Someone Named Al Visits the Moon in the Heart of His Daughter

SOMEONE NAMED AL VISITS THE MOON IN THE HEART OF HIS DAUGHTER

The moon. A bench and a street lamp. AL enters.

AL
Is there an echo?
…
Nope.
Nope-nope-nope.
…
Nope-nope-nope.
…
Nope.
…
:/

AL sits, looks up; quite the view. Looks out; a world of dust. Looks back up, squints.

ANDY enters, wandering, wearing the cowboy hat.

ANDY
Hey Al. :)

AL
What are you doing here?

ANDY
Just taking a walk.
Hey, what a view, right?

AL
It's quite the view.

ANDY
Quite the view.

AL
Have you called Charlie?

ANDY
No, not yet, I will.
I will real soon though, I promise–

AL
I won't hound you.
…

ANDY
…

AL
Sorry.
Didn't mean to interrupt your walk.

ANDY
You didn't.

AL
Then never mind.

ANDY
…
Is everything alright?

AL
Tired.
Tired is all.
Exhausted.
Exhausted is all.

ANDY
You haven't slept either?

AL
No, that's uh–
That's kind of all I've been doing…

ANDY
I'd like to sleep.

AL
I'd like…
I'm just so tired.

ANDY
Everything keeps happening.

AL
Everything keeps happening…

ANDY
It'll never stop…

AL
It won't.

ANDY
It'll never leave…

AL
It'll never leave me alone.
…

ANDY
I can let you–

AL
No. I–
I just…
Can you stay…
please?

ANDY
(?)
:)
I'll stay.

ANDY sits. They look to the black sky.

ANDY (cont'd)
Quite the view.
Hey–
Hey, what's what's going on?

AL
I don't know.

ANDY
Can you–
try to tell me?

AL
I don't know how.

ANDY
What does it feel like?

AL
I can't–

ANDY
What are some words?

AL
Sinkhole.
Dead deer.
This is stupid–

ANDY
Good.
What else?

AL
Black hole.
This is fucking dumb.
Eternal.
It feels like those things.

ANDY
What else?

AL
It feels like
I'm dragging a dead deer.
Mud and moss.
There's weight on its bones.
And I'm soaking wet.
…
I don't know how I got here.

ANDY
We can let this be a dream.

AL
I don't know what to say, Andy.

ANDY
We can say anything in a dream.
I want to burn down City Hall,
over and over,
with a skull for a face.
Haha.
See?

AL
No, I don't know what to say to Paula.

ANDY
…

AL
I can't…
I don't think I can…

ANDY
Can't what?

AL
…
I miss her so much, Andy.

ANDY
Hey. Hey–

AL
I miss her so much.

ANDY
I know you do.
I know.

AL
I can't just…fuck–

ANDY
Shh…

AL
Where'd she go? X'(
Where'd she go? D'X
She was just here.
She was just here and–
And now she's not…
And it's like, it's like a–
sinkhole just–
opened up under our home.
And everything kept falling in.
And now there's this bottomless pit
where she used to be.
Following me around.
And there's this deer in my fist.
But I can't let go–
I can't handle it–

ANDY
Why don't you tell her that?

AL
She's not there anymore.

ANDY
I meant, Paula.

AL
No.

ANDY
Why not?

AL
No. No no no.

ANDY
Al–

AL
You don't know what the fuck you're talking about.

ANDY
What don't I know?

AL
You've never had a fucking kid, Andy.

ANDY
She's not a kid anymore.

AL
Of course she is.

ANDY
She isn't.

AL
What're you– (?)
… (!) (?)
She just was.
Just a minute ago.
Just a second ago.
Just a moment ago.
Just now.
…
How did I get here?

ANDY
A moment leads into the next…

AL
It keeps happening.

ANDY
It keeps happening.

AL
I'm afraid.

ANDY
Don't be–

AL
Well, I am!
I am afraid!
I'm fucking scared, Andy!
I'm afraid–
I…I can't…
You don't cry in front of your kids.
I don't know shit, but I know that.

ANDY
Why not?

AL
Have you ever seen your parents cry?
It's horrible.
Nothing's ever the same…
The world collapses in on itself.
Keeps collapsing.

ANDY
Well…maybe…

ANDY takes off the cowboy hat and puts it on AL, adjusts it.

ANDY (cont'd)
Let it.