.)
ALEX: Do you . . . want the window seat? We can switch places.
SID: That would be lovely.
(They switch places, then sit in silence. SID looks on out the window.)
ALEX: You're not from around here, then?
SID: (She shakes her head) I'm from Miami. (She turns to ALEX.) You are from around here, then?
ALEX: Yeah. The city.
(SID's smile twists into a mischievous grin.)
SID: You weren't actually listening to anything I said, were you? (ALEX stares.) When I was talking to you before. I told you I was from California. Chicago, before that.
(SID laughs. ALEX stares at her for a moment, then joins. So long as SID continues to laugh, she cannot stop. Finally SID takes mercy and lets up. ALEX's laughter abates. She is doubled over and breathless.)
ALEX: God, it isn't fake, is it?
SID: What?
ALEX: Your laugh. I thought for sure you were faking it. I mean . . . no one laughs like that.
SID: Like what?
ALEX: Like . . . (SID giggles.) like that! See! It's all . . . bubbly and shit. (SID laughs again, provoking another bout of soundless, breathless laughter from ALEX. She struggles to speak.) Stop, stop I can't breathe, I can't --- (SID stops. ALEX catches her breath.) Sorry. I --- it's a problem. (Pause.) What's your name?
SID: Syrine.
(End scene.)
Nature of piece: theater
Universe: the metaverse
World: base world (~Earth)
Characters: Alexis (Alex), Sid (Syrine)
(Lights up on ALEX, alone. Elsewhere on stage are, at the very least, two chars signifying adjacent seats on a train: one by the isle and one by the window.)
ALEX: I was 19 when Syrine found me.
(Enter SID, neutral.)
`Syrine.' That was the first name she gave me. We were both on a train, I with one suitcase, she with one purse. I'd taken a seat alone by the window, and was hoping no one would want to sit next to me.
(ALEX sits. SID becomes animate, and mimes making her way down the isle, scoping out a place to sit.)
SID (to ALEX): Excuse me.
ALEX: She did.
SID: Excuse me, is this seat taken?
(ALEX shakes her head. SID sits.)
SID: So, where to?
ALEX: What?
SID: Where are we headed? (She looks up at the overhead storage.) Is that your suitcase?
ALEX: Um. Yeah. (Pause.) Oh! Do you need ---
SID: No no, I don't have anything. I was just wondering.
ALEX: Oh, all right.
SID: So where are you going? With your suit-case.
ALEX: College. Bellsworth.
SID: Oh, me too! I'm glad --- I was hoping you were. I hate sitting with strangers. (Alex stares at her.) It's silly, I know, but . . . there was an incident, when I was ten. (ALEX fiddles with her cell phobe and ignores her.) I haven't really gotten over it. I was on a plane flying back from New York to Chicago --- that's where I live --- and . . . well, there was no one with me, so I had to sit next to one. A stranger. He hardly fit into his seat. (She laughs.) The whole flight he didn't say anything, just slept or stared ahead with his eyes --- fish eyes. He looked just like a fish. (She laughs again.) Then, just as we were landing, he woke up . . . and vomited. Not into the bag like they said to do, but right into my lap. All over my favourite dress. Then, for the first time, he looked me right in the eyes and said, (she affects a voice) "I'm sorry, miss. I have motion sickness." (Pause.) Motion sickness. To think, just MOVING can make him throw up! What if I caught it? I couldn't speak, I'd never been so terrified in my life. (Pause.) You don't have motion sickness, do you? (Pause.) Of course you don't --- you're girl. Everyone knows only boys get motion sickness. (She smiles serenely, and stares out the window.) It is a beautiful day, isn't it? It's funny, people think we're spoiled with beautiful days in California. (She gives ALEX a significant look.) Where I'm from. But we don't get this much there. It was raining earlier. I like the sun best after the rain. Everything glistens, like new . . . life-like. (Pause.) Like life.
(She stares out the window. Noticing her silence, ALEX looks up and regards her.)
ALEX: Do you . . . want the window seat? We can switch places.
SID: That would be lovely.
(They switch places, then sit in silence. SID looks on out the window.)
ALEX: You're not from around here, then?
SID: (She shakes her head) I'm from Miami. (She turns to ALEX.) You are from around here, then?
ALEX: Yeah. The city.
(SID's smile twists into a mischievous grin.)
SID: You weren't actually listening to anything I said, were you? (ALEX stares.) When I was talking to you before. I told you I was from California. Chicago, before that.
(SID laughs. ALEX stares at her for a moment, then joins. So long as SID continues to laugh, she cannot stop. Finally SID takes mercy and lets up. ALEX's laughter abates. She is doubled over and breathless.)
ALEX: God, it isn't fake, is it?
SID: What?
ALEX: Your laugh. I thought for sure you were faking it. I mean . . . no one laughs like that.
SID: Like what?
ALEX: Like . . . (SID giggles.) like that! See! It's all . . . bubbly and shit. (SID laughs again, provoking another bout of soundless, breathless laughter from ALEX. She struggles to speak.) Stop, stop I can't breathe, I can't --- (SID stops. ALEX catches her breath.) Sorry. I --- it's a problem. (Pause.) What's your name?
SID: Syrine.
(End scene.)