“How To Survive Quicksand”

Context: Finch starts falling into a downward spiral because he no longer can keep himself in control and doesn’t know
what’s wrong with him, but he’s trying to find a way to not give in.

FINCH (spoken, reading from a book)

The best way to survive quicksand is to...avoid quicksand. Great. Thanks.

(sung)
Step One, try to stay “Awake”
But I fear I’m too late now
Step Two, cry for someone near you
To pull you out, if you don’t know how
Step Three, drop everything that weighs you down
Keep your head above the ground
Step Four, relax and breathe, stay still
And don’t make a sound

I don’t wanna feel like I’m sinking

I don’t wanna lose control
Why can’t I stop myself from thinking
That tomorrow is no more
They say no one drowns in quicksand
But “they’ve” been wrong before
And now I’m slowly losing sight
Of something I can’t ignore

Step Five, just stay alive

And don’t forget to breathe
Take your time, you’ll be fine
Step six, move slowly and carefully
Step seven, try calling out for help again
Pray someone will be your friend
Then step eight, just take a break
But I can’t pretend

That I’m not almost sinking

That I’m not losing control
Why can’t I stop myself from thinking
That tomorrow is no more
They say no one drowns in quicksand
But “they’ve” been wrong before
I’m scared that I’m screwed now
Please don’t let me be ignored.

What do I do if steps one through eight

Don’t work and I’m still stuck
Do I just give in and let go
Or can I find some luck
I’m losing air, I’m gasping
How can I buy myself more time?
Am I supposed to let myself drown?
What do I do when I’m

I’m sinking
I’m losing control
Why can’t I stop myself from thinking
That tomorrow is no more
They say no one dies from quicksand
But “they’ve” been wrong before
I’m scared that I’m screwed now
Please, I don’t want to be ignored.

Context: Finch and Violet are partnered for a group project after Finch saved Violet from jumping off a belltower and
made it seem like she saved him, and now they have this weird bond between them because Finch is the only one who
knows the truth. For this project, they are required to go to two “wonders” in their state, Indiana, and document it. Violet
doesn’t want anything to do with the project, but goes, and along the way they get to know each other and realize that
maybe this won’t be so bad.

SCENE 5, Part 1

(School exterior. VIOLET looks for FINCH, half hoping that he left without her. BREANNA and CHARLIE, Finch’s
friends, walk past her, and BREANNA senses VIOLET looking for FINCH.)

BREANNA
He’s over there.

(BREANNA points to where FINCH is, sitting on the ground (the edge of the stage), playing guitar.)

VIOLET
Thanks.

BREANNA
(pointing a finger at VIOLET)
If you break his heart, physically snap you in half like a glowstick.

CHARLIE
(backing her up)
She means it.

BREANNA
The last thing he needs is you playing with his head. Understood?

VIOLET
(confused)
Yes?

(BREANNA and CHARLIE start to walk away, before BREANNA turns to VIOLET)

BREANNA
(genuinely)
And I’m really sorry, by the way. About your sister.

(They leave. VIOLET’s still confused, then she looks at FINCH, who's putting his guitar back in his case. She walks over to
him, talking to herself)

VIOLET
“Pale, with dark hair, the one who is coming is melancholy, romantic. And I am arch and fluent and capricious; for he is
melancholy, he is romantic. He is here.”

(FINCH catches the last part)

FINCH
What?

(VIOLET’s embarrassed, not realizing she was speaking out loud)

 VIOLET
(recovering)
I’m sorry, it’s--

FINCH
(interrupting)
“Now with a little jerk, like a limpet broken from a rock, I am broken off: I fall with him; I am carried off. We yield to this
slow flood.”-Virginia Woolf, The Waves.

(VIOLET and FINCH lock eyes for a beat, then break away.)

VIOLET
(awkward)
So…

FINCH
(equally as awkward)
I can go get my car so we can go…

VIOLET
I told you, I don’t do cars.

FINCH
Well, I forgot my bike, so we’ll have to go to my house and get it.

VIOLET
Then I’ll follow you.

FINCH
Okay.

VIOLET
Okay…

(Neither of them really know what to do. VIOLET hops onto her bike as FINCH walks off to go to his car. Lights dim. Set
change to FINCH’s house, where FINCH is going through his garage in search of a bike. He occasionally throws stuff out
of it, the weirder the better. VIOLET just stands there..)

FINCH (o/s)
(yelling from inside the garage)
(some sort of filler dialogue until)...Hah! I found it!

(FINCH comes out carrying his bike)

FINCH (cont’d)
Oh, and you can leave your bag in my room.

(VIOLET doesn’t really want to go inside)

VIOLET
But my stuff’s in there…

FINCH
Don’t worry, I won’t steal anything.

(FINCH unlocks the door and holds it open for VIOLET. She gives in. The interior of the house isn’t what she expected. It
looks...normal. They go into his room. It’s dark, deep red, and all of the furniture is black. One entire wall is covered in
post-it notes. The other walls have concert posters, vinyl records, and a large black and white picture of FINCH onstage
playing guitar.)
 VIOLET
(re: Post-It wall)
What’s all this?

FINCH
Plans. Songs. Ideas. Visions.

(FINCH throws Violet’s bag onto his bed and starts digging through his drawers. VIOLET reads the post it notes)

VIOLET
(to herself)
“Night flowers. I do it so it feels real. Let us fall. My decision totally. Obelisk. Is today a good day to d--”

(VIOLET catches herself on that one. She looks at FINCH for a second, who finds what he was looking for. He sees that
VIOLET looks concerned)

FINCH
(slightly amused)
You okay?

VIOLET
(shaking it off)
No-nothing….why obelisk?

FINCH
It’s my favorite word.

VIOLET
Really?

FINCH
One of them, at least. Look at it. It’s a straight-up, upstanding, powerful word. Unique, original, and kind of stealthy
because it doesn’t really sound like what it is. It’s a word that surprises you and makes you think, “Oh. All right then.” It
commands respect, but it’s also modest. Not like ‘monument’ or ‘tower.’ (shaking his head)
Pretentious bastards.

VIOLET
Oh. All right then.

(FINCH looks at his wall then at VIOLET)

FINCH
Have you ever heard the phrase “get back on the camel” before?

VIOLET
Not until Mr. Black used it.

FINCH
Perfect.

(FINCH leans over his desk, grabs a post-it note, and writes that down. He slaps it on the wall as they leave. Transition to
outside Finch’s house. They both climb onto their bikes. FINCH pulls on a backpack, his T-shirt riding up across his
stomach where an ugly, deep, red scar cuts across the middle. VIOLET gasps)

FINCH
What? (looks down) Oh, that? It’s nothing.

(VIOLET’s not convinced. She raises an eyebrow at him)

 FINCH (cont’d)
(sighs)
Fine. I drew it on. It’s been my experience that girls like scars even better than tattoos.
(He’s lying, by the way)

VIOLET
(skeptical)
Uh-huh.

FINCH
Honest! I’d wash it off for you right now but I wanna see if it works on you.

VIOLET
I guarantee that doesn’t.

(FINCH fakes being sad, then laughs. VIOLET picks up her bike. )

FINCH
(referring to the accident)
Wait, so you’re telling me you haven’t been in a car at all since--

VIOLET
No.

FINCH
That’s gotta be some sort of record. We’re talking about, what, eight, nine months? How do you get to school?

VIOLET
We don’t live that far. I ride my bike or walk.

FINCH
But what about when it rains or snows or something?

VIOLET
I ride my bike or walk.

FINCH
(amused)
So you’re afraid to ride in a car but you’ll climb up on a bell tower ledge?

VIOLET
I’m going home.

(FINCH laughs and reaches out for Violet’s bike, holding onto it before she can take off)

FINCH
I’m sorry, I won’t bring it up again.

VIOLET
I don’t really believe you.

FINCH
Look, you’re already here, and we’re already committed to this project, so the way I see it, the faster we get to Hoosier
Hill, the faster you can get this over with.

(VIOLET gives in and they go off. I’m debating how to go about this part where they should be riding bikes. But I’m
thinking maybe stationary bikes with a screen showing the background behind them? Not sure yet.)
 FINCH
You know what I like about driving? The forward motion of it, the propulsion of it, like you might go anywhere.

(VIOLET frowns at him)

VIOLET
This isn’t driving.

FINCH
You’re telling me. I’m surprised you don’t wear a helmet or full-on body armor, just to be extra safe.

VIOLET
Shut up.

FINCH
What if the apocalypse happened and everyone but you turned into zombies, and the only way you could save yourself was
to get the hell out of town? No airplanes, no trains, no buses. Public transportation is completely broken down. A bike’s
too exposed, too dangerous. What then?

VIOLET
How do I know I’ll be safe out of town?

FINCH
Bartlett’s the only place that’s been affected.

VIOLET
And I know this for sure?

FINCH
It’s public knowledge. The government confirmed it.

VIOLET
I don’t even know where I’d go.

FINCH
Well, where would you go if you could go anywhere?

(VIOLET doesn’t answer)

FINCH (cont’d)
I’m not necessarily talking about the apocalypse anymore.

(VIOLET hesitates)

VIOLET
Back to California.

FINCH
But you’ve already been there. Don’t you want to see places you’ve never been?

VIOLET
No, the California of four years ago, before I moved here, when Eleanor was alive and a sophomore and I was going into
ninth grade. Plus, it’s warm there and it never snows. And it’s far from here.

FINCH
What do you mean?

VIOLET
 I want to get out of here. I might go to Argentina or Singapore for college. I’m not applying anywhere less than two
thousand miles away.

(VIOLET and FINCH ride in silence for a moment. Then FINCH breaks the silence)

FINCH
Don’t you want to know where I’d go if I could go anywhere?

VIOLET
(slightly sarcastic)
Where would you go if you could go anywhere?

(FINCH leans forward over the handlebars, eyes on VIOLET)

FINCH
I’d go to Hoosier Hill with a beautiful girl.

(FINCH winks at VIOLET and speeds ahead. VIOLET blushes, then stops herself)

(THE LIGHTS DIM as we transition to...)

SCENE 5, Part 2
(The base of Hoosier Hill. Two girls sit behind a welcome stand that reads “Welcome to Hoosier Hill!” They look bored.
FINCH nudges VIOLET and walks over to the desk)

FINCH
(in an AUSTRALIAN accent, or any other accent that the actor knows how to do)
We’re here from Perth (any name that can apply). We’ve come all this way to see the highest peak in Indiana. Is it alright
if we scale the summit?

GIRL #1
You guys can just go up.

GIRL #2
Only one other group’s up there right now.

FINCH
Thanks. G’day, mates.

(VIOLET, stifling a laugh, and FINCH begin “climbing.” The scenery changes around them, eventually becoming the
“Highest Point In Indiana.” A wooden bench sits under a tree, there are a few picnic tables There’s a sign in the middle
that reads “Indiana Highpoint, Hoosier Hill, Elev. 1257 Ft.” It’s a wooden stake that pokes out of the ground in the
middle of a mound surrounded by stones, no higher than 4 feet. VIOLET and FINCH look at it, underwhelmed.)

Beat.

VIOLET
This is it?

FINCH
It’s so underwhelming, I’m almost impressed.

(FINCH walks over to the mound of rocks, beckons for VIOLET to come over, then climbs on top of it. He takes VIOLET’s
hand and pulls her up after him. The instant he does this, VIOLET feels a little spark. They look out. FINCH holds
VIOLET’s hand, while VIOLET continues feeling an electric current running through her. But she can’t let FINCH see, she
knows he’ll never let her hear the end of it.)

FINCH (cont’d)
 (australian)
What do we think?

VIOLET
(stammering a little)
If we’re here from Perth?

FINCH
(switching to an equally good Russian accent)
Or maybe Moscow.

(beat)

VIOLET
We are seriously pissed.

FINCH
(normal)
Not as pissed as the folks over at Sand Hill, the second-highest sport in Indiana. It’s only 1,076 feet, and they don’t even
have a picnic area!

VIOLET
I guess if they’re second, they don’t really need one.

FINCH
Good point. As far as I’m concerned, it’s not even worth looking at. Not when you’ve got Hoosier Hill.

(FINCH smiles at VIOLET, who notices for the first time how blue his eyes are.)

FINCH (cont’d)
At least it feels that way standing here with you...Actually, standing next to you makes it feel as high as Everest.

(VIOLET pulls her hand away, not to be mean or anything. Actually, she almost feels the same way. But she doesn’t want
to. She can’t. FINCH catches on)

FINCH (cont’d)
Sorry.

VIOLET
(awkwardly)
Should we start collecting things? Writing stuff down? Videoing? I don’t know, how are we supposed to organize this
project?

FINCH
We don’t. When we’re in the act of wandering, we need to be present, not watching it through a lens.

VIOLET
Ah.

(THEY look around in silence for a second, not really knowing what to do,)

VIOLET
I’m really sorry, I’m going to sound like such a pessimist, but I think this is the ugliest place I’ve ever seen. And not just
here, either. The whole state.

FINCH
I used to think that. But then I realized, believe it or not, it’s actually beautiful to some people. It must be, because enough
people live here, and they can’t all think it’s ugly.
(FINCH smiles out at the ugly trees and the ugly farmland and the ugly kids as if he can see Oz. As if he can really, truly
see the beauty that’s there. In that moment VIOLET wishes she could see it through his eyes, that he had glasses he could
just give her and she could see the beauty too)

VIOLET
You look different than you did the other day.

FINCH
(deadpan)
It’s the altitude.

(VIOLET laughs and then stops herself)

FINCH (cont’d)
It’s okay to laugh, you know. The earth’s not going to split open. You’re not going to hell. Believe me. If there’s a hell, I’ll
be there ahead of you, and they’ll be too busy with me to even check you in.

(VIOLET is slightly puzzled by this. V/O of SCHOOL STUDENTS overlap)

AMANDA (voiceover)
I heard he had a breakdown and had to be checked into a mental institution.

ROAMER (voiceover)
Jason told me he overdosed and jumped off the Purina Tower.

RYAN (voiceover)
He was gone for a really long time, maybe he was in the hospital.

ROAMER (voiceover)
Or jail.

VIOLET
(nervous)
I’ve heard a lot of stories…

FINCH
About me?

VIOLET
Are they true?

FINCH
I’d be honest and say no, they’re not, but no one would believe me.

(FINCH stares at VIOLET.. It’s a tense moment. Like a moment in a movie when the two main characters realize that
they’re in love. VIOLET, deep down, wants him to. They lean in slightly, as if they’re going to kiss and confirm this, but
then a group of kids bound into the clearing, and they jump away from each other. The kids sit around a picnic bench.)

VIOLET & FINCH

(quickly)
So!

VIOLET
We can cross this one off, right? On down, one to go. Where to next?

FINCH
I’ve got a map in my backpack.
(But he doesn’t make a move to get it. Instead he just stands there, taking everything in, looking all around. VIOLET stands
next to him, and his hand finds hers again. Instead of avoiding it, VIOLET makes herself stand there too, and she smiles
slightly. Then FINCH gets an idea.)

FINCH
I’m gonna jump.

VIOLET
(shocked, thinking he’s talking about something else)
What?! Finch, no!

FINCH
Don’t worry, off of this thing, not a bell tower.

(He laughs, VIOLET rolls her eyes. FINCH jumps off and loses his balance on the landing. He jumps up, slightly
embarrassed)

FINCH (cont’d)
Your turn.

VIOLET
No, Finch, I-

FINCH
(playful)
Come on!

(VIOLET hesitates for a second, then smiles and jumps down. FINCH intercepts her before she hits the ground and he
spins her around. They laugh and fall to the ground. The kids at the picnic table stare at them)

FINCH
(in an Australian accent again)
We’re professionals. Don’t try this at home.

(FINCH and VIOLET laugh. VIOLET pulls out a hide-a-key fake rock from her bag. FINCH takes a Bartlett High
keychain and a guitar pick from his pocket. They put them in the rock and wedge it among the stones that surround the
high point.)

FINCH
Whether you want to or not, now we’ll always be part of here. Unless those kids get in there and rob us blind.

VIOLET
We need to document this somehow.

(VIOLET takes some pictures on her phone while FINCH spreads the map out on a picnic table. He starts circling and
marking ever wonder in Indiana)

FINCH
Violet. I know Black mentioned picking two wonders and running with them, but I don’t think that’s enough. I think we
need to see all of them.

VIOLET
All of what?

FINCH
Every place of interest in the state. As many as we can cram into the semester.

VIOLET
That’s too many.
 FINCH
Maybe. Maybe not…

VIOLET
I think we should get going now. It’s getting dark and my bag’s still at your house.

FINCH
Just...promise me you’ll consider doing more than two wanders.

VIOLET
I promise I’ll consider.

FINCH
Thanks.

(THEy start to leave, FINCH lags behind and swipes a rock from the mound. LIGHTS DOWN. END SCENE!)