On centre stage there is a bed. It consists of a comforter and several pillows. There are several stuffed animals around the bed. Lizzie is laying in the bed, her back is facing the audience. There are no lights on in the stage area. The bed or Lizzie is not seen.
Lizzie is an ordinary seventeen year old girl. She’s excited about going to university next year. She loves the idea of being on her own. She’s hates going to bed early and believes the philosophy ‘late to bed; late to rise.’ While her parents often tell her that by getting up late she is wasting half the day she believes it is regained in the wee hours of the night.
The situation is that she has had a terrible nightmare a couple of nights before and now are having a hard night getting to sleep. She is afraid that the dream may return. She is lying in her bed, in her room, trying to go to sleep.
LIZZIE: (timid voice) I’m afraid. (normal voice) I don’t want to go to sleep. I don’t want to dream. The horrors that will crept into my mind and keep me up all night. Those dreams then will haunt me for the rest of the day. Then I begin to worry. What’s coming around the corner? Will my dream come true as it sometimes has before? Then I become fearful of my life. And this is all because of that one dream!”
A dim yellow light flickers. It illuminates where Lizzie is now sitting up. She looks at the audience, her nerves shown on her face.
LIZZIE: It was scary. I never have bad dreams. Try to kill me and I’ll be okay. I don’t care; it’s not a big deal. Try to attack me and when I wake up I’ll be fine. But throw fire into the dream; add charred houses and I’m up for the night. And the next one after that. I cannot calm down. I need to calm down.”
She picks up her brown teddy bear. She squeezes it, trying to forget her dreams. She laughs bitterly.
LIZZIE: Seventeen years old and I’m afraid to go to sleep. Seventeen years old- I can almost do everything. I’m in love (pauses and smiles dreamily). I can hang out with my friends, I can drive and in only weeks I can vote. Yet here I am, lying awake because I’m afraid to go to sleep. I’m acting like I am five years old instead of almost an adult! Fine! That’s it! It’s time to go to sleep!
Lizzie lies down and pulls her blankets over her head. The stage becomes black again. There is silence.
LIZZIE: I walk down the street. I feel the ground shake and suddenly the house across the road explodes. The flames jump into the sky. I run. I know, for some reason, I know someone has blown up that house. (yellow light turns on. Lizzie is just staring at the wall. She is fearful) I enter the townhouse complex. Inside I know I am not safe but I do not leave. Perhaps I can’t. I watch helplessly as one unit blows up and then the rest of the row. Just before the houses disappear in flames the ground shakes. (she swallows and tightly squeezes her bear) The next day I return to the townhouses and they are charred. They are black and there are ashes. The worst part is I know there were people inside those houses. I know people were burnt alive and that they died. I also know the man who did this is still free. Free to do it again.
She allows one tear to fell then, still clutching her teddy bear, she gets out of bed. The light brightens. She begins to pace.
LIZZIE: The key to sleep is relaxation. I just need to calm down. Maybe if I think of other things then I’ll forget… I will think about bubble gum. (she sits on her bed) I like bubble gum. Blowing big bubbles are fun. The popping sound they make is cool. My friend, Marty, hates it when I make regular chewing gum into bubble gum. That never stops me. It’s so much fun to annoy him. (yawns) I like watermelon flavoured gum. Yummy!
Lizzie crawls back into bed and pulls her blanket up. The light dims.
LIZZIE: (yawn) Maybe… I’ll just go to sleep now.
Suddenly there is a howl of wind and Lizzie jumps awake.
LIZZIE: (quiet voice) What if he is real? What if this house is his next target? (the lights flickers on and Lizzie is sitting up, holding her blankets) I don’t want to explode. Does it hurt? (calls) Mom? Mommy? Can you come here? I want a hug. (waits, there is no answer) She’s probably asleep, like I’m should be. (yawns) I’m getting so tired. I just need to relax.
She stands up and walks to right down stage. She mimes putting a CD in a CD player. Soft ocean waves, with music, are heard. Yawning she enters her bed again.
LIZZIE: It’s only a dream… just a dream… it is not real. I am wrapped up in love… it’s only a dream…
She falls fast asleep.
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