| Ghost |
| The character is a young woman who has moved to a new home after witnessing and leaving the scene of a car accident whose victims died. She feels an enormous amount of guilt over their deaths and is constantly rationalizing away the possiblity that she could have done something had she gone for help. While exploring the attic of her new home, she feels a ghostly presence, or maybe just the haunting of her own conscience, and begins to speak to it about her problems. Hello? (Searching around with eyes, seeing nothing but feeling something) I-Is anybody here? (Pause) I know somebody's here... I can feel it. Hello? (Suddenly guarded, frightened) You're--You're one of them, aren't you? No, no it's not my fault, I didn't kill them! Go away, I didn't kill you! It's not my fault! (Panicked and almost yelling at this point, realizes she's freaking out at an empty room, stops, looks around, a little embarassed) I'm sorry... You probably don't even know what I'm talking about, huh? It's just... everyone's been saying that it was my fault, what happened to those people. But it wasn't! They--they crashed, and I got scared, because there was fire, and I hate fire, and the man looked unconscious and he was bleeding, and I got scared, and I just started running. (Trying to convince self) Even if I'd gone for help, it--it would have been too late for them. They--they would have died anyway. It wasn't my fault! (Pause) (Cautiously) What's--what's it like to be... to be dead? I mean, you are a ghost, right? What--what does it feel like? (Silence) (Disappointed and Frustrated) Oh, what the good of you being close enough to feel if you can't answer? (Slight pause) I bet you lived here, didn't you? I'm--I'm sorry about--about moving in to... well, your house. You're--you're welcome to stay as long as you like. (Pause. Quietly) Not as though anyone would really notice if I associate myself with a few more dead people. Does it--hurt, to die? Did--did it hurt them? Are they--there? Can you ask them? (Looks around, nothing happens) Oh well. I guess they wouldn't want to talk to me anyway. (Pause) But... If you can, talk to them, I mean... tell them--tell them I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to happen--I didn't! I was just out walking, and it started raining, and all of the sudden the car just flew up behind me and--and I heard the squeal of brakes, I turned around as it hit the oil patch and swerved into the tree, and I just got scared. Haven't you ever been scared? I didn't mean for it to happen, I promise! (Has escalated to near hysterics by now. Pause.) Well, look, I've got to go now... That's for listening... If you ever need anything, I'll be downstars... Goodnight... Ghost... |