The Stones

Tom Lycos, Stefo Nantsou

• Publisher: Currency Press
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781760621414
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Drama
• Index: Literature

The Stones is based on the true story of two boys charged with manslaughter after throwing rocks from a freeway overpass and killing a motorist. Were the boys old enough to be responsible for their actions?

PROLOGUE

SHY BOY stands on a freeway overpass looking down at the passing traffic. The wind howls quietly and he shivers from the cold.

The wind picks up and SHY BOY struggles against the blowing gale until he gives up and leaves the overpass. (YAHOO is making the wind sounds with his guitar.)

SHY BOY joins YAHOO, picking up a guitar and starting to play a riff as the scene shifts to Yahoo’s lounge room.

YAHOO stops the wind sound and picks up the riff as if it is a game.

They play an instrumental piece on their guitars, trying all the while to outdo each other with their guitar skills.

When the instrumental finishes they invite applause from the audience, put the guitars down and come forward to start the story.

SCENE ONE: BREAK AND ENTER

YAHOO and SHY BOY are running as fast as they can. They jump a few fences and eventually reach the side of a large warehouse.

SHY BOY: [pointing towards a side door] It’s over there … cool.

They move over to the door. YAHOO tries opening it, but it’s locked. He tries shaking it open, but the door makes too much noise. So he stops.

It was open before.

YAHOO: Well, it’s locked now.

SHY BOY: You probably locked it.

YAHOO: Oh, shut ya face.

SHY BOY: Give us a go.

YAHOO: Don’t touch it.

SHY BOY: Why not?

YAHOO: You’ll set off some sort of stupid alarm or something.

SHY BOY: I will not.

YAHOO: Yes you will.

They both laugh nervously.

Hey look, you stay here, see if the security guy comes, and I’ll go around the other side and see if we can get in there. Don’t touch the door.

YAHOO moves around to the other side of the warehouse while SHY BOY stands at the locked door. SHY BOY, very impatient, decides he’ll try kicking the door open. YAHOO hears the banging sound from the other side of the warehouse and creeps back over to SHY BOY and stops him kicking the door.

Shut up, you dickhead. Why don’t you go and call the cops, tell ’em what we’re doin’?

SHY BOY: Sorry.

YAHOO: I said don’t touch the door.

SHY BOY: I said sorry.

YAHOO: And I said don’t touch the door.

They laugh nervously again.

Come on, let’s go around the other side.

SHY BOY: [noticing a window] Hey!

YAHOO: What?

SHY BOY: Check this out.

YAHOO: [very interested] Oh. Hey, get up there.

YAHOO gives SHY BOY a lift up to see through the window. SHY BOY looks in a little while, then jumps back down.

SHY BOY: [loudly] There’s a BMW!

YAHOO: [covering SHY BOY’s mouth] Keep ya voice down, okay!

SHY BOY: [recovering quickly] There’s a BMW in there and it’s got one of them badge things on it.

YAHOO: Great. Did ya open the window?

SHY BOY: Na.

YAHOO: Well, get up there and open the window, dickhead. Hurry up.

YAHOO lifts SHY BOY up again and he tries opening the window.

SHY BOY: Stand still.

YAHOO: Shut ya face.

SHY BOY tries again, then jumps back down. YAHOO thinks he’s succeeded.

Excellent!

SHY BOY: It’s locked.

YAHOO: Well, let’s go around the other side.

SHY BOY: Okay.

They creep around to the other side of the warehouse, where YAHOO sees another window, this one higher than the other.

YAHOO: Hey, get up there.

SHY BOY: Shhh.

YAHOO: Hurry up.

SHY BOY climbs up on YAHOO’s shoulders.

I got ya … I won’t wobble, hurry up … I got ya … I got ya—shit, I’m gonna drop ya …

SHY BOY almost falls, but successfully climbs up on YAHOO’s shoulders and looks through the window.

SHY BOY: Hey!

YAHOO: What?

SHY BO...