There Will Come Soft Rains
Copyright © 2003, Jacquelyn Priskorn

Synopsis
Written on the fly to meet a deadline for a 10 minute play contest. The guidelines stipulated the play take place in a funeral home. I ran with it from there.

Characters
ARLO: male

ZOE: female

ZOE
I left him in the bathtub.

ARLO
What?

ZOE
My boyfriend. I left him in the bathtub.

ARLO
Oh.

ZOE
Do you think that's bad?

ARLO
I don't know.

ZOE
I didn't know what else to do. My parents were already gone. I had nobody, you know?

ARLO
Yeah.

ZOE
I sat there with him for a couple days, I think. I wasn't going to leave him. I loved him so much. But the air conditioning wasn't working and soon... it was like, that wasn't even my boyfriend anymore. It was just... something. Not even someone. I had to find someone.

ARLO
What made you come here?

ZOE
I'm not sure. Maybe I hoped someone would be here. Maybe I just wanted some flowers. Maybe—

ARLO
I'm glad you came here.

ZOE
I keep thinking about him.

ARLO
That's okay.

ZOE
I feel like I should go back. But I'm scared.

ARLO
You don't have to.

ZOE
But I should, shouldn't I? I mean, I am being so selfish! Look at you! You're so calm. You haven't even cried, have you? I keep thinking how alone I feel and you just let me cry. How are you so calm?

ARLO
I seem calm to you?

ZOE
Look at me! I'm shouting, I'm crying, I keep clinging to you like a child—

ARLO
I haven't left this funeral parlor in a month.

ZOE
What?

ARLO
I've been here a month. I'm too scared... too sad to leave.

ZOE
Why?

He points to the closed coffin.

ARLO
Him. I honestly think he was one of the first to go.

ZOE
There's someone in there?

ARLO
I closed the lid last week. It was the hardest thing I've ever had to... I hardly even noticed people stopped coming by. I was so wrapped up in him.