Apostolic Hours

Apostolic Hours

(Drama)

Characters: LUCY (a church ministry server) and SAMMY (LUCY’s best friend, an atheist, professional critic)

Time: The present. Approximately 9:30 P.M.

Setting: An empty, big, and very dark church that Lucy attends. Lucy and Sammy are the only ones here.

(Voice-over)

Although Sammy is atheist, she agrees to stop by Lucy’s church for a few minutes while Lucy has silent prayer time because she feels guilty that she took Lucy to see a live performance of The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, by Christopher Marlowe, and didn’t warn her of what the play was about. Lucy was so upset at the ending of the play, and how heavily the story was influenced by the theme of the devil and black magic, that Sammy agreed to go to church with her for a few minutes to calm her down. In the twenty years of their friendship, Lucy has always tried to make Sammy a believer, so Sammy knew this would cheer Lucy up. After they read a sign in front of the church that stated the church was not open to the public for the weekend, Lucy opened the church with her own pair of keys she has, as someone who serves in that church. Sammy insists they shouldn’t be inside.

SAMMY: I told you we shouldn’t be here. Besides the fact I’m not freakin’ religious, this church is obviously meant to be closed! It’s empty, and not even a candle is lit, Lucy! I can hardly see. I should have brought my cellphone, so I could use the cellphone light.

LUCY (Kneels at the first pew): Shhhhhhhh. There’s enough light coming from the moon through the ceiling windows. Now kneel and pray to the Blessed Father.

SAMMY (Sits at the first bench next to LUCY): “Pray to the Blesse…”? I’m an atheist! This is blasphemy! Why am I here anyway? Why am I your friend? (SAMMY slouches in the pew with her arms crossed).

LUCY:  Blessed Father, please forgive my friend Sammy. She is a good person. She’s just mad at the world right now.

SAMMY: I’m not mad at the world, I’m mad at you. And I’m leaving now. (Stands up and marches over to the front doors of the church).

LUCY: Ask the Blessed Father for forgiveness first. (Dangles church keys in SAMMY’s direction).

SAMMY: Don’t need to. (Shoves church doors with right shoulder and they won’t budge)

LUCY: Tell Him you’re sorry. (Smiles and continues dangling keys at SAMMY).

SAMMY: You locked us in here? Don’t make me wrestle you for that key, Lucy!

LUCY: I’m not letting you out until you apologize to my Blessed Father, Sammy. (Puts keys in pocket)

SAMMY: Then I have no choice. (Shrieks and begins charging at LUCY).

LUCY: You’re not getting these keys until you apologize to my Blessed Father! (Runs to the opposite end of church)

SAMMY: (Pause. Slouches over. Breathes heavily.) Lucy, give me the keys. Don’t make me kick your ass for them the way I did senior year in college.

LUCY: (Gasp) Now you’re never getting them. You just cursed inside of my Blessed Father’s home. Say sorry! (Pulls out keys and dangles them at SAMMY).

SAMMY: I said. I’m going to kick your ass! (Darts through pews)

LUCY: (Runs and recites) “Our father, who art in heaven, ho…

SAMMY: (SAMMY tackles LUCY) Stop praying! Stop! Sto…

LUCY: (Louder) …Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done…

SAMMY: (SAMMY jumps on top of LUCY and slams LUCY’s wrists against floor) Shut up! Shut up!

LUCY: Say sorry! Say sorry!

SAMMY: Give me the key first!

LUCY: I can’t…

SAMMY: Why…? (Sits up and releases LUCY’s wrists)

LUCY: Because remember when I was across from you and was dangling them? (Nervously laughs)

SAMMY: Yes…?

LUCY: Well…I thought you were going to kill me. So I ran for my life. And I didn’t have time to stick the keys back in my pocket and I tried to while I was running… (Squints eyes) Don’t hate me.

SAMMY: And…?

LUCY: …And I dropped them. (Covers face using arms)

SAMMY: (Stands up) Well, that’s okay. Let’s turn on these lights and look for them.

LUCY: (Slowly stands up) See, that’s the thing. In order to turn on the lights, we have to get in that room back there.

SAMMY: Great. Let’s go. (Starts walking over to room)

LUCY: (Pause) Um. The key to that same room is on that key chain I dropped somewhere in this dark church. (Covers face using hands)

SAMMY: (Long pause)…

LUCY: Please don’t hate me, Sammy! I promise in front of our Blessed Father that it was an acci-

SAMMY: He’s your Blessed Father! Not mine! When are you going to get that through your thick skull, Lucy?

LUCY: (Through tears) I just want you to be saved…you’re my best friend, Sammy. I’m worried about your soul. (Sits on the floor; against the wall)

SAMMY: (Long pause) (Sits on floor next to LUCY) If you truly believe in all of this…and I know you also believe in prayer, then instead of locking me in a church, how about praying for me and believing in it? (Smiles at LUCY)

LUCY: (Wipes tears with sleeves) I can do that.

SAMMY: Isn’t the God you believe in, well, nice?

LUCY: (Opens eyes big at SAMMY) Nice? Are you kidding? That doesn’t begin to describe him!

SAMMY: (Puts her arm around LUCY) Well, then maybe your prayers for me, and me being a good person, are enough to “save my soul,” if He’s so nice. Maybe? Don’t you think? (Smiles at LUCY)

LUCY: (Smiles back at SAMMY) Yea…Maybe you’re right.

SAMMY: And, you know. If you went through all this trouble, only to get us stuck in a church, I’m sure it’s because God must exist. (Looks over at LUCY)

LUCY: You really mean that?

SAMMY: I know your tears were genuine and although your actions were extreme, I know where they came from. Just promise me you won’t do this again, Lucy. (Raises eyebrows at LUCY)

LUCY: (Raises right hand) I promise before Ou…I promise before My Blessed Father that I will never do this to you again, Sammy. (Smile)

SAMMY: I’m going to need you to shake on that. (Extends right hand out to LUCY)

LUCY: (Smile) Okay, okay, okay. (Extends right hand out to SAMMY and shakes hands)

END

(I own complete rights to this play. You do not have the right to copy it or plagiarize it. And blah blah blah blah blah. You can share the link to this, but that's about it. Ha-ha-ha.) - With love, Lils.

Intro to fictional short story exercise

(These are the directions I was given. I'm not sure if this short story is worth pursuing, or if I will, but here is a second draft.)

SETTING EXERCISE

*3. Write a scene in which the character’s mood is at odds with the weather, but make the weather nevertheless express his or her mood--joyful rain, threatening blue skies, chilling summer beach, etc.*

No Title Yet

I knew waiting at the bus stop on a cloudy day was a bad idea, but yet, here I am anyway. As if it is not enough that the clouds rough-housed the sun away, now I have to deal with the wind being the Brainy to my Helga. I sit hunched over with my elbows touching my knees, my hands cradling my chin, and staring down at my feet. All of a sudden, I hear a deafening swoosh and feel the wrath of the wind after it picks up a newspaper and slaps me in the face with it. Here I am thinking the clouds were the bullies, when the wind just practically tried making me participate in a slap-boxing competition I clearly cannot win. Just as I am about to start challenging mother-nature, the bus shows up. I push up the sleeves on my sweater, huff and puff, and stomp on into the bus.

I hand over my identification to the bus-driver, and he tells me that I need two forms of identification to ride this bus.

My shoulders drop along with my jaw, and after a few seconds, I compose myself and say to the bus-driver: “Look, Sir. I was waiting out there for you for a good thirty minutes while the damn wind kicked my ass. And now you want to tell me that I need two forms of identification? Are you kidding me?”

In the most tiresome voice ever, the bus-driver said, “Son, I’m sorry you’re having a bad day, but my job is simply…”

I exclaimed, “…You know what? I’m just going to see my way out because you’re not going to let me ride anyway.” While I stomped back out of the bus, he slightly lifted the right corner of his mouth while shrugging.

This time the clouds were sending down cold daggers of ice at me. I thought to myself, ooo, you mad. Ain't ‘cha, Mother Nature?

(To be continued...maybe. Lol)