Stars inspired my college application essay.

Janis asked me to post this here, and I am so glad to be doing it...
I am now a senior in high school, and I was in a production of Stars last spring.
One of the prompts for a college application essay said, "Describe a risk you have taken and how it is significant in your life." or something to that extent.
I have agreed to post this because it is just a little something to show how much Stars changed my life, as crazy as that sounds!
One college wanted no more than 500 words and the others wanted no more than 700. so obviously, this is not the one I submitted. This is a more developed version. I hope I did it some justice, and expressed just exactly how this one line made me realize the change I could create in my life...
Well, here it is! PS It's really long...

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The lights are blinding and all I can see is my script, which is sitting on my lap as I lounge cross legged on stage left. I listen as my scene partner, my ‘step-brother’, delivers his lines directly from his script. On this warm spring 2008 day at rehearsal, I am in no particular mood what-so-ever. My mind does not wander, nor is it directly focused on the task at hand. All at once that changes, as I comprehend some of the words that ‘Anthony’ has just said. “…Did you know that the reason people are afraid of heights is not because they’re afraid of falling? What they’re really afraid of is their own desire to jump and their own inability to curb that desire.” I look up suddenly from my script, directly at him, in disbelief. The words had come from his mouth, but I knew they were not his. Still, I search his face for an explanation for why he had said this. The line was added to the dialogue by Janis Craft, the playwright of The Sound of Stars Reflecting. So he continued reading, because those words did not affect him, or anyone else for that matter, as much as it did me. The line lingered in my mind.

As a child, I was quite and dull. I was nice, but painfully shy. I was never adventurous and risky, or unafraid like most kids are. I was not a rambunctious ball of fire that many parents dread dealing with. I had such a mature understanding for the world that it got in the way of me allowing myself to be a child and I was scared of trying anything new... For as long as I can remember, I wouldn’t climb. All of my friends climbed trees, and my sister climbed our swing set. I waited patiently on the ground, looking towards the sky my peers ascended into. When I was thirteen, I was told that I had a mild case of acrophobia – the fear heights. I was given no reason why I might have developed this fear, and I was led to believe it was just because I had never literally been up high ever in my life. My doctor said that since it was a mild case I could get over it, slowly but surely, if I tried. At the time I did not comprehend my situation because my fear did not affect my daily life. I put the thought to the back of my mind. But things changed as I entered high school. I ran Cross Country for the first time during my freshmen year. Running like that, with a team and with a goal, was something I had never come close to ever experiencing before. Running became a part of me, and taught me so much. Every single run, every single workout was a challenge. Once I was able to wrap my mind around the fact that every day I accomplished something great, I was able to do things that I never would have imagined myself doing when I was younger. It was because I accepted challenge.

My summer started quickly after that play production in April 2008. I spent most of that summer before my senior year with my scene partner (who, by then, had become one of my greatest friends). He was all about challenges and he was adventurous, fun, and not afraid. I watched him climb loads of things and I felt inspired to do something he did. I knew I wasn’t ready to climb, so I jumped. I jumped a fence to my friend’s backyard. I jumped a flight of stairs. I jumped off the pool deck in his backyard. I started with the smaller things and I worked slowly at overcoming my fear and conquering this challenge I had set up for myself. Jumping was the first part of my challenge, climbing was the next. I was hesitant to do that, and I waited as long as possible. The time came though, as I knew it would, on the 23rd of August, 2008, that day after I turned 17, the last night of summer.

I scaled a concession stand building at Ehlert Park. He climbed up first, and looked down to me.

I had to think about every single movement. I stepped up onto the garbage can; my head felt heavy. I lifted myself onto the vending machine; my legs felt weak. But I was going to do this. I wanted to overcome my fear and I wanted to be accomplished. I almost spoke aloud, “Come on Ally, it’s not that difficult. Seriously, just don’t think about it… Come on.” He grabbed my arms and lifted me up as I used my legs to push myself up onto the roof of the building. I was breathless. I looked around me at the light up and empty baseball field, at the electrical lines that were inches from me, at the winding path that I had traveled on to get there, and at my friend, who was smiling at me and looking around too. I was up, off the ground. I was in the sky. And here, my friend was with me. I felt this challenge had meant the most to me than any other day to day work out, no matter how difficult it had been. I changed as a person by reaching to overcome my fear. I became more adventurous and willing to work hard at something.

I like to think that that event helped to make me who I am today. I find challenging myself the best thing to do when I need to get something finished. Worrying, or thinking about failing never puts a positive influence on me to do something. But a challenge makes me perform very well in difficult situations. I feel that I am ready for college and whatever comes along with it because of that and I feel that I will do well in college because of this mentality.

This song was written by Josh Lutz, at this time a senior at Lyons Township High School, who played Anthony, for our production of the Sound of Stars Reflecting in April 2008... This video was filmed by Anna Bosy.

Congrats!

Hi you stellar LT cast and crew,

Thanks so much for everything you brought to The Sound of Stars Reflecting. Your investment in the play made for a powerful production. I hope you enjoyed yourselves! I'm so glad that I had the chance to meet each of you and to see you bring the play alive in new ways. I'm more excited about the play than ever and can't wait for the next production!

I'd love to hear your stories and experiences during rehearsals and the production. Feel free to keep posting, I'll be listening.

And don't forget to post the photos and the song! We'll keep this an ongoing album for the play.

Keep shining,

janis

Welcome LT cast!

This is exciting! A second cast to add onto the blog and to the history of this play. Thanks to Luke Grimes (who played Rainboy in the premiere of The Smell of Rain When It's Raining) for deciding to direct this play at his high school. I'm so impressed with the work he and the cast have done already and am really excited to the see the show!

LT cast, I hope you will make this blog your online home during the show and post your thoughts, ideas, experiences with the script and in rehearsal.

For starters, how about you each talk about your relationship with the stars... that should get things rolling.

janis

happy opening!

i hope you're all recovering after an intense and awesome weekend! you are all super stellar. even after our marathon saturday of tech, dress, and opening in one day, i still got chills during sunday's performance. i think that's testimony that you've really made a powerful play. thank you for everything you've brought to it over the past year and the past month. i feel so lucky to have been able to work with all of you.

i'm looking forward to Molly, Casey, and Sinead's one act version of Rain on Wednesday (what time and where?), the pizza pick-up rehearsal on thursday, and the best show yet on saturday before i head back to my home country. in the meantime, i've got to get some good pictures to spice up this blog... feel free to post them if you've got them.

for those of you who haven't seen the article, i'm pasting the link here.

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/whatson/story.html?id=229ef8cb-b27e-4842-9470-7a0c4308397a&p=1

again, congratulations!

right here, right now...
janis

a poem that found me and reminds me that we are all passengers on the plane

A la belle étoile
by Daniel Anderson

It's late. Even our flight attendants drowse,
And twenty thousand feet below
Vermont is pillowed safely in snow.

Across that dove-gray nether world
A night-shift worker navigates her car,
Her headlights veering like a ruined star

Toward several lamp-lit cottages that house
Mysterious and forbidden lives.
What is it that we see out there,

We sleepless passengers who stare
Where the moon and pewter clouds carouse?
Or on the starboard aisle, who eye

Those shifting galaxies and nebulae --
Star-dusted, far-off Syracuse,
Rochester glittering and Buffalo?

Some read detective novels, some
The lacquered glamour ads in magazines,
While others study lace and fern

Of frost feathering the Plexiglas.
Cleveland, Mansfield, then Columbus pass
Like cities winter-deep in fireflies.

"O my good gosh! Millinocket Lake?"
A woman's gingham voice from behind us cries.
"We used to spend our summers there!"

"I hate to say this but the world issmall,"
The liver-spotted man beside her sighs.
And maybe you can nearly start to see

Old Millinocket Lake, the family camp
Where it is always 1963,
July and smoky and a little damp.

The cabin is tobacco-dark inside,
Fishing tackle tangled at its door,
Sand sprinkled on its thinly varnished floor.

All day the oscillating fan's blade
Nick-nick-nicking at its metal cage,
Grandfather on the dock at his easel,

Painting the children in their birch canoe.
Snapdragon-yellow sun. Trees, beetle green.
Such north Atlantic rarities in blue.

Our destination smolders into view,
A phosphorescent cluster on the south,
And Millinocket goes the way

Of each refinery and farm,
Each tinseled hamlet over which we've flown.
Our Boeing dips its wing. We hear the high

Accelerating whine, the chuck
And grumble of the landing gear.
Then suddenly the cosmic and the vast

Sharpen to particulars at last.
Those candelabra, that bright chandelier,
The distant cigarette and awl

Englarge as through a looking glass
To vacant lot and spot-lit salvage yard,
Smokestack and Methodist spire.

Warehouses ribbed with razor wire
Are haloed in a carbide glow.
Yet even from here, this simple height,

This jurisdiction of the common crow,
The inexplicable, unjust and sad
Seem comfortably nestled among

The paisley, checkerboard and plaid
Facade of Nashville, Tennessee
Where just a little while from now

The clenched young woman sitting next to me
Will walk the beige and hollow length
Of her apartment building hall,

Jangle her copper keys, then formulate
The very last thing she should have said --
Exact and ruthless -- to her new

Ex-lover sleeping soundly in his bed
Way up in ice-bound Montreal
Where she would rather be instead.

in the same space-time, finalement

yesterday was surreal. walking into the theatre, about to sit down in the second row, i look over and see some faces that give me that distinct feeling of deja vu. i should have known that you would all be there, all sitting together in one row in the half-dark of an empty theatre... of course that's how we would be reunited. but it took me a while to recognize that it was you, the people who have been living in my head and behind the luminescent font i've been reading on this blog for the past year. you looked different than i'd been picturing you. i know time does that. especially to people your ages, but i didn't expect to be so unsure of the faces to the beings that i felt i knew so deeply.

and you didn't recognize me at first either. we all sort of leaned our heads in and studied each other quietly. molly was the one i recognized first. and then sinead. nathan and kk were more difficult. i felt like i was being played a trick on. like you were all waiting to see if i would recognize that it wasn't really them.

what an experience. what a study on time. and how it changes us. and how our minds fill in all sorts of gaps that don't at all take into account the effect of time on our physical selves.

when i heard you read the play, i knew it was really you. all of you. you might look different but your voices are the same ones i've been hearing in my mind since we started this project. being there in the same space with you as you said those words was incredible. and then hearing the new voices too. the voices you've written and the voices of the people i hadn't met until that first warm-up.

i'm so happy to be here with you working on this play. you are all beautiful burning stars and together your sounds meld into the most powerful of songs.

thank you.

traveling the world, straining to hear voices

hello fine and fabulous people. my apologies for my absence here as of late. i have been traveling the world and am currently in chicago and shortly will be on my way to edmonton to focus solely on this play. since this play is going to be in nextfest and since it is also going to have a reading in edmonton on May 20, i really need to get those voices you've all been meaning to write. NOW would be great. thanks to Danny for kicking them off. i hope the rest of you will follow suite under that post titled VOICES.

this play already kicks because of everything you have given to it, as so wonderfully worded by Nathan in his recent comment on the draft post. i know it's going to just keep getting more and more beautiful and awesome.

keep your eyes looking up and your ears tuned to the echoes of the stars shooting across the sky.

how people came to be.

hey so, ive been reading this book and it had a little something about stars that i really liked.
the book in general didnt really have much to do about stars, except for one character who was really into them.
so yea, just thought id share this with all of you.
hope ya like it.
If there was a religion of Annaism, and i had to tell you how humans made their way to earth, it would go like this: in the beginning, there was nothing at all but the moon and the sun. And the moon wanted to come out during the day, but there was something so much brighter that seemed to fill up all those hours. The moon grew hungry, thinner and thinner, until she was just a slice of herself, and her tips were as sharp as a knife. By accident, because that is the way most things happen, she poked a hole in the night and spilled out a million stars, like a fountain of tears. Horrified, the moon tried to swallow them up. And sometimes this worked, because she got fatter and rounder. But mostly it didnt, because there were just so many. The stars kept coming, until they made the sky so bright the sun got jealous. He invited the stars to his side of the world, where it was always bright. What he didnt tell them, though, was that in the daytime, theyd never be seen. So the stupid ones leaped from the sky to the ground, and they froze under the weight of their own foolishness. The moon did her best. She carved each of these blocks of sorrow into a man or a woman. She spent the rest of her time watching out so that her other stars wouldnt fall. She spent the rest of her time holding onto whatever scraps she had left.

reading on the plane

It was bizarre and somewhat cool to be reading the new script on the plane to London. Being closer to the stars while reading gave it a whole new meaning that sounds cliche but was still moving. It's interesting when you read something new it starts to frame the experience that follows the read. My travels in London, Dover and Paris were slightly framed with the thoughts of the play-the sharing, the judgements, the stories-what is important, who will we remember and why do we remember the people that we do? These questions were present throughout my journey. I am really drawn to the characters in the sky/heavens/system and like the new twist. I am also reading "Lovely Bones" right now and the Aeriel view is a cool point of view.

Voices

As you've noticed, there are many numbered voices in the script, most of which have not been written yet. That's because I'm saving those for you to write!

The voices are wishes of people all over the world. They are wishes in the largest sense. They don't have to begin with "I wish" or "I hope" but they can. They just need to be requests said to an unknown or unseen (either/or) presence. They can be sad, funny, angry, joyful, boring, true, fictional... the greater the variety the better. Also, if you can write in another language, please do. For my benefit, please also translate your writing into English.

Each wish should be no longer than a paragraph long. It could be as short as a sentence.

As the voices also serve as transitions between story lines in the script, it'd be great if you could also think about your wishes in terms of where they might be placed in the script. Feel free to title your wish with the voice you think that should speak it in the script (ie: wish for VOICE TEN would be placed right before scene 6 -- Waiting for the Stars to Fall).

If you know of other people who might like to write, have them send me their email address so I can add them to the blog and they can post here. I'd like to get as many submissions as possible.

Happy writing!

Draft One, working

Okay. Here it is. Still not completely complete and certainly still a working draft, but I think it's solid enough to to finally put it out there for you all so I can get your feedback and start the online workshop. I'll be asking for specific things from you soon (such as your writings for the numbered voices, which I've already asked for), but for now I'd just like to hear all of your initial impressions... the more specific you can get the better because you only have one first impression and it will help me immensely to hear what those are before we dive in further. So, what do you like? Don't like? What is a suprise to you? What moments stick out at you? What do you think of the overall piece? How does it make you feel at the beginning, the middle, the end? What do you want from it? Etc, etc...

I'm going to be MIA for the next week so just keep your thoughts coming and I'll look forward to responding when I'm back at a computer.

Happy reading!

* * * * * * * *

THE SOUND OF STARS REFLECTING (draft one)

1. The Telescope Aimed at Earth
The night sky. Billions of stars and constellations of stars. Standing on or in the constellation of Telescopium is ELLIOT who is looking through a large telescope down at Earth. Each time he focuses the telescope in a new place, the voices of people wishing can be heard-- static-y and echo-y at first and then clear, like a radio station being tuned until he moves the telescope again changing the channel. ELLIOT is perplexed by some voices, saddened by others, laughs at others. He is being entertained. When he gets bored, he focuses the telescope elsewhere.

VOICE ONE
(a very foreign language that no one recognizes)

VOICE TWO
(a more recognizable foreign language that most people wouldn’t understand)

VOICE THREE
(French… something Elliot understands partially)

VOICE FOUR
(English, but something rather boring)

VOICE FIVE
(English… interesting, but brief)

ELLIOT focuses the telescope off-stage.

SYDNEY’s Voice
I wish I had a telescope. I’ve been wishing for one my entire life. Not that I was ever big on wishing, but that was the only thing I’ve ever really wanted and I figured the stars would grant me that, if they granted anything. I mean they’re vain, right? Always trying to outshine each other or whatever. But I just had my birthday. The big sixteen. And my dad, the one I was counting on for the big present, well, he got me this. Not exactly a telescope, although I guess I can still see stars with it. Not real ones though.

(SYDNEY walks onstage holding a laptop, ELLIOT follows her with his telescope).

2. What I Wished for and What I Got

SYDNEY
Not a bad gift. Plays DVDs and has wireless and all that. Top of the line, or that’s what he told me when I unwrapped it. God, he was so excited. Practically jumped on the coffee table. I tried not to look disappointed when I saw what it was. I mean, it’s a good gift. Very practical, especially for when I go to university. In two and a half years. At least it’s not a car. At least he knows me well enough to know that I am not down with that. Not down with ruining the Earth anymore than it already is. There’s nothing wrong with the bus. Why does everyone think there’s something wrong with the bus? It’s like it was a rumor started by oil companies to keep us each guzzling our quota. Whatever. So he bought me a computer. A laptop. All in all, a pretty good gift. I shouldn’t complain. I mean, at least now I can sit out here and… connect to the internet. (she turns on the computer) At least this way I’ll know what other people are seeing through their telescopes instead of just looking up there and imagining… (she logs on to the internet) Astronomy Online says that tonight’s supposed to be a good night for viewing the Orionid meteor shower with the naked eye and that’s what I’ve got. If it wasn’t for my new laptop, I probably wouldn’t know this, so that’s something. They say all I have to do is find Orion, which any one can see because of his belt and the brightest of all stars, Beetlegeuse, in his armpit. He should be right… wait a minute. Orion? Where’d you go? Crap. I wish I had a telescope.

ELLIOT moves his telescope towards the sky and SYDNEY disappears.

ACADIA’s voice
Oh no. Please say that he’s not doing that. Not the boots. Please let him realize that there are other people here. In a very tight space. Without air ventilation. People with very sensitive noses. People who need the air to be at least relatively un-offensive in order to breathe it. People who will suffocate if they are forced to inhale his… Oh. My. God. I’m going to choke. What do I do? Maybe he’ll look over right now and see me turning blue. Maybe he’ll catch a whiff of that horrible stench himself and quickly… no, look at him. He’s putting his seat back. He’s going to sleep! It’s official: God does not exist. I must fend for myself. Take my life into my own hands and— Excuse me, sir.

3. Somewhere Between Where We’re Going and Where We’ve Been – The Landing
ELLIOT’s telescope is focused on ACADIA who is standing in the aisle on a plane holding a little pillow and blanket. She approaches the empty seat next to DANIYAR. She points to the seat. DANIYAR removes his earphones.

ACADIA
Hey. It is cool if I…

DANIYAR
Yes. Cool. Sit.

ACADIA
Sorry, it’s just that I was sitting next to that Troup Leader over there who smells like he’s been hiking for the past five years and he took his shoes off and I think it might have killed me if I didn’t escape.

DANIYAR
My shoes are off. I can put them on…

ACADIA
As long as you’ve changed your socks in the last, I don’t know, two weeks, it should be fine.

DANIYAR
Hmm… (pretending to count days) Just kidding. My socks are new. What is a Troup Leader?

ACADIA
You know. The leader of a group of boy scouts.

DANIYAR
Boy scouts? I’m afraid my English is not very good.

ACADIA
It sounds better than mine. Anyhow you’d only know the Boy Scouts if you were from North America seeing as how they are technically the Boy Scouts of America. It’s like a club. For boys. They go camping and hiking and, apparently, now to Europe to learn how to build fires and be men, or whatever, but obviously not how to wash their socks.

DANIYAR
Are you American

ACADIA
No. Thankfully.

DANIYAR
But you are going to New York?

ACADIA
Only for an hour and forty minutes. Although I wouldn’t mind if that was my destination.

DANIYAR
I have a wait there too.

ACADIA
Where are you headed? Sorry. Going. Where are you going?

DANIYAR
To Canada. A town called Edmonton.

ACADIA
No way.

DANIYAR
You know it?

ACADIA
That’s where I’m from. And, unfortunately, where I’m going back to.

DANIYAR
It’s no good?

ACADIA
No, it’s fine. I just wish I was staying in Berlin. Wish my visa hadn’t expired and my money hadn’t of run out and my parents weren’t going to disown me if I didn’t come home. But, whatever. That’s life I guess. So what are you going to Edmonton for?

DANIYAR
I’m going to live there.

ACADIA
What? Why?

DANIYAR
My aunt and uncle are there. And my parents think it is good for me. Safer.

ACADIA
Where are you from?
DANIYAR
Tehran.

ACADIA
I should know where that is but…

DANIYAR
The capital of Iran.

ACADIA
Oh. I guess your parents are right.

DANIYAR
How do you know that and not know the capital?

ACADIA
I just know that George Bush wants to invade it. Like Afghanistan.

DANIYAR
Do you know why?

ACADIA
Probably because he wants your oil.

DANIYAR
It’s because the government is building an atomic bomb.

ACADIA
Oh. I think I knew that.

DANIYAR
My parents don’t want more war in our country and they oppose the president who is very hateful to Israel. This is why they send me away. It’s dangerous to oppose the government. My father is a writer and he was in jail. He is free now, but there are threats and he wants me to be safe.

ACADIA
Will they come to Canada too?

DANIYAR
I don’t know. He says he has much work to do and my mother won’t leave him there alone.

ACADIA
Wow. I’m a big jerk.

DANIYAR
What?

ACADIA
Here I am complaining about my parents making me come home while your parents…

DANIYAR
Send me away?

ACADIA
Yeah.

DANIYAR
It’s for my safety. And you are a big jerk.

They laugh.

ACADIA
You’re pretty hilarious. What’s your name?

DANIYAR
Dani.

ACADIA
Really?

DANIYAR
Yes. Is that strange?

ACADIA
No. It’s just so… Western.

DANIYAR
It comes from Daniyar. It’s Persian. What’s your name?

ACADIA
Acadia.

DANIYAR
Ac-adia?

ACADIA
Yeah, pretty much.

DANIYAR
Is it a Canadian name?

ACADIA
Yeah, actually. One of the few. It’s the name of some French-Canadian region of Nova Scotia. Means “land of plenty” or something. Figures that my parents named me after Canada and my sister, who has no desire to ever leave Alberta, gets named after a city on another continent.

DANIYAR
What city?

ACADIA
Sydney.

DANIYAR
In Australia?

ACADIA
Yeah, she’s named for Australia. And she doesn’t even want to go there.

DANIYAR
I like your name more.

ACADIA
Thanks.

DANIYAR
To me it’s beautiful.

ACADIA blushes and looks into the aisle.

ACADIA
Oh good. Here come the tasty treats again. I missed them the first time.

DANIYAR
What is coming?

ACADIA
The beverage cart. My favorite moments of the flight. Ooh and we were late taking off! That means free booze. Hey. Have you been properly introduced to Jack Daniels yet? He’s real popular in North America.

DANIYAR
Who is he?

ACADIA
Ha, that’s classic. Wish I had that on tape. Well, let’s see. He’s a very good friend of mine mainly because he has this way of making me feel all warm and relaxed, which is going to be really important in a little bit when we land. I’m not so good with landings. He’s really tasty when you mix him with coke. You have had coke before?

DANIYAR
Cocaine or Coke-a-cola?

ACADIA
Cola. Gees. What kind of a flight do you think this is?

DANIYAR
JK. I know what Coke is. But what is booze? I don’t know that word.

ACADIA
Booze? It’s liquor. Alcohol. Moonshine. Der Schnaps, in German.

DANIYAR
They serve liquor on planes? I thought it was only in bars?

ACADIA
Flying is stressful. It helps people relax. You look like you could stand to relax a bit right now.

DANIYAR
I don’t drink liquor.

ACADIA
Awe. Well now’s as good a time to start as any...

STEWARDESS
Beverage?

ACADIA
Two Jack Daniels and—

DANIYAR
--No for me.

STEWARDESS
Excuse me? Sir?

ACADIA
-- and two cokes. This is for both of us.

STEWARDESS nods and begins the drinks.

DANIYAR
No. No liquor.

ACADIA
Just take it. If you don’t like it, I’ll drink it.

STEWARDESS (handing cup to DANIYAR)
Sir?

DANIYAR turns away from the STEWARDESS. ACADIA takes the drink and sets it on his table, keeping the whiskey bottle on her table. The STEWARDESS hands ACADIA her cup and bottle.

STEWARDESS
That will be eight dollars.

ACADIA
But we were late taking off.

STEWARDESS
There was a delay loading the baggage.

ACADIA
Whatever. Wasn’t my fault. Shouldn’t this be free?

STEWARDESS
Wasn’t my fault either. It’s eight dollars.

ACADIA
All I have is Euros.

STEWARDESS
Then it’s six Euros.

ACADIA pouts then finds some change in her pocket and thrusts it at the STEWARDESS who takes the money and then rolls the cart past. ACADIA mixes her drink. DANIYAR puts his cup on ACADIA’s table, spilling some of the Coke.

DANIYAR
I said I don’t want this. I don’t drink booze.

ACADIA
It’s just Coke. You have to add the booze. Like this (she pours the second bottle into her cup. DANIYAR’s face hardens). It’s just a drink, dude.

DANIYAR
It’s much more than that and it is a waste of money. (he turns away again)

ACADIA
Oh… I get it.

DANIYAR
What?

ACADIA
You’re like Muslim, aren’t you?

DANIYAR
Why do you say that?

ACADIA
Because Muslims don’t drink. They think it’s like this huge sin, right?

DANIYAR
I will not be one of those people who forget where they come from. It makes no difference if I am Muslim.

DANIYAR turns to the window. ACADIA downs her drink. ELLIOT moves his telescope.

VOICE SIX
Hey, God? Or whatever you’re called…Big important presence up there in the sky or behind the sky or person who made the sky… you know who you are. I’m sorry that I don’t, or that I don’t know what to call you. You have quite a few names and that’s caused a lot of problems down here and not just for me. There are loads of people killing each other over which name to call you and which name is your real name. Pretty stupid if you ask me. Some people just have a lot of names. Anyways, You. (You don’t mind if I just refer to you as You, do you? Hope not.) I have a little request for you. I imagine you’re pretty busy and all, but if you have a second it’d be pretty great if you could send me some enlightenment on what I should be doing with my life, cuz I’m really not sure and I saw this billboard today that said you had a plan for it… and, well, since you already have it figured out, I was hoping maybe you could share it with me. When you have the time, of course. It’d be really super of you.

ELLIOT moves his telescope again and REUL in her hospital bed comes into focus.

4. A Last Wish, Perhaps

REUL
I wish I was religious. But only so that I could believe in heaven or reincarnation or that something came after death other than nothingness. Nothingness scares me. Nothing. No thing. I can’t imagine no thing. I mean, how could I? Everything I know is something. The closest I can get to nothing is to imagine outer space, but even in space there are stars and galaxies and asteroids and all other kinds of things. But to not exist at all? It’s pretty much impossible to wrap my head around that as long as I still exist. So most of the time I just try not to think about it. Some times are easier than others. Obviously. Right now, well, right now is especially hard. I’m about to go in for this really big surgery. Number twelve. It seems like I’d be used to it by now and I’ve definitely gotten a lot better at the whole thing, but it’s still pretty scary. And this one? They’re calling it “exploratory surgery.” Like my brain is some strange planet they’re exploring for other life forms. (beat) I used to want to be an astronaut. To go to Mars and bounce around on the volcanoes there and, yes, find evidence of other forms of life. Now, I just want to make it to France. My parents keep saying that when I get better they’re going to take me to Ireland because my name is Gaelic, but I’ve always wanted to go to France. To this bridge in Avignon where everyone dances. In choir, we learned this French song about that bridge, “Sur le pont d’Avignon.” Beth and Kaiya and me used to sing it in rounds when we were on the bus on the way to competitions or really just whenever we felt like it. We used to drive people crazy. Once we even sang it in the supermarket in the frozen food aisle. I have no idea why, but it was awesome. Some super serious businessman wanted to get Lean Cuisines, or something, and he had to walk right between us singing. He couldn’t help but smile even though he clearly didn’t want to. I miss Beth and Kaiya. I wish I could be out there with them in the field by the airport waiting for the stars to fall. But I’m glad they’re not in the lobby right now worrying about me. All I told them was that I’m having some tests done, which is true. They just don’t know the extent of the tests or the reasons for them. I think it’s better this way. If I do die, they’ll think of my death as something natural, like a shooting star. And if I get better, well, then I’ll be glad I didn’t worry them over nothing. And we’ll all get on a plane and fly to Avignon and we’ll pop open a bottle of champagne on the bridge and make a toast to one more day of escaping nothingness.

A NURSE enters.

NURSE
Hi there, Reul. Are you ready?

REUL
Not really. But is anyone ever?

NURSE
True, true.

NURSE rolls REUL in her bed off stage. ELLIOT searches Earth with his telescope.

VOICE SEVEN
Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. And if I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.

VOICE EIGHT

NOELLE’S VOICE
I hope I know what to say. Or what not to say. I never seem to have the right words at the right moment. I hope he knows we’re here for him. That he doesn’t have to go through this all alone. Even if things weren’t the best between us before…

JUSTIN’S VOICE
I know this is terrible, but I hope he doesn’t cry. I don’t think I could handle it. He’s always been so strong and I know that’s probably exactly why he needs to cry, but if he does cry, I’m going to lose it too. Hell, maybe we all just need to lose it. Maybe then we could actually start putting ourselves back together again. Maybe I should just start crying right now.

5. Behind the Legislature

ELLIOT focuses on JUSTIN and NOELLE who are leading a blindfolded SAM, to the steps of the pool behind the legislature building. It is a clear dark night and the stars are reflected perfectly in the still water of the pool.

SAM
Okay… grass. I feel grass now. On my toes.

JUSTIN
He’s really using all of his mind power tonight.

NOELLE
I never said I was dating him for his brains…

JUSTIN
It’s for the sandals, isn’t it?

NOELLE
Totally.

SAM
The park! We’re in the park!

JUSTIN
Genius guess!

NOELLE
But no banana.

SAM
Really? We’re not in the park?

JUSTIN
Nope. Not the park.

NOELLE
Which park did you mean exactly? Park is rather general…

SAM
Any park. I meant to be general. Which one is it? Are we in the ravine?


NOELLE
No, we’re not in a park. I was just curious which one you thought it was.

SAM
I’m sick of you guys messing with me. I’m taking this thing stupid thing off. It’s making my eyeballs sweat.

JUSTIN
Nasty. But don’t take it off yet. We’re almost there. And you are pretty stylin in it.

NOELLE
Stylin?

JUSTIN
If we cut you some eyeholes, you’d be just like Zoro.

SAM
Or Donatello.

JUSTIN
Cowabunga, dude.

The boys become Ninja Turtles.

NOELLE
Uh-uh, take off the blindfold. There’s no way I’m making out with a Ninja Turtle.

SAM
Who said anything about making out?

JUSTIN
Yeah? Wait. There’s going to be making out?

NOELLE
Ew. Not with you.

SAM (taking off the blindfold to hit him)
Dude. Stop with the nasty.

JUSTIN
What? She started it.

NOELLE
Clearly I didn’t.

SAM
Whoa. The Legislature.

JUSTIN
Yeah? I bet you haven’t been here in forever, huh?

NOELLE
When was the last time…? I don’t remember…

SAM
I haven’t been here since… um… ever…

NOELLE
Shut up, really? I could have sworn we—

SAM
No… never…

SAM wanders down by the pool.

JUSTIN
Dude. You never took her here? It’s prime romantic real estate.

NOELLE
Even I knew that.

JUSTIN
Of course you knew that…

NOELLE
What’s that supposed to mean?

JUSTIN
Nothing… Sunshine church parking lot… errrhmmm…. I mean, everyone knows that. Sam?

They both go to him. He’s crumbling.

NOELLE
Oh no. I’m sorry. Are you okay?

SAM
Yeah. Fine. I-- I think Elliot used to come here. He wanted me to come with him one time… Fuck….

JUSTIN
Oh no. I’m sorry. We shouldn’t have—

SAM
No… It’s good. He… he doesn’t seem so far away here. Maybe he can even… (a whisper) Elliot?

SAM walks closer to pool, listening. NOELLE and JUSTIN aren’t sure what to do. They grab each other’s hands and then let go. They sit down and wait for SAM. Silence. SAM suddenly kicks the water in the pool with intense anger.

NOELLE
Sam?

SAM (with surprising force and anger)
What!

JUSTIN
Whoa. Buddy…

A moment for SAM to snap out of it.

SAM
Buddy?

They all laugh.

JUSTIN
It’s my dad’s fault. He’s always saying that…

SAM (looking back to the water)
Fucking reflections…

SAM goes to NOELLE.

NOELLE
Yeah they’re so… reflective.

SAM hugs NOELLE apologetically and then they kiss awkwardly once, twice, a few times…

JUSTIN
So there is making out afterall…

SAM
Put on the blindfold.

JUSTIN (holding up a thermos)
No it’s fine I’ll just go over here and quench my thirst with this nice fresh—

SAM (too eagerly, goes for the thermos)
Whiskey!

NOELLE
Sam…

JUSTIN
Whoa there buddy… don’t want to bend yourself all out of shape—(SAM takes the thermos and chugs it quickly). Just don’t burn your—

SAM (spitting, grabbing his mouth)
Ahhh! What the hell is that and why is it so damn hot?

NOELLE
It’s hot chocolate, Sam.

JUSTIN
It’s kind of supposed to be hot… hence the name…

SAM
Where the hell is the whiskey?

JUSTIN
Not in there. That would be gross.

SAM
You guys promised me whiskey. That’s only reason I wore that stupid blindfold and let you bring me all the way out here.

NOELLE
We never said whiskey. All we agreed to was a tasty beverage. And if you wouldn’t have spit it out you’d know that it is extra tasty. Possibly the best hot chocolate ever.

JUSTIN
It is really good. We made it with real chocolate and—

SAM
--You two made this? Together?

JUSTIN
Yeah dude. For you.

SAM
When?

NOELLE
Just before we came to get you. Chill out.

SAM
Have you been hanging out a lot since… Are you two--?

JUSTIN
Shit, Sam. I’m your bestfriend.

NOELLE
So am I.

JUSTIN
So is Noelle. We’re just trying to help you.

NOELLE
We didn’t know what else to do, so we made you hot chocolate. We knew it wouldn’t make things better but… it was the thought, Sam.

SAM
Well maybe you should have thought about whiskey. And would you please stop using my name at the end of sentences like that. Everyone’s been doing that lately and it’s driving me insane— (silence) Fuck! I should have come here with him. Maybe I could have… talked to him… maybe-- I’m sorry… I’m sorry…

SAM completely disintegrates. NOELLE and JUSTIN hold him.

NOELLE
Hey, we’re here. We’re here.

JUSTIN
We are here. That much is certain. Even if we have no idea what that means. (NOELLE looks at JUSTIN). What?

NOELLE(quietly)
Is that supposed to be comforting?

JUSTIN
It’s true…

SAM comes back to the present, at least a bit.

SAM (To JUSTIN)
What did he look like? When you found him?

JUSTIN
Uh…

SAM
I mean, his face. Do you remember? What kind of expression did he have?

JUSTIN
He… I don’t know, man. It was raining, and he was, um, sort of slumped over… I didn’t even know who it was at first. I had to move him to--

NOELLE
--I don’t know if this is really the best--

SAM
I keep seeing his face. He’s looking up at the sky, with his mouth open.

JUSTIN
It wasn’t open.

SAM
Like he’s about to laugh. Or scream. Or maybe catch raindrops on his tongue. I wonder if he thought about that when he was out there…

NOELLE
Thought about what?

SAM
When we were kids we used to run around outside and try to fill up our mouths up with rain, or in the winter snow… once we even tried it with stars.

JUSTIN
A little more challenging?

SAM
Yeah.

SAM looks up at the sky. JUSTIN and NOELLE do too.

NOELLE
They’re really bright tonight.

JUSTIN
It’s because it’s so dark. Not many city lights up here.

NOELLE
Do either of you know any of the constellations?

JUSTIN
Just the dippers. And Orion. I always liked him.

SAM
I know what you mean. Not much of a face, but a real swell guy.

JUSTIN
I like that he’s so easy to find. No matter what shit’s going down in the world, you can always look up and find Orion.

NOELLE
It’s true. He’s like this beacon of goodness.

SAM
Except right now.

NOELLE
What do you mean?

SAM
Let me know if you see it anywhere up there, because I sure don’t.

NOELLE
He’s up there. Just look for his belt.

JUSTIN
Man. I think you’re right. How weird is that?

SAM
Maybe he killed himself too.

NOELLE
Sam.

SAM
What? Why should there be some beacon of goodness in the sky? Life, the universe, it’s not good. It’s just a bunch of darkness that every once in a while shows us something with some goodness in it before it swallows it back up again.

NOELLE
There must just be some clouds up there. That we can’t see from this distance.

JUSTIN
Or maybe it’s the time of night or the year or something. I mean, the Earth turns, right? It’d be impossible to see the same stars all of the time.

SAM
You guys can stop trying to cheer me up. Elliot is dead. It doesn’t make any sense and it hurts. I’m allowed to hurt aren’t I?

NOELLE
Of course… I just…

JUSTIN
It’s hard to know what to say, man.

A moment.

SAM
What was it you said earlier? About the only the thing that’s certain…?

JUSTIN
I don’t know exactly. Just that not a lot is certain. Except that we’re here now.

NOELLE
I guess that really is all that’s guaranteed.

SAM
That you’re both here, now? That’s enough.

A long moment where the three of them sit quietly connected.

ELLIOT moves his telescope.

VOICE NINE

VOICE TEN

KAIYA’S VOICE
I hope we don’t get caught. This looks like we’re out in the middle of nowhere but you never know. Parents’ have telescopic eyes. Actually, what am I talking about? This is the middle of nowhere. We’ve been walking for twenty minutes and haven’t seen a single person. No where in all of Brooklyn is that possible even in the middle of the night. What was that noise? Oh. Just the wind. I think I’m a little scared. Shit. What if there’s some psycho out here or worse… an animal or something? I should have brought my pepper spray. Can you pepper spray an animal, I wonder? Man. I’m way too much of a city girl.

BETH’S VOICE
I wish Kaiya would slow down. Doesn’t she realize her legs are like two feet longer than mine? It stinks being short. You have to practically run everywhere. I’m always out of breath.

6. Waiting for the Stars to Fall
ELLIOT’s telescope focuses on BETH and KAIYA who are walking through a large field near an airport. They stop so BETH can catch her breath.

KAIYA
Oh man. This is awesome.

BETH
What?

KAIYA
This.

BETH
This field? There's nothing here.

KAIYA
Exactly. I didn't know there were any wide open spaces this close to the city. Except for the forest preserve but there are always so many people there it doesn't count. I can't believe this is practically your backyard.

BETH
It's just the space between his property and the airport's. No one wants to build here.

KAIYA
I feel like I can finally breathe…

BETH
Are you serious? It's so polluted I can taste the diesel from the planes.

KAIYA
I meant because of the space. Hey, you don’t think there are any wild animals out here do you?

BETH
Oh, maybe a couple of bears and an antelope or two.

KAIYA
Oh god. What’s an antelope?

BETH
I’m kidding. You’re not scared are you?

KAIYA
No…. (there is a loud noise and she screams) Ah!

BETH
It’s a plane, Kaiya.

KAYIA
Oh. Oh! A plane! Right there! Cool!

BETH
Yep. Every five minutes.

KAIYA
Even this late?

BETH
Okay. Maybe every ten. Might want to plug your ears…

KAIYA
Whoa… (watching the plane) Wonder where it's going….

BETH
Probably Salt Lake City.

KAIYA
That's not very exciting.

BETH
Apparently it's a main hub. Middle of the country or something. Good place to transfer.

KAIYA
Guess you're probably used to seeing them.

BETH
It got old kinda fast. But the open sky is nice. I think we should be able to see them from here.

KAIYA
I hope so. For Reul.

BETH
Yeah. For Reul.

KAIYA
I wish we could bring them to her. Bottle them up or something. It's totally unfair that she's locked up in that room and can't even see the stars.

BETH
Especially because her name means Star. I feel like that should be her birthright.
KAIYA
Reul means star? I didn’t know that.

BETH
Yeah. It’s Irish or something.

KAIYA
Too bad we can't film it for her.

BETH
Wouldn't be the same.

KAIYA
No.

BETH
How about here?

KAIYA
Looks good to me.

BETH
(spreading a blanket out)
Which direction should we face?

KAIYA
She didn't tell you?

BETH
No. She just said between 12 and 3am.

KAIYA
Oh. Well, does it make a difference?

BETH
I don't want to miss them because we were looking the wrong way.

KAIYA
We could each face a different direction.

BETH
But then only one of us might see them. They fall in a blink of an eye. What if we both blink at the same moment?

KAIYA
You worry too much.

BETH
And?

KAIYA
We could lay down.

BETH
Oh right. Duh.

They lay down.

KAIYA
Ooh ooh ooh!

BETH
What?

KAIYA
Oh. Just a plane.

BETH
You thought it was a shooting star?

KAIYA
I don't have my glasses on.

BETH
Where are they?

KAIYA
In my pocket.

BETH
Don't you think they should be on your face right now?

KAIYA
No.

BETH
Uh…?

KAIYA
The stars are prettier without them. They’re all fuzzy and they twinkle more.

BETH
Just as long as you can see them.

Moment. They watch the sky.

KAIYA
So this is what it’s all about…

BETH
If you look in the right spot, so all you can see is sky, it almost feels like you’re floating.

KAIYA
You know what’s really weird?

BETH
Huh.

KAIYA
We are floating.

BETH
Shut up.

KAIYA
We are. The entire Earth is floating around in that great big sea of stars.

BETH
Thinking about it makes me dizzy. But it's a good dizzy.

KAIYA
Ooh!

BETH
Where?!

KAIYA
No… I just remembered I have a surprise in my bag... I totally forgot about it.

BETH
What kind of surprise?

KAIYA
Remember what the three of us talked about on the bus to IMEA?

BETH
With Chambers or Ensemble?

KAIYA
Chambers. Of course.

BETH
How would I know that?

KAIYA
Come on. Ensemble was totally lame.

BETH
I liked 'Everlasting Melody.'

KAIYA
I'm not talking about the music. So, do you remember?

BETH
Did it have to do with drinking?

KAIYA
Uh huh…

BETH
No way. You got some?

KAIYA
Uh huh… from my aunt. You know the really rich one who lives in Manhattan?

BETH
She gave it to you?

KAIYA
Well, not exactly. But I don't think she would mind. She has a whole cupboard full of bottles…

BETH
You stole it from her?

KAIYA
You make is sound like a crime. I'm just borrowing it.

BETH
Actually, it is a crime.

KAIYA
Whatever. I'll replace it with something really fancy when I'm 21.

BETH
What did you get? Vodka?

KAIYA
No, wine. Seemed more appropriate for the occasion.

BETH
Red or white?

KAIYA
I don't know. I just grabbed a bottle and stuffed it in my bag.

BETH
I hope you brought a cork screw.

KAIYA
Uh… oops?

BETH
This is going to be interesting… Well, let’s see it.

She gets the bottle out. They look at it.

BETH
It's really heavy.

KAIYA
I think that means it's really good.

BETH
What?

KAIYA
Well, at least the glass is expensive.

BETH
Maybe. Hey. This says champagne.

KAIYA
No way! I love champagne!

BETH
I thought you'd never…

KAIYA
Only one glass. For New Year's. With my aunt actually. I didn't get drunk or anything.
BETH
Wow. How classy is this?

KAIYA
Totally classy.

BETH
And guess what? We don’t need a cork screw.

KAIYA
Clearly it was meant to be.

BETH
What about Reul? We said it'd be the three of us.

KAIYA
We can't exactly bring it into the hospital.

BETH
We could wait for her to get out. (a moment) What?

KAIYA
She's been there for a while now.

BETH
They’re going to figure out what’s wrong with her. They have to.

KAIYA
I want her to get better too. But…

BETH
But you don't want to wait to get drunk?

KAIYA
But, we're out here watching a meteor shower for her because she can't. I think we should have a toast for her too. I think it'd make her really happy. That's why I got it.

BETH
I don't know…

KAIYA
She's the one always saying not to waste a second. And here we are, sitting out in this awesome field under stars that are about to fall out of the sky, and we have CHAMPAGNE. Are we really debating this?


BETH
I guess not. (beat) Can I pop the cork?

KAIYA
That's what I like to hear. (hands her the bottle) Do you know what you're doing?

BETH
Every New Year's Eve my parents used to get us cheap bottles of sparkling wine and we'd have contests to see who could shoot their cork the furthest. I won every single time. My brother swore I rigged the bottles.

KAIYA
I'm glad you’re such a cork-popping-champ. Those things terrify me.

BETH
Ready?

KAIYA
I think so...

BETH
Set...

KAIYA
Ooh, another plane!

BETH
Bon Voyage!!!

The cork pops at the same time a plane passes over head. They scream happily.

ELLIOT moves his telescope and they disappear.

VOICE ELEVEN

VOICE TWELVE
Je souhaite que je serais invisible maintenant.

ACADIA’S VOICE
I wish you’d quit pretending that I didn’t exist.

ELLIOT moves his telescope back up to the plane in the sky.

7. Somewhere Between Where We’re Going… Landing… part 2
The plane again. DANIYAR is still facing the window. ACADIA is reading. She puts her magazine down suddenly and looks at DANIYAR.

ACADIA
Look, I said I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it was against your religion. I just thought you’d never tried it before and that you’d… Oh whatever. (ACADIA looks into the aisle then turns to DANIYAR) So do you wanna know what a troup leader looks like?

DANIYAR
What?

ACADIA
He’s right there. In line for the bathroom. With his shoes still off.

DANIYAR looks into the aisle and then looks at ACADIA hard.

DANIYAR
That is a soldier.

ACADIA
Huh?

DANIYAR
An American soldier.

ACADIA
No way. (she looks). I guess it did seem kind of weird for a troupe leader to be wearing camouflage…

DANIYAR
How do you dfhasldjaslkdj

ACADIA
Look, his feet smelled bad. Really bad. I couldn’t think right. I practically suffocated. I do know some things about the world.

DANIYAR
Yes?

ACADIA
Yes. I know how to…


DANIYAR returns to staring out of the window. ACADIA puts her seat back and closes her eyes, tight.

STEWARDESS ANNOUNCEMENT
Good evening ladies and gentlemen. In just a few minutes we will begin our descent into New York. Please fasten your seatbelts and return you tray tables and seatbacks to an upright position as we prepare the cabin for landing.

ACADIA
Oh god. Here we go. (she covers her face).

DANIYAR
What is it? Are you alright?

ACADIA
No. I told you. I hate landing.

DANIYAR
You have to put your table into its upright position.

ACADIA
I can’t. I can’t move.

DANIYAR
You are afraid?

ACADIA
Terrified.

DANIYAR arranges ACADIA’s table and seat back.

DANIYAR
Put your head like this. Here. (He puts his head against the seat in front to show her). Good. Now I will touch you – your, uh, head -- is that okay? (She groans. He puts pressure on the base of neck and head for a moment.) I am terrified during take-off. My mother does this to me when we fly together. It was difficult not having her here this flight. (He removes his hands. ACADIA sits up after a moment). How is it?

ACADIA
A little better. Are you allowed to do that? Touch a woman?

DANIYAR
You are a woman?

ACADIA
Shut up. I thought that Muslims…

DANIYAR
There are many different Muslims.

ACADIA
I guess there would be. (she moans again) I really hate this. How much longer do you think?

DANIYAR (looking out the window)
I can see lights but very tiny. Very far away. Perhaps ten minutes?

ACADIA
(groans) Fantastic.

DANIYAR
There are so many lights. They look like stars.

ACADIA
Wait till you see the stars from Canada. That’s one thing I’ve really missed. I don’t know what they’re like in Iran, but in Edmonton they’re so close you can almost touch them.

DANIYAR
They are closer there?

ACADIA
Well, not really. Actually, I don’t know… we are further North… Anyhow, there aren’t as many other lights out there to compete with them. Not like New York. I guess that’s one good thing about being in the middle of nowhere.

DANIYAR
They are coming closer now. Maybe only five minutes?

ACADIA
Just keep talking.

DANIYAR
What do I say?

ACADIA
Anything. Tell me what being Muslim is all about.

DANIYAR
Uh… well, there is this god. His name is Allah.

ACADIA
Even I know that much. Tell me the good stuff. About the 72 virgins and all that.

DANIYAR
You’re not serious?

ACADIA
I don’t know. Educate me.

DANIYAR
Well, the 72 virgins -- that’s for fanatics. And I am not fanatic. I don’t even go to the Mosque. But I do observe Ramdam, like everyone else, and then Eid, which I suppose is similar to Christmas. Eid is good stuff.

ACADIA
Really? Are there presents? And a big fat jolly man? And people singing about snow like it’s not the big huge freezing cold pain in the ass it really is?

DANIYAR
No fat man or singing. But we go door to door and get money.

ACADIA
For real? Like from strangers?

DANIYAR
Sure. From anyone who is Muslim. And everyone is really happy.

ACADIA
That’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. You just ring the bell and say “trick-or-treat” in Arabic or something? Do you put the money in a big pillowcase too?

DANIYAR
Trick-or-treat? What is that? And what is a pillowcase?

ACADIA
You know, the thing that goes on a pillow? Like for sleeping. Uh, under your head? It’s what kids use at Halloween when strangers give them candy because they-- (they are jostled in their seats) Oh god. Oh god oh god oh god oh god.

DANIYAR
You didn’t tell me you were religious too.

ACADIA
Very funny.

DANIYAR (gives her his hand)
Here. Hold on to me. This way we will have both Allah and God to keep us safe.

ACADIA grabs his hand and squeezes. They both close their eyes tight.

ELLIOT moves his telescope and ACADIA and DANIYAR disappear.

8. An Experiment
ELLIOT focuses his telescope on SYDNEY who is sitting on the ground with her laptop.

SYDNEY (reading from a website)
“During the Orionid meteor shower a team of scientists will listen to the sound of meteors as they silently sweep across the night sky. Instead of using cameras or simply observing with the naked eye, their aim is to repeat an experiment, first performed during the 2003 Leonids meteor shower, which used a digital signal processing to make audible the impact of the myriads of shooting stars as they hit the Earth's upper atmosphere. The ionised meteor trails act like mirrors and reflect high frequency radio signals from stations that are below the horizon, and since they are moving they produce a doppler-shifted signal, in other words, an echo. Anyone with a radio can try this experiment for themselves. It should be possible to pick up the echoes - each lasting a few seconds - from all over the world.” Wow. How crazy is that? We can hear meteors shooting across the sky on our radios. Man. Now I wish I had a radio. Wonder if internet radio works too… What am I doing? It totally defeats the purpose of being out here if I’m going to have my eyes glued to this thing the whole time. (she closes the computer and looks up at the sky). It’s super quiet out here… maybe if I listen really carefully I’ll catch an echo of an echo on someone else’s radio…

ELLIOT moves his telescope and SYDNEY disappears.

VOICE 13

VOICE 14

ANTHONY’s VOICE (over music)
Shit. I wish I would have been born 10 years ago. No, fifteen. I wish that could have been me writing those lyrics, those notes, singing that song. Why does everything I think of already seem to have been done? I know I’ve got something brilliant in me. Something honest and real. Something the world hasn’t seen yet. I’ve just got to figure out what it is and how to get it out.

ELLIOT picks his telescope back up and focuses on ANTHONY

9. Phantoms of Stars
A rooftop. ANTHONY is sitting on the rooftop tuning a vintage radio. JESSIE begins to crawl out of the window and sees ANTHONY there.

JESSIE
What are you doing out here?

ANTHONY
Same thing you usually do, I imagine.

A moment. JESSIE decides to come out onto the roof. ANTHONY turns off the radio.

JESSIE
You’ve seen me?

ANTHONY
I’ve heard you pass by my room and then creak the window open and crawl out of it.

JESSIE
I hate that creak.

ANTHONY
That’s too bad. It’s got a really nice pitch…

beat

JESSIE
I’ve been coming out here since I was little. I didn’t think anyone else knew about it.

ANTHONY
It’s not really that secret.

JESSIE
No, but… it’s always felt like a secret.

ANTHONY
And here I am in your secret spot. That must be weird for you.

JESSIE
No… it’s a little strange. But it’s not like I own it.

ANTHONY
Well, thanks for sharing.

He takes out a pack of cloves and puts a cigarette in his mouth. He offers JESSIE one when he sees her staring at him. She shakes her head.

JESSIE
I didn’t know you smoked.

ANTHONY
Every once in a while.

JESSIE
You probably shouldn’t here … I mean, my dad might catch you.

ANTHONY
And?

JESSIE
He hates smoking.

ANTHONY
That’s his business.

JESSIE
Unless you’re in his house…

ANTHONY
This isn’t technically the house. It’s the roof. This also isn’t technically a cigarette. It’s a clove.

JESSIE
It says ‘cigarettes.’ Right here.

ANTHONY
Semantics. Anyhow, I’m over 18 so it’s not illegal. Which is about the stupidest law anyhow. We can drive a car, the thing that kills more people than anything else before we can smoke something that grows naturally in the ground and that Natives have been smoking for centuries…? Totally bogus. But what isn’t? Anyways, your dad isn’t my dad so it doesn’t really matter what he thinks about what I do.

JESSIE
He might tell your mom.

ANTHONY
She smokes them too.

JESSIE
She does?

ANTHONY
Every once in a while. But don’t tell your dad. Everybody needs something secret. (he starts to light the cigarette, but looks over at JESSIE). Is this making you uncomfortable?

JESSIE
Um… kind of….

ANTHONY
Only kind of? Okay then… (starts to light it again.)

JESSIE
Um… more than kind of.

ANTHONY
How much then?

JESSIE
I don’t know. Really? It’s like watching someone poison themselves. It’s hard to sit here and do nothing. Plus it’s going to make my hair stink. And I’m nervous about my dad.

ANTHONY
Man, that sounds pretty damn uncomfortable. Guess I won’t do it. Wouldn’t want to offend you while I’m sitting in your spot. That’d be like a double insult, wouldn’t it?

JESSIE
I don’t know, but thanks…

Beat. Anthony drums the tar half-heartedly.

JESSIE
Do you hate it here?

ANTHONY
No. Why?

JESSIE
Sometimes it really seems like you do.

ANTHONY
Like now, you mean?

JESSIE
Yeah.

ANTHONY
I’m just drummin.

JESSIE
Yeah, but you’ve got this look like you wish you were back in Vancouver or really, anywhere else but here.

ANTHONY
Vancouver was cool enough. But it doesn’t really matter where I am. Things are always pretty much the same.

JESSIE
What do you mean?

ANTHONY
Everywhere, everything… it’s all the same, more or less. There are cool people and ugly people and people who don’t offer a thing to the world but use up as many of its resources as they possibly can. And all of these people do the same things or versions of them for work or for fun and so it doesn’t really matter where you go. Every place is essentially the same as every other place, they just have different names.

JESSIE
What about China?

ANTHONY
What about it? The people are shorter and they speak a different language and read from top to bottom instead of left to right but they still go to school everyday or to offices and sit in front of computers or desks and then come home and eat dinner and drink Coke or beer and then watch TV or listen to cheesy pop songs, probably awful American ones, until they fall asleep and try to forget that they just spent another day of their life almost exactly like the last one and that tomorrow’s probably not going to be any different.

JESSIE
Unless there’s a tsunami.

ANTHONY
That was Sri Lanka. And India. And Indonesia. And Malaysia.

JESSIE
I know.

ANTHONY
Really? Cuz there were several countries that were hit and China wasn’t one of them.

JESSIE
I said, I know. My point was only that there are some things that might make a difference in people’s boring lives.

ANTHONY
Sure, natural disasters make a difference. At least until they stop showing them on the news and we start making disaster movies about them or else forget they even happened.

JESSIE
Even if we forget, the world is still different. I mean there are all kinds of smaller things we never even notice that make a difference too.

ANTHONY
Such as?

JESSIE
Such as, anything really… such as the stars.

ANTHONY
They’re not exactly small.

JESSIE
You know what I mean. Seemingly insignificant.

ANTHONY
Alright. So how do stars make a difference?

JESSIE
I don’t know. They’re right there. Just above us. Bright as ever. And two people who might not know what to say to each other can look up at them and feel connected somehow. To each other. To the universe. And that can be enough to make a difference at least for a moment or two and sometimes that’s all it takes to totally change someone’s life... and one person can start a war or stop one, right?

ANTHONY
I didn’t realize this moment was so monumental.

JESSIE
I wasn’t referring to us.

ANTHONY
I think I’m disappointed.

JESSIE
Although I suppose they could affect us too.

They look at the stars for a while.

ANTHONY
I’ve been trying to write a song about the stars.

JESSIE
Yeah?

ANTHONY
Yeah. But it’s not going so well. It sounds like every other acoustic guitar song about stars.

JESSIE
Are there a lot of them?

ANTHONY
“Yellow?”

JESSIE
Oh that’s a good one.

ANTHONY
“Vein of Stars” by the Flaming Lips is even better. Then there’s the band Stars and Wilco’s song with the lyrics “every star is a shining sun,” which totally kicks ass. And of course there’s all the other ones including the whole slew of kiddie songs and the kingdaddy of them all,“Twinkle, twinkle.” Bored yet?

JESSIE
I get the point.

ANTHONY
There are tons. Probably as many as there are stars.

JESSIE
70 sextillion?

ANTHONY
What the hell is that?

JESSIE
How many stars there are. In the known universe, at least.

ANTHONY
Sextillion?

JESSIE
I know.

ANTHONY
What’s a sextillion?

JESSIE
A lot. Way more than the all the songs ever written. More than all the grains of sand on the entire world, according to--

ANTHONY
--Wait a minute. Million, billion, trillion…

JESSIE
…Quadrillion… quintillion, I think,... Sextillion.

ANTHONY
So six becomes sex if you add enough zeros?

JESSIE
Guess mathematicians get horny too… (ANTHONY looks at her surprised.) What?

They both laugh.

ANTHONY
How come I never knew how cool you are?

JESSIE
Maybe because you’re always in your room with the door closed.

ANTHONY
It’s never locked. You could come in, if you wanted.

JESSIE
Right.

ANTHONY
What? Is that so weird? We’re siblings, aren’t we?

JESSIE
Step-siblings and we’re pretty much strangers. And you’re way older than me. And you’re a boy. And you’re always playing your guitar.

ANTHONY
Got to write that song.

JESSIE
Why? I mean, if all these other musicians have already written ones about the same thing?

ANTHONY
Mine’s going to be different. It’s not going to be about myself in relation to the stars and it’s not going to use them as a metaphor for the things that go on in my own tiny bubble. Not when there’s so, so, so much more to explore. I mean… look up there…

JESSIE
Yep… 70 sextillion balls of burning gas.

ANTHONY
How’d you know that anyway?

JESSIE
That there are 70 sextillion of them? I Googled it.

ANTHONY
You just typed in “how many stars in the universe” or something?

JESSIE
Yep.

ANTHONY
Why?

JESSIE
Why not? I like to escape my own bubble too. Put myself in perspective or whatever. Inform myself on these twinkling things we entrust our wishes to.

ANTHONY
That was poetic.

JESSIE
It wasn’t meant to be.

ANTHONY
That makes it even better. (beat) So you make wishes on them, huh?

JESSIE
Doesn’t everyone? Even if they don’t call it wishing. We all talk to the stars, or to God, or whomever it is that hears our daily requests.

ANTHONY
You think God is the same as the stars? There’s a lot of people who have your head over that.

JESSIE
We all talk to something or someone. Doesn’t matter what you call it.

ANTHONY
Maybe not. So, what do you say. When you talk to them?

JESSIE
Not telling.

ANTHONY
Because then it won’t come true? That’s baloney.

JESSIE
Because I hardly know you and I’m not just going to spill something so personal to you. (beat) What do you wish for?

ANTHONY
I’m not telling if you don’t.

JESSIE
Whatever. You’re older than me. You’re not supposed to care about that shit.

ANTHONY
Shit?

JESSIE
Yeah?

ANTHONY
I don’t know if you’re old enough to use that word.

JESSIE
Whatever.

ANTHONY
Seriously though. I don’t think your dad would be too pleased if he heard that…

JESSIE
Hey. He really is my dad. Don’t use him on me.

ANTHONY
Alright. Say shit all you want. I don’t care.

JESSIE
Shit. Shit. Shit. So what do you wish for?

ANTHONY
Aside from being able to write this song?

JESSIE
Yes, that’s way too minor.

ANTHONY
Actually, it’s major. C major.

JESSIE
You’re stalling.

ANTHONY
And? I don’t know what I wish for. Nothing, I guess. Things are the way they are. All you can do is live your life and hope it’s a good one and if it’s not….S.O.L.

JESSIE
That’s so depressing.

ANTHONY
I prefer not to delude myself.

JESSIE
When I wish on the stars, or just hope for things inside my own head or heart or whatever, I’m not deluding myself. I’m just… putting good thoughts into the air and having faith that they won’t disintegrate the second I stop thinking about them. Most of life is just faith anyhow.

ANTHONY
How so?

JESSIE
We don’t know anything, not really, not about ourselves or the world. I mean, how crazy is it that according to astronomers most of these stars are so far away that they burned up long ago? We could never know that for sure, but on some level we have faith in it. And if we can believe that these stars we’re looking at right now are billions of light years away and therefore aren’t even in existence by the time they reach our eyes, it’s not such a far stretch to believe that just maybe those same stars, or, I guess, phantoms of stars, would hear the things we’re asking for and somehow guide them in a direction that might, I don’t know, help them come true. (If they’re worthwhile of course).

ANTHONY
Phantoms of stars… that’s very cool. Maybe that’s what we are too… phantoms of people who existed once in some far away dimension and whose energy is still traveling across space and time…

JESSIE
I guess when you think about our ancestors and stuff, we kind of are their phantoms. Except that we’re just as real as they were. At least, I hope so.
ANTHONY
And we’re also pretty different from them, considering evolution and all.

JESSIE
Ooh…what if the stars are our ancestors? Maybe that’s why we wish on them. It’s like asking your great-great-great-great-times-100-or-so-grandmother to help you out.

ANTHONY
I like that.

JESSIE
Me too.

ANTHONY
I guess that means that “we are all made of stars.”

JESSIE
Now that’s a cool idea.

ANTHONY
It’s the title of a Moby song.

JESSIE
Oh. Too bad you didn’t think of it.

ANTHONY
I know. So. Tell me what you wish for.

JESSIE
No.

ANTHONY
That was decisive.

JESSIE
Yep.

ANTHONY
You could just give me a little hint…

JESSIE
Nope.

ANTHONY (walking to the edge of the roof)
I’ve got one. I wish I could fly.

JESSIE
Yeah, that’d be pretty cool. Wouldn’t exactly change the world though.

ANTHONY
If looking up there can start a war or stop one, I’m pretty sure me being able to fly would have at minimum a massive impact.

JESSIE
I suppose it depends on what you did with it. You could either be all Superman about it or just be this big dopey bird who goes out for joy flies.

ANTHONY
Joy flies?

JESSIE
Why not?

ANTHONY
So how fast do you think I’d fall from here to the ground? Two seconds? Three?

JESSIE
I have no idea.

ANTHONY
I take it you’ve never jumped?

JESSIE
Do I look like I’m in a million little pieces?

ANTHONY
It’s not that far.

JESSIE
Far enough to break some bones.

ANTHONY
Nah, I’d land on my feet. Like a cat. A cat could survive this no problem.

JESSIE
And you are not a cat. Would you stop playing so close to the edge?

ANTHONY
Awe. Am I making you nervous?

JESSIE (covering her eyes)
God. I can’t even look. One wrong step. Please get away from there?

ANTHONY
Are you going to tell me what you wish for or not?

JESSIE
No way are you bribing me with your own safety.

ANTHONY
Last chance…

JESSIE
Stop it. This is isn’t even--

ANTHONY
Okay… (he dangles a foot out over the edge mockingly and then loses his balance and suddenly falls).

JESSIE
ANTHONY!!!! (She runs to the edge and looks over.) Are you okay? Don’t move!

ANTHONY
Oh man! That was totally great. You should try it.

JESSIE
No freakin way. You’re lucky you can even stand right now.

ANTHONY
Aw. You’re not mad are you?

JESSIE
Yes. You’re not allowed in my spot anymore.

ANTHONY
Oh come on… you still haven’t told me what you wish for…

JESSIE
And now I’m certainly not going to. Especially because you just ruined one of them.

JESSIE goes back to her spot and ignores ANTHONY.

ANTHONY
Really? How? …. Jessie? Are you even out there? I’m going in. ANTHONY exits.

JESSIE’S DAD’S VOICE
What’s going on out here? Jessie? Are you on the roof?

JESSIE quickly hides ANTHONY’S pack of cigarettes under her blanket.

ELLIOT moves his telescope and JESSIE disappears.

VOICE FIFTEEN

End of ACT ONE


ACT TWO
Same deal as before. ELLIOT is listening to the voices of the world and focusing his telescope on different people.

VOICE SIXTEEN

VOICE SEVENTEEN

10. Upsidedown
ELLIOT focuses his telescope on the scene behind the legislature again. SAM, NOELLE, and JUSTIN are lying on the ground looking up at the stars.

NOELLE
Do you see those three stars up there sort of clustered together? Just to the right of the dipper tip.

SAM
Below the blinking one?

NOELLE
That’s a satellite, not a star. But yeah. Below that.

SAM
I see them.

JUSTIN
I don’t.

NOELLE (points over his shoulder)
There. The end of my finger.

JUSTIN
Okay, yeah. I see ‘em.

NOELLE
They make me happy.

JUSTIN
Because there’s three of them?

NOELLE
And they’re so close together.

SAM
They’re probably billions of light years apart.

NOELLE
Still.

SAM
Do you see the really bright star below the three?

JUSTIN
I think so.

SAM
And then the two stars side-by-side way to the right?

NOELLE
Oh, there. (points for JUSTIN)

SAM
All of them together kind of look like a kid on a tricycle.

JUSTIN/NOELLE
What?

SAM
Don’t you see it? The three stars are the kid and then the two are the back wheels and the bright one is the front wheel.

JUSTIN
I don’t know. I see a tree next to a little bush.

SAM
Dude. There is no way that’s a tree. Where’s the trunk?

JUSTIN
It doesn’t need a trunk. You fill it in with your imagination.

NOELLE
What kind of tree is it? Like an Oak or an Elm or something?

JUSTIN
No. Like a fruit tree. With a really skinny trunk.

SAM
Like a tangerine tree?

JUSTIN
Yeah, totally. A tangerine tree.

NOELLE
Are there marmalade skies?

JUSTIN
No. Just a tangerine tree.

SAM
And rocking horse people eating marshmallow pies?

JUSTIN
What the hell are you guys talking about? It’s just a tree. Next to a bush.

NOELLE (singing)
And a girl with kaleidoscope eyes…

SAM
(sings the drum part)

JUSTIN
Oh!

JUSTIN/NOELLE/SAM
(all singing and laughing) Lucy in the sky with diamonds….!

JUSTIN
Oh man. You guys are totally nuts.

NOELLE
And you totally love us for it.

SAM
Especially me. (SAM puckers up for JUSTIN).

JUSTIN
You better watch it. I just might kiss you.

SAM
Yeah right.

NOELLE
Do it! I dare you. A big sloppy one!
SAM
Don’t you even think about it!

JUSTIN grabs SAM’s cheeks and the two wrestle until they end up in a funny position with JUSTIN straddling SAM and NOELLE sort of lying across both of them.

ORION enters. He probably thinks he’s interrupting some weird threesome.

ORION
Whoa. Sorry to interrupt.

SAM
What?

JUSTIN
Hey. Oh we’re not…

NOELLE
Yeah, this isn’t what it— we’re just laying here.

ORION
Whatever. Get off, get drunk – the whole world does it. Hope it was worth it in the end... cheers.

JUSTIN
Dude. We really weren’t…

NOELLE
We were just looking at the stars.

JUSTIN
And drinking hot chocolate.

SAM
And talking about my dead brother.

Silence.

ORION
Oh.

SAM
I’m guessing the whole world isn’t doing that.

ORION
No, probably not. Unless his name was Jesus.
SAM
What?

ORION
Bad joke. Sorry. It’s a nervous tic. Or something. When you don’t know what to say, make a joke and make things even worse… Yeah. I’ll just leave now and you can pretend you never met me.

ORION begins to exit.

NOELLE (under her breath)
Freak.

ORION (re-enters and speaks to SAM)
Um, I realize you probably take me for some freak but… can I show you something? Something way better than anything I could say to make up for what I wish I wouldn’t have said…?

JUSTIN
And that doesn’t sound sketchy…

NOELLE
I know, right?

ORION
It’s over here. In the pool.

SAM studies ORION for a moment. ORION walks to the pool.

JUSTIN
Dude, you’re getting all the action tonight.

NOELLE
Don’t get too freaky with him. We don’t know where’s he been.

SAM follows ORION to the pool.

ORION
Stand right here. Good. Now look down. What do you see?

SAM
I see water in a pool.

ORION
Nothing else?
SAM
Nope. Just the water.

ORION
What’s in the water?

SAM
Nothing but reflections.

ORION
What I see are hundreds of stars shining in darkness. An entire slice of sky right there in that pool.

SAM
I see a reflection of the sky.

ORION
But how do you know it’s just a reflection? Why couldn’t the stars be above us and below us? They could be all around us but we just refuse to see them because we’re stuck on this idea that they’re up there. But really, they’re so far away that anyone can see them at all is already a mystery. I don’t know. Maybe you don’t find that impressive, but me, I need that. I need to come down here from time to time and get my perspective back. I just had this idea that maybe it’d do something similar for you.

SAM
No offense, but do you smoke a lot of dope?

ORION
No.

SAM
You just talk like… like people I know who’ve been high a lot.

ORION
My name’s Orion. It’s entirely possible I was born high.

SAM
You’re name’s Orion? For real?

ORION
Yep.

SAM
Like the constellation?

ORION
Yep.

SAM
That’s wicked.

ORION
It’s a name.

SAM
Mine’s Sam. Pretty white-bread next to yours.

ORION
I like white bread. It’s really the only way to eat PB&J.

SAM
You’re pretty weird. You remind me a little of my brother.

ORION
He was a freak too?

SAM
No, he just thought a lot about things. Too much, probably. I think the world was too much for him. Too heartbreaking.

ORION
So he…?

SAM
Yeah.

A beat.

ORION
Did you know that stars die?

SAM
Really?

ORION
Sure. Nothing lasts forever. It’s too long.

SAM
What happens to them? They just stop burning one day?

ORION
Well, either they get swallowed up by a black hole or they run out of gases to fight the gravitational pull against their mass and they compress until their core completely collapses.

SAM
Man, that’s rough.

ORION
Why?

SAM
I don’t know, just that one day you’re like this big bright burning ball that can be seen across the sky and then the next you’re just nothing?

ORION
They’re not nothing. They’re part of the darkness.

SAM
Doesn’t sound much better.

ORION
Nothing is nothing. But darkness? It’s everything. Look up there or down there. What do you think holds all of those stars together?

SAM
You’re saying darkness does?

ORION
Everyone only ever looks at the positive space and they forget all about the negative space, the space between things, which is even more important because it’s what connects everything. It’s the fabric of the universe.

SAM
So when a star dies it becomes part of that fabric?

ORION
Exactly.

SAM
Huh. That’s pretty awesome. Not sad at all.

ORION
Nope. If we can stop looking only at the positive space, it’s amazing what’s visible.

A beat.

SAM
You want some hot chocolate? Apparently my friends over there made the best hot chocolate known to man.

ORION
No. I’ve got to get home. It’s starting to get late and I’ve still got stuff to get done tonight.

SAM
Starting to get late? What time do you normally go to bed?

ORION
I’m a night person.

SAM
Guess so. Well, thanks. For showing me this.

ORION
If you keep looking you might even see your brother in there.

SAM
Right.

ORION (shrugs)
We see what we want to.

ORION exits. SAM continues staring into the pool.

VOICE EIGHTEEN

VOICE NINETEEN

DANIYAR’S VOICE
(Something in Arabic… perhaps a prayer or something that ACADIA confuses for a prayer…)

ELLIOT focuses his telescope on ACADIA and DANIYAR in the plane.

11. Somewhere Between Where We’re Going and Where We’ve Been -- Take-off
The flight to Edmonton. This time ACADIA has the window seat. DANIYAR has his head against the seat in front of him. ACADIA is trying to put pressure on the back of his neck.

DANIYAR
It is good this seat was empty. That woman next to me. She was very large… I had not much space.

ACADIA
Was she obese?


DANIYAR
Don’t know.

ACADIA
Was she really, really fat or just really fat?

DANIYAR (nods and motions an enormous belly)
Really, really fat? She is American, I think.

ACADIA (laughs)
Because she ate too much McDonald’s? Now there’s a stereotype.

DANIYAR
She said her name was Jennifer. Is that not American?

ACADIA
Sure. She told you her name? Maybe she had the hots for you.

DANIYAR
You told me your name. Do you have the hots for me?

The plane hits a bump. DANIYAR seems like he’s going to barf. ACADIA applies pressure to his head again.

ACADIA
Like this?

DANIYAR
That is good.

ACADIA
Man. I think you’ve got it worse than me. We’re quite the pair.

DANIYAR (sitting back up slowly)
What is pair?

ACADIA
Uh, a couple? Couple of people, I mean. Not couple, as in a couple, couple. Two of a kind. Like a pair of gloves. The things that go on your hands when it’s cold. Hey wait, isn’t it like the desert in Tehran? Do you even have to wear gloves?

DANIYAR
There are mountains with snow. I wear gloves. Ouah….

ACADIA
Do you want me to do the thing again? On your neck?

DANIYAR
I’ll be fine as soon as we are like this (puts his hand parallel to the ground).

ACADIA
Even. But I don’t see what that has to do with anything. I mean, clearly we’re in the air. If there was a problem with the plane don’t you think we would have crashed already?

DANIYAR
Please don’t speak of crashing.

ACADIA
Sorry. I just don’t get it. To me this is the best part of flying.

DANIYAR
I thought booze was the best part?

ACADIA
I take it back. This is better. It’s like we’re finally free. I mean, we’re in the air. We’re humans and we’re FLYING. How freakin cool is that? It’s like, anything is possible.

DANIYAR
I prefer the ground.

ACADIA
Different strokes for different folks, hey? God, I am a dork. You know, I just realized something. You’re afraid of taking off and you’re the one leaving home while I’m afraid of landing and I’m the one going home. Pretty deep, huh?

DANIYAR
I don’t understand.

ACADIA
Well, I don’t want to put words in your mouth or anything, but I’m guessing you’re a little nervous about leaving your home and your family and your country and everything? Maybe the take-off is like this metaphor for that. And me, well I love taking off. I love leaving home. It’s the landing, the returning home, that scares the shit out of me.

DANIYAR
You are afraid of going home?

ACADIA
Totally.

DANIYAR
Why?

ACADIA
Hard to say, really. I guess I just always dreamt about leaving Edmonton, and when I finally got on the plane to Berlin it was like the happiest moment of my life. This dream come true. And now, I’m going back and it’s like: dream over. I’m not going to have any idea what to with myself there.

DANIYAR
What did you do in Berlin?

ACADIA
Good question. No, I don’t know. I walked around. I was always walking. Taking everything in. Taking tons of photographs. Not to brag or anything, but I took some rad photographs there. And I was always meeting cool people in cafés and then getting invited to parties. Berlin’s crazy. It’s like in its own time zone. Everyone stays up all night and parties last for like four days.

DANIYAR
Sounds like Eid.

ACADIA
Really? People don’t sleep?

DANIYAR
During Ramadan you fast from sun up to sun down for one month. Everyone eats at night and then Eid comes and the fast ends and it is a big celebration and no one wants to sleep. They eat and celebrate for many days.

ACADIA
And spend all of their money?

DANIYAR
Maybe.

ACADIA
And what happens after Eid? After the money is gone and the celebration is over? Does everyone get really depressed?

DANIYAR
No. Life becomes normal again. There is joy in that too.

ACADIA
Normal makes me feel stuck. Do you know that word, stuck? It’s like the opposite of freedom.

DANIYAR
Is it like prison?
ACADIA
Yeah. Kind of.

DANIYAR
My father said prison would not have been awful except that he wanted to see my mother and I. He said he was able to do much thinking there.

ACADIA
Maybe that’s what I’m really afraid of. Having to think about my life and figure out what to do with myself.

DANIYAR
You could take pictures in Edmonton, no?

ACADIA
Of what? Snow? Oh right, you haven’t been there. Don’t worry, it’s really not that bad. There’s actually this photographer who did this whole series of people’s feet walking on different streets there. It was really cool because it made you look at the whole city differently. Like, I didn’t realize it was Edmonton at first. There was this one photo of a footprint in the dirty sludgy snow, which was somehow completely beautiful, and I remember thinking wow, how amazing is it that this photographer captured beauty in that. I bought my camera after I saw that exhibit, that’s how inspiring it was. Oh hey, look. The fasten seatbelt sign just went off. We must be at cruising altitude. Like this (makes her arm parallel to the ground). You can relax now.

DANIYAR
I think I am relaxed. Talking is good.

ACADIA
Yeah. Talking is good. I’m feeling a little better about things too. Maybe I won’t completely flip this landing.

DANIYAR
Can you see any city lights?

ACADIA
No way. We’re too far up and I don’t think there are any cities down there anyway. Probably just prairies. I can see stars though… Man. It’s been forever since I’ve seen them… Do you want the window seat?

DANIYAR
No. I am fine here.

ACADIA
They’re pretty awesome. You really should see them. Come on. Just switch with me.

They switch seats. DANIYAR stares out the window for a while.

ACADIA
What do ya think? Are they closer than in Tehran?

DANIYAR
There are so many!

ACADIA
Yeah. It’s kind of mind-boggling to be floating through them right now, isn’t it?

DANIYAR
Have you ever looked into a telescope?

ACADIA
Once. When I was little. It was pretty sweet. There are billions more stars than I ever thought. The more you look, the more you can see.

DANIYAR
When I looked into a telescope, I thought it was funny that stars are similar to cells in a microscope.

ACADIA
I can see that… kind of… in like a fuzzy, white amoeba-y way.

DANIYAR
There are so many of cells. And the closer you look through the microscope, the more you see. As you said with the telescope. I love to know that everything is made up of something smaller.

ACADIA
I’m totally not big on science, but in grade school when we studied how DNA is made and how the blood cells flow through the veins and stuff, I remember thinking that the cells looked kind of like cars driving on highways and then I started wondering if actual cars driving on actual highways could be cells in some bigger organism, like the universe maybe. And if that’s possible then maybe the whole universe is just a cell in an even bigger universe. That was like my big scientific thought.

DANIYAR
It is a cool thought. Perhaps there is an entire universe in each person.

A moment of silence before the STEWARDESS begins walking up and down the aisle anxiously carrying towels and blankets other things to the back of the plane. ACADIA and DANIYAR notice it and both become nervous.

ACADIA
Something’s going on, isn’t it?

DANIYAR
She seems worried. Now I am worried.

ACADIA
We’ve been through too much together already, Daniyar. I feel like I’ve known you for a thousand years.

A woman onboard screams. DANIYAR and ACADIA grab hands and put their heads on the seats in front of them.

STEWARDESS ANNOUNCEMENT
There has been a medical emergency onboard the flight. Would any medical professionals please come to the back of the plane immediately. I repeat, there has been a medical emergency onboard the flight. Would any medical professionals please come to the back of the plane immediately. Thank you.”

ACADIA and DANIYAR sit upright and look towards the back of the plane.

DANIYAR
Does this mean we aren’t going to die?

ACADIA
I think so, but someone else might…

They both slide back into their seats and look out the window quietly.

VOICE TWENTY

VOICE TWENTY-ONE

BETH and KAIYA’s VOICES (singing)
“Ole King Cole was a merry old soul/And a very old soul was he/ He called for his pipe, and he called for his bowl, and he called for his fiddlers three. And ever a fiddler, he had a fine fiddle, a very fine fiddle had he. "Twee tweedle dee, tweedle dee, tweedle dee/ Oh, there's none so rare/ as can compare/ with King Cole and his fiddlers three.”

12. Still Waiting for the Stars to Fall (and that’s ok cuz we’re drunk)

ELLIOT focuses his telescope on KAIYA and Beth who are drinking from the champagne bottle and signing Ole King Cole in rounds, in between hiccups. They’re a little drunk.

KAIYA
Oh… why do I love that song so much?

BETH
Because you’re totally gay.

KAIYA
That’s very un-p.c. of you.

BETH
Since when do you care about being p.c.?

KAIYA
Since I started questioning my sexuality.

BETH
What? You’re not questioning your sexuality.

KAIYA
Sure I am. I question everything. Why should my sexuality get left out?

BETH
How exactly does one go about questioning their sexuality? Do you like sit around and ask your privates questions?

KAIYA
My privates?

BETH
What?

They both burst out laughing.

KAIYA
Oh god. Is this why people drink? So they can sit around and be complete morons?

BETH
Well it’s definitely not cuz it tastes good.

KAIYA
It really doesn’t. The first few sips were fine but now my tongue just feels all nasty and sour.

BETH
And I’ve got these ridiculous hiccups.

KAIYA
Well, at least now we know.

They shrug and take a few disdainful sips from the bottle.

BETH
You know what’s weird?

KAIYA
Aside from you using the word “privates?”

BETH
We’re sitting out here waiting for stars to fall out of the sky. It’s like we’re waiting for them to fall to their death.

KAIYA
Except that they aren’t really stars.

BETH
Oh right. They’re meteors.

KAIYA
Which are basically just comet shit.

BETH
Comet shit?

KAIYA
Yeah, their debris or whatever.

BETH
I saw this thing on the Discovery Channel once about black holes.

KAIYA
You’re such a dork.

BETH
I know. Anyway, they’re like these anti-stars. Instead of giving off light, they go around gobbling it up. They can consume stars that are way bigger than the sun even. The image was totally crazy. It’s like this tiny hole is sucking the star up through a straw and the star gets pulled apart into this thin strand. It’s really violent for the star but also really beautiful. Apparently astronomers wait their whole lives hoping to see this.

KAIYA
Kind of morbid of them, isn’t it?

BETH
Yeah, I guess.

beat.

BETH
What if Reul’s really sick?

KAIYA
Of course she’s sick. She wouldn’t be in the hospital if she wasn’t.

BETH
No, like what if she’s…. dying.

KAIYA
We're all dying.

BETH
I don’t know. Maybe it’s the champagne, but I just had this really funny feeling come over me. Like she could hear us right now.

KAIYA
You’re just drunk.

BETH
I hope so.

A moment of silence.

KAIYA
Remember that time in the grocery store? When we were singing “Sur le pont d’avingnon”?

BETH
Yes! That was hysterical.

KAIYA
You know when it goes “l’on y danse, l’on y danse?”

BETH
Yeah.

KAIYA
Well I never actually saw the words to the song. I just learned them from you and Reul. And for probably two years I thought we were saying “Tony Danza, Tony Danza.”

BETH
Shut up!

KAIYA
Totally serious. And I always pictured him there with that cheesy smile standing on some bridge in France.

They laugh hysterically.

BETH
Oh god! I think I’m going to pee my pants!

KAIYA
Me too!

BETH
We have to sing it! Right now!

KAIYA
Rounds?

BETH (nods and begins singing)
“Sur le pont, d’avingon…”

KAIYA
“Sur le pont, d’avingon…”

BETH
“Tony Danza, Tony Danza!

KAIYA
“Tony Danza, Tony Danza…”

BETH
“Sur le pont, d’avingon…”

KAIYA
“Sur le pont, d’avingon…”

BETH
“l’on y danse”

KAIYA
“l’on y danse”

BETH
“Tout en rond”

KAIYA
“Tout en rond”

They continue singing and laughing. REUL dances on and sings with them and drinks their champagne. When the song ends there is silence. REUL kisses each of them on either cheek as if she were in France and exits.

KAIYA
Did you…?

BETH nods.

BETH
We should probably go in now.

KAIYA
Yeah.

BETH and KAIYA gather up their things and exit holding hands.

ELLIOT dries his eyes then moves his telescope.

VOICE TWENTY

VOICE TWENTY-ONE

JESSIE’S VOICE
I wish he’d come in here and apologize.

13. Holes in Fabric of the Universe

ELLIOT focuses his telescope on JESSIE who is in her bedroom wrapped in her holey blanket. ANTHONY taps on the door to her room. She ignores it. Finally he cracks it open a bit.

JESSIE
Go away.

ANTHONY
Hi to you too. I take it you’re still mad?

JESSIE
Yes.

ANTHONY
It really wasn’t that far.

JESSIE
It scared the shit out of me.

ANTHONY
I’m sorry.

JESSIE
No you’re not.

ANTHONY
How do you know?

JESSIE
If you had the chance to repeat that moment can you honestly say you wouldn’t jump?

ANTHONY
No.

JESSIE
See.

ANTHONY
That doesn’t mean I’m not sorry. Did you know that the reason people are afraid of heights is not because they’re afraid of falling? What they’re really afraid of is their own desire to jump and their own inability to curb that desire.

JESSIE
Your point is?

ANTHONY
I jumped because there was no other choice but to jump. From the moment I got to the edge and looked down, I knew I was going to do it.

JESSIE
You’re saying you don’t have free will?

ANTHONY
I’m saying it’s all free will. My will jumped first, I had to follow.

JESSIE
That’s stupid. Almost stupider than jumping off of the roof.

ANTHONY
I have something to make up for it.

JESSIE
And what exactly would that be?

ANTHONY
Information.

JESSIE
On…?

ANTHONY
On some celestial activity that’s going to be taking place any moment now and should be visible from your spot up there.

JESSIE
What kind of celestial activity would that be?

ANTHONY
A meteor shower!

JESSIE
Oh. That sucks.

ANTHONY
Why? You have a thing against seeing stars shoot across the sky?

JESSIE
It sucks that I’m going to miss them.

ANTHONY
You have somewhere to important to be?

JESSIE
Right here. I’m grounded.

ANTHONY
What? Why?

JESSIE
My dad saw me out on the roof.

ANTHONY
Is that a crime or something?

JESSIE
He saw me with the cigarettes.

ANTHONY
What cigarettes? Oh no. Not my cloves? (JESSIE nods) But why are you in trouble?

JESSIE
I was holding them.

ANTHONY
You were smoking them?

JESSIE
No. I was hiding them.

ANTHONY
Well you told him they were mine, didn’t you? Didn’t you? Jessie.

JESSIE
He would have been much tougher on you. He might have even kicked you out.

ANTHONY
That’s my problem, not yours. I’m going to tell him—

JESSIE
Don’t.

ANTHONY
This is totally unjust. I’m not going to let you be in trouble because of--

JESSIE
Just tell me you’re not going to jump off the roof again.

ANTHONY
I’m not going to jump off the roof again anyway, but still. I have to tell him.

JESSIE
You don’t have to and I don’t want you to. Since you wouldn’t listen to me before will you at least listen to me on this? Please?

ANTHONY
I don’t get you.

JESSIE
I don’t get you either.

A moment. ANTHONY notices all of the holes in the blanket.

ANTHONY
Damn. What’d you do to that blanket?

JESSIE
What do you mean?

ANTHONY
It’s completely full of holes.

JESSIE (with a big grin)
It’s my holey blanket.

ANTHONY
Why do you have that big grin on your face?

JESSIE
No reason.

ANTHONY
Alright then. I don’t suppose there’s a reason for all of these holes in your holey blanket?

JESSIE
There certainly is.

ANTHONY
I don’t suppose you’d want to tell me what that reason is?

JESSIE
When I was little, whenever I would get a scrape on my knee or some little wound, my mom would tell me that if it left a scar I’d know it was a moment I was supposed to remember. And then when we found out my mom was sick, I wanted to remember all of these moments with her and so, it was kind of stupid, but I tried to give myself scars on purpose. She figured out what was happening and gave me this blanket and told me whenever there was something I wanted to remember, I should just tear a little hole in it.

ANTHONY
Each hole is for a different memory?

JESSIE
Uh huh.

ANTHONY
There’s a lot of holes.

JESSIE
Actually there aren’t considering I’ve had it since I was eight.

ANTHONY
Man. How do you decide if a memory is worthy of a hole?

JESSIE
It’s tough. I mean I have to choose carefully or else the blanket will just fall apart. Most of the time I just know which moments are worthy… but sometimes I have to debate them for a while. Sort of weigh them out with all of the other holes. Some of them are pretty important.

ANTHONY
Like this one? (he points to the biggest hole).

JESSIE
Yeah. (after a beat) That was for the last time I got to hug my mom.

ANTHONY
I guess that’s a pretty important one.

JESSIE
It is.

ANTHONY
Do you remember what it felt like?

JESSIE
Like it was yesterday.

A moment.

ANTHONY
And what about this tiny one here in the corner? Not very important?

JESSIE
Let me see. (ANTHONY shows her the hole. She smiles). It’s small because it’s kind of silly, but I still didn’t want to forget it.

ANTHONY
So are you going to tell me about it?

JESSIE
I don’t know. It was for a night under the stars.

ANTHONY
That’s all I get?

JESSIE
Fine. I was twelve. At camp. The summer after she died. There was this boy, Zach Taylor, and he saw me sitting on the dock alone one night and he came and sat by me and made up stories about the constellations to make me laugh.

ANTHONY
And then…?

JESSIE
And then nothing.

ANTHONY
Yeah right. He made up stories about stars for you and then nothing?

JESSIE
We held hands, that was all. And he told me my eyes reflected the stars.

ANTHONY
What? How close was he looking?

JESSIE
Not that close.

ANTHONY
Uh huh…

JESSIE
I was twelve.

ANTHONY
So? Stars have a crazy affect on people.

JESSIE
Uh huh… like making them think they can fly?

ANTHONY
That and other things.

JESSIE
Maybe.

A moment.

ANTHONY
So now that we’re like sharing stuff and all… I don’t suppose you’d want to share that wish with me…


JESSIE
You’re still on that?

ANTHONY
Well you said I ruined it and it’s driving me crazy that I messed something up for you and I don’t even know what.

JESSIE
It’s nothing really.

ANTHONY
Then you can tell me, right? No big deal…

JESSIE (after a sigh)
My oldest wish has always been to have a brother. A sister would have been okay, but really my preference was always a brother. An older one who would know stuff about the world and want to talk to me about it, but not condescend. One who wasn’t all macho and doing crazy boy stuff and actually cared about not hurting my feelings.

ANTHONY
One who wasn’t jumping off roofs and teasing you about saying shit and holding hands with Zach Taylor when you were twelve?

JESSIE
Yes.

ANTHONY
I hate to tell you this, but I don’t think that wish had a chance of coming true.

JESSIE
I’ve realized that.

ANTHONY
I hope I’m at least a close second. I mean, not being your real brother and still doing crazy boy stuff from time to time but never hurting your feelings on purpose and genuinely enjoying your company as well as all of the stuff you know about the world.

JESSIE
Yeah, maybe.

ANTHONY does something silly with the blanket to break up the tenderness of the moment, as boys tend to do.

ANTHONY
This blanket kind of reminds me of when I was in grade school and the sixth grade science classes made star tents out of black garbage bags that they poked with pinholes.
They arranged the pinholes in the shapes of constellations and then invited the younger students into the tents to tell them the myths of the constellations. Do you know any of those myths?

JESSIE
I think I did at one point. In grade school.

ANTHONY
Yeah. I’ve forgotten them all too. I just remember the sixth graders flirting like crazy in their homemade planetariums. These two kids even managed to work a French kiss into their telling of Artemis and Orion.

JESSIE
Awe…

ANTHONY
No, not at all. Artemis and Orion never get together! It’s a tragedy and they rewrote the ending so they could make-out. I don’t know what their teacher was thinking letting all of their hormones stew together in the dark like that.

JESSIE
He was probably thinking it was a cool project that they’d get into.

ANTHONY
Yeah. It was a cool project. I remember being really impressed with those pinholes and wondering if real stars were like that, like holes in the fabric of the sky, and how amazing it would be if behind all of that blackness, beyond what we thought was the end, the limit, there was a light brighter and bigger than anyone could possibly imagine. All light. Infinite light.

JESSIE holds her blanket up in between their faces.

JESSIE
And what if there’s something behind the light?

ANTHONY
Huh?

JESSIE
What if there’s no such thing as an end? What if it’s just one dimension after the next?

ANTHONY
I have no idea. (beat) But I do know that we could make a pretty sweet fort with this blanket and those cushions right there.

JESSIE
Like the star tent you mean?

ANTHONY
Sure. At least then we can pretend you’re out there watching the meteor shower and not stuck in here.

JESSIE
Are you going to make the stars fall too?

ANTHONY
I can try.

They start building the fort.

ELLIOT moves his telescope.

VOICE TWENTY-TWO

SAM’S VOICE

ELLIOT focuses his telescope on SAM by the pool.

14. More than a Reflection
After a while, SAM’s expression changes.

SAM
Elliot? No way. Is that you?

ELLIOT puts down his telescope and looks around.

ELLIOT
Are you talking to me?

SAM
What do you mean am I talking to you? Are you talking to me?

ELLIOT
I guess I am. Weird.

SAM
You’re telling me. (A long pause.) This is ridiculous, but I don’t know what to say. There were so many things that have been going through my mind since you… left… things I wished I would have said to you or things that would just pop into my mind and I’d want to tell you. Or ask you… lots of things I wanted to ask you. But now, now that I’m actually looking at you, none of it seems important. I’m just so glad to see your face again.

ELLIOT
Would you mind not staring? It’s kind of creeping me out.

SAM
Oh. Sorry.

ELLIOT
You’re still doing it.

SAM
Uh… sorry. I just can’t believe I’m actually seeing you.

ELLIOT
Yeah, me neither. I’ve been watching all of these people all over the world and not a single one ever noticed me. I completely forgot I existed until now.

SAM
What’s it feel like?

ELLIOT
It’s strange. I’m starting to remember things. Remember what it was like to be me. I wasn’t very happy was I?

SAM
Apparently not. You killed yourself.

ELLIOT
Yeah. Sorry about that. Seems like you’ve been having a pretty hard time.

SAM
I’ve missed you. So much. (beat) Can I hug you?

ELLIOT
Hug, as in put your arms around me?

SAM
Yeah.

ELLIOT
Now you’re really being weird.

SAM
I miss you.

ELLIOT
I’m right here.

SAM
Then, past tense. I missed you. So much. And I feel this overwhelming need to hug you right now. Please?

ELLIOT
I don’t remember you ever doing that when I was alive.

SAM
I don’t think I knew how.

ELLIOT
Were you retarded or something?

SAM
Emotionally, yeah. I didn’t know how to hug you. It just wasn’t something we did. And I didn’t know how to start.

ELLIOT
But you want to start now. Now that I’m not even alive?

SAM
Better late than never.

ELLIOT
Well, we could try.

SAM
How? Should I jump in? To the pool?

ELLIOT
No, don’t do that. Your friends would think you’d lost it.

SAM
What friends?

ELLIOT
The ones who brought you here. You’re lucky you have friends like that. I don’t remember having many friends.

SAM
No. Not many. You were always hanging out by yourself. But I think if you could have hung in there, you would have met some people. Like that guy Orion who was just here. I think you and him would have gotten along really well.

ELLIOT
He seems familiar, if I even know what that means anymore. Maybe we were friends.

SAM
Really?

ELLIOT
Or maybe we’re going to be.

SAM
He made me see that the stars are everywhere.

ELLIOT (looking at the sky around him for the first time)
Yeah. They really are.

SAM
You can see them too?

ELLIOT
Sure can. (he looks down) Oh no!

SAM
What?

ELLIOT
I think I’m in them.

SAM
The stars?

ELLIOT
They’re under my feet.

SAM
Wow. I bet that’s pretty sweet.

ELLIOT
No. Not sweet at all. Don’t you remember how afraid of heights I was?

SAM
Was. I hate to remind you, but: You’re dead. I don’t think you can die twice.

ELLIOT
Oh. Right. Phew.

SAM
So do I get to hug you or what?

ELLIOT
Uh, sure.

SAM
K. I’m standing here so I don’t fall into the pool and drown. You’re the one with super powers or whatever, so get out of those stars and come to me.

ELLIOT
I’m not sure how, but I’ll try.

Steps reveal themselves and ELLIOT climbs down from the sky.

SAM
I’ll wait. Like we’re playing hide-and-go seek. (closes his eyes) One one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand… Remember that time I hid in the hamper and you couldn’t find me?

ELLIOT
Yes. I thought you’d disappeared.

SAM
Now you’re the one who’s disappeared.

ELLIOT is now standing beside SAM.

ELLIOT
Not entirely.

ELLIOT reaches out his arms and hugs SAM. SAM puts his arms around ELLIOT and makes a strange and beautiful human sound. Something between a sigh and a sob… something a little like the pulsing of a star. The hug finishes and they stand next to each other.

ELLIOT
You alright?

SAM
Yeah. That makes a lot of things feel a whole lot better.

ELLIOT
Good.

They look at the stars in the pool together.

SAM
Is that what it looked like from up there?

ELLIOT
Yes, actually.

SAM
Cool.

A beat.

ELLIOT
I’m not really sure why, but I’ve got this feeling that I’m supposed to be somewhere.

SAM
I figured you couldn’t stay forever.

ELLIOT
Maybe I’ll see you out there someday.

SAM
I hope so.

ELLIOT exits and SAM heads the other direction.

15. How To Become A Star

ELLIOT wanders for a bit and then finds himself back at the same stairs. He climbs them. At the top he finds REUL, looking through the telescope. She doesn’t hear him at first.

Nice telescope.

A scene between ELLIOT and REUL in the stars. They notice an interesting hazy part of the sky that looks kind of like an entryway or a hole and they want to go towards it but aren’t sure how.

I haven’t written this scene yet so I’m not going to tell you any more yet except that it ends with them getting REUL and ELLIOT hitching onto ACADIA and DANIYAR’s plane so they can fly across the sky. Yes, this is supposed to be fun and funny.


VOICE TWENTY-THREE

16. Echoes of Stars

ANTHONY and JESSIE are in their fort. ANTHONY is tuning the radio.

ANTHONY
So I was thinking about what you said about the stars being phantoms and I think what the song needs is a bass line that sounds like something so far away it doesn’t even exist anymore… and I realized that’s what an echo is. It’s the phantom of a sound. So I’m not quite sure how I’m going to get the right starting sound but once I do I just have to vary it a little to get the second sound to be an echo of the first and then vary the second to find its echo so that the third part echoes the echo of the first part. So every sound changes just a little bit and it keeps going until the very last part which has all of the other sounds in it… And then I’m going to record it and layer all of the echoes on my computer into this one sound that’s vibrating with all of the echoes…

JESSIE
Like a single star twinkling across billions of years?

ANTHONY
Exactly. Yeah. I figured out that the song shouldn’t be about the stars… it should actually sound like them.

JESSIE
And that’s why there aren’t going to be any words?

ANTHONY
There aren’t any words because I haven’t written them yet. But I’m pretty sure that they have voices just like we do, the sound just hasn’t reached us yet.

JESSIE
Because we’re so far away…

ANTHONY
And because sound travels even slower than light.

JESSIE
So what do they say?

ANTHONY
I was kind of hoping you could help me with that. Everything I think of just isn’t important enough.

JESSIE
I guess they’re not exactly wondering about what’s for dinner or what to watch on TV. However. I bet they do talk a lot about the weather.

ANTHONY
I hope that’s not all.

JESSIE
Maybe… maybe they echo us.

ANTHONY
Why would they want to echo us?

JESSIE
We talk to them all the time. Maybe they echo back everything we’ve ever said.

ANTHONY
As a kind of response?

JESSIE
Sure. And one day, the sounds will reach us and we’ll hear everything all of humanity has ever wished for.

ANTHONY
And that’s how the world will end. In a chorus of unanswered wishes.

JESSIE
Why does it have to be the end? Why couldn’t it be the beginning of an entirely different world? A world where people understand that we all have the same, or at least similar, wishes. A world where maybe we could start trying to make the wishes come true.

ANTHONY
You’re an idealist.

JESSIE
No, I just believe.

ANTHONY goes back to tuning the radio. He stops when he hears an echo-y sound.

ANTHONY
That’s it! That’s the freaking echo!

JESSIE
It’s cool. Is that an experimental channel or something?

ANTHONY
No… it’s BBC. Weird. I’ve got to record this. Where’s my…

ANTHONY runs out and comes back with a recording device of some sort. He connects it to the radio. They listen.

RADIO ANNOUNCER
announces that was the sound of meteors reflecting the high frequency radio waves…

ANTHONY
That was totally it. I’ve got my song right there. I can’t believe we just heard that.

JESSIE
I can.

VOICE TWENTY-FOUR

VOICE-TWENTY-FIVE


17. Behind the Legislature – Raining Stars

NOELLE
Oh my god! Sam! Come here!

JUSTIN
You’ve gotta see this man!

NOELLE
Come on, hurry!

SAM
What?

NOELLE
It’s raining stars!

JUSTIN
Whoa! Did you just—

NOELLE
Totally. Did you see it Sam?

SAM
No, I…

NOELLE
Another one!

JUSTIN
Yep! I wonder how many there will be!

NOELLE
Sam did you see it? He’s not even looking up…


JUSTIN
Dude. The sky is that way—

NOELLE
-- the reflection!

JUSTIN and NOELLE run over to the pool.

NOELLE
Can you really see them in there?

SAM
I don’t know yet.

JUSTIN
Whoa... Is this what that guy wanted to show you?

SAM
Who?

NOELLE
The freak.

JUSTIN
With the belt.

SAM
He wasn’t a freak. He’s a friend of Elliot’s.

NOELLE
Oh…

JUSTIN
I’m sorry. We didn’t— We shouldn’t have said anything.

Silence. They stare into the pool.

SAM
Wouldn’t it be weird if death was just a birth into something even bigger…

JUSTIN
Like what?

SAM
I don’t know. Whatever’s on the other side of the sky, maybe.

NOELLE
It’s kind of amazing looking at it from this angle.

JUSTIN
I can see the light from our faces reflecting back. We almost look like that constellation.

NOELLE
Where?

SAM/NOELLE/JUSTIN (as they see a shooting star)
There!

(they all point into the pool)

VOICE TWENTY-SIX
A woman screams.

VOICE TWENTY-SEVEN
A baby cries its first cry.

18. Somewhere Between Where He’s Going and Where He’s Been

ACADIA and DANIYAR on the plane. They are standing on their seats clapping and cheering along with all of the passengers onboard.

ACADIA
Can you see it? I want to know if it’s a girl or a boy.

DANIYAR
It is too tiny. Too far away.

ACADIA
I bet it’s a girl. Can you imagine? Being born in the air?

DANIYAR
What will her birthplace be?

ACADIA
I don’t know? Thirty thousand feet? Over the Atlantic? British Airways Flight 323? Maybe they’ll just give latitude and longitude.

There is a bump and ACADIA and DANIYAR quickly take their seats and buckle up.

PILOT ANNOUNCEMENT
Ladies and gentleman, please fasten your seatbelts as we are heading into some clouds. And congratulations to passenger Jennifer Davis who just gave birth to a healthy baby boy!

ACADIA
Jennifer… (DANIYAR slumps down in his seat) She wasn’t obese at all! She was pregnant!

DANIYAR
Maybe it is not the same woman.

ACADIA
You couldn’t tell the difference! You thought her baby was just one too many big macs!

DANIYAR
She was enormous.

ACADIA
She was pregnant! Haven’t you ever seen a pregnant woman before? On the news, perhaps?

DANIYAR
It is very hard to tell. She was very large. I—

ACADIA
Just admit it. You’ve got a lot to learn too.

DANIYAR
Okay.

ACADIA (shaking her head)
Really really fat…

19. A Very Useful Meteoroid

SYDNEY (still have to write this)
she has a telescope. it fell from the sky. she informs us that Orion was back in his place and she was able to see the meteor shower and instead of a meteoroid crashing down to earth, as has been known to happen during some meteor showers (she sites specific examples she found on the internet), this telescope fell from the sky and right onto her new laptop. It left quite a dent but it still seems to function alright. Now she can see all kinds of constellations she’s never seen before. and the strangest thing… inside the dipper there are tons of stars. An entire pool of them! she did a little research and discovered that astronomers just spotted these stars and think they were just born tonight. talks about the birth of a star… how it’s actually a lot like its death.


20. The Sound (have to write this still)
Anthony plays his guitar with the sound he recorded from the radio. He stops when he sees Jessie tearing a new hole in her blanket. She explains the infiniteness of her blanket. How she could sew up each hole and create new ones over and over again because it’s not the holes that hold the memories and not even the blanket itself… but the sky… or the light behind it…

Anthony adds some words to the song for Jessie. The voices come back in and begin overlapping and mixing with the music of the guitar and the voices of the stars until they all overlap so much that just one sound and its echo remains.

The END