Play # 20

The Attic Stairs

__________________________

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
 An attic - where the access is a pull-down stair
unit.

SHIRLEY climbs the stairs and dives into the

attic. She is upset and possibly crying. She
begins to crawl as we see a hand grab her foot.

LANDON climbs the stairs holding on to

Shirley’s foot.

Shirley turns and kicks at Landon’s hand.

SHIRLEY
Let go of me! Let go!

Shirley gets away and crawls away from the

stairs.

Landon climbs up.

SHIRLEY
Just leave me alone.

LANDON
You’re trapped now.

SHIRLEY
Get out.

LANDON
You came up here. Thought you’d run from me and you climb up here. There’s no
where to go now. No way out.

SHIRLEY
You think you chased me up here.

LANDON
I did.

SHIRLEY
This is it. This is where I am safe from you.

LANDON
What are you talking about?
 2.

SHIRLEY
Look around.

LANDON
Dust. Cobwebs. Bunch of boxes. Do you think I’m afraid of spiders?

Shirley reaches into a box. She pulls out a

handful of photos.

SHIRLEY
You’re afraid of these.

LANDON
Polaroids?

Shirley throws them at him.

SHIRLEY
Look at them.

LANDON
I’m not going to look at them.

SHIRLEY
There’s more where that came from.

Looks down.

LANDON
Old pictures.

SHIRLEY
Of who?

LANDON
These are of me.

SHIRLEY
You and who.

LANDON
They aren’t of us.
 3.

SHIRLEY
No.
(beat)
Look.

Landon kicks at the photos.

LANDON
I don’t care who is in the pictures.

SHIRLEY
Then what’s this.

Shirley reaches into another box. She pulls out

a stuffed rabbit.

LANDON
Why do we even still have that.

SHIRLEY
Why. Yes. Why.

She throws the rabbit at Landon. He brushes it

to the side.

LANDON
You’re going to attack me with children’s toys.

SHIRLEY
You remember that rabbit, don’t you.

LANDON
Yeah, I guess.

SHIRLEY
What’s his name.

LANDON
What?

SHIRLEY
What is the rabbit’s name.

LANDON
Mr. Rabbit. What the hell does that matter.
 4.

SHIRLEY
That’s not his whole name.

LANDON
Mr. Fluffy Pants King of Rabbits.

SHIRLEY
And this.

She pulls out a clay jar, poorly made by a child.

LANDON
Careful with that.

SHIRLEY
Or what.

She waves it around.

LANDON
Stop.

SHIRLEY
Or what.

LANDON
Don’t make this worse.

SHIRLEY
What will happen to me. I stop and then what. You stop? Is that the deal?

LANDON
Don’t be an idiot.

SHIRLEY
I’m an idiot.

She tosses the jar, it shatters.

LANDON
What the hell are you doing?

SHIRLEY
What? Is this unacceptable?
 5.

LANDON
Leave my stuff alone.

She reaches into another box. Comic books.

SHIRLEY
Stay back.

She holds them as if she would rip them apart.

LANDON
Those are worth something.

SHIRLEY
They won’t be.

She advances on him. He steps back.

She tosses them, he tries to catch them.

LANDON
You’re going to wreck them.

SHIRLEY
And then what happens?

She is out of comics. She opens another box

and finds a board game box.

She tosses it all at him.

LANDON
Stop it. Please.

Shirley stands by a stack of boxes.

SHIRLEY
Beg me.

LANDON
Beg you?

SHIRLEY
Beg me to stop.
 6.

LANDON
I said please.

SHIRLEY
A magic word.

Shirley dumps the stack of boxes over and piles

of stuff dump out.

Landon goes to it.

LANDON
Don’t!

Shirley pulls out a tennis racket and cracks

Landon over the head with it.

He drops to the floor, not conscious.

Shirley tosses the tennis racket.

Shirley goes to the stairs.

She goes down.

She closes the stairs.

The lights go down as the stairs close.

End.