A Play A Day #164

A Game Of Words


Cast:
B
C
A

Setting: None


B: On your marks...

C: Go! No.

A: Get set....

B: On your marks...

C: Get very set...

A: Set..... set....

C: Wait.....

A: Get ready...

B: On your marks....

A: Start getting ready...

C: Again.... now, again...

B: On your marks!

A: Off...

C: Step down...

A: End.

C: End.

B: On! Your! Marks!

A: Stop.

C: Completely.

A: Refuse to play.

C: The race is not a race if it is run.

B: On your marks right fucking now!

A: Having run, where will you have been?

C: Having gone, where will you have went?

A: The race is not so much over as it is always starting.

B: Listen to me! You must, MUST, gets on your marks!

C: It is always starting only if it never starts.

B: I'm really sorry I swore at you a few moments ago...

A: If the race starts, we won't be able to end it.

C: It must continue, endlessly.

B: I lost my temper...

A: We tried to run it before...

C: We could not stop...

A: Experience has taught us to listen to experience.

C: It is an endless game.

B: I should have taken a deep breath...

C: He wants to believe that the race can be run.

A: But it can't, because you can only run in something if there is an end.

C: Otherwise you are always running.

B: I forget to breathe, and I'm liable to say stupid things when that happens...

A: You'll never stop, there isn't an end.

C: No finish line.

A: You may think that the joy of the race is in the process.

C: But you are wrong.

B: I think it's very important that we not pay attention to what these two are saying....

A: In fact, is it even a race?

C: If there is no end, there is no winner.

A: A race is a contest.

C: Someone wins.

A: A method must be universally agreed upon.

C: A method for determining the winner.

B: Please, I'm begging you, don't listen to them! They don't even know what they're saying, they...

C: There must be an end point that can be objectively measured or observed.

A: If there is no end, can there ever really be a beginning?

C: Yes there can be, but only if you concede that you are beginning.

A: No one can force you to begin.

B: They... uhhh... I'm not forcing anyone... it is in your own best interest to begin the race now...

A: Don't do it.

C: You'll never be allowed to stop.

A: Only with death will the running stop.

B: Nonsense... they don't... listen! There's a glorious finish up ahead, but you have to run the race to get there!

C: Then your children will have to continue the running.

A: Until their deaths.

B: It is not even that long a race, but you have to get on your marks!!

C: The less the race has to offer.

A: The longer it will take.

C: It can offer nothing without an end.

A: There is no end.

B: Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!! Get on your marks!!

C: The less the race has to offer, even in the running, even in the moment, the louder they become.

A: They will dance and pound and squeal and claw the ground loudest when there is no end.

C: It takes a lot of convincing.

A: We have to be taught that the race is worth running.

B: Stop listening to them, and get on your marks...

A: We can't be taught that the race is worth running, if there is no end.

C: If there is no end, there are no marks on which you must stand.

B: I'm sorry I yelled again, but, look, look! The marks are right there! Look!

C: Because there is no beginning.

A: There is no race.

C: There is no race, if you refuse to run it.

B: Fine! Forget it! Forget it! Only I know what must be done! I will get on my own marks.

(B does so)

A: Get set....

C: Die.

(B begins to crawl with great effort; A and C observe him for a while)

A: It's worse than we thought.

C: Not only has the race begun...

A: Not only is the race being run for us...

C: Against our will...

A: Not only is the race unending...

C: Not only is it impossible to call it a race at all...

A: Not only all of these problems...

C: But our runner doesn't even know how to run.

(lights out)

(end)