Intersection: Arrival

ATYP, ATYP

• Publisher: Currency Press
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781760626938
• Topic: Medios de comunicación y artes escénicas
• Subtopic: Artes escénicas

It's midnight and twin siblings argue over what to do with the dog they just ran over. In a school common room a student is struggling to clean a sharpie drawing of a you-know-what off a window. In an undisclosed location a boy prepares for his new life in a special witness protection program for embarrassed youths.%##CHAR13##%%##CHAR13##%Intersection: Arrival is a collection of short plays written by some of Australia's most exciting young writers. Each year ATYP brings together 20 playwrights from across the country and challenges them to create stories that speak to the experience of being seventeen years old in Australia, here and now. The ten most startling pieces are put on stage.

A Little Death

Hannah Cockroft

CLARRY, seventeen—who used to be known as SEAMUS—on the run; BEC, seventeen, on the run; NADINE, seventeen, customer relations officer.

PROLOGUE

SEAMUS stands in a spotlight. He recites his monologue in the style of sombre spoken word poetry.

SEAMUS: She stares at me, eyes bulging like invisible hands are wrapped around her throat. Liquid drips from my fingers onto the carpet. The drops make sounds like thunder claps as they hit the floor. My face is frozen in the silent scream that it formed upon her laying eyes on me. The hellfire of shame burning beneath my flesh is as much a part of me as my name.

I no longer want my name. I no longer want to exist.

I beg death to take me with him. But he will not grant my wish.

The woman at the door leaves. We must never speak again.

THE TRIP

A train carriage. SEAMUS sits alone. A knock at the door. BEC enters.

BEC: Are you Seamus?

SEAMUS: No … Oh, um, yes.

BEC: Nice to meet you Seamus. My name’s ‘Bec’.

She sits.

It still feels funny saying that.

SEAMUS gives her a small nod of acknowledgement.

Where are you headed?

SEAMUS: Meekatharra. They’ve set me up an apprenticeship there.

BEC: That’s nice. I’m off to Alice Springs myself. My family’s managed to find a place up there, a cute little bungalow. It should be good.

SEAMUS: Sounds nice. I’ve heard they have … nice fruit. [Pause.] I guess cos it’s hot there.

BEC: Hm. [Pause.] It’s handy that we found it in time. Cheap too. We couldn’t afford to spend any more money on top of the other arrangements. We almost considered passing me on to a host family, heaps easier than us all trying to remember who we’re supposed to be. I couldn’t handle being away from them for that long though.

SEAMUS: Your family’s coming with you?

BEC: Yep. I’m meeting them up there. My parents are going to be my auntie and uncle, and my ‘mother’ … shit, I keep forgetting.

She pulls a folder out of her carry-on. She flicks through it, finding the page she needs.

‘My mother Lorraine Walter died in a traffic collision when I was fourteen, at which time I was placed into the custody of my aunt and uncle, Todd and Liz Thorpe. My strong resemblance to Liz Thorpe can be attributed to the fact that her and my mother were identical twins. Any resemblance to Todd Thorpe is purely coincidental, and not at all due to the fact that I came from his balls.’

She looks at him, hoping for a laugh. She doesn’t get one.

It’s going to be weird, not calling them Mum and Dad for the next twelve years.

SEAMUS doesn’t answer.

BEC: What backstory did they give you?

SEAMUS: Orphan.

BEC: Oh. [Heavy silence.] ...