The Black Orb

SCENE SIX

ROLAND and STELLA are outside a house.  There is a party going on indoors.

ROLAND

Drunk or not, this is a bad idea.

STELLA

You calm down.  You’ll be fine.

ROLAND

Shhhh.

STELLA

Don’t shush me.

ROLAND

No, seriously… do you hear that?

STELLA

What?

ROLAND

The voices.

STELLA

Yes, of course I do, they’re partying in there.

ROLAND

They aren’t partying.  They’re dying.  Some murmur, some scream.

STELLA

That’s people having fun.

ROLAND

People have fun when they die?

STELLA

These ones do.

ROLAND

We’re all-

STELLA

Dying, yes, I know, we all know, Roland.  I’m not stupid, these people aren’t stupid- -

ROLAND

Yes, they are.

STELLA

No, they aren’t.  These people are artists, writers, weirdos.

Like us.

ROLAND

Like you.

STELLA

You aren’t weird, strange, bizarre, twisted- -?

ROLAND

No.

STELLA

You aren’t fucking normal either.

ROLAND

No.

STELLA

Let’s just go in.  Come on.

ROLAND

I’m trying to warn you- -

STELLA

You know what?  I’m sick of your warnings, I’m sick of never leaving the house, I’m sick I’m sick of this, never being alive, blanketed from everything.  I’ve been sucked into your orbit and it’s bad, it’s bad, so bad…

ROLAND

I can’t control myself.

STELLA

You can, you will, don’t abandon me.

ROLAND

You make it sound like you want to be (cough) like them.

STELLA

What is so wrong about being human? You want to be a monster man, sewn together from spare—

PAUL stumbles out of the house, drunk, slams the door. His nose is bleeding. He is wearing his work clothes. Blood spots the white shirt.

PAUL

(to himself) I can still swing, I can—

PAUL sees ROLAND and STELLA.

ROLAND! Roland, I’m living again! Look, look at this, look at this NOSE, look at this tooth, man, look look look. HEY! Who is she? Hello.

ROLAND

Stella.

STELLA looks PAUL up and down.

PAUL

Hey, Stella. I’m dangerous. See my knuckles?

ROLAND

You try and try and try.

STELLA

He does. You two talk. Walk. Away. I’m going in. Humans only, Roland, so you walk with this somewhere else. Under a bridge like a couple of trolls.

ROLAND

I’ll give you the gold later.

STELLA exits into the house.

PAUL

Hm.

ROLAND

Hm.

PAUL

I got in a fight. I won.

ROLAND

Nobody wins. She thinks she won, just now.

PAUL

Let’s go abuse ourselves.

ROLAND

Another night. Another.

PAUL

Okay.

PAUL sits on the ground, licking blood from his fingers. ROLAND shakes his head, disappointed.  SIRENS in the distance.

GO TO SCENE 7