Gerald's Ghosts
An original play by A. Craig Newman
Writer's Notes: I wrote this one for another film challenge. This time, it was to make a 3-minute horror film. This idea formed itself in short order and I had it on paper in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, it never got made into a film, because the crew I was working with decided to work with a different writer. Around the same time, I was contacted by a theater company some of my friends were involved in and asked to write a play for them. I converted the film script into this stage play format. Personally, I like it a little better as a stage piece. ACN
SETTING: A psychiatrist's office. There is a typical lounge couch for the patient with an office chair for the therapist on the right.
LIGHTS UP. GERALD lies on the lounger. GERALD is squirming and tormented by his thoughts. The DOCTOR sits in her chair, pad in hand, ready to take notes and begin the sessions.
DOCTOR: So, Gerald, how have you been doing lately?
GERALD: Awful, doc. Just awful. I can't get away from it! (pause) Ever!
DOCTOR: Get away from what, Gerald?
GIRL:(O.S.) Yeah, Gerald, what's eating at you?
GERALD: SHUT UP! LEAVE ME ALONE!
DOCTOR: There's no one here, Gerald.
GIRL:(O.S.) I'm here. (laughter)
GERALD: She's here. I can hear her.
DOCTOR: Do you see her?
GERALD: No.
GIRL skips into view from the left. GERALD starts when he sees her, scrambling off the couch to put distance between him and her. He cowers near the DOCTOR.
DOCTOR: Do you see her now?
GERALD: Yes. She's over there.
GIRL sits on the lounge couch.
GIRL: Come play with me, Gerald. Wanna go to the movies?
GERALD: NO! Go away! Stop saying my name!
DOCTOR: She won't leave?
GIRL gets up and starts to dance around the couch.
GERALD: (to DOCTOR)No, she won't. She's over there dancing. (to GIRL) Just leave me alone! Go away!
GIRL: Go away? Go away? I can never go away, Gerald.
DOCTOR: Did she go away?
GERALD: No. No. She's saying she can never leave.
DOCTOR: Why would she say that?
GIRL: (approaching GERALD) Tell her. Tell her why I can't go away. Tell her why I can never go away.
GERALD: (Scrambling backwards) No. No! I don't deserve this!
GIRL: Don't deserve this? Are you sure, Gerald?
DOCTOR: Who said you deserve this?
GERALD: She did.
DOCTOR: Why would she say that?
GIRL: (steadily moving closer to GERALD who scrambles behind DOCTOR's chair) Gonna tell her, Gerald? Gonna tell her what you done?
GERALD: I didn't mean it!
DOCTOR: What didn't you mean?
GIRL: Time to confess your sins, Gerald. Maybe if you repent, God will forgive you.
GIRL moves closer to GERALD. GERALD crawls around the DOCTOR's chair and back to the couch. GIRL stands next to DOCTOR.
GERALD: I have nothing to confess.
GIRL: LIAR! YOU DID THIS TO ME!
GERALD screams and cowers.
DOCTOR: Do you want to confess something, Gerald?
GERALD: SHE wants me to confess.
DOCTOR: Confess what?
GIRL: Confess what, Gerald?
DOCTOR: Gerald? Confess what?
GIRL: Confess, Gerald.
DOCTOR: What do you need to confess, Gerald?
GERALD: NOTHING! I don't need to confess anything. I did what God wanted me to do.
DOCTOR: You know, Gerald, sometimes we hold on to our guilt and pain until it eats us alive. We become hollow. Empty. A vacuum. The only way to feel full and renewed again is to confess. Share the burden with someone you trust. Do you trust me, Gerald?
GIRL: She's going to hate you when you tell her. You'd better carry this sin to your grave.
GERALD: I HAVE NO SINS!
GIRL: Then, tell her what you're so proud of.
GERALD: I'm not proud of it.
DOCTOR: Proud of what, Gerald?
GERALD: There was a doctor. Performed abortions. Killing unborn babies! This guy was a monster! So, I was going to... you know...take him out.
DOCTOR: Do you mean "kill him"?
GIRL: Don't sugarcoat it, murderer!
GERALD: Yes! Yes! Kill him! (to GIRL) I wanted to SAVE babies, not kill them!
GIRL: Is that a fact?
GERALD: I tried to shoot him as he was coming out of the movies. His wife was with him. I hit them both. I hit a little girl, too. She took a shot in the head. I didn't mean to hurt her. I only wanted to him. His wife was probably no better than he was. I thought it would be so easy. I didn't know I'd hit the girl.
GIRL: Not wanting to kill me doesn't make me any less dead. And now, you'll never get rid of me.
GERALD screams, pulls the pistol from behind his back and fires at the GIRL. GIRL and DOCTOR convulse with each shot. DOCTOR slumps down in the chair. GIRL falls to the floor.
GERALD sits on the couch and weeps with his face in his hands. His small relief is short lived. GIRL stands again and walks to him.
GIRL: (in a tone almost caring) The doctor's wife was a doctor, too. A therapist. And she was just as innocent as I was.
GIRL laughs and walks off stage. GERALD sees the DOCTOR slumped down. GERALD puts the gun in his mouth and pulls the trigger.
LIGHTS OFF
(Pause)
LIGHTS UP. GERALD lies on the lounger. GERALD is squirming and tormented by his thoughts. The DOCTOR sits in her chair, pad in hand, ready to take notes and begin the session.
DOCTOR: So, Gerald, how have you been doing lately?
GERALD: Awful, doc. Just awful. I can't get away from it! (pause) Ever!
LIGHTS OUT
LIGHTS UP. GERALD lies on the lounger. GERALD is squirming and tormented by his thoughts. The DOCTOR sits in her chair, pad in hand, ready to take notes and begin the sessions.
DOCTOR: So, Gerald, how have you been doing lately?
GERALD: Awful, doc. Just awful. I can't get away from it! (pause) Ever!
DOCTOR: Get away from what, Gerald?
GIRL:(O.S.) Yeah, Gerald, what's eating at you?
GERALD: SHUT UP! LEAVE ME ALONE!
DOCTOR: There's no one here, Gerald.
GIRL:(O.S.) I'm here. (laughter)
GERALD: She's here. I can hear her.
DOCTOR: Do you see her?
GERALD: No.
GIRL skips into view from the left. GERALD starts when he sees her, scrambling off the couch to put distance between him and her. He cowers near the DOCTOR.
DOCTOR: Do you see her now?
GERALD: Yes. She's over there.
GIRL sits on the lounge couch.
GIRL: Come play with me, Gerald. Wanna go to the movies?
GERALD: NO! Go away! Stop saying my name!
DOCTOR: She won't leave?
GIRL gets up and starts to dance around the couch.
GERALD: (to DOCTOR)No, she won't. She's over there dancing. (to GIRL) Just leave me alone! Go away!
GIRL: Go away? Go away? I can never go away, Gerald.
DOCTOR: Did she go away?
GERALD: No. No. She's saying she can never leave.
DOCTOR: Why would she say that?
GIRL: (approaching GERALD) Tell her. Tell her why I can't go away. Tell her why I can never go away.
GERALD: (Scrambling backwards) No. No! I don't deserve this!
GIRL: Don't deserve this? Are you sure, Gerald?
DOCTOR: Who said you deserve this?
GERALD: She did.
DOCTOR: Why would she say that?
GIRL: (steadily moving closer to GERALD who scrambles behind DOCTOR's chair) Gonna tell her, Gerald? Gonna tell her what you done?
GERALD: I didn't mean it!
DOCTOR: What didn't you mean?
GIRL: Time to confess your sins, Gerald. Maybe if you repent, God will forgive you.
GIRL moves closer to GERALD. GERALD crawls around the DOCTOR's chair and back to the couch. GIRL stands next to DOCTOR.
GERALD: I have nothing to confess.
GIRL: LIAR! YOU DID THIS TO ME!
GERALD screams and cowers.
DOCTOR: Do you want to confess something, Gerald?
GERALD: SHE wants me to confess.
DOCTOR: Confess what?
GIRL: Confess what, Gerald?
DOCTOR: Gerald? Confess what?
GIRL: Confess, Gerald.
DOCTOR: What do you need to confess, Gerald?
GERALD: NOTHING! I don't need to confess anything. I did what God wanted me to do.
DOCTOR: You know, Gerald, sometimes we hold on to our guilt and pain until it eats us alive. We become hollow. Empty. A vacuum. The only way to feel full and renewed again is to confess. Share the burden with someone you trust. Do you trust me, Gerald?
GIRL: She's going to hate you when you tell her. You'd better carry this sin to your grave.
GERALD: I HAVE NO SINS!
GIRL: Then, tell her what you're so proud of.
GERALD: I'm not proud of it.
DOCTOR: Proud of what, Gerald?
GERALD: There was a doctor. Performed abortions. Killing unborn babies! This guy was a monster! So, I was going to... you know...take him out.
DOCTOR: Do you mean "kill him"?
GIRL: Don't sugarcoat it, murderer!
GERALD: Yes! Yes! Kill him! (to GIRL) I wanted to SAVE babies, not kill them!
GIRL: Is that a fact?
GERALD: I tried to shoot him as he was coming out of the movies. His wife was with him. I hit them both. I hit a little girl, too. She took a shot in the head. I didn't mean to hurt her. I only wanted to him. His wife was probably no better than he was. I thought it would be so easy. I didn't know I'd hit the girl.
GIRL: Not wanting to kill me doesn't make me any less dead. And now, you'll never get rid of me.
GERALD screams, pulls the pistol from behind his back and fires at the GIRL. GIRL and DOCTOR convulse with each shot. DOCTOR slumps down in the chair. GIRL falls to the floor.
GERALD sits on the couch and weeps with his face in his hands. His small relief is short lived. GIRL stands again and walks to him.
GIRL: (in a tone almost caring) The doctor's wife was a doctor, too. A therapist. And she was just as innocent as I was.
GIRL laughs and walks off stage. GERALD sees the DOCTOR slumped down. GERALD puts the gun in his mouth and pulls the trigger.
LIGHTS OFF
(Pause)
LIGHTS UP. GERALD lies on the lounger. GERALD is squirming and tormented by his thoughts. The DOCTOR sits in her chair, pad in hand, ready to take notes and begin the session.
DOCTOR: So, Gerald, how have you been doing lately?
GERALD: Awful, doc. Just awful. I can't get away from it! (pause) Ever!
LIGHTS OUT
