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Caving: a comedy

(SCENE 7: Lights out on them and up on BO who has made it to the stage where he finds the rope tied to a rock.)

BO
Vayre? Vayre? Oh, my God, Wendy where are you?

(He falls backwards. She appears around the rock adjusting her pants.)

VAYRE
No need to shriek like a little girl.

BO
You almost gave me a heart attack! I thought I was alone down here! What’s with this?

(Shakes the rope)

This wasn’t part of our deal!

VAYRE
Keep your shirt on! I had to take a pee!

BO
You can pee with a rope tied to your waist!

VAYRE
Who elected you the God of pee?

BO
And I was risking my life FOR YOU among the bat carcasses!

VAYRE
I warned you never to say that word!

(BO produces the program and hands it to her.)

BO
(Starts untying the rope from the rock)
I fulfilled MY part of our bargain. Now you put this right back on!

VAYRE
What for? We’re standing six inches apart!

BO
So we NEVER get separated again! Don’t you see, it’s a miracle you found your way back! Down here that’s no joke! We’re DEAD if we don’t get out together.

VAYRE
I was right over there! I wasn’t getting lost. No one sets out to get lost. Hmmm. Let me guess: you’re the child of divorce.

BO
Who isn’t? I thought all marriages immediately expired after fifteen years.

VAYRE
Seven years in MY parents’ case. But mine isn’t going to.

BO
But how can you stop it? Seems everyone just goes crazy after a set period of time. We have different set points is all.

VAYRE
But can’t a couple like, evolve together?

BO
(Finding this sexy)
Into what…a new species?

VAYRE
(Ditching the program)

This isn’t it! You’ve lost my map! Now we have to operate on theory alone.

BO
Sounds dangerous. Which theory are you using?

    VAYRE

Unified field? If we’re acting like waves and they’re acting like
particles then –

BO

I operate on Meeny-Miny-Mo theory. YOU lost it. So it’s your turn to go search.

(Begins tying the rope to her waist)

    If I tug three times…

VAYRE
(Gulping)
You know I can’t do that! What about the bat carcasses?

BO
Then we’ll go together. We’ll trust our instincts. We’ll…evolve.

(He passes a loop of rope around her drawing her closer to him.)

VAYRE
You now, it’s funny. I’m not scared when you’re here.

BO
(Looking down realizes they are securely bound together)

     Then I suggest we make camp.

VAYRE
Make camp! With a half bottle of Gatorade and a power bar?

BO
Sure! Wait for THEM to find US.

(She throws a loop of rope around him)

VAYRE
Help, help.

(Not like she means it.)

How long do we wait?

BO As long as it takes, Wendy Vayre.

(They are securely bound hip to hip. Tentative kisses.)

VAYRE
Let’s hope it takes forever, Darcy.

(More kisses)

I’m a little concerned about your friend.

BO
MY friend? Not your friend?

VAYRE
If Rev finds your friend she’s probably strangling him right now.

BO
Why? Is she a mean girl?

VAYRE
She’s mad at you guys over this whole caving thing. She doesn’t like that many people and she’d HATE you.

(Throws her arms around his neck.)

BO
What’s so hate-worthy about me?

VAYRE
That this bad, bad date was your idea.

BO
I’m a bad date, am I?

(They start kissing passionately.)

VAYRE
You have your good side. But seriously! This is the worst!

BO
Worst place you’ve ever hooked up? Seriously?

VAYRE
Who says we’re hooking up?

BO
Right. No hookups. We’re…evolving. That’s how I interpret it.

VAYRE
Interpretations aren’t reality. What if we never see each other again?

BO
Fat chance of that when we’re entangled!

VAYRE
Listen buddy, I can imagine the future.

BO
Well, stop it. People get into a lot of trouble over that. You’re a prophet now?

VAYRE
Yeah. And I’m usually right.

BO
I’m ready to be surprised.

(Thinks)

Unless you decide you never want to see me again.

VAYRE
That depends.

BO
It DEPENDS? On what? On how we evolve?

VAYRE
On how good you are at getting us out of here. I mean, are you just a handsome dolt, or what?

BO

(Very gratified)
You think I’m handsome?

                                           VAYRE

(Running her hands up and down his arms)

              I think you’re very good looking.

                                           BO
             You should have seen me in high school!   I had a serious case of pizza face.  

                                            VAYRE
              Everyone’s hopeless in high school. I was flat as a board.

                                            BO
             You? Flat?

(He tests it out)
VAYRE
As a BOARD.

(More kissing)

           I warn you, my standards are high. Don’t start anything you can’t finish.

                                            BO

You can afford to have high standards. But you’re lucky with me. I’m a finisher.

                                            VAYRE
            You are?

                                            BO
             Big time. You know I‘m the first in my family to go to this college?

                                            VAYRE
               I’m impressed.

                                            BO
    That’s why I’m determined to be a doctor. Unless they kick me out first.

                                           VAYRE
                They wouldn’t do that.

                                            BO
               Grades, money. They’re always on my case.

                                           VAYRE
               Why’s that?

                                            BO
               I do finally get there but…I’m slow.

                                           VAYRE

That’s not a bad thing. I like a guy who paces himself. You don’t know how to talk to them, probably. Bureaucratese is a who separate language.

                                            BO
               Ain’t that the truth! The dean keeps sending me these emails and –

                                             VAYRE
              You ignore them, am I right?

                                             BO
               I can never make up my mind what they want me to say.

                                             VAYRE

I’ll tell you what to say. When they pull that on you, go plant yourself in his office, shake the emails at them and demand, “How is this happening?”

BO

I can’t see me doing that. I get tongue tied. I can see YOU doing it. I can see you winning at it, too!

                                           VAYRE
            You don’t win UNLESS you do it.

                                           BO
             Yeah, well I’m not a pretty girl.  Pretty girls get whatever they want.

                                          VAYRE
             You think I’m pretty? My Mom says my nose is too big.

                                           BO
             She’s jealous. Tell her she can’t talk to you like that.

                                          VAYRE

I can’t see ME telling her that, but I can see you doing it! And getting away with it!

                                            BO
              I’d tell her in a heartbeat.

                                           VAYRE

Here’s an idea: you go with me to Thanksgiving and I’ll go with you to the dean’s office. Deal?

                                          BO
             Deal and done!

                                         VAYRE
             That’s if we ever get out of here. 

                                         BO

Oh, we’re getting out of here! We’ll get out here if I have to dig a path to the surface!

                                       VAYRE
               My lucky day when I found you!!

                                       BO

(Unwrapping rope)

                Let’s start now!


                                           VAYRE
                But what about our friends?  We have to find them!

                                             BO

Maybe they’re already out of here. Why should we rescue them if they wouldn’t rescue us!

                                            VAYRE
                We would have seen them!

                                            BO
                 Maybe they don’t want to be interrupted.

                                           VAYRE
                Believe me, my friend wants to be “interrupted”.                     

                                           BO
                 Is your friend a good wrestler?

                                          VAYRE
                 What do you want to know THAT for?

                                          BO

Because Hedj is not as strong as he looks. I can take him. His only advantage is surprise.

                                         VAYRE

Rev is a champion kickboxer. She’s never surprised. She always expects THE WORST.

(She feels his muscles appreciatively)

BO

Then she’ll be fine. Seriously, it’s time to get out of here. It’s all you can eat taco night.

                                        VAYRE
                 Crispy or soft?

                                        BO
                 Crispy all the way. Those things are like giant Doritos.

                                        VAYRE
                 Let’s agree to disagree. We’re finding our friends.

(They try to step apart but…)

                                       VAYRE
                 Guess you’ll have to untie me.

                                      BO
                  I might loosen your bonds a little.

                                VAYRE
                  Just a little.

(Another passionate makeout session)

                                BO
                 Now my brain’s in a tailspin.

                               VAYRE
                  What’s back that way?

                              BO
                  The world?

                               VAYRE
                   All you can eat tacos.

                               BO
                   Civilization! And back that way?

            VAYRE
                   Cold, dark emptiness.

                                     BO
                   We’ve been wrong before.

                                        VAYRE
                 But if we can’t trust our instincts, what have we got?

                                        BO
                Cold dark you-know-what. Let’s go!

(Roped together, they wander off.)

March 21, 2023

Caving: a comedy
SCENE 5: Bo Tries to reach over an audience member – pulls 3 times on his rope – whose end disappears into darkness.)

BO
(To audience member)
Work with me here. You got anything? I have to take her SOMETHING.

(Audience members confer. The hand him a program. Putting it in his mouth like a dog BO gets down on hands and knees and starts to crawl back. Darkness on him, lights up on HEDJ & REV.)

SCENE 6: HEDJ & REV are lying on their backs, clothing disarranged, staring up at the ceiling panting. Long pause. )

REV
Oh, my God that was fantastic. I’m still feeling it.

HEDJ
So…do you believe in God?

REV
I most definitely do not.

HEDJ
You talk a lot about God for a person who doesn’t believe in God.

REV
God! I do not! I believe in karma though. This whole thing started out as incredibly bad karma.

HEDJ
You believe in karma?

REV
The way I see it, you HAVE to. What goes around comes around. It all started when I nicknamed Muffy McGuire “Muffintop”. She’s been a monster ever since.

HEDJ
So everything’s YOUR fault?

REV
Only my part of it! You’ve got your own karma, buster.

HEDJ
There was that white light, though. I definitely saw it.

REV
Dude, that was just your brain cells bubbling in a mix of boiling adrenalin and your own fat.

HEDJ
Mrs. Cryder, though. I remembered her name! What the heck was she doing there?

REV
Random. Purely random.

HEDJ
She was always telling me I wasn’t living up to my fullest potential.
```
            REV
    See?  It’s like some Freudian thing.
```
HEDJ
I feel like it meant something I should figure out but I still can’t. She was always talking about “The Third Solution.”
```
    REV
```
The third solution or the Final Solution?
```
    HEDJ
```
The third solution – the one that isn’t there. You do believe in mental telepathy, I’m assuming?

REV
Mental telepathy?

HEDJ
Yeah. You know, seeing stuff before it’s going to happen and –

REV
That’s not mental telepathy, that’s precognition.

HEDJ
Whatever. If it got put in your head from someone else’s head it’s telepathy. Hasn’t that happened to you? Looking at someone and knowing what he’s thinking? Having the exact same idea at the exact same time?

REV
But the timing is illusory. People hear an idea, it sounds familiar and they think that means they had it too. They hear a song on the radio that the know and they tell everyone, “I was just thinking of that!” It was just in their head – with a whole lot of other stuff nobody mentioned.

HEDJ
You’ve led a deprived existence. Don’t tell me you and some buddy have never guessed each other’s thoughts! Like you’re sharing a brain.

REV
You and your buddies ARE sharing a brain! And you should get a new one!

HEDJ
Come on, work with me here! You’re already busted – you’re not as hostile as you pretend! All I’m saying is we could send a message – both of us at the same time – to Bo and – your friend – to find us.
```
            REV
    Good idea.
```
HEDJ
Good idea?

REV
Frankly I’m too exhausted for anything else.

HEDJ
So you’ll try it? If I show up you’ll admit I’m right?

REV
They COULD just be tracking our electric heat signatures.

HEDJ
(Sitting up)

That is total bullshit! You are SO argumentative!

REV
(She sits up too)
A natural lawyer, though, right? That’s what my Dad says.

HEDJ
Well I’m too proud to use circular logic.

REV
That was NOT circular logic!

HEDJ
Now you’re just disrupting our unity. We need to send a unified signal – WHATEVER it is.

REV
OK , Boss.

(She settles back.)

It was your idea. You can own this one. Tell me what to do.

HEDJ
Stop turning me on!
```
            REV
```
I wasn’t turning you on! Your disturbed leadership style wouldn’t turn anybody on!
```
    HEDJ
```
Then why are YOU turned on?
```
    REV
```
Leave me and my poor starved body out of this.
```
            HEDJ
    Maybe you can’t help it.  We have to lean restraint.
```
(Enormous visible effort)
OK, picture those two in your mind. Wandering, lost, pathetic. Thirsty. Depressed. Probably starving. Got it?

REV
(Eyes closed)
Fighting, I bet.

HEDJ
Hold that picture. Then think, COME, COME, COME.
```
            REV
    YOU’RE trying to turn ME on!

            HEDJ
    I totally was not!  It just got away from me!
```
REV
No way am I thinking anything as stupid as “come, come”! What is this, some cheesy vampire flick?

HEDJ
Then what’s YOUR suggestion?

REV
How about “Find us. We’re here.”

HEDJ
That’s good. Very Occam’s Razor.

REV
Thank you.

HEDJ
Simple, so I like it better. Don’t you dare say what you’re thinking!

REV
You’re reading MY mind now?

HEDJ
You were going to say I am simple. Well, I am and I’m not ashamed of it!

REV
Wow! You totally CAN read minds!

HEDJ
Stop turning me on!

REV
Stop putting words in my mouth!

HEDJ
(He crosses his legs desperately)

Stop putting thoughts in my head!

REV
Your HEAD is not your problem. We have to focus on the job at hand.

HEDJ
(Rocking)
Focus, focus. OK, then. Ready?

REV
God, what if I just fall asleep? I’m SO exhausted. I don’t think I’ve slept in MONTHS.

HEDJ
That’s even better. It’s more powerful if we DREAM them into finding us!

REV
You are one interesting guy! You believe in the power of dreams? I dream in 4D!

HEDJ
Doesn’t everybody? God! How do people study if they can’t dream?
```
    REV
```
Nobody studies by sleeping!
```
    HEDJ
```
Well, you SHOULD or you’ll never learn anything. If knowledge doesn’t penetrate the subliminal level –
```
    REV
```
It isn’t knowledge. Roger, Dodger.
```
    HEDJ
```
Just tell yourself you’re going to DREAM about them finding us.

REV
Can do.

(Yawns; reaches out for him)

See you on the other side.
```
    HEDJ
```
I’ll be there.
March 20, 2023
Caving: a comedy
SCENE 4: (Lights down on this couple and up on Back of Stage where HEDJ is splashing in a stream)

HEDJ
Help! Help! Help!

(REV appears, tries to lasso him)

REV
Stop struggling!

HEDJ
Stop struggling and DROWN? That’s all you’ve got to say?
```
            REV
```
Lift up your arms!

(Finally gets the rope over him, hauls him out. He is soaking wet.)

HEDJ
(Moaning)
God, God, Oh God. I saw the white light.

REV
That white light was ME rescuing your ass.

(Touches her miner’s light)

HEDJ
No, this was different. I SAW people.

REV
Dead people?

HEDJ
My third grade teacher – dead or alive – I couldn’t say.

REV
That’s a weird person to see!

HEDJ
Isn’t it?

(He starts to undress)

That current is killer – you wouldn’t think to look at it but I’m warning you, it’s like its TRYING to drown you.

REV
(Flabbergasted)

Don’t you dare strip! Why do men want to show everyone their equipment?

HEDJ
We like comparing equipment. Seriously, though, I can’t wear these disgusting slimy clothes one more second.

(Strips down to his boxers)

My button-fly’s are decent.

(Throws the clothes a distance)

Don’t touch those. Bo would say they’re full of invisible leech babies!

REV
You are disgusting. I don’ t want to touch you or your disgusting slimy clothes. Do you have leeches on you?
```
    HEDJ
```
(He peers down the front of his pants)

Shine your light down here.

REV
I will not!
```
            HEDJ
    Then no.
```
(Snaps his elastic band with a satisfying “thwap”)
```
            REV
```
Cover yourself up.

(She hands him her hoodie, which he dons. Its flower print looks utterly fem – plus it’s child-sized – and doesn’t meet in front)

HEDJ
Thanks. I lost everything, including my watch! It was a good watch. Graduation gift.

REV
You haven’t graduated yet!

HEDJ
From high school! It had three time zones and a calculator.

REV
Nothing works down here.

HEDJ
Lucky we have an inborn time and distance sense located right behind our eyeballs.

REV
Where’d you get that idea?

HEDJ
I read my assignments. Unlike some people.

REV
Well I read about it too and what I read is, if you don’t use it you lose it.

HEDJ
How do you know I haven’t been using mine?

REV
Because you FELL into an underground STREAM.

HEDJ
It was dark! I got sucked in and swept off my feet!

REV
We haven’t been down here long enough to get lost.

HEDJ
How can you be sure? Prisoners totally lose track of time. They did this experiment where –

REV
I know that one. They made some poor guy think fifteen hours was a twenty-four hour day.

HEDJ
It wasn’t fifteen hours.
```
            REV
    Approximately.
```
HEDJ
You think you know everything, don’t you?

REV
I obviously didn’t know enough to stay out of this freakin’ cave.

HEDJ
Maybe we’ve been down here for days.

REV
We have NOT been down here for days! You can tell that! How many times have you gone to the bathroom, for example?

HEDJ
God knows.

REV
Yuck! Do men pee constantly without even knowing it?

HEDJ
(Very interested)

You mean like bats?

REV
Is that what bats do? Omigod. Let’s agree not to use the “b” word. My partner gets very upset.

HEDJ
So you ARE gay.

REV
God! What is it with frat boys! We are NOT GAY. ALL SORORITY GIRLS ARE NOT GAY.

HEDJ
How do you know until you try? Seriously.

REV
Well are YOU gay? WE thought you were.

HEDJ
Would we be DOWN here risking all this danger if we were gay?

REV
Don’t you realize that’s offensive?

HEDJ
It’s OK be gay! I love gay people! Seriously, you should check it out. I would if I were you.

REV
You’re making me want my hoodie back.

(He makes a move to disrobe, she stops him)

REV
Forget it. Are you like a nudist or something?
```
    HEDJ
```
I could be.
```
    REV
```
Never mind. Let’s just get out of here.
```
    HEDJ
```
Don’t we have to find the other two?
```
    REV
```
I wasn’t suggesting abandoning them! Vayre! She was right here a minute ago.

HEDJ
Bo! Buddy! Come back!
```
    REV
```
THAT was half-hearted.
```
    HEDJ
```
Well he’s upstream like a mile.
```
    REV
```
(Very dejected)
```
    Don’t say that! We’ll find them!
```
HEDJ
This cave is bigger than we thought. It’s DAMN big.

REV
It’s huge!

HEDJ
It’s got a river!

REV
That river is making this cave bigger!

(They both shout for their friends with an edge of panic)

HEDJ
BO!

REV
VAYRE!

HEDJ
I don’t think sound travels well down here.

REV
So that means they STILL could be close.

HEDJ
(Checking out his forearm)
```
     I was making a map on my arm with a Sharpie –
```
(Checks it)

Gone!

REV
Wow! You couldn’t think to use a permanent marker? Lucky I’ve been making a map, and it’s right here.

(Takes a piece of paper out of her breast pocket – it disintegrates in her hands)

Oh my God!

HEDJ
Who gives themselves a temporary tattoo with a permanent marker? You’d have me covered with random girls’ phone numbers.

(Snatching at the pieces)

Not like YOU’RE doing such a good job! It’s illegible!

REV
This is your fault! I got SOAKED saving YOUR sorry ass!

HEDJ
Hey, I’m sorry, but obviously you made the right decision.

REV
What are you talking about? That map was WAY more important than some layer tattooed in random girls’ phone numbers!

HEDJ
Hey!. I’m dyslexic! Its very easy for me to transpose numbers. But that hasn’t held me back ONE BIT because I’ve got Strategy.

REV
You’ve got Strategy, have you? Ok, let’s see some.

HEDJ
Well, for one thing there’s two of us figuring out how to get out of here. Right away that doubles our chances. When we find the others, it DOUBLES AGAIN. Particles in a bound state have more energy.

REV
I’m not getting into a bound state with you! So where’s this other guy?

HEDJ
We split up so we could cover more ground. He absolutely hated the idea.

(Shouts)

Bo! You were right! I’m sorry.

(They listen to the echo)

REV
Maybe they found the way out.

HEDJ
Bo wouldn’t do that.

REV
Even if they tried looking for us and stepped out into daylight instead, do you think they’d turn around and rush back in?
```
    HEDJ
```
At least they’d get help!
```
            REV
```
I can hear them at the police station now. “How long have your friends been gone?” They don’t do anything for like seventy-two hours.

HEDJ
This water must pour out somewhere. Maybe we should follow it?

REV
To really follow it, we’d have to get into it.
```
    HEDJ
```
Water talk is making me thirsty. Got any?

REV
I don’t know if I want your parasitic slimy lips all over my water bottle!

HEDJ
Just squirt it in my mouth!

(Gets down to beg with mouth open like a baby bird. REV takes out her water bottle)

HEDJ
Well, if that’s all you’ve got you might as well just give it to me!

REV
Hey! This is all we’ve got for the two of us!

HEDJ
One squirt!

(She squirts some water at his mouth – it gets on his face)
```
     Girls! Your aim is horrible! I’m like a foot away!
```
REV
You keep moving your face! Just take it already!

(She gives him the water bottle, turns away to think)

We can only go forwards by going backwards. We have to figure out where we came from.

HEDJ
You won the easy way! We crawled down a tunnel!

REV
It was NOT the easy way! That hole was crumbling in on itself. We can’t get back that way, even if we could find it.

HEDJ
Well, I’m not re-tracing that water ride. It’s a chute to hell.
(Shudders)

It was like the world collapsed in on itself.

REV
I’m not scared of a little water.

HEDJ
We have to BELIEVE we can get out. This cave has been here for millions of years, so…

REV
According to Heisenberg —

HEDJ
Don’t you quote Heisenberg at me!
```
    REV
```
Then what about Occam’s Razor?
```
    HEDJ
```
What’s that got to do with anything? Reasoning from general cases doesn’t lead to knowledge? DOESN’T help us here!
```
    REV
```
That’s not what Occam’s Razor says!
```
    HEDJ
```
It is so!
```
    REV
```
It is not! I’m pre-law and I know! Occam’s Razor says the simplest idea’s the likeliest!
```
    HEDJ
```
You’re pre-law? Wow! So am I!
```
    REV
```
So act like it! How do we get out of here?

HEDJ
By facing facts, that’s how. Let’s not go near the river of slime.

REV
“River of slime”? Wow. It’s like a metaphor for life!

HEDJ
Or a metaphor for college! See? I’m an idea guy.

REV
A METAPHOR-guy. A metaphorical guy.

HEDJ
Hey, stick with me. I’m the meta-guy.

(Drains the bottle then tosses it away)

REV
I’m arresting you for littering.

HEDJ
Go ahead! Lock me up!
```
    REV
```
You know, you’re one bad idea after another.
```
    HEDJ
```
Hey! Coming down here was YOUR idea.
```
    REV
```
Well, exploring was YOUR idea! This was supposed to be a simple recon and not the Bataan Death March.
```
    HEDJ
```
Don’t quote history at me.
```
    REV
```
Go ahead! Rewrite history if you don’t like it. It’s what your gender does best.

HEDJ
So you’re like one of those femi-Nazis?

REV
I know how to stand up for myself is all.

HEDJ
Well, law is about finding the truth. I don’t believe in rewriting anything. More information beats less information. Every time.
```
    REV
```
Except for burnout and information overload.
```
    HEDJ
```
And that’s relevant how?

REV
If we’re trapped between getting MORE lost and a river of slime I say we should stay put and let them find us.

HEDJ
Maybe we should produce a constant noise? We could sing or something.

REV
Vibrations could cause a cave-in!
```
            HEDJ
    But I’m High-T!  I’ve got to do SOMETHING!
```
REV
What an infant! “Blame the testosterone.”

(She sits down, defeatedly.)
```
    HEDJ
```
So we should do nothing? That’s your solution?
```
    REV
```
We respect the environment and don’t make things worse.

(He sits down beside her. She looks at floor and he looks at ceiling.)

HEDJ  So…do you have a boyfriend?

REV
You know very well I don’t have a boyfriend! We know all about your “Stud Book!”

HEDJ
You can’t! I mean, we don’t call it that!

REV
I’ve seen it. Where you rate and rank us down to the smallest detail. So why did I rank “Kill?”

HEDJ
Hey, I didn’t vote for that.

REV
I don’t get “marry” status? Not even “pity date”?

HEDJ
See how you’re so mad right now? And you criticize everything? I have to tell you guys hate that.

REV
I’m discriminating, is all. Discerning. Girls would never get mad if your crew didn’t always act like a bunch of five year olds on a field trip at the zoo!

HEDJ
Ah, we just love yanking your chain. Remember that nerd you used to date?

REV
Bruce?

HEDJ
Yeah, that guy. You pissed him off when you broke up with him. He stuffed the ballot box.

REV
I didn’t break up with HIM! He was dating another girl! Obviously the relationship was over!

HEDJ
Well, we don’t see it that way.

REV
If I was dating both you AND another guy you would!

(He seems to acknowledge the truth of this.)

Blame the testosterone again?

HEDJ
It’s a psychoactive drug, am I right? Turns us into cavemen.

REV
And guess what! Here we are in a cave!

HEDJ
You know you have a problem with tone.

REV
We’re stuck in a cave and I have a problem with TONE?

HEDJ
Yeah, to be frank. This whole self-presentation is just not working for you. You’re coming off as way too butch.

REV
This butch RESCUED you, buddy!

HEDJ
I’m just saying, nobody likes a nag.

REV
You’re not even a very good caveman!

(HEDJ who was lounging, sits up)

HEDJ
Oh, I’m a bad caveman now?

REV
Since we’re being honest.

HEDJ
You know, I can’t believe you’re pre-law. I had you pegged for like, drill team.

REV
That is not a concentration! Didn’t bother to put majors in your Stud Book, did you? Didn’t seem important, I guess! My bra-size though – you care deeply about THAT.
```
    HEDJ
```
(He’s been sizing her up)

Are you as aroused right now as me?
```
            REV
    More!
```
(Mutual lunge, start kissing passionately. Kissing turns into fighting.)

REV
We should so NOT be doing this.

HEDJ
(More slapping, more kissing, grunting as dialog is punctuated by kisses and grabs; each trying to pin the other)
```
    Give me one good reason.

            REV
    Because we’ll hate ourselves in the morning?

            HEDJ
    But what if we love ourselves?

            REV
    Men are so changeable, is the problem.

            HEDJ
    And women aren’t?
```
(He almost gets on top – she flips him)

You’re so totally not my type.

REV
And you’re not anybody’s type.

HEDJ
I’m everybody’s type. I’ve had a lot more girls than you.

REV
Plus, you’re a slut! Mister, if you “had” people, you didn’t “get” anything.

(She manages to pin him, gasps exhaustedly, then he flips her. Falls off her. Exhausted mutual panting.)

HEDJ
What if we both agree to stay on the bottom?

(Removing each other’s clothes)

REV
This is SUCH a bad idea. I mean, where can this lead?

HEDJ
(Tender kissing)

Bad places. Bad, bad places.

REV
You’re not protected and I’m not protected.

HEDJ
We are so, so unprotected.

REV
Completely vulnerable. I hope this isn’t just because we’re desperate.

HEDJ
Desperation is the human condition. Actually, I feel a lot less desperate round you.
```
    REV
```
Why’s that?
```
            HEDJ
    Because I like to measure everything but you can’t measure a            superposition.
```
REV
You can if you practice restraint.

HEDJ
Tantric entanglement, here I am!

(They wrestle and pant, exhausted.)
```
            REV
    Pick one quick: dream or a nightmare?

            HEDJ
```
Fantasy! Glorious sex fantasy! Plus, our hooking up makes it SO MUCH more likely our friends will find us.

REV
How do you figure?

HEDJ
We emit a measurable glow. Plus, Bo ALWAYS interrupts just when I’m getting it on.

REV
We are not getting it on!

HEDJ
Whatever we ARE doing, is fabulous.

REV
We must have a plan.

HEDJ
So you’re a planner? As well as a mega-woman?

REV
I’ve gotten everything I wanted through planning.

HEDJ
Wow! I have to say I love that in a girl.

REV
You do?

HEDJ
Because I’m the strategy guy!

REV
You are? You? So this was all part of a strategy?

HEDJ
A fantasy strategy! I’ve always wanted to be at the mercy of some sexually rapacious, gorgeous girl.

REV
You think I’m gorgeous?

HEDJ
Yes. Oh, yes. Plus you are really, really hot.

(Mutual kissyface)

REV
I guess I should be glad video doesn’t work down here.

HEDJ
Too bad! No one will believe it happened.

REV
So we’ll have do it again.

HEDJ
And again and again.

(Tender kissing)

REV
It’s like you’re the last man on earth and I’m the last woman.

(They look at each other hotly — overwhelmed by frantic passion. Lights out on this couple, up on BO who has made it into the audience)
March 19, 2023
Caving: a comedy
(SCENE 3: VAYRE appears crawling down the stage into the audience. Shines her light)

VAYRE
What was that? Anybody there? Rev? This isn’t funny, whoever you are! I’m warning you, I have a knife!

(Silence)

I’m armed and I’m desperate!

(Satisfied, she crawls to the first row, up and over the audience’s laps. At their reaction she goes rigid)

Help! It’s alive! Oh, my God!

(BO appears and works his way toward her. Her eyes are closed and she is planked out and screaming)

VAYRE
They’re all around me! Save yourself! Don’t let them touch you!

BO Ssh, it’s OK. It’s nothing really. Come on down. This way.

VAYRE
Oooo, I can’t look! They’re everywhere! I’m afraid to move!

BO
Come with me, I found a safe place we can sit.

VAYRE
Is it up high? Because it needs to be up high.

BO
It’s higher than here. Careful.

(Helps her up to sit on stage. She brushes herself off)

VAYRE
Did I get any on me? What WERE those? Were they like –

(shudders)

BATS?

(More hysterical)

DEAD BATS?

BO
Nah. Bones, maybe?

VAYRE
(Shrieks)

BONES!

BO
OLD bones. Ancient bones. More like fossils, probably. Or dry leaves?

VAYRE
(Shrieking)
YOU CAN’T TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BONES AND DRY LEAVES?

BO
What are you scaring yourself for? We’re all alone here.

(Gestures at the audience)

Whatever that was, it was completely inanimate.

VAYRE
(Calming her breathing with great effort)

Well it was totally disgusting, whatever it was. So who are you?

BO
You’re welcome.

VAYRE
OK, thank you – I guess. I mean for all I know you put that stuff there in some kind of revolting fraternity prank.

BO
Yeah, Hedj and I brought down ALL our funhouse equipment.

VAYRE
Well, it was mean!

BO
I was being sarcastic! We brought nothing but power bars. Want one?

VAYRE
Is it gluten free?

BO
(Inspecting a bar)

Chocolate chip. How does gluten free taste?

VAYRE
Like sawdust. But, see, that keeps me from eating them.
```
    BO
```
Like a food totem. But what happens if you want actual food?

VAYRE
I ALWAYS want food!

BO
Seriously, we need to keep our strength up. Who knows how long we’re going to be down here?

VAYRE
Don’t say that!

BO
I mean, look at this; we’re lost already.

VAYRE
(Covering her ears and hammering her feet)
Don’t say it! Don’t say it!

(He waves a power bar under her nose)
```
            BO
    Chocolate chip!
```
(She accepts a bar, unwraps and eats it fanatically, breaking off small pieces and inspecting them carefully)

BO
That stuff can’t hurt you.
```
    VAYRE
```
How do you know?
```
    BO
```
I’m a doctor. Or going to be.

VAYRE
Impossible.

BO
As long as they don’t kick me out.
```
    VAYRE
```
Why would they kick you out?
```
    BO
```
The money thing.

VAYRE
There’s a money thing?

BO
There’s always a money thing. How could you not know this?

VAYRE
Well, I’m not here to be your on the job experience.

BO
Seriously, I delivered a baby once. In Guatemala. It wasn’t so scary.
(Thinks)
Actually, it was pretty scary!

VAYRE
Well, you won’t have to do that here! And I definitely don’t want to hear any more about it!

(Traumatized chewing. Awkward pause.)

BO
So… what’s your major?

VAYRE
(A practiced complainer)

It was supposed to be communication. But my advisor – I’m not lying – has such a bad speech impediment I can’t understand him! He’s the HEAD of the department! What does that tell you?
```
    BO
```
They’re really poor communicators?
```
    VAYRE
```
So obviously I’m having to change majors!

BO
(Laughs)

A speech impediment? How does THAT happen?

VAYRE
He has tenure! They can’t get rid of him! His student ratings are in the toilet! Maybe it’s an accent. I can’t even tell.

BO
How’d you sign on to communications and miss a thing like that?

VAYRE
You can’t think of everything. I paid close attention to four factors: expense, weather, distance, ambiance –

(Ticks it off on her fingers)

BO
Ambiance? You mean like the social life?

VAYRE
Ambiance is more subtle than social life. It’s like feng shui.
```
    BO
```
You mean like mojo?
```
    VAYRE
```
(A little exasperated)
Whatever that is. Like the mood of a place.

BO
Sounds to me like you should be a language major. Or Symbiotics. Something like that.

VAYRE
There’s no such thing as “Symbiotics”. Unless you mean semiotics and have you SEEN those people? They don’t want to have a job in the real world EVER. I can’t decide, but English major is definitely out. “Do you want fries with that?” I mean seriously. I want to meet interesting people. What do you think is good? Business?

BO
My first roommate was a business major. Business has bad, bad ambiance. You don’t want them. I’m just telling you.

VAYRE
You’re probably right. I just don’t want to be broke all my life.

BO
If we HAVE a life. I mean, we’ve got to get out of here.

VAYRE
Will you stop? Why am I always surrounded by negative thinkers? Of course we’re getting out! We’ll tunnel our way out if we have to!

BO
Engineering, there’s your major.

VAYRE
Isn’t that full of nerds? I warn you, I hate math.

BO
But math is so easy! You can look everything up.

VAYRE
Yeah, but you have to know what to look up. Don’t get me started.

(Silence while she chews and he thinks)

BO
Don’t take this the wrong way, but are you the brunette or the redhead? No offense, but down here everything looks different.

VAYRE
God, MEN! Better brush up on your bedside manner, buddy!

BO
(Taking this entirely the wrong way, he says seductively)

Wanna help?

(She gives him a push)

VAYRE
Aren’t doctors supposed to make people feel better?

BO
You have to be willing to feel worse, in order to feel better. A lot of people can’t get through the “worse” part.

VAYRE
Sounds medieval to me.
```
    BO
```
Unless you’re a blonde.

(Holding and studying a lock of her hair)

It’s OK with me. I just really can’t tell in this light.
```
    VAYRE
```
(Snatching her hair away)

Then let me put this in words on one syllable: There IS no blonde!

BO
Good! I hate blondes! I’m anti-blonde! I’m into redheads!

VAYRE
No redheads either! God, you guys are such idiots! How can you reject like, two thirds of the human race over hair color?

BO
One of you had red hair. I feel like this is false advertising.

VAYRE
I MAY have had colored extensions in my hair! For Party Night! You know! For fun. FOR DRESSING UP TO GO OUT AND HAVE A GOOD TIME. So sue me!

BO
(Shines his flashlight directly at her like a cop)

I don’t know. You act like a redhead! There is TOO a redhead, and you’re her!

VAYRE
These are henna highlights if THAT’S what you mean. Why are men so pathetic?

BO
Well, I like them. They look good on you.

VAYRE
(Rapid mood change)

Really? You think? My roommate says I can’t get away with it because of my skin tone.

BO
She’s crazy. What’s the matter with your skin tone?

VAYRE
There’s nothing the MATTER with it. She just says I’m a Spring, is all.

BO
What’s THAT mean?

VAYRE
I’m supposed to wear pastels.

BO
That’s just the green meanies. Probably she’s a hosebeast and you’re so obviously not.

VAYRE
God, you frat boys are AWFUL!

(Slaps him)

BO
Hey! There’s no call for violence!

VAYRE
I’m just setting up the boundaries, is all.

BO
I’d complain to the sexual harassment police if we weren’t stuck in a cave miles underground. Hey, I’m the one who rescued you!

VAYRE
So you own me? By what law? Neanderthals versus the Sabines?
```
    BO
```
You shouldn’t be attacking me, is all I’m saying.

VAYRE
You just want me to be putty in your hands.

BO
You WERE putty in my hands.

VAYRE
I was not!

BO
Nice way to treat the guy who rescued you from your panic attack seizure disorder hissy fit or whatever that was that you were having.

VAYRE
It wasn’t a panic attack! And it certainly wasn’t a seizure, Dr. Death!

BO
Claustrophobia, then, all right? I used to have claustrophobia. When I was little.

VAYRE
You have a genius for making people feel worse. You’re going to get an A in that part of the program.

BO
(Smiles at her endearingly)

I got over the claustrophobia. Now I’m just afraid of the dark.

(She’s still suspicious, but mollified.)

VAYRE
Then why dare us to come down here?

BO
(Killer grin)
To give you a chance to rescue me.
```
    VAYRE
```
Sounds more like you’re self-destructive.

BO
I met a beautiful girl in a bar who said she was going caving.

VAYRE
Go on.

BO
She was drinking this stuff like liquid ice cream.

VAYRE
Was not but continue.

BO
These little drops of ice cream kept forming on her upper lip…

(Stares pointedly at her upper lip.)

VAYRE
(Mongoose to his snake)

So you got an idea.

BO
More than an idea. It was like a shock of recognition.
```
    VAYRE
```
A shock of recognition?
```
    BO
```
Like thinking, This is where I come in!
```
    VAYRE
```
What does that mean?

BO
Have you ever had that moment where you know exactly what you’re supposed to do?
```
    VAYRE
```
Maybe. It doesn’t feel that good.
```
    BO
```
Oh, this felt good!
```
    VAYRE
```
You don’t think it was a terrible idea?
```
    BO
```
Seems more brilliant to me every second. So half of me bullied the other half of me –

VAYRE
You bullied yourself? How does that work?

BO
I have to strong-arm myself or I would never do anything.

VAYRE
(Getting closer to him)

You have a split personality. Like a private self and a public self? I totally get that. But which one of you is pre-med?

BO
The good one.

VAYRE
Wow! I see we’re into the “feel good” part of your practice?

BO
Feels good to me.

(They are close together now)

VAYRE
I am curious about how you taste.

(They kiss lightly, he attempts more, she fends him off, laughing)

VAYRE
Maybe I’ll go Early Ed.

BO
Early Ed?

VAYRE
Because wild animal wrangling isn’t an option.

BO
Seriously, wasn’t that nice?

VAYRE

(Holding him by his collar)
```
    It was very nice.
```
BO
(He likes this. Leaning forward to sniff her hair)

Plenty more where that came from!

VAYRE
We can’t allow ourselves to get sidetracked! We have a job to do.
```
    BO
```
(Completely forgetful)
```
    Which is?

            VAYRE
    Find our friends and get out of here!

    BO
```
Right! I know I got what I came for.
```
    VAYRE
```
One kiss? One kiss is all you came for?
```
    BO
```
Seems like. Now I feel like I could do anything!
```
    VAYRE
```
That’s your split personality talking!

BO
(Earnestly)

Split personality means I work twice as hard.
(They nuzzle)

VAYRE
You should have just asked me out for coffee.
```
    BO
```
When?
```
    VAYRE
```
Instead of all this.
```
    BO  
```
I was scared of your friend.

VAYRE
(Laughs)
Rev? She can be intense. I’m the only one who can stand to room with her. She’s pre-law.

BO
She is?
(Laughs)
That’s so funny. So was my buddy.

VAYRE
Don’t say “was”. Stop acting like we’re all gonna die down here.

BO
He struggles with grades, that’s all. Dyslexic or something. So… you want to go out for coffee huh?

VAYRE
I’m up for anything if we can only get out of here. Oh no!

(Feels in her pockets)

Oh God, God!

(She is really panicked now)

BO
What’s wrong?

(She clutches him – he loves being clutched)

VAYRE
(Hissing)

It’s back there!

BO
(Playing with her hair, studying her neck)

What is?

VAYRE
My map, stupid! The fossils must have taken it! I can’t believe it!
```
    BO
```
You had a map?
```
    VAYRE
```
I was trying to keep track of distances. I love measuring. It soothes me.
```
    BO
```
You like measuring? Wow.

VAYRE
I LOVE making curtains. And bedspreads!
```
    BO
```
But that uses math.
```
    VAYRE
```
(She shakes him)
I…LOST…MY…MAP!

BO
No need to panic. I’ll go get it for you.

(Starts to rise)

VAYRE
You will?

BO
Sure. No problem.

VAYRE
No, no!

(She grabs him. He loves being grabbed)

BO
Why not? It’s just right over there.

VAYRE
The monsters are over there!

BO
I GUARANTEE you those things aren’t alive.
```
    VAYRE
```
But I’m so afraid you won’t come back.
```
    BO
```
You are? Wow!

VAYRE
I heard something AWFUL over there. Like snorting!
```
    BO
```
Snorting?
```
    VAYRE
```
And wheezing!

BO
(Braggadocio)

Nah! Come with me, you’ll see it’s no big deal!

(VAYRE starts to shake)

VAYRE
That was the scaredest I’ve ever been in my LIFE. I can’t bear to even THINK about it. I don’t know how you can be so brave.

BO
You’re making me brave.

VAYRE
Looks like we need each other.

BO
Definitely. Teamwork. Foundation of the universe.

VAYRE
Here’s an idea. I tie my rope to you.

BO
Wow! Bondage huh?

VAYRE
No, listen. This is a good idea. Teamwork! If you tug three times I’ll give you more rope and if I tug three times you’ll come back.

BO
Why three times?

VAYRE
So you can tell it wasn’t an accident. Seriously, I’ve got 240 feet of rope here. Don’t you think that’s enough?

BO
How many times do I tug for a monster?

VAYRE
Not funny!

BO
My name’s Bo, by the way.

VAYRE
I know. I investigated you.
```
            BO
    You did?  Wow!
```
VAYRE
I care who I’m down in a deep dark cave with. My name’s Wendy Vayre.

(They shake; she unties rope from her waist)

BO
Bo Darcy at your service. And may I say no map is as important as getting to know YOU.

VAYRE
You’ve got a smooth line!
```
    BO
```
Haven’t I, though?
```
    VAYRE
```
You think this – a mixer? Is everything a hookup with you guys?

BO
You give me great ideas, I give you great ideas. The ultimate hookup! How about this one? We merge initiations!

(She looks skeptical)

Maybe I’m not expressing myself very well.

VAYRE
Express yourself better.

BO
Couples connect in this cave just like we did. We could call it “Night Problems!”

VAYRE
We are NOT connecting up!

BO
We TOTALLY are. And it’s the only way anybody ever accomplished anything. I know you feel it too.
```
    VAYRE
```
Why can’t you see merging initiations is insanely dangerous? Coming down here at all is insanely dangerous. Our gnawed, bleached bones are going to star in some “Don’t go clubbing” movie!

BO
Never happen. Call me an optimist.

VAYRE
You ARE an optimist, aren’t you?

(She starts tying a rope around him)
```
    I like that in a man.
```
BO
Takes optimism to get the job done.

VAYRE

Remember, three tugs –

BO
Got it. Three tugs if —

(He stops himself)

VAYRE
What! Say it!

BO
Nothing!

VAYRE
You better not start in about the monsters again.

BO
Three tugs if I need you and you give three tugs if you need me.

VAYRE
I can live with that.

BO
Tie the other end to yourself. I don’t want us to get separated.

(They kiss. She gives him a little shove.)

VAYRE
Better get going. Be safe.

(BO begins to crawl towards the audience.)
March 18, 2023
Caving: a comedy
(SCENE 2: Meanwhile the boys, HEDJ and BO are crawling down the center aisle shining their flashlights up into the audience)

HEDJ
(Halts, attentive)
Omigod, I think I just saw something. I swear I heard somebody breathe.

BO
There’s no room in this tunnel for anyone but US. Bacteria and bugs on the other hand – probably PLENTY of THOSE. Getting in my MOUTH. Into all my orifices, I bet.

HEDJ
You just have a high opinion of your orifices.
```
            BO
```
Dude, didn’t I just tell you about that camel disease that jumped the blood-brain barrier? Theory of hidden variables!

HEDJ
A guy has sex with a camel he deserves everything he gets. In my opinion.
```
            BO
    It’s not just camels.

            HEDJ    
```
Will you stop? Will you stop with the Undiscovered Virus fixation?

BO
Bacteria are worse than viruses! Their mutatations –

HEDJ
Do you want to turn around right now? I mean, if theoretically we COULD turn around?

BO
Hell no. That way the girls get a default win. Can’t let the brothers down like that! No way.

HEDJ
So ixnay on the invisible mutants. OK? Not if we want to be conjugate variables anytime soon.
```
    BO
```
People who won’t learn from history are destined to repeat it, is all I’m saying.
```
    HEDJ
```
You know, there’s always one guy on an expedition who gets thrown overboard because he can’t shut up. That’s the history I’m talking about.

BO
It’s just that in pre-med you hear things.

HEDJ
Pre-law too. Like the temporary insanity defense gives you the right to kill somebody who’s driving you crazy.
```
    BO
```
It does not!
```
    HEDJ
```
Well, it’s a defense! It’s worked too!

BO
Grow up. We haven’t even started this thing yet.
```
    HEDJ
```
We’re still crawling down the entrance tunnel and you’ve already given me brain worms. Lighten up! Now I’m haunted by some guy trying to have sex with a camel.
```
    BO
```
Definitely needed a ladder.
```
    HEDJ
```
But WHY? Qualifying for Jackass?

BO
Or Guinness World Book Sex Edition.
```
            HEDJ
```
Bro, there is no Guinness World Book Sex Edition!

BO
I’m always surprised by what you don’t know. Lawyers are so busy memorizing cases from the 1930’s they don’t know anything about the real world.
```
    HEDJ
```
That is so not true.
```
    BO
```
If you Google —

HEDJ
Google? Are you serious? I can’t move my elbows. I can barely breathe!
```
    BO
```
Don’t act like this whole thing was my idea.

HEDJ
It WAS your idea!
```
    BO
```
I intuited group consensus.
```
    HEDJ
```
Bro, you DARED them.
```
    BO
```
They were TAKING the cave! This cave doesn’t belong to a bunch of girls.
```
    HEDJ
```
It doesn’t belong to anyone.
```
    BO
```
Well, it was YOUR idea we come down through the tunnel.
```
    HEDJ
```
I was trying to be gentlemanly! Besides, we flipped for it.
```
    BO
```
You LET them win!
```
    HEDJ
```
That’s the gentlemanly part!

(Looking at his phone)

Can’t Google anything if your phone doesn’t work. Check.

BO
How can I check if I can’t use my elbows!

HEDJ
How can we find the girls if our apps don’t work?
```
    BO
```
You’ve got a girl-finding app? What is it, GirlGrab?
```
    HEDJ
```
I’ve got GPS and a mapmaking app, which DOESN’T WORK down here thanks to you!
```
    BO
```
Don’t put this on me! You were daring them right along with me!
```
            HEDJ
    I hope  I know how to back a brother up!

            BO
```
You were drunk as a skunk is what you were.

HEDJ
I remember you were flying pretty high yourself.

BO
Seems like. What the hell were we drinking?

HEDJ
Dude, I’ve got no idea. They ordered these crazy drinks and I was just trying to keep up. The curvy one had these little beads of dew on her upper lip…
```
    BO
```
Both of them were curvy.
```
    HEDJ
```
I had a blackout! I think they rufied us!

BO
Girls don’t rufie guys! They don’t have to!

HEDJ
Who do you think is stealing all the kidneys? Call yourself pre-med!

BO
That’s an urban legend.
```
            HEDJ
    Google it! I mean if your phone –

            BO
```
Sorority girls are not into kidney theft! Try to keep up! You can’t handle booze is what you won’t admit and now you’re just using up oxygen. We’ve got to work smarter. How is it smart to crawl down a hole?
```
            HEDJ
```
If they had to use the tunnel they wouldn’t even have come. We’d be all by ourselves down here and what’s the point of THAT?
```
    BO
```
What’s the point of crawling down a tunnel in total darkness?
```
    HEDJ
```
It JOINS the cave, I’m trying to tell you! I Googled it!
```
    BO
```
Boy you are helpless without your equipment. Weren’t you an Life Scout? What happened to your sense of adventure?
```
    HEDJ
```
I was an Eagle Scout, I’ll have you know.
```
    BO
```
I’m giving this five more minutes before I back out. I’d like to see my ass one more time before I die!

HEDJ
I’ve seen your ass and it’s no bargain. We have to keep going because we don’t have a choice.
```
    BO
```
We could crawl backwards.

HEDJ
We ALWAYS have choices. People don’t SEE all the choices that they have.

BO
Or we could dig our way out.

HEDJ
And risk a cave-in?

BO
You know, are the opposite of helpful. Shackleton would have pushed you right off the ice floe.

HEDJ
Look! Omigod, it’s the cave!

(They make their way up the stage steps – someone in the audience makes a noise)

BO
Then what the hell was that?

HEDJ
I’m guessing water dripping? Believe me, that’s a GOOD sign.

(No girls – they can stand up. Alone)

BO
Now we get drowned? How can water possibly be a good sign?

HEDJ
It’s got to flow out somewhere!

BO
Sure. China, probably. Just talking about it is making me thirsty.

(Drinks from waterbottle)

HEDJ
Complain, complain. The minute we can breathe, you decide you need water! We’ve been down here exactly five minutes.

BO
How come YOUR watch works?

HEDJ
It doesn’t. I was just guessing.

BO
Doesn’t it bother you that we have no sense of time and no sense of direction?
```
    HEDJ
```
We’ll just have to use our Third Eye.
```
    BO
```
Our what?
```
    HEDJ
```
The thing behind the top of your nose. It’s how animals migrate.
```
    BO
```
Sounds like bullshit to me. If doctors don’t know about it, it doesn’t exist.
```
    HEDJ
```
Dude, doctors are the last to know about anything! Didn’t it take you guys like six thousand years to wash your hands?
```
    BO
```
Well, law never cured anybody of ANYTHING.
```
    HEDJ
```
Hey, don’t drink all the Gatorade.
```
    BO
```
Can’t drink what we find down here. You’ll grow gills.

HEDJ
We’re not building a civilization! We’re finding the girls and getting the hell out!

BO
Here’s the cave, so where are the girls?
```
    HEDJ
```
Maybe they didn’t come down, not even the easy way! Maybe they’re laughing at us.
```
    BO
```
We’ll get the last laugh! DARED and DONE!

HEDJ
Or maybe there’s more than one cave. How would we know? It’s unexplored!

BO
Some Victorian explored it.

HEDJ
You can’t trust the Victorians! They were putting ape jawbones on human skulls and saying they discovered Original Man!
```
    BO
```
Yeah, but lying about a cave —
```
    HEDJ
```
Yeah, and how about climate change? Everything’s moved around since then. And what about earthquakes?

BO
There are no earthquakes in this part of the world!
```
            HEDJ
    There are so!  They happen down so low you can’t even feel them.

            BO
    So you’re a geology major now?

    HEDJ
```
Not to mention boiling lava!
```
    BO
```
Now you’re just showing off. My Third Eye smells girls. They’re around here someplace.
```
    HEDJ
```
That’s not your Third Eye! That’s your sex gland!
```
    BO
```
Same thing for all you know!

HEDJ
(Perking up)

My Third Eye says they’re going to need rescue. Girls are always needing to be rescued.

BO
It’s those shoes they wear.

HEDJ
Yeah, well they won’t wear stilettos down here. More likely the $4000 sneakers Daddy bought them.

BO
There are no $4000 sneakers!

HEDJ
Of course there are!

BO
Well, you can overpay for anything.
```
        HEDJ
Which is my POINT.
```
(Shines his flashlight around)

Now this is what I call a CAVE.

BO
Let the exploring begin! Dude, we could name this cave after us! I think I have a Sharpie somewhere.

HEDJ
What’s to write?
```
    BO
```
We’re mapmaking, dude! We’re explorers!
```
    HEDJ
```
What’s to map? All we’ve got is a long tunnel and a big room.

BO
With an undiscovered underground pool in an undisclosed location. So be careful.

(Exploring)
```
    They’re ahead of us, is all.
```
HEDJ
Wouldn’t they leave some kind of sign if they’d been through here?

BO
Who know WHAT they would do? They were cute girls, though.

HEDJ
Plenty of cute girls up top. We could abandon their asses, plant a bandanna, snap a pic and get the hell out.

BO
How’s your camera working if your phone doesn’t?

HEDJ
Damn! Sharpie the cave and brazen it out? Swagger, man!
```
            BO
```
You’re missing a fabulous opportunity here! We could earn the undying gratitude of some really pretty girls!
```
            HEDJ
```
Buddy, you fell on your head during rush week.

BO
Man, that rope gave way. There was nothing I could do. So which girl do you want?

HEDJ
One of them was giving me The Look. The Unmistakable Look.

BO
I seriously doubt that!
```
            HEDJ
```
(Touching his eye)

I’m never wrong about The Look.
```
            BO
```
Which one was it? Better not be MY one.

HEDJ
Oh, you’ve got one all picked out, have you?
```
    BO
```
Course I have and so have you!
```
    HEDJ
```
The one with the overbite?

BO
If you’re referring to the girl I spent all night talking to, then, yes.

HEDJ
You know, dude, cave-diving females are almost certainly gay.

BO
Let’s HOPE, right?

HEDJ
Was it the brunette or the blonde?

BO
There isn’t a blonde! She’s more of a redhead!

HEDJ
Well, that answers my question, then! Just because you’re going to be a doctor so you feel entitled to the blonde!

BO
She ISN’T a blonde – you’re blind as well as crazy. My one is the other one.

HEDJ
Oh, the brunette? The dominatrix is the one you want? You’ve bitten off more than you can chew there, buddy.

BO
You can’t have both of them!

HEDJ
Who says I can’t?

BO
The guy you’re about to go swimming with at the end of a deep dark hole says you can’t.

HEDJ
Oh, all right. Don’t go all Lord of the Flies on me! Talk about devolution! Take whichever one you want!

BO
The one I want is the redhead and there’s nothing wrong with her teeth. The dominatrix is yours. But, we’re going to need more romantic surroundings than this to make a move.
```
    HEDJ
```
What’s wrong with these surroundings, bro? Its like the end of the world! Everybody and his grandmother would be getting it on!
```
    BRO
```
Or like the beginning of the world. That would be romantic.

HEDJ
And how about in the ambulance on the way to Disease Control?

BO
Dude, that’s SO not funny. Really poor taste under the circumstances.

HEDJ
Life and death down here buddy. It doesn’t get any more “romantic” than that!

BO
See! Did I set this up right or what!

(They high five)

Call me crazy!

HEDJ
Crazy like a fox!

BO
You’re welcome!

HEDJ
Here’s the plan for maximum coverage. You go that way, I go this way and we meet over there.

BO
NOW who’s crazy?

HEDJ
Hey! Why march in lockstep? This isn’t summer camp!

BO
Man, have you even SEEN any horror movies? The monster gets everyone the MINUTE they split up.

HEDJ
No monsters down here, bro. Pinky swear.

BO
It’s like a symbolic representation of danger bro. Be prepared is all I’m saying.

HEDJ
Eyes on the prize, buddy!
```
    BO
```
There you go with that eye thing again!
```
    HEDJ 
```
The girls are gonna LOSE and we’re gonna WIN. And you know why?

BO
Cause we’re better?

HEDJ
Dude, every girl in this school is smarter than either one of us. My parents had to pretend I row crew to get me into this school. Whatever that is.

BO
And I had an Asian guy taking my SAT’s. You’re just talking about book smarts. What does THAT have to do with anything?

HEDJ
Exactly! It’s all about strategy! We’re gonna win with strategy!

(A long pause)

BO
(At a loss)

Like…

HEDJ
Like we’re not going to duplicate each other’s actions. Have you ever noticed how girls have to do everything together?

BO
(Lightning strikes)

They can’t even go to the bathroom by themselves!

HEDJ
That’s what I’m talking about! Baby steps!

(Mimics mincing walk)

BO
Holding each other up!

HEDJ
Like they’re gay!

BO
(Falsetto)
Help me. I’m so scared!

(With his back to audience, HEDJ mimics passionate make out session)

BO
Did the earth move?

HEDJ
Rolling in the mud, each trying to get on top –

BO
Tearing off each other’s clothes –

HEDJ
Mouth-to-mouth rescue breathing –

(Climax. The men sigh together.)

BO
Wow! Was that good for you?

HEDJ
That’s good for anybody!

(Mutual struggle to calm their breathing.)

You go around that way, I go around this way, we meet over there.

BO
Ok, Ok, so what am I looking for?

HEDJ
Openings. Anyplace they might have gone.

BO
If I see something…?

HEDJ
Say something. Yell. I’ll come over to you.

BO
And you do the same.

HEDJ
How can THAT work? If we’re both yelling and we’re both circling this is like dance class.

BO
I needed a SINGLE PHYS ED CREDIT. JUST ONE.
```
    HEDJ
```
Oh, relax! We’ve all been in Single Credit Hell.
```
    BO
```
You have?
```
    HEDJ
```
Figure skating!
```
    BO
```
That’s not so bad.
```
    HEDJ
```
Dude! FIGURE SKATING!

BO
OK, OK. I know how to settle this. We go with the quarterback’s play.

HEDJ
Could you POSSIBLY be thinking that you’re the quarterback in this scenario?

BO
And you’re the figure skater! I’m the one that dared them!

HEDJ
You’ve never quarterbacked in your life!
```
            BO
```
Flag football! I’m the quarterback if I called the play!

HEDJ
Fantasy football more like. You totally, one hundred percent did not call anything! Circling and strategy was ALL my idea!

BO
Splitting up and walking backward you mean!

HEDJ
If that’s what you’re calling it!

BO
So now you admit it!
```
    HEDJ
```
I admit it if you admit you drunk-dared them!
```
    BO
```
I don’t know why every argument circles back to the dawn of time!
```
    HEDJ
```
OK, then, let’s talk about NOW. I’m the one with the plan.
```
    BO
```
Which is WHAT?

HEDJ
Specialization! We don’t bother to duplicate each other’s actions. Specialization’s like, the foundation of civilization!

BO
Germ theory is the foundation of civilization!

HEDJ
It so totally is NOT. Look at the Romans! Look at the Egyptians. They were eating rats and drinking sewer water and they were building like crazy!

BO

Modern medicine is the only reason anyone can do anything. Otherwise we would all be four feet one, crippled up with rickets and dead at fifteen.

HEDJ
That is SO not true. Law is what’s keeping us from killing each other like I’m seriously thinking of —

BO
You guys make up your laws, but medicine’s based on biology. That’s REAL law, my man’
```
    HEDJ
```
Is not.
```
    BO
```
Is too.
```
    HEDJ
```
Is NOT.
```
    BO
```
Ok, Ok, don’t drop your shorts. How about this? Let’s say if we both start yelling, then I’ll be the one to work my way over to you. Happy now?

HEDJ
Right. Sounds good.

BO
See? I’m a problem solver!
```
            HEDJ
    Don’t push it.

            BO
```
I just don’t want to get separated is all.

HEDJ
Yeah. Because of the monsters.

BO
I heard that!

(They wander away, exiting different wings.)
March 17, 2023
Caving: a comedy
In this comedy, the theatre becomes a cave as 2 college frat boys (HEDJ & BO) & 2 Sorority girls (REV & VAYRE) become trapped while spelunking on a dare. Unsettled friendships and a longing for connection have driven them to risk the cell-phone-free dangers of this place. All four long for emotional and sexual union and dependable relationships but are worried about victimization & consequences. How to trust? Both same sex couples become separated: BO “rescues” VAYRE and REV “rescues” HEDJ. Each couple has to forge a reliable physical and emotional connection. The first couple then needs to “find” the second couple deeper in the cave. To escape their emotional and physical prisons, both couples need to work as a team. They will use both physical and metaphysical relationship dynamics; even quantum mechanics to locate a “wormhole” that will “free them” into a previously unimagined universe.

(SCENE 1: darkened theater. A pair of college age women wearing miner’s lights and using hastily assembled climbing gear lower themselves from the ceiling with rope)

REV
We can’t let the boys win!

VAYRE
Because they ALWAYS win.

REV
Only because they CARE SO MUCH about winning!

VAYRE
Like it’s the ONLY thing.

REV
They win because they CHEAT.

VAYRE
They’re proud of it! They brag about it!
```
            REV
```
Like ha ha! We put one over on you!

(They land with a thump, pull down ropes and lash them around their waists.)

REV
(Sniffs)
God, it stinks down here. What do you think that thing IS?

VAYRE
I DON’T think. I’m trying hard NOT to think.

REV
(Clutching her friend as if afraid to look around)

Don’t you dare say the “s” word! I’m warning you. Don’t even THINK the “s” word!

VAYRE
What IS the “s” word? Shit?

REV
That’s not it! Don’t say it! Don’t think it!

VAYRE
Rev, are you afraid of … snakes?

REV
(Screams)

I told you not to say it! Now I see them everywhere! I can SMELL them!

VAYRE
Snakes don’t SMELL, silly. There are no snakes down here!

REV
Who are you kidding! This is a deep dark hole! There HAVE to be snakes down here!

VAYRE
There can’t be. Snakes need to eat SOMETHIING.

REV
(Lets go of her)

There you go. Now you’re starting. I warned you. You mean something like BATS, for example?

VAYRE
(Galvanized –Clutches REV fiercely)

Who said anything about bats? There aren’t any bats down here! This is a bat-free zone!

REV
I just said that so you would come with. But you INSIST on torturing me with snakes. It’s a cave, silly! There literally HAVE to be bats! The kind that FLY in your HAIR.

(They hold each other while uttering blood curdling screams)

VAYRE
You are so mean!
```
            REV 
```
You started it!
```
    VAYRE
```
We’ve got to calm down. What if the boys hear us?

REV
Yeah, we’ll never live it down!
```
            VAYRE
```
We’ll have to pretend we’re faking. Play screaming. If THAT even exists!
```
            REV
```
They’re probably screaming themselves. IF they have the BRAINS to be afraid. Which I highly doubt.

VAYRE
You and me both!

REV
Why did we get ourselves into this? What the HADES were we thinking?

VAYRE
Well, we HAD to take the dare.

REV
But WHY do we have to take the dare? What’s wrong with us?

VAYRE
Greek honor? Self-sabotage? I can’t remember,
```
            REV
    Because they’re SO pathetic. 
```
VAYRE
Or because they’re so smug and superior.
```
    REV
```
Those boys are SO in love with themselves!
```
            VAYRE
    How is that possible?
```
REV
When they’re so much worse than we are in literally every way?

VAYRE
SO much worse. But they’re the only game in town.

REV
They CAN’T be.

VAYRE
I investigated. They ARE. Unless you want to be gay?
```
    REV
```
Not me! Where’s the fun in playing with the stuff I’ve already got?

VAYRE
I know! Right? Where’s the drama?
```
    REV
```
And you just KNOW whoever she is, she’s going to have a better chest than mine!
```
            VAYRE
    Of course she is! How can she help it?
```
REV
(Giving her friend a dirty look)

Thanks a lot!
```
    VAYRE
```
Hey! All I’m saying is we’re always comparing. True?
```
    REV
```
(Grudgingly)
True. Who can relax?
```
    VAYRE
```
And when we’re ranking, we rank ourselves worst! Do we or don’t we?
```
    REV
```
Well not always.
```
    VAYRE
```
But most of the time! It just looks so easy to be someone else!
```
    REV
```
It does! It really does! Hey, Vayre?
```
    VAYRE
```
What?
```
    REV
```
Don’t let those boys know we investigated them!

VAYRE
Yeah! Easier to catch them in a LIE.

REV
Bundles of lies, probably!
```
    VAYRE
```
Yeah! Poseurs! They always get ensnared by their lies!
```
            REV
    Trip themselves up!
```
(They pant together; fortifying themselves has been hard work.)
```
    God, I’m exhausted! Are you?
```
VAYRE
I am! And we haven’t even started yet! Who knew this would be so rough?

(They finally let each other go – a bit embarrassed at the “gay” thing.)

I won’t say “s” if you won’t say “b”.

REV
Deal.
(Handshake & upslap. They look around, shining flashlights at the audience.)

VAYRE
Please remind me HOW we got into this?
```
    REV
```
I was drinking Angry Balls. I should NEVER do that. Remind me to NEVER do that AGAIN!

VAYRE
Oh, yeah. I was all Sex on the Beach. So I remember…NOTHING. What are those other things?

REV
Beer. With a fireball chaser. You’d think THAT would be all right! Right?

VAYRE
I’m starting to see the problem with our decision making.

REV
Yeah! And the headaches!

VAYRE
It’s the boys’ fault!

REV
It TOTALLY is! If they weren’t such hard drinkers –

VAYRE
Alcoholics, probably. And if didn’t have those gorgeous shoulders —

REV
They were all about the shoulders! Shoulders all over the place!

VAYRE
Deep, deep brown eyes…

(They both sigh)

REV
Did you happen to catch their names?

VAYRE
Hardly.

REV
Then how did you investigate them?
```
            VAYRE
    Friend of a friend.
```
(Thinks)
Of a friend.

REV
It’s especially hard when they’re buying!

VAYRE
It TOTALLY is! I mean, you lose track!
```
            REV
    They WANT you to lose track!

            VAYRE
```
Technically, the FRAT house was buying.
```
    REV
```
That’s even WORSE!

(They look at each other meaningfully)

REV & VAYRE
Uh oh!

REV
We’ve been set up!

VAYRE
We should leave right now!

REV
We COULD leave now. I mean the hole is right up there.

(They both look up)

VAYRE
Funny. I don’t see it. Where did it go?

REV
Maybe a cloud passed in front of the sun.

VAYRE
I’m already forgetting what sun even LOOKS like.

REV
Maybe it moved while we were…screaming.

VAYRE
An “s” word! Don’t say it!

REV
Yeah. We never win if get excited.

VAYRE
Remind me why aren’t we making the pledges do this? Isn’t that the whole point of sisterhood?

REV
Lawsuits. We have to figure out if this can even be done. Did you bring food?

VAYRE
Of course not. Think how thin we’ll be when we finally get out of here. How about you?

REV
Gluten-free power bars.

VAYRE
I SO blame the national chapter. Everything’s their fault!
```
    REV
```
Yeah! It’s their fault we can’t just spank pledges and roll them in chocolate anymore! Make us think up something hard!

VAYRE
Something NEW. God! What a lame bunch of losers! I mean, who doesn’t enjoy a good spanking and a coating of chocolate!

REV
I Did! You did! Now we have to invent “pro-social” initiations to dress up somebody else’s resume!

VAYRE
It’s SO UNFAIR!
```
    REV
```
It SO defeats the point!

VAYRE
Which is…
```
            REV
```
Knocking respect into those pointy little know nothing heads.

VAYRE
Respect!

REV
Right! Remind them they’re lucky to be chosen!

VAYRE
Sisterhood is a privilege, not a right! They must be worthy!

REV
And…

(Moment’s silence while they try to read each other’s thoughts and speak together)

REV & VAYRE
Because…they must be … willing to…

(Confused halt.)

VAYRE
Do anything we tell them?

REV
Start at the bottom!

VAYRE
Yeah. Like we did!

REV
I know, right?

VAYRE
So appropriate. I mean if we went through it …
```
            REV
```
They should have to.

VAYRE
They shouldn’t be able to just get out of it.

REV
Why should THEY get a pass? That gives them a completely wrong impression.

REV
Yeah! They’ll FAIL!

VAYRE
At college!

REV
Probably even at LIFE! I mean, it wasn’t even so bad really.

VAYRE
Right. Who doesn’t love chocolate?

REV
Who doesn’t love a good spanking?

VAYRE
I don’t!

REV
(Hastily)
Depends who’s doing it. Who’d you get?

VAYRE
Muffy! She’s awful! She really had it in for me!

REV
Poor old Muffintop. It’s just jealousy. That’s what THAT is.

VAYRE
The Muffintop hates everyone.

REV
There’s too much jealousy! Those national women are just angry –check that – FURIOUS about the way their lives turned out. Prom queen divas with three screaming toddlers, a sixty hour job and a husband who sexts.

VAYRE
A husband who…what?

REV
You know, sends pictures of his junk to TOTAL STRANGERS.

VAYRE
Yeah! Poor things! Who wants to ever get old? I never want to leave college!

REV
Really? I can’t WAIT to leave college!

VAYRE
Why’s that?

REV
It’s so freakin’ expensive!

VAYRE
Well, apart from that. I mean what’s not to like? It’s like a witness relocation program for teenagers.
```
                   REV
```
Yeah but it sucks not having a boyfriend.
```
    VAYRE
```
Yeah, being a sex object up for grabs gets old. I HAD a boyfriend.

REV
I’m not sure Bucky Buckmaster counts for much.

VAYRE
That wasn’t his name.

REV
Whatever. I had a stalker that was kind of sexy, but do you hear me bragging? You can’t count high school boyfriends or garage mechanic stalkers. They’re so passé.

VAYRE
All because men have that problem with COMMITMENT.

REV
They’re shallow is what! They’re not even men! They’re just a bunch of little boys!

VAYRE
They need us to show them what’s what.

REV
Plan their lives for them.
```
    VAYRE
```
Because otherwise they’d just drink beer and watch sports.
```
    REV
```
And play video games. Fantasy football twenty-four/seven.

VAYRE
Well, we can’t accomplish anything if we spend the rest of our lives in a freakin’ CAVE!

(Disgusted mutual pause)

REV
I would totally leave right now if I knew where that damn hole was.
```
    VAYRE
```
I’d be right behind you!
```
    REV
```
We’ve got to go back to the plan.

VAYRE
Omigod, there’s a plan?

REV
I remember talking about a plan

VAYRE
(Looking at her phone)

There’s no signal! I’m not getting a signal!
```
    REV
```
Me either!
```
    VAYRE
```
Oh, this is bad, bad news. How can we use our GPS? I’m lost without my GPS.

REV
It’s those magnetic fields, that’s what it is. I read they all go haywire down here!
```
    VAYRE
```
We should have thought of that!
```
    REV
```
(In the GPS’s voice)

Recalculating…

VAYRE
So what the hell do we do now?

REV
If we back out they’ll say it’s because we’re girls.

VAYRE
Yeah, they will! Blast it all over campus!

REV
We have to pretend WE set THEM up.

VAYRE
Unless they NEVER get out. Then WE’LL be the ones in trouble.

REV
We can’t win! But what do you mean “never get out”?? You mean…like, DIE?

VAYRE
Face it. Those guys are pretty stupid.

REV
What if they never came down in the first place!

VAYRE
Yeah! Left us down here by ourselves!

REV
They’d think it was funny! Bro Code and Ho Code!

VAYRE
Bastards! WE’RE not Hos!

REV
They think a “Ho” is any girl who can’t escape.

VAYRE
Not the brown-eyed one! He was throwing mad sexy cute vibes at me.
```
    REV
    That’s all part of their nefarious plan.

            VAYRE
```
I don’t think so. He was seriously sad puppy-eying me!

REV
What do you know? You were sexy-beached up out of your mind!

VAYRE
I WAS all sexy-beached up our of my mind but sometimes you see most clearly when you’re out of your mind. Don’t forget, I kept adding orange juice. It’s good for you!

REV
Yeah! And here we are!

(Looks around disgustedly.)

VAYRE
So let’s say the boys DID come down the tunnel. What’s the plan?

REV
We come down the hole and they come down the tunnel. We’re supposed to find each other.

VAYRE
Unless we’re in two separate caves!

REV
Not according to Blaise Pinwinnie. I googled him. He’ s the guy that originally searched these caves.

VAYRE
Wasn’t that like 1863? God! ANYTHING could have happened since then! Tectonic plates have been shifting all over the place! Don’t you ever watch movies?

REV
Say we DON’T find them, that’s OK too. If we keep circling we’re bound to end up back where we started. That’s the NATURE of a circle.

VAYRE
Unless it’s a spiral.

REV
WHAT is your major? Remind me again? “Fashion Ethics”? Let ME do the thinking.

VAYRE
My major is not and never has been “Fashion Ethics”. I don’t even think that’s a major. I am currently majorless which is a highly respected condition when you don’t know what you want to do and you don’t want to get stuck doing something you hate.

REV
No wonder you want to stay in college forever. Sucks to be your parents is all I can say.

VAYRE
Stepfather is another “s” word. Don’t remind me.

REV
If there’s a connection we’re going to find it or –

VAYRE
Don’t say it! We’ll find it if we DECIDE to find it! Didn’t you read The Secret? If you want something badly enough –
```
    REV
```
You believe that garbage? It CAN’T be true or everybody would have everything!

VAYRE
No, because people are self-destructive. You wouldn’t argue with that, I hope?
```
    REV
```
We’re not self-destructive!
```
    VAYRE
```
Right! That’s how I know we’ll find it. You know, I think I see an opening over there.

(They move slowly downstage, shining flashlights)
```
            REV
```
Listen! Did you hear that? You know how boys’ bodies are always making disgusting noises?

(They listen thoughtfully to audience noises)

VAYRE
Nah. It’s the earth groaning or something like that. No big wup.

REV
Where ARE they? Up top laughing at us?

VAYRE
Maybe they’re dead already.

REV
Died from sheer fright, probably! Makes us the last great adventurers!

VAYRE
I bet they’re gay. No straight guy could have eyes that beautiful.

REV
I HOPE they’re gay! Otherwise – think about it – we’re down here where our cellphones don’t work with a couple of horny frat boys.

VAYRE
Maybe they’re not even horny! Seriously! I’ve been reading about it! They’ve all ruined their bodies with masturbation and cheese whiz! If they want to rape anybody they have to get a gang together in a group!

REV
That’s disgusting!

VAYRE
Yeah, it IS!

REV
God, it’s a ruined world left for us to inherit.
```
    VAYRE
```
Why do you have to be so negative?
```
    REV
```
I’m realistic, is all.

VAYRE
Same difference. It would be mad irony if my Mom got the last good generation.

REV
I thought you hated your stepfather.

VAYRE
I do hate him. He’s good looking though. But talk about negative! Nothing’s ever right for HIM.

REV
Well nobody’s helping ME. Even the government wants its money back.

VAYRE
Hear that?

REV
What? 
(They listen while audience tries to hold its breath.)

VAYRE
I’m not sure. Water dripping?

REV
Men peeing! Men pee on everything!

VAYRE
Like wolves! Or…dogs. It’s the ownership thing!

REV
Or a threat! Torturing our sense of smell!

VAYRE
Maybe they’re super conniving and Machiavellian and not stupid at all! Talk about snakes!

REV
DO NOT SAY SNAKES! If you say the “s” word!” I get to say the “b” word!

VAYRE
Don’t you dare!

REV
Bats, bats, bats!

(The girls engage in a vigorous slapfight. Lights out.)
March 16, 2023
I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead

Chapter 24 – Completing the Maze

“Jazz, Jazz, Jazz,” Corso shook his head. His voice turned silky. “I am your advisor. It is my job – I think I can say my calling – to step in when you’ve gone astray. And what have you done to your hair? I’m not sure I like it. You look quite a different person. It’s as if you’re attempting a disguise. As Mr. Quinn how that works out. You really require professional intervention at this point, but hasn’t that always been the truth about you?” He turned to Chase.

“I see you have been hanging around with quite a bad element, Mr. Quinn the housebreaker. Mr. Quinn the burglar. Mr. Quinn who lives – rather tragically I must confess – on the edges of other people’s lives with other people’s things on other people’s money. When will you learn that you are a free agent, Mr. Quinn and not my shadow-doppelganger? Jazz, it grieves me that you are so impressionable.

“Put down your fists, Mr. Quinn. Did you wish to duke it out? Never let your mouth write checks your body cannot cash. Why don’t you let me explain my proposition before you land yourself in the slammer? I’maware that you can be bought; you’ll see my plan is lucrative. I’ve prepared a spreadsheet for your delectation. If you’ll sit down — and calm down — I’ll show it to you.

“Do I look dangerous here? Trust me that I’ve come in peace. Now as for you, Jazz, I’m aware that cash can’t sway you or you’d actually have some of it. No, you are motivated by – “ he paused delicately, “I think we’ll call it love. Love, love, love, love, love. Who am I to say it can’t exist? Sit down, Mr. Quinn.”

To my astonishment Chase sat down. I hesitated, unsure of what to do. I wanted to believe Chase was playing a deeper game – collecting evidence as he had the first time I’d seen him with Corso – but there was a crushed look on his face that hadn’t even showed around his father. Could anyone be that good an actor?

“This is win, win, children.” To emphasize, Corso leaned forward and Chase flinched as though the other man’s penumbra touched him. Observing his advantage, Corso threw out his arms. “I will lay my life wide open for you, since that’s what you so desire. Tell you all my secrets.” He thumped his chest. “Here’s the first; I am the master key that opens all the doors.” Behind the saturated silk of his voice I heard the scorpion hiss with a sting in its tail.

“You have no right to be here,” I challenged. “Get out!” Took every ounce of my non-existent courage, I have to say.

His face assumed a sorrowful mien. “I was so afraid you would start without me,” he sighed. “What can I say to persuade you that I am the multiplier in this equation?”
“I can take you,” asserted Chase, his voice rough and gravelly as an unpaved road.

“That would be lovely,” soothed Corso. “By all means let us bench- press each other for the delectation of the fair maiden.” He gestured at my poster. “This is so quaint, Jazz. I’m hoping once you’ve memorized it you’ll loan it to me. If only I had known, every time you said “Oh, Bosch” that you meant Bosch with a “c”. We would have gotten on much faster.”
“Go to hell,” I returned. Feebly, alas.

“Jazz, we’re already there,” croaked Chase.
Oh God, I thought. He’s still set on killing him. Throwing him out the window, like Howk’s body in my vision? I’ve got to do something. But what?

“Don’t flatter yourself, Mr. Quinn,” snapped Corso, exactly as if we were still in class. “You are just a beginner. Give me a child at the age of seven…then give me another. I’ve plumbed your depths.” He laughed dismissively. “Frankly, Jazz deserves better than you.”
“We know what you’ve been up to, murdering Miss Howk,” said Chase. “Did she kill your wife for you?”

A smile broke over Corso’s face. “What fun this game has been,” he sighed. “You advance a pawn, I advance a rook. Rook kills pawn. If I’d had any idea what a pleasure it is having stalkers I’d have tried it long ago. So gratifying to see the pair of you so aroused by my spoor.”
““You made all sorts of mistakes,” I said angrily, out of control and aware I shouldn’t be doing this. Should we show him our hand? But the temperature in the room was just too high. I wanted to throw every weapon I could find.

“I don’t think so,” said Corso. “That doesn’t sound like something I would do. On the other hand, one likes to leave a signature behind. You know Jazz, there’s always more than one suspect. Can you think of anyone who wants to show off for you and thus secure your trust? Is there no one you can think of?” He spoke loudly, as iffor a hidden recording device. “Poor Miss Howk disappeared wearing your scarf, after all. They told me at the Health Center that you seemed angry at her for some reason. Did you take her for a rival?”

What a master of smoke and mirrors! As if Chase and I didn’t recognize truth when we tripped over it! “You are ridiculous,” I challenged, flinging out the biggest insult I could think of. “What will the dean say about the way you exploit your students? Don’t tell me there isn’t plenty of evidence.”
“I’m going to tell you something very shocking,” Corso admitted lazily, rising to his feet and peering out my eighth-floor window. He turned his back upon the world to perch upon my ledge. “The internet is full of porn. It’s hard to tell one slave from another. So really, only the slaves can testify they were present at their own comeuppances! Does that sound likely to you? The compensations of continuing just as we are, are enormous. I do wish you’d let me show you.
Isn’t there anything you desire? Mr. Quinn has a nice shiny car. What do women want? Let me see…hmm…women want men!” He laughed out loud. “I think we’ll guarantee you that! This poor slave, if you require him. Don’t you see yet, you won’t catch flies with threats, adorable little Jazz? Time to try your famous honey instead.” He sighed luxuriously. “Infamous honey, perhaps I should say. Enjoyed by all.”

I knew the urge to physically attack was just what Corso wanted, so instead of advancing, I retreated, wondering how I could prevent Chase from wrestling with his demon. I walked to the door and turned on the lights. Because right then I saw it all. I had something Corso never had, or if he had, he’d willingly surrendered it. The connection Chase and I had forged to the infinite answered all our questions. With my room’s fluorescent lights lit, the room became a stage. I knew that Bex and his rifle were out there somewhere.

“You are such a bastard,” spat Chase, staggering to his feet. His face was so drained of blood his freckles stood out like plague spots. Separate, we couldn’t fight him. How could we come together?

“Oh, come, come,” said Corso, throwing his arms out to embrace the universe, “I gave you what you wanted. I brought her to you, didn’t I? I brought all of them. Turn about is fair play. I’ve upheld my part of the bargain. Now it’s your turn to share.”

I shouted at Chase, “Transitional objects!” and threw him to the floor in a flying tackle. Chase’s eyes met mine in a suddenly full comprehension. I saw the Corso-induced glaze disappearing from his brain as I mouthed, “Window.”

Was that crack the window breaking? Crack-crack-crack. Firecrackers. Or bullets. Eight shots, or four shots and four echoes? Who can say? We were face down on the floor in that hug that was our gateway to the universe. We felt, rather than saw, Corso stagger, looked up to see his face express astonishment at his own mortality. He was not immortal, lilies blossomed redly on his naked chest.

His power sucked out of the room along with his body. Chase leaped to his feet and when I rose to stop him from following the cascade of shattered glass I saw on the library roof what I expected to see; the glittering motorcycle jacket, the gleaming long gun.

I pulled Chase down and held him as hard as I could.
“What a monster,” said Chase. “Hold me.”

I held him. “You’re mine,” I told him. “And I’m yours. You have to stay with me.”
I felt the tension in his body ebb as we both awakened from our long sleep. We had never been able to fight him separately but together we were invincible.

The sound of sirens gave us courage to lean out and look out upon the new world. The snow had started falling, and snowflakes gathered on Corso’s naked chest where he lay shattered below us in the parking lot. He was human after all. The flickering lights came closer; a symphony of color and music playing in our honor. A few distant walkers huddled around the dead man, taking cell phone pictures and shouting.

“It’s great to dream,” said Chase, “And it’s wonderful to be awake.”

I kissed him hard and he kissed back. “Come on,” said Chase. “It’s time to free the others.” The skin crinkled around his blue eyes as the spirit – my spirit — danced within him.

March 15, 2023
I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead

Chapter 23 – Together

We awoke cuddled together at the foot of Chase’s bed, wrapped in his comforter. Chase was moaning.

“Too late,” he said, “too late.” I kissed him and ran to the kitchen for coffee. Caffeine and aspirin. When I came back he was holding his head.
“Bad one,” he said.

“Except we found her!” And I felt fine. I was beginning to see the psychic pain engendered by our flights was different according to what we went in with and how we could process what we learned. See? If there’s always progress, there’s always hope.
“Maybe Bex will loan me his gun,” moaned Chase.

I made him drink bitter instant coffee. Our roles were reversed from my “spontaneous combustion” at Hadleigh. As log as there were two of us, we could help each other through anything.
“W don’t need Bex for anything and we certainly don’t need guns,” I insisted.

Chase rolled coffee around his mouth as if was a fine wine; then ruined the effect by gargling. “Well then what the hell are we going to do?”

“Maybe we can’t get Corso for everything,” I asserted, acting brave for Chase’s benefit, “But we can make a start. The sex thing is bad. He’s involved with his students, so even if he tries to blame us, they’ll do something to him. Maybe they’ll lock him up.”
“You’re willing to have the world…see that?”

“I think the world may be already seeing it.” Although it would be just like Corso to play gatekeeper so he could make money. Off of us. Besides, we owed the others something; at the very least to make sure “dream lab” never happened again. “We’ll go to the Dean. Remember, he said dream lab was recorded. He has to show them something. ”

“He’ll just say the equipment malfunctioned,” sighed Chase, rubbing his jaw as if soul flight dislocated it. “How about this, I promise we’ll do whatever you think is right.”

“First, walk me back to my room so I can get my things.” It would only take moments to pack it up and never return to that “sick building”. I admitted the unmentionable. “I’m scared of Bex.”
“Let’s go.” He struggled to his feet, rolling a bit as we came together. Steadying each other. “And then I’ll fix that window.”

Darkness was just settling on an ordinary – to everyone else — Sunday afternoon. Students strolling, linking, hailing one another and hooking up. It looked safe. It looked as if all we had to fear was each other. That’s what the maze-master wants the mice to think.

“Let’s don’t wait until it gets too dark,” I angsted in full Foreboding Mode.
“I’m ready. Thanks for the “to go”. He flourished at me his plastic cup.

We crossed the quad without a problem, though I felt people looked at us strangely. Because we walked so close together, marching hip to thigh in a solitary unit? Inside Hadleigh, I allowed myself to unravel a bit as the hiss of automatic doors closed us in.
“One down,” I said aloud.

I might sigh with relief, but my inner bell was gonging, and I’ve learned to ignore that at my peril. Something was wrong but I couldn’t tell what. Still, here at Hadleigh we were surrounded by students; the night security guy had even taken over the desk. Phones in every room, cell phones in every pocket.

First warning: elevator out of order. That was the first bad thing. And the freight elevator was in service. We waited for it quite awhile.

“Eight floors is not so bad,” said Chase. “No pain, no gain.” Tossed his coffee cup into the trash.
He said that so lightly, then saw me wince.

“Sorry,” he apologized. “It’s just that we’re fighters now. Can’t afford to ditch training just when you’re approaching Final Contest. “ He took my hand. “Come on, I’ll race you.” As we chased up the stairwell he shouted. Facilis descensus averno!”

“You got that right,“ I puffed. Going up is so darn hard! It’s so much easier to let your muscles go limp and slide. But…better up than down.

At every floor the fire doors were propped open – illegally, but it lent me confidence. Heartening scraps of music could be heard at every floor; Snow Patrol, Hands Down, Vampire Weekend.

Speaking of Vampire Weekend, there were so many people around. Nothing can go wrong in a big crowd. Right? Unfortunately most of them were hollow-eyed revenants fleeing Saturday night crime scenes for parietals. With their piss- stained hair and their bile-stained clothing they were not good advertisements for the party-hearty lifestyle. Somehow we never get to see the “after” photos. Corso’s zombies. I imagined the mark of Corso on every forehead.

I believe they shuddered as much at the sight of us as we shuddered at the sight of them. Because we were going up, like fireman, while they fled the burning building? Maybe we are all just ghosts to each other anyway.

When I exercise I can’t talk. So I have to think. If shame is felt only by the haunted, that’s damned unfair. Gives the thin edge of the wedge to those like Dr. Corso who applaud a guiltless super-race. Confidence and entitlement – those most envied of attributes — shine out around him like a magical light. At least two corpses in his wake plus a genocidal wave of shame. And what of bodies unrecovered?

“We’re dead to him already,” I gasped aloud.

Chase knew exactly what I meant. “If so, he’s wrong,” said Chase, hardly showing the effects of an eight-storey climb, “I was dead but you brought me back to life.”

“He’s the dead one”, tolled my inner bell. I took off my shoes for the last three flights. I think now I can say I’ve officially had it with stiletto heels. It’s kitten heels from here on out, unless Chase begs. I wished I could say something light, to conceal the fact that I was puffing too hard, but I was puffing too hard.

“And I don’t even smoke,” I said, unlocking my door.
Chase proclaimed our new mantra “Facilis descensus–,”

“Avernum!” Corso finished triumphantly. He lay stretched at full length upon my bed, shirtless and exposing his perfect six-pack. “So glad you’ve been keeping up with your Virgil, Stevie. You’ve got to be careful to get the declensions right. Excuse me, I mean Chase, of course.”

How was he able to suck every scrap of power out of a room and use it to fuel his own personal generator? Reading glasses perched upon his nose and my laptop perched upon his thighs. He turned his shining face to me and said, “I must apologize for checking your work, Jazz but it did get a bit dull waiting for you. Unfortunately, there’s no work here. There are, however, lots of other interesting things. JazzOne makes a terrible password. How’s the chemistry going?”
No, no, don’t close the door; don’t lock us in with the monster. But these damned heavy, soundproof, fireproof doors – so unlike poor Miss Howk’s – close by themselves.

I was still holding my shoes; should Ithrow them at him as if he was a dartboard? I flushed; feeling him effortlessly read my every thought. I could flee down the stairs, but I’d never leave Chase alone to face the dragon. I saw his shoulders set in that familiar wrestling stance; but Corso wouldn’t crumble like Bex; this was real-time, and my room is deficient in vases to throw. And besides, if we marked him it put us further in the wrong. My brain seemed frozen. I was long past having clever things to say. All I managed was, “How did you get in?”

March 14, 2023
I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead

Chapter 22 – Beyond Paradise

“Look hard at the picture,” said Chase, waving his phone before my face. I closed my eyes. I don’t work that way. I sheltered in Chase’s arms with a sigh, summoning up the vision shot into my mind when Zane recounted his dream-lab experience. Didn’t he say the tunnel had ribs? Like a tin can? That was distinctive. I felt my restless spirit lifting, pulling away, like a pony urgent to run. Chase’s voice cried, “Take me along,” and I kissed him hard. We lifted off together.

We were standing outside a gate plastered with weather-spotted Danger, Hazardous Conditions, No Trespassing, Condemned, and Bio- Hazard Warning signs. Not a good place for a living victim, since the factory appeared to be missing a roof. But what a great place to hide a body! A long concrete walkway connected the two collapsed buildings with the parking lot.
“Police take notice,” read Chase.

“Don’t you think our spirits could have gotten us inside?” I carped, shaking the padlocked fence.
“We came to the very place pictured,” said Chase. “I call that a ten point landing.”

“It’s huge,” I complained. “We’ll be like, overcome with fumes before we find her.”
“We would…if we still had bodies,” Chase reminded me. “You’ve got to admire the genius of the man.”

I would never praise heinous Corso’s genius but I did recall that Know Your Enemy slogan. Chase had been dragged into the abyss he studied. Now he was climbing out.

“These signs would discourage daytrippers, that’s for sure,” Chase told me. “An anonymous 911 call would hardly cut it here. The police can’t search without “probable cause” and the probable cause is inside. See? It’s the perfect crime and the perfect victim. When they finally clean this place up and find her–”

“Why’s poor Howk the perfect victim?”
“Because no one reported her missing! A lot of people, their first project on growing up is getting rid of everyone they used to know,” said Chase. “I speak as one who did it. Corso specializes in people like that.”

I shivered. I was trying to leave my family behind, but not forever. Aspirations weren’t a crime, just an opportunity for you-know-who.

“How do you think he got through here? I can’t picture him searching for a gap in the fence.”
Chase stood beside me. “He wouldn’t use his muscles for a problem his brain could solve. That padlock looks awfully new, compared to the chain.”

“So he cut off the old padlock and installed a new one. Then he could drive in.”
“The owners are obviously staying away. Who wants to get poisoned? See the grass on the driveway? If they ever try to get in they’ll probably cut it open anyway.”

“Even he couldn’t make the padlock look old,” I reassured – both Chase and myself. “This is a man we’re talking about, not a god. Mistake number 707.”

“I sure hope he’s made enough mistakes.” Chase had found a weakness in the chain link and lifted it. We crawled underneath.
The moment my feet touched that ground I knew.”She’s here,” I said, teeth chattering. “I’m certain. She’s in water.”

“See?” he patted me. “Better than a cadaver dog.”
Is this the kind of thing you want your boyfriend to say? Too late to quibble – I’m a package with my oddities the way he is with his terrifying past.

Water? We looked at the dry factory and the completely dry land that surrounded it.
“Water’s a good idea. He would want her to decompose as fast as possible,” said Chase. “Do you think there’s a well?”

“Or rainwater might collect somewhere,” I suggested.He said, “Let’s not search. We’ll just allow ourselves to be led.” I agreed. “You track him. I’ll track her.”

The doors and windows were boarded up efficiently, but behind a piece of plywood awkwardly placed against the front steps we saw a hole. Walking up the drive I thought I saw faint marks of another vehicle, and Chase gestured to me to stay away from them. Do soul-travelers leave footprints?

The plywood bristled with threats: Danger, Toxic Conditions, Unsafe Building.
“Corso’s handwriting?” asked Chase.
Mentally I thought, Mistake number 708. I was keeping track.

He pulled aside the piece of plywood and instantly we both saw a shiny new flashlight.
“Let there be light,” said Chase, and I said,
“Mistake number 709.”

“He’s getting sloppy. Sloppiness for him equals hope for us. “ He flourished a hand. “After you.”
“No, after you.”
We went in side by side.
“Hear that?” hissed Chase.

I did hear it. The sound that haunted all my dreams. Water dripping equals the slow drip of despair.
“Be careful,” I said nervously. The subfloor was broken and exposed and the dripping came from underneath us, as if the factory was built over not a well, but a lake. We stepped around the holes, sharing the flashlight, Chase kicking out of our way boards and bricks and lumps of plaster.
“Sorry to hang on you so hard,” I apologized, but I didn’t stop doing it.
He said, “If we fall, we fall together.”

He shined the flashlight down every hole. I looked and said, “Nope.” “Nope.” Always relieved that she wasn’t there, partly worrying that she had sunk so deep, or was covered with such muck, she’d be invisible anyway. Then I saw something.

“A flower!” I cried out loud. No. Couldn’t be. Something else that shimmered whitely. Arms locked around each others’ waists we looked so closely, holding our joint breath, that what we saw might have been a reflection of our shocked faces were it not for the 3-D effect of suppurating flesh. Decomposing skin shimmering like a water lily in the darkness. A water lily waving its color-blocked tendrils up at me…

“Oh my God,” I panicked, “She’s wearing my scarf. There can’t be another scarf in the world like that.”

And there went the flashlight. We heard the clink and splash. Around us all was darkness. We stood amidst traps and gaps and pools of pullulating puke…even bodiless you’d hate to experience them. Scariest thing ever.

“Goddamit,” I said. Then, “Sorry. How can we get back?”

He held me, nuzzling. “We don’t need the light. We’re soulmates, remember? We have each other. We know where she is and that’s all we wanted. But explain to me why she’s wearing your scarf?”
“Corso took it from me. He said he needed something personal of mine.”

Chase snorted. “You should have known better than that!”
“But what could I do? I only had the clothes that I walked in with. I wasn’t expecting that…I didn’t know what to do.”

“I’m sorry,” said Chase. “I’m stupid to make it sound like your fault. He’s always doing that, looking for ways to make people think he has magical powers over them. Just so he can think he’s caught us.”

“He has caught us.”“Never. I’ll never uncle to him. We have to expose him. Tell the
truth is all we can do. If they hear what he’s done, then we hope…”
It sounded feeble even to me and I’d said the same thing myself. We needed more than reassurances; we needed a place to stand. I could imagine Corso’s silver tongue eloquence running rings around our confused protestations, “We just kind of knew” “We were there except we weren’t”.

If he was exposed, then so were we, and who looked worse? The eminent psychologist or the hardscrabble, drug-taking, very confused and sexed-up students? From TV I knew enough of police procedure to know that the first thing they would do would be to separate us. I wasn’t a weakling, but I didn’t relish hours without Chase, tying to explain the inside of my brain to a group of skeptical men who looked just like the Fluffernutter dads.
And if our challenge collapsed, what was left for us? Corso had invaded not just our minds and bodies, but our futures as well.

“We can’t tell them about the sleep soaring,” I whispered into Chase’s neck. “I don’t want them knowing.” It was too private, too secret, too much our special strength. I feared they might have the ability to take it away. I wanted to keep the knowledge of our bond between us forever, growing as naturally as it needed to, a flexible unseen strength linking us to eternity.
“See?” he said gently, reading my thoughts. “You’re coming around to where I am. Don’t you agree it’s easier just to kill him?”

“No,” I protested. “No. Violence is one of the circles of hell. We can’t go there. We can’t…”
“I’m in hell already,” he said. Maybe we both were. But intuitively I knew that the very reason we walked harmless through this hell, now, was because we had not accepted Corso’s invitations to rage, spite, deceit, plunder. To all the sick, sick sins.

My lips came closer to Chase’s mouth as I whispered, “We’ve got something he can never have.“ Even if he stole our futures, he could never possess our now. The power parts hadn’t captured.
“You’re right.” He sounded so uncertain but he was trying to believe it.

In answer I just kissed him, massaging the back of his neck until he went limp against me, and I fell limp against him and we soared into each other’s minds and spirits, dancing up into the stratosphere with the stars to keep us company. We didn’t need tea, or ocean sounds or candles. We only needed each other. And so home. Because we were exhausted and people have to sleep.

March 13, 2023
I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead

Chapter 21 – Paradise

Somehow we had broken the window and we lay tangled up together in venetian blinds and glass. I had cut my face and Chase had cut his arm, but it was nothing serious. Chase helped me get vertical. We were safe in Chase’s room, and we were alive. How ever many lives we were “down”, it seemed we had some left. Life itself seemed an incredible treasure.

We collapsed together on the bed. “Thank God for transitional objects,” I gasped.
Chase passed me a water bottle. We blotted each other’s wounds.
“Am I the transitional object?” asked Chase, kissing my knuckles. I felt the solidity of the bed with its honeycomb quilt and Spiderman sheets.

“I think everything that’s not us is a transitional object,” I said slowly. “We have to look for the pieces that don’t fit. Remember the vase I hit your father with?”
Chase nodded. “That was so weird. My Dad despised what he called “femininities” – he would never have allowed an object like that in his Man- cave. Have we seen it before? ”

I had recognized it. “It was on the terrace at Mrs. Corso’s…full of dead chrysanthemums.”
We looked at each other, both saying at once, “Transitional object!”

“It shows our voyages are all connected.” He took the water bottle from me, shuddered as he sipped, threw himself on his back. “You were right there, but I can’t believe we experienced the same thing? Did you go through what I went through?”

That was a good question. Could it ever be answered?

“It was crazy,” I said, drinking. I was so thirsty, but I didn’t have the terrible hangover of the first time. “Celebrating your mother’s birthday in a Norman castle at Christmas.”

Light sprang into his eyes as he leaned forward intensely. He could have been anyone seeking news from home. Then the light failed as he remembered and fell backwards. Rubbed the eyes that had seen too much. “I guess my unfinished baggage derailed us from what we should have done”.

Always with the self-punishment! I shook my head. “No. Because we finally found out the truth.” And then I remembered what the truth was, and the full horror of what we had discovered swarmed over me. Could that be real, that, minds banished, bodies hijacked for indentured servitude? And did I really want to know?

“Do you think she forgave me?” Chase inquired wistfully. I tried following his thought. “Your mother?”He wiped his face, which was wet. With water or tears?

“Her birthday actually is in August. But she killed herself the Christmas I refused to come home.”
So that’s what he’d been living with! Poor Zoya! I was aghast. No wonder he needed to see her again. “She toasted to life,” I recalled. “Don’t you remember? To life…and she said what’s past is past. I recall that distinctly.” I touched his chest, massaging his heavy heart to keep it going. “I know she’s forgiven you. On the other hand, your father…”

Chase shook his head from side to side, tossing away the painful thoughts. “You know we never lived in that house. That was the house they were building when my Dad declared bankruptcy. But you know the Many Worlds theory of quantum mechanics says if more than one outcome of events is possible, all of them occur. Just in different universes.”

“None of the bad stuff is your fault,” I asserted forceful as I knew how. “Your father was a monster.”
“Yeah.” agreed Chase hopelessly. “Everything for him is a dominance struggle. And he’ll cheat to win.”

“Those plaster statues of you and your sister…” Deliberately I changed the subject, someone backing away from a raging fire.

“Those were life-casts. Mom made them, but I wrecked mine. It took hours and we had to breathe through straws. It was really unpleasant, being naked in cold plaster and having to hold still, but Mom was very determined. I was so angry that she didn’t have the nerve to make mine anatomically correct. I felt like a Ken doll. It was during the Corso years and she made me look unfinished, like a girl. Dad was already teasing me for singing soprano… I was so full of rage. I smashed it to pieces.”

“Bex shot us,” I said. “Do you think Bex could really have a gun?”
“And I wrecked Shelby. Like I wreck everything.”

“But if we’re still here the Shelby must be, too. Where would Bex get a rifle? Maybe he traded in his motorcycle.” That really scared me. He would be giving himself no way out. “And where would Bex get a car?”

I answered my own question. “That’s a no brainer. He’d steal it. He always bragged he could get into any car. Wouldn’t faze him.”

“Maybe he stole a rifle,” said Chase without thinking. We looked at each other. Not cheered up. “Or it’s just symbolic or something,” suggested Chase. “A transitional object.”
Yeah…symbolic of learning to judge people and see inside them. Like now I had seen inside Chase. I clutched his hand. “We took a bath together…don’t you remember that?”

He kissed my arm all the way up. “It was like being reborn. Like we were kids together.”
“We are kids together. And I learned your real name.”“Don’t say it!” he touched my lips superstitiously as if those secret words had the power to send us back.

I fell back on the bed, looking at the ceiling, trying to clear my mind. Now that Chase had transferred his roiling thoughts to me, my mental crystal ball felt cloudy. “What I don’t understand is how we can experience things that never happened, in places that don’t exist.”
He said, “It’s a fractal. A repetitive pattern.”

“From the past?”
He shrugged. “You can dip your hand in the same river twice…unless the river doubles back. I think we voyaged in my head. ” He didn’t sound enamored of the idea.

“Or we created a parallel universe together.” I suggested, more confidently. “It’s like a poem, or a symphony. You take the pieces that exist and rearrange them, the better to show off their power.”
“Did you hear about the maze worms?”

The threatening wind poured in the broken window so I pulled up the coverlet. “Tell me about the maze worms. Please please please.”

“Well, after these worms got really good at negotiating a maze, they ground them up and fed them to newbie worms. And the newbie worms figured out the maze immediately.”
I shuddered. “I don’t want to be ground up and fed to future generations so they can avoid my mistakes!”

He laughed out loud. “You’re missing the point of the story! It proves memories are chemical!”
“Well, I want to forget mine,” I said soberly, pulling the covers over my head.
He held me. He rocked me. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “Can you ever forgive me? I thought the pain would keep me awake. But I guess you can get used to anything.”

So that explained the disgusting sore he’d cultivated. I pulled my covers off abruptly. “Is it true? Did Corso really turn dream lab into internet sex-walking?” Here was the dragon in the room. The question was whether Pandora’s box was smashed forever.

“It makes sense to me.” Chase almost choked. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I should have killed him before he could –” He struck his forehead hard with his fist. I pulled his hand down.

“Stop it. We can’t let this tear us apart. You know that’s what he wants — to keep us weak, to keep us from fighting back. We’re closer than ever. That means we’re stronger than ever.” Now I really knew what Chase had been through. Body – stolen – identity – ruined – future — compromised.

We held each other as tightly as we could until our two hearts beat together.
“I swear I didn’t know,” said Chase. “But the hell of it is, I could have guessed.”

“Forgive yourself,” I insisted. “I’m trying to forgive myself. He injured us both of us — together.”
“If you can do it I can try.” Hipbone to hipbone, chest to chest, knee to knee, we clung together. We’re soulmates, and soulmates are invincible.

““I love it that our dream’s a mix of both of us,” said Chase. “It’s like a child we had. Makes me feel like a creator.” He expelled a long sigh. “My grandmother believed that man and woman form one angel.”

“Sounds like a forward-thinking lady,” I murmured. “Maybe we knew each other in another life?”
He kissed my hair. “We know each other in this one. That’s a lot. “
It’s like we’ve climbed the highest mountain there is.

I said, “To defeat a body thief we’ve got to use our brains. The secret’s hidden in our soul-flights. Have to be.”
He held me tight. “I love your bravery. But what if there is no answer?”

“But there has to be. You left dream lab before you heard all the stories, but they were full of meaning. Koo’s vision was of unzipping body bags – well, we would have had to unzip those suits. Soliz dreamed of being naked and ashamed. But Zane dreamed he was walking through an abandoned factory—“

“Now you’re talking!” said Chase excitedly. “You dreamed of Mrs. Corso’s body…and then we found it! An abandoned factory would be a great place to hide Howk’s body! These transitional objects are like doors into the next puzzle,” said Chase. “The one we haven’t solved is the Hadleigh one. That was overtly about Howk’s body so the answer must be there. What was the weirdest thing about it? The piece that doesn’t fit?”

He had always possessed this magic ability to fill me with confidence. “You’re right. I can do this. Well, the oddest part is, it wasn’t a thing – it was a person. Officer Blofil, the policeman we spoke to. He was the thing that didn’t belong. I read his nameplate so carefully, thinking at the time it was a funny name, kind of treasuring it. Because it was so memorable.”

He snatched his Smart phone off the coffee table. “So it is. Spell it.”
I spelled. He typed.

“No Officer Blofil on the campus force, or the town police. Here goes a general search.” He drummed his fingers impatiently.

I was impatient, too. The ghosts of all the murdered memories banged on my heart; an arrhythmia acquired when our hearts skipped and our bodies unsynched. If we wanted to re-possess ourselves, we needed a way back in.
“Let me know what you find.”

I wandered into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. This mugshot face was too familiar. I picked up Chase’s hair scissors and attacked my head. Snip, snip. Without my luxuriant locks, Corso would never have chosen me.

I’ve got it!” shouted Chase from the other room.

I brushed myself off and joined him.
“Recognize me?” I challenged. “I don’t want to look like anyone else any more.”

He smiled his most beautiful smile. “I’ll always recognize you.” I threw myself into his strong wrestler’s arms. We fit together perfectly, like interlocking parts.

He rubbed the top of my newly pinked head. “I know the feeling,” he reassured me. “Here’s the dream right here.” I could have wept from gratitude.

“So what did you find?” Now I could face it. Now I wanted to know. “You look,” he said, swiveling the phone towards me.

Headline: “Insulation Factory Closes, 50 Jobs Lost.” The sign on the gate said “Blow-fill”.
“Abandoned factory a hundred miles away,” suggested Chase. “”Trust Corso to invent a crime scene that provides its own cleanup.”

“We could get there in the Shelby in a couple of hours.”

“Or…” I murmured.
He understood me immediately. “You think it’ll work again?”

“No harm trying. I think we’re getting better at it. The first two times hurt so much I had a hangover. Now it’s not so bad.”

He laughed. “Other than the feeling of being beaten like a rented mule.”

Well, we couldn’t go through what we’d experienced and come off scot-free. I didn’t mention Bex lurking somewhere outside, with or without a gun. If we left our bodies, even though he might pursue he could wreak less damage.

Chase’s bed became our rocket ship.

March 12, 2023