Scarecrow

Ibby · 10-09-2008, 10:17 AM

Scarecrow

in memory of Matthew Shepard, December 1, 1976 – October 12, 1998.

CYCLIST: He looked like... a scarecrow.
HEINRICH: A scarecrow?
CYCLIST: Hanging on the fence. I thought he was a scarecrow.
HEINRICH: Yeah, I get that. I can see that.
CYCLIST: No man. You don't get it. A scarecrow, man.
HEINRICH: Yeah, right, hanging there.
CYCLIST: No. He was, so dead, so lifeless there, he didnt look real.

AARON: That's him
RUSSELL: that one?
AARON: Yeah, him
RUSSELL: youre sure he's..?
AARON: Yeah. He is.
RUSSELL: Okay. Let's do it.
[lights come up on MATT, others cross]
AARON: Hey, pal. Lemme buy you a drink.
MATT: Thanks.
AARON: You new here?
MATT: Nah. Go to school here.
AARON: Really.
[long pause]
AARON: look, i'm sort of...
MATT: new at this kinda thing, huh
AARON: yeah.
MATT: Don't worry about it.
AARON: Yeah...
[long pause]
MATT: look, I need uh, a ride home.
AARON: Oh, yeah?
MATT: Yeah.
AARON: Then um, you wanna...
MATT: I'd love to, thanks! Dorms, at the school okay?
AARON: Yeah, yeah, we can take you.
MATT: We?
AARON: Me and my buddy. This is Russel, I'm Aaron.
MATT: Hi, Russell, Aaron. I'm Matt.
AARON: You ready to go, Matt?
MATT: [downs rest of glass] Let's go, yeah.

HENRICH: What did you do?
CYCLIST: I kept on riding.
HEINRICH: But...
CYCLIST: I really kept going. Just kept riding.
HEINRICH: You went back, yes?
CYCLIST: I did, eventually.
HEINRICH: Why did you go back?
CYCLIST: I kept going for like, a mile. But... something must have clicked. I guess I knew it. The way he hung there. The way he was so limp on the fence. And... the blood. So much blood. I ignored it, I didn't see it, I blocked it out. Going back was so hard.

[offstage]
AARON: we're gonna need to pull over, matt
MATT: pull over? Why?
AARON: Something's up with the, with the motor. It doesn't sound right.
MATT: It sounds fine to me...
AARON: yeah, okay, fine, but... I want to check it out, thats all. Just to be safe.
MATT: Whatever, dude.
[enter MATT and RUSSELL]
MATT: what's his deal, man?
RUSSELL: Uh, um, yeah.
MATT: ...some answer. What's YOUR deal? I mean, with him? I mean, are you two...
RUSSELL: yes. We're um. A couple. Of course.
MATT: [nodding] yeah. You seemed really nervous about.. you know, bringing me with you guys...
[MATT starts to saunter off, killing time. RUSSELL draws a gun, nervously, and looks at it for a moment. Finally, with resolve, he raises it, holding it by the barrel. He charges at MATT, and as he raises the gun to hit MATT, the lights go out.]

HEINRICH: you said you had dreams?
CYCLIST: Oh, yeah, the dreams.
HEINRICH: Do tell?
CYCLIST: Some nights I can hardly sleep. I, just... his face. I see it. He looked so... serene. Sanguine. God, sanguine... what a word. Bloody... and peaceful. That was him. So much pain on his face, but... it was... it was like, you could see, it was like he knew he was going to a better place. It was like he was sleeping. God, that face. It haunts me.

AARON: Did you... oh my god. Is he..
RUSSELL: no. he's bleeding. Breathing, I mean. Breathing. Hes alive. He's... oh my god.
AARON: Get him up.
RUSSELL: What?
AARON: On the fence. String him up. And get his wallet.
RUSSELL: His wallet?
AARON: Might as well.
RUSSELL: Shit man... i'm not a thief, too...
AARON: just get the wallet already! And help me. He's heavy.
[they tie him to the fence. Feebly, MATT tries to raise his head, to speak.]
AARON: what'd you say, faggot?
RUSSELL: Aaron, I...
AARON: shut up, Russ. Matt, you little faggot, what did you say to me?
[AARON leans down close to MATT's face. MATT mumbles again. AARON draws back and punches MATT square in the jaw.]
AARON: see how you talk with a broken face, fairy.

CYCLIST: By the time I got there he was gone.
HEINRICH: But, I thought he was still alive when-
CYCLIST: He was. But he was gone. Coma. Never snapped out. Died five days later. I was there, with the rest of them. Lit my candle like all of them. But they didn't see. They didn't know. They couldn't taste the evil that hung around that godforsaken fence. Couldn't smell the death in the air. Couldn't hear the raggedness of his breath as he hung there, clinging onto life, still fighting, not giving up.

[lights come up on RUSSELL and AARON beating MATT, screaming anti-gay obscenities and slurs, RUSSELL using his fists and feet and AARON using the butt of the pistol]
RUSSELL and AARON: Faggot! Queer! Fairy! Fruit! Homo! Swish! Pansy! etc.

CYCLIST: After he died, things went back to normal. People forgot. Sure, they put that thing in congress, that hate crimes thing, but people forgot about Matt. People forgot there was a boy under the martyr. People stopped burning their candles, stopped standing up for rights, for respect. Too many people forgot.

[lights come up on MATT, alone on the stage. He slowly raises his head to look directly at the audience.]
MATT: Help... me...

CYCLIST: I went to the funeral. I don't know if they saw me there. I sat in the back. They had the casket closed... nobody wanted to see what they did to that poor boy. But I knew. I found him hanging there like a scarecrow with the stuffing hanging out. And I knew I couldn't let it happen again.

[long pause – applause.]
[over applause - lights come up on MATT, completely limp. CYCLIST slowly enters with bike, then drops the bike and runs to MATT. CYCLIST unties MATT and cradles his body like a child's.]
[blackout. No curtain call, nothing, just blackout.]

Ibby · 10-10-2008, 01:13 AM

bump

glatt · 10-10-2008, 01:37 AM

I thought it was good, but wouldn't want to see it.

DanaC · 10-10-2008, 02:47 AM

I think I'd go and see it. The scenes with the cyclist sent a shiver down my spine. There's something about that repetition of scarecrow. It reminds me a little of the rubber-chicken episode of M.A.S.H.

10-09-2008, 10:17 AM	#1
Ibby erika Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: "the high up north" Posts: 6,127	Scarecrow Scarecrow in memory of Matthew Shepard, December 1, 1976 – October 12, 1998. CYCLIST: He looked like... a scarecrow. HEINRICH: A scarecrow? CYCLIST: Hanging on the fence. I thought he was a scarecrow. HEINRICH: Yeah, I get that. I can see that. CYCLIST: No man. You don't get it. A scarecrow, man. HEINRICH: Yeah, right, hanging there. CYCLIST: No. He was, so dead, so lifeless there, he didnt look real. AARON: That's him RUSSELL: that one? AARON: Yeah, him RUSSELL: youre sure he's..? AARON: Yeah. He is. RUSSELL: Okay. Let's do it. [lights come up on MATT, others cross] AARON: Hey, pal. Lemme buy you a drink. MATT: Thanks. AARON: You new here? MATT: Nah. Go to school here. AARON: Really. [long pause] AARON: look, i'm sort of... MATT: new at this kinda thing, huh AARON: yeah. MATT: Don't worry about it. AARON: Yeah... [long pause] MATT: look, I need uh, a ride home. AARON: Oh, yeah? MATT: Yeah. AARON: Then um, you wanna... MATT: I'd love to, thanks! Dorms, at the school okay? AARON: Yeah, yeah, we can take you. MATT: We? AARON: Me and my buddy. This is Russel, I'm Aaron. MATT: Hi, Russell, Aaron. I'm Matt. AARON: You ready to go, Matt? MATT: [downs rest of glass] Let's go, yeah. HENRICH: What did you do? CYCLIST: I kept on riding. HEINRICH: But... CYCLIST: I really kept going. Just kept riding. HEINRICH: You went back, yes? CYCLIST: I did, eventually. HEINRICH: Why did you go back? CYCLIST: I kept going for like, a mile. But... something must have clicked. I guess I knew it. The way he hung there. The way he was so limp on the fence. And... the blood. So much blood. I ignored it, I didn't see it, I blocked it out. Going back was so hard. [offstage] AARON: we're gonna need to pull over, matt MATT: pull over? Why? AARON: Something's up with the, with the motor. It doesn't sound right. MATT: It sounds fine to me... AARON: yeah, okay, fine, but... I want to check it out, thats all. Just to be safe. MATT: Whatever, dude. [enter MATT and RUSSELL] MATT: what's his deal, man? RUSSELL: Uh, um, yeah. MATT: ...some answer. What's YOUR deal? I mean, with him? I mean, are you two... RUSSELL: yes. We're um. A couple. Of course. MATT: [nodding] yeah. You seemed really nervous about.. you know, bringing me with you guys... [MATT starts to saunter off, killing time. RUSSELL draws a gun, nervously, and looks at it for a moment. Finally, with resolve, he raises it, holding it by the barrel. He charges at MATT, and as he raises the gun to hit MATT, the lights go out.] HEINRICH: you said you had dreams? CYCLIST: Oh, yeah, the dreams. HEINRICH: Do tell? CYCLIST: Some nights I can hardly sleep. I, just... his face. I see it. He looked so... serene. Sanguine. God, sanguine... what a word. Bloody... and peaceful. That was him. So much pain on his face, but... it was... it was like, you could see, it was like he knew he was going to a better place. It was like he was sleeping. God, that face. It haunts me. AARON: Did you... oh my god. Is he.. RUSSELL: no. he's bleeding. Breathing, I mean. Breathing. Hes alive. He's... oh my god. AARON: Get him up. RUSSELL: What? AARON: On the fence. String him up. And get his wallet. RUSSELL: His wallet? AARON: Might as well. RUSSELL: Shit man... i'm not a thief, too... AARON: just get the wallet already! And help me. He's heavy. [they tie him to the fence. Feebly, MATT tries to raise his head, to speak.] AARON: what'd you say, faggot? RUSSELL: Aaron, I... AARON: shut up, Russ. Matt, you little faggot, what did you say to me? [AARON leans down close to MATT's face. MATT mumbles again. AARON draws back and punches MATT square in the jaw.] AARON: see how you talk with a broken face, fairy. CYCLIST: By the time I got there he was gone. HEINRICH: But, I thought he was still alive when- CYCLIST: He was. But he was gone. Coma. Never snapped out. Died five days later. I was there, with the rest of them. Lit my candle like all of them. But they didn't see. They didn't know. They couldn't taste the evil that hung around that godforsaken fence. Couldn't smell the death in the air. Couldn't hear the raggedness of his breath as he hung there, clinging onto life, still fighting, not giving up. [lights come up on RUSSELL and AARON beating MATT, screaming anti-gay obscenities and slurs, RUSSELL using his fists and feet and AARON using the butt of the pistol] RUSSELL and AARON: Faggot! Queer! Fairy! Fruit! Homo! Swish! Pansy! etc. CYCLIST: After he died, things went back to normal. People forgot. Sure, they put that thing in congress, that hate crimes thing, but people forgot about Matt. People forgot there was a boy under the martyr. People stopped burning their candles, stopped standing up for rights, for respect. Too many people forgot. [lights come up on MATT, alone on the stage. He slowly raises his head to look directly at the audience.] MATT: Help... me... CYCLIST: I went to the funeral. I don't know if they saw me there. I sat in the back. They had the casket closed... nobody wanted to see what they did to that poor boy. But I knew. I found him hanging there like a scarecrow with the stuffing hanging out. And I knew I couldn't let it happen again. [long pause – applause.] [over applause - lights come up on MATT, completely limp. CYCLIST slowly enters with bike, then drops the bike and runs to MATT. CYCLIST unties MATT and cradles his body like a child's.] [blackout. No curtain call, nothing, just blackout.] __________________ not really back, you didn't see me, i was never here shhhhhh

10-10-2008, 01:13 AM	#2
Ibby erika Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: "the high up north" Posts: 6,127	bump __________________ not really back, you didn't see me, i was never here shhhhhh

10-10-2008, 01:37 AM	#3
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	I thought it was good, but wouldn't want to see it.

10-10-2008, 02:47 AM	#4
DanaC We have to go back, Kate! Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Yorkshire Posts: 25,964	I think I'd go and see it. The scenes with the cyclist sent a shiver down my spine. There's something about that repetition of scarecrow. It reminds me a little of the rubber-chicken episode of M.A.S.H.

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