The Guest Room
Copyright © 2006, Jacquelyn Priskorn

Synopsis
A short dramatic screenplay. What is going on in the guest room?

Characters
MAY: female, 20s-30s, a young woman coping with loss.

DAN: male, 20s-30s, her husband, also coping with loss.

LITTLE GIRL: a little girl...or is she?

GOTH TEEN: female, 12-19. Every parents' worst nightmare?

In a sparsely decorated room a Little Girl is on the floor, coloring. After a bit of silence, May walks past the open door. She returns to the doorway and looks in on the Little Girl.

MAY
Oh. Here you are.

LITTLE GIRL
(not looking up)
Here I am.

MAY
Coloring?

LITTLE GIRL
Mmmhmm.

MAY
Can I join you?

LITTLE GIRL
(thinks for a moment)
Ok.

May gets down on the floor beside her, selects a crayon and begins to color. They are quiet and don't really look at each other.

MAY
I missed you.

LITTLE GIRL
I know.

MAY
So, is this all you're going to do today?

LITTLE GIRL
Probably.

MAY
Oh. Ok.

They color quietly.

MAY (CONT'D)
Why don't--

LITTLE GIRL
Shhhh.

May obeys. Dan approaches the doorway.

DAN
May?

May waves to him from the floor but doesn't stop coloring.

DAN (CONT'D)
I see she's back.

MAY
Mmmhmm.

Dan enters the room and sits on the edge of the bed.

DAN
How are you feeling?

MAY
Ok.

DAN
It's been a while.

MAY
I know.

DAN
Are you going to stay in here all day?

MAY
Probably.

Dan is clearly frustrated but gentle with her.

DAN
May, you should really--

MAY
Shh.

She begins to cry. Dan comes down to the floor and puts his arms around her.

DAN
I'm not mad that she's here, May.

May continues to color as she cries.

DAN (CONT'D)
May. May?

He takes her hand and gently removes the crayon from her grasp.