CHARACTERS:

PATTY – Female, a faded beauty.
JOHN   – Male, her husband.
POSTMAN  – Male.  Early 20’s, careworn yet idealistic.

SETTING:
A Desert.  Nothing but sand.

 

 

JOHN and PATTY sit on lawn chairs, fanning themselves.

 

PATTY

It’s hot.

JOHN

Mm.

PATTY

Do you remember when we first came here?

JOHN

Mm.

PATTY

We used to dance and laugh and splash around in the …

(sees he is not listening)

… box of knives.

JOHN

Mm.

PATTY

You’re not listening.

JOHN

Mm.

PATTY

John!!

JOHN

Mm?

PATTY

It’s hot.

JOHN

Plenty of people would kill for heat.

PATTY

I know that – I know – it’s just –

JOHN

Blankets are expensive.

PATTY

Yes, John, but –

JOHN

Think of the money –

PATTY

Yes, John, I know, but –

JOHN

It doesn’t cost anything to remove your clothes.

PATTY

Your dignity, perhaps.

JOHN

Mm.

PATTY

John?

JOHN

Mm?

PATTY

Will you dance with me?

JOHN

It’s too hot.

 

The POSTMAN enters.

PATTY

Oh look, the postman has arrived!

JOHN

More bills.

PATTY

Hello Postman!

POSTMAN

Hello.

JOHN

We don’t want any bills.

PATTY

Any news?

POSTMAN

Nothing flashy.  You?

JOHN

She’s hot.

PATTY (to Postman)

No?

POSTMAN

(to Patty) No.
(to John)  I’m sorry to hear that.

JOHN

It’s nothing new.

PATTY

No news at all?

POSTMAN

(agreeing with John) No.

(to Patty) I have the latest weather if you’re interested.

PATTY

Yes, yes, anything – what is it?

POSTMAN

It’s hot.

PATTY

Ah.

POSTMAN

I’m sorry I was delayed.

PATTY

No worries, Postman.  We weren’t really waiting for you.

JOHN

Or your bills.

POSTMAN

I should have been here sooner but – the sun – the sun was so bright that I squinted.  I was blind for a moment and I – I dropped my bag – a postman never drops his bag – but I did, I dropped it down and took off my shirt because it seemed that I should – and just then in the squinted light – I saw her – Love. I cried suddenly; softly, suddenly.  Then the Postmaster yelled, “back to work!” And I begged Love not to leave my side – “Back to work!” he yelled once more – fiercer than thunder, “Back to work!”  Back.  Back.  Back–back-back and I knew I’d never see it again – something so perfect – “No!” I yelled – “Don’t leave me!” I wailed – “You have no idea what it is to always be giving.  Passing out, handing on, dropping off, turning over, sending out, giving – giving – giving and never once having something stay behind in my sack for me.  Never once a folded slip of paper bearing the shy sweet letters of my name.  And here you are – Those who have it, rarely see it and those who don’t are – “Back to work!”  And I knew then I’d lost her – “back to work!” – and somewhere the oceans dried up and somewhere the heat rose and somewhere I – “back to work!” – I – “Back to work!  Back to work!  Back to -” …  went back to work.

PATTY

Mm.  Any mail for us, Postman?

JOHN

We don’t want the bills.

POSTMAN

No bills, today, just a package.

 

The Postman hands a package to Patty.

PATTY

A package?

JOHN

What sort of a package?

PATTY

Who’s it from?

JOHN

What does the return address say?

PATTY

It says –

JOHN

Here, give it here –

PATTY

No, it’s a package for me – the postman gave it to me!  It’s says right here: to Patty –

JOHN

And John – aha! – see?  It says clearly “to Patty and John.”

PATTY

The return address – what’s it say?

JOHN

Antarctica.

PATTY

… Antarctica.

Pause.

Who do we know in Antarctica?

JOHN

Who cares, open the package.

POSTMAN

I’m leaving now.

JOHN

Open it!  Open it!

POSTMAN

Goodbye.

The postman leaves.

John and Patty comically wrestle open the package underneath the following dialogue.

JOHN

I once had an aunt with a fur coat, maybe it’s from her –

PATTY

Or the pen pal from beyond and we never found out where he came from –

JOHN

Those letters stopped coming years ago – careful, you’re ripping it –

PATTY

Yes but this – I am not! You’re the one who’s – this might be the start of a new correspondence – You’re about to –

JOHN

I’ve got it – !

PATTY

I’ve got it!

Rip!  A single ICE CUBE falls from the package and lands on the sand.  It catches

the light, dazzling like a cheap ring.

Pause.

PATTY

What is it?

JOHN

Some sort of light.

PATTY

It looks like a diamond.

JOHN

It’s not a diamond – diamonds don’t sweat.

PATTY

Look!  Look!  Yes, little beads of sweat are building up on its – do you think it’s alive?

JOHN

Nonsense, it couldn’t breathe in the package.

PATTY

Touch it.  See if it moves.

JOHN

No.  It won’t want to move, it’s too hot, look – it’s sweating.

PATTY

Who would send us something so lovely?

JOHN

Someone who loves us.

PATTY

Who loves us?

JOHN

We should – yes – we should put it somewhere.

PATTY

Where?

JOHN

I don’t know.  But we shouldn’t leave it here – someone will take it. Greedy, greedy – Put it in your pocket.

PATTY

No, I want to look at it.

JOHN

We need to hide it –

PATTY

I want to see it –

JOHN (reaching for the ice cube)

It can’t be seen, we’ve got to – ow!

PATTY

What?

JOHN

It burned me!

PATTY

It’s hot?

JOHN

It’s – no, it’s not hot, but . . . it burned my skin.

PATTY

Perhaps it’s magic.

JOHN

No, it’s angry – it’s sweating and it wants to be left alone –

PATTY

John –

JOHN

It doesn’t want to be touched or spoken to or dealt with, it’s hot, in this heat, it’s so hot – it wants to go back where it came from – it’s been tricked and it’s burning with an anger so hot –

PATTY

(overlapping slightly with John’s previous line)

John – John, no John, look.  It’s not sweat.

JOHN

What?

PATTY

It’s tears.  The rock is crying.  Look, it’s smaller somehow – it’s shrunk in sadness – so many tears – they’re – draining it.  Look how it’s shrinking.

JOHN

A flood of tears.

PATTY

It wants to go.  It wants to go back.

JOHN

It hates the heat.

PATTY

It hates us.

JOHN

How can it hate us?

PATTY

I hate us.

JOHN

. . . Patty?

A tear falls from Patty’s eye.

PATTY

Oh god, John . . . I’m shrinking.

JOHN

Patty?

PATTY

Look John – it’s almost gone now: it’s shrunk so much – and now me – I’m leaking, too.

JOHN

No, Patty.

PATTY

I’m vanishing.

Tears now dripping from Patty’s eyes.

JOHN

No, Patty, no –

PATTY

I want to go, I want to go back.

JOHN

Back to what?

PATTY

I must have come here in a package – I don’t belong here, John, some- one’s sent me here and I don’t belong and now I’m shrinking in sadness.

JOHN

No, Patty, no Patty, no Patty no –

PATTY

Who sent me here John – who sent me here to –

JOHN

Patty no, no Patty no –

PATTY

This heat.  This stifling, stifling heat.

JOHN

Patty.

PATTY

Look it’s gone!  The sand around it’s now muddy like a memory and … it’s gone.

JOHN

Don’t go, Patty.

A steady stream of tears now from Patty’s eyes.

PATTY

I can’t help it John – it’s from inside me.  My sadness.  I’m shrinking.

JOHN

Patty!  Patty, no!  Don’t Patty!  Don’t Patty!  No!

PATTY

John?

JOHN

I love you.

PATTY

… John?

(Patty touches her eyes.  No tears.)

It’s stopped.

Patty and John engage eyes perhaps for the first time.

The sun melts into the horizon.