Play # 02

Piece of the Puzzle

__________________________

By Joseph Frost

Originally written for the 2019 "31 Plays in 31 Days" challenge

Contact:
Joseph Frost
710 Newland St
Jackson MS 39211
FrostJosephD@gmail.com
 ARCHIE, a woman, sits at a folding card table
with a pile of puzzle pieces on it. The edges of
the puzzle are already assembled into a square.

She sifts through the pile, turning them all face

up, if they’re not already.

RON, a man, sits on a stool, some ways away.

Maybe he reads a newspaper.

Archie looks for a bit, then lets out an

exasperated sigh.

RON
Puzzles are hard.

ARCHIE
I know.

RON
You’ve signed up for a relaxing afternoon of frustration.

ARCHIE
I don’t know about that.

RON
No?

ARCHIE
It’s comforting to know that everything has a place. An order. A unified picture. All I
have to do...

RON
All you have to do.

ARCHIE
Reading the news is more relaxing.

RON
The acquisition of knowledge. I do feel better knowing what’s going on.

ARCHIE
When there’s nothing you can do about it.
 2.

RON
It’s not about me doing.

ARCHIE
Then what’s it about?

RON
Knowing.

Archie places some pieces together.

ARCHIE
Ahh. See?

Ron looks.

RON
(unenthusiastic, but not condescending)
That’s great.

ARCHIE
I put these together. It’s starting.

RON
You already have the edges. That’s a big step.

ARCHIE
I know. Lookit. The whole square. The frame. Now I can work my way in. Put
together the most distinctive parts, and keep working.

Ron loudly turns the page of the newspaper, and

continues reading.

RON
Geez.

ARCHIE
What’s that.

RON
Flooding.

ARCHIE
Where?
 3.

RON
By the river.

ARCHIE
Hm.

RON
Right up into Smithville.

ARCHIE
Where?

RON
Smithville.

ARCHIE
Where’s that?

RON
By the river.

ARCHIE
Right...

RON
Where we went to the festival there. Downtown. That little downtown.

ARCHIE
With the awnings?

RON
Right.

ARCHIE
I liked that place.

RON
Flooded.

ARCHIE
How bad?

RON
Not too bad. But it’ll be a lot to clean up.
 4.

ARCHIE
That’s a pile of water. Up from the river.

RON
Yep.

Archie gets a couple more pieces together.

ARCHIE
Look at that. A sparrow.

RON
Hm?

ARCHIE
A sparrow. It’s on the tree limb.

RON
Ah. Nice. Sparrow.

A moment.

ARCHIE
Sad about Smithville.

RON
Yeah.
(beat)
Mayor’s saying it’ll take eight months to get it cleaned up.

ARCHIE
Eight months. So no festival this year?

RON
What?

ARCHIE
It was a fall festival. Eight months would be after that.

RON
I guess so.

ARCHIE
I had wanted to go again.
 5.

RON
Yeah.

Archie gets a couple pieces together.

ARCHIE
Did you want to go?

RON
Hm?

ARCHIE
To the festival.

RON
I don’t know. Hadn’t thought about it.

ARCHIE
Well, now you can’t.

RON
I suppose not.

Another moment.

Ron turns another page.

Archie sifts through the pile a couple of times.

Ron notices.

ARCHIE
I can’t find it.

RON
What?

ARCHIE
The last part of the branch.

RON
What branch?
 6.

ARCHIE
(points to box cover image)
This one. Near the sparrow.

RON
Well...

ARCHIE
It’s one last piece. That’s gonna bug me.

RON
There’s a lot more of the puzzle to finish.

ARCHIE
Yeah, but it feels better to have a section done then move on to a new section.

RON
I see.
(beat)
Frustrated?

ARCHIE
Just annoyed.

RON
That’s gotta be frustrating.

ARCHIE
Been over these pieces five times.

RON
Yeah.

Ron stands, folds his paper, sets it into his chair

and crosses to the table.

ARCHIE
I have a whole sparrow. Most of a branch. It all connects into this corner. And it’s the
bridge piece to this whole section over here with the barn. It’s a piece of branch with the
red of the barn behind it.
(Ron arrives)
See? Over here.

RON
Yeah.
 7.

They look at the pile of puzzle pieces together

for a moment.

ARCHIE
I just can’t find it.

RON
You need a break.

ARCHIE
I just need to--

RON
Get a glass of water or something and take a moment away.

ARCHIE
All right.

Archie gets up and exits.

Ron pulls a puzzle piece out of his pocket. It is

noticeably red.

He places it on the table.

RON
Can you get another glass out for me?

ARCHIE
(offstage)
Sure.

Ron exits to the kitchen.

Lights down.

End.