Note: Gender does not matter for any of the roles (pronouns can be switched as needed), nor does age; the only real requirement is that Flesh must be played by a performer of color.
SCENE 1
(LIGHTS RISE. The space is made up to be a box of crayons on an arts-and-crafts shelf. The shelf belongs to a single child in a single home. There is nothing beyond art supplies. The outside world is a terror that remains unseen. Yellow enters, peering around a corner before he nervously creeps onto the stage.)
YELLOW: H-hello? Is anyone here yet? (beat) Somebody? (beat) Anybody?
(No answer. Yellow carefully starts checking the space for the others.)
YELLOW: Where are they? (beat) Where are you? P-please tell me you didn’t fall.
(He creeps to the edge of the space, peering down over the shelf.)
YELLOW: Oh, no, no, no, no. Are you down there? Are you hurt? Are you close to the radiator? Please don’t be close to the r-radiator.
(Behind him, Red enters. She is sweet and excitable.)
RED: Hi, Yellow!
YELLOW: Ambush!!!
(Yellow shrieks in fear, running around the stage and looking for a place to hide.)
RED: Yellow?
YELLOW: Mayday! Mayday! Run for your lives!
RED: Yellow!
(Yellow freezes in his tracks.)
YELLOW: Wait a second… (beat) I know that v-voice.
RED: It’s only me, Yellow.
(Yellow turns to face Red.)
YELLOW: Red?
RED: Yup!
YELLOW: Is it really you?
RED: Of course it’s me.
YELLOW: Not s-some imposer?
RED: Nope.
YELLOW: Oh. (irritated) You s-scared me!
RED: Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.
YELLOW: I could have f-fallen off the edge!
(Red rushes over to Yellow and gives him a great, big hug.)
RED: Your heart is racing!
YELLOW: No, no, no! No touching!
(Yellow pulls out of the hug.)
RED: Why? What’s wrong?
YELLOW: Don’t you know how d-dangerous touching is?
RED: Dangerous? Why?
YELLOW: Why?! Germs, that’s why!
RED: Germs?
YELLOW: (whispering) They’re…they’re everywhere.
RED: I don’t think I have any germs…
YELLOW: That’s what they all think. But those germs, they’re sneaky. They’ll get you. And then…
RED: And then?
YELLOW: And then…sickness.
RED: Sickness?
YELLOW: Coughing. (beat) Sweating. (beat) Ooooooozing.
RED: Oozing?
YELLOW: Ooooooooooooooozing. (beat) The only thing worse than that is melting!
RED: Oh. I didn’t know.
YELLOW: It’s a good thing I w-warned you.
RED: Sorry, Yellow.
YELLOW: It’s all r-right…
RED: Sit down. Relax.
(Red gestures to someplace for Yellow to sit, but Yellow breaks away, pacing across the stage.)
YELLOW: I can’t relax!
RED: Why not?
YELLOW: It’s this meeting!
RED: What about the meeting?
YELLOW: Do you know why Purple wants us all here?
RED: No.
YELLOW: Exactly!
RED: What?
YELLOW: Neither do I! And not knowing always makes me n-nervous!
RED: I’m sure it’s nothing bad.
YELLOW: Oh, you’re sure? You’re sure? Shows how much you know! I’ll bet it’s about
something terrible!
RED: Like what?
YELLOW: Like…
RED: Yes?
YELLOW: Like…
RED: What?
YELLOW: Like…mosquito bites.
RED: Mosquito bites?
YELLOW: You know. They’re all itchy and awful.
RED: Why would Purple call a meeting to talk about mosquito bites?
YELLOW: I don’t know!
RED: There aren’t any mosquitos here.
YELLOW: Maybe not now. But maybe there’s a whole swarm. They’re coming. They’re headed this way!
RED: I don’t think so.
YELLOW: Maybe it’s scabs.
RED: Scabs?
YELLOW: The way they crinkle and crack your skin. (beat) Or tunafish sandwiches that have been sitting in the sun for hours.
RED: What?
YELLOW: Or needles or spiders or glow-in-the-dark clowns!
RED: Yellow!
YELLOW
Do you know how many horrible things there are out there in the world?
RED: Well, no… (beat) We’ve never really been in…the world. Out there.
YELLOW: Oh! The mind boggles!
RED: I’m sure it’s none of those things, though.
YELLOW: How can you know for sure?
RED: I…
YELLOW: You can’t!
RED: I guess.
YELLOW: Oh, the waiting is going to drive me nuts!
RED: I’m sure we won’t have to wait too long.
YELLOW: Not if the germs get us first.
RED: Germs? Again.
YELLOW
Shhh! They can hear you.
BLUE
(offstage)
Hello?
RED: There, you see?
YELLOW: (gasping) What was that? Who goes there? Is that a germ?!
RED: Relax, Yellow. It’s just Blue.
(Blue enters, slumping across the stage.)
RED: Hi, Blue.
BLUE: Oh. Hi.
YELLOW: H-hi, Blue.
BLUE: Uh huh.
(Blue sinks down, letting out a depressed sigh.)
RED: What’s the matter, Blue?
BLUE: It’s nothing.
RED: It’s obviously something.
YELLOW: It’s the germs!
RED: It’s not germs.
YELLOW: It could be!
RED: Yellow!
YELLOW: You don’t know!
BLUE: Stop fighting, you guys!
RED: Sorry. But seriously. What is it? You look a little blue, Blue. (snickering) Get it? Blue-blue?
BLUE: I’m fine. Really. I’m… (sniffling) Fine…
RED: Are you–
YELLOW: Wait for it.
RED: But, I–
YELLOW: Wait for it.
(Red and Yellow lean in, watching Blue. Abruptly, Blue bursts into tears.)
YELLOW: There it is!
RED: Oh, Blue!
(Red rushes over to Blue.)
RED: What’s wrong, Blue? What’s the matter?
BLUE: I was just…
RED: What?
BLUE: I was just…
RED: What?
BLUE: …thinking.
(Yellow gasps in terror.)
J.S. Puller's Writing Portfolio 