(Two voices sound in the darkness.)
MICHAEL
Ha! Found it!
MARK
Are you sure this time? I mean, we’ve tried every other orchard, so how do you know that this is the right one?
MICHAEL
Call it elimination. Come on, it’s a short cut. You want to win this game or not?
MARK
It’s just a game.
MICHAEL
Win or lose?
MARK
Win. I guess.
(Lights rise. A starry sky is projected. There is also a barbed wire fence down left. Two boys—MICHAEL and MARK—enter. MARK keeps staring at the sky, not paying attention to a word MICHAEL is saying.)
MICHAEL
Ok. Nobody out here.
MARK
That’s good.
MICHAEL
The can’s over there, I think.
MARK
Yeah.
MICHAEL
So now, all we have to do is cut across the ditch, you kick the can, and we win.
MARK
Ok.
MICHAEL
What are you staring at?
MARK
Huh? Nothing.
MICHAEL
You’re looking at something, now what are you staring at?
MARK
Just the sky.
MICHAEL
The sky. You see that every night, what the hell’s so great about the sky?
MARK
No moon tonight. Just stars.
MICHAEL
Great. No moon means no light, and no light means we don’t get caught.
MARK
Hey, Michael? You ever thought about what it’s like up there?
All those places up in the sky? Wouldn’t it be great if we could live up there, instead of down here?
MICHAEL
…You want to live on a star?
MARK
It would be something, wouldn’t it? We could pick our own, with no one to tell us where to go, or what to do. Bathed in all that light, floating far, far up above everything else. Nothing to worry about. And when we felt like it, we fall. Stars do that, don’t they? What do you think?
MICHAEL
I think you sound like a jackass. Look, forget the stars, ok? They’re not going anywhere. But we don’t win this game and get beaten again--
MARK
I thought you were joking!
MICHAEL
Nope. Real ants, real honey, and ants. Anthill’s already picked.
MARK
Wow.
MICHAEL
Forget about it. Come on, I think it’s just over the ditch.
MARK
Can you see it?
MICHAEL
No, but it’s got to be over there. You first.
MARK
Me? In the dark?
MICHAEL
You’re fine jumping over it during the day.
MARK
It’s light then.
MICHAEL
Fine. I’ll go first.
(MICHAEL runs forward, slamming into the wire fence. MICHAEL yells.)
MARK
Michael? Hey, Michael, you ok?
MICHAEL
Fine. Perfect.
(He examines his hands.)
MARK
What’s the matter? Did you miss the ditch?
MICHAEL
No. There is no ditch.
MARK
Really?
MICHAEL
See for yourself—no wait, don’t.
MARK
Why, what’s wrong?
MICHAEL
Come see for yourself. Slowly.
(MARK moves forward to join MICHAEL.)
MARK
You’re right. There is no ditch. What are you going to do now?
MICHAEL
No idea. When did they add this fence?
MARK
I don’t know. We haven’t come this way in a while. You’re bleeding.
MICHAEL
I ran into the stupid fence.
MARK
They put wire on it? Barbed wire?
MICHAEL
No, that’s tree bark.
MARK
Let me see.
(MARK examines MICHAEL.)
MARK(CONT’D)
You cut your face too.
MICHAEL
Wire does that. Ow! You said you were only going to look!
MARK
Sorry. Sorry, sorry.
(MARK stares at MICHAEL’s hands.)
MARK
Wow.
MICHAEL
What?
MARK
That’s—wow.
MICHAEL
What? What are you staring at?
MARK
You know what those cuts on your hands look like? Stars. See? There’s a million of ‘em, you know that?
MICHAEL
You’re high.
MARK
I’m serious. Look at all of them. Millions and millions. All scattered across the sky.
MICHAEL
Great. Fantastic.
MARK
Hey, Michael?
MICHAEL
What?
MARK
We could sneak under the fence. I’ll hold the bottom row and you sneak under? See?
MICHAEL
What about the barbed wire?
MARK
…I was hoping you’d miss that bit.
MICHAEL
Yeah. Yeah, you didn’t even think about it.
MARK
Ok, so we can’t get out climbing over or sliding under, but we could—
MICHAEL
Could what? Look at the stars?
MARK
…Yeah. I mean, it’s something to do, right? And it’s not like we won’t play another game soon. We’ve probably already been beaten anyway.
MICHAEL
Thanks.
MARK
You’re welcome.
MICHAEL
Are you going to start spouting your poetry bull?
MARK
No. The stars do it for me.
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