Free Monologues
Pretty Pieces
Girl: I want so much to have a normal life, but I can’t have a normal life, can I? I’m hidden away, locked away in this box, like sumthin’ in an attic, a dirty doll, broken and forgotten. You can’t trust food that you can’t see being prepared. Someone might put foreign objects, like razor blades in your pizza or they might piss on your precious Chinese food. Out there, out there, people are so angry that they can’t control themselves and they strike out at people. They put poison in the food…Last night I had a dream, a strange, strange dream. Mother was in a little boat dressed all in white, and she had a white… parasol, those little umbrellas, like they had in the old days. And she was singin’, singin’ in her little boat. She didn’t sing words, just these beautiful, beautiful notes. And you were all twisted on the banks of the stream in some ugly old tree. And your eyes were filled with tears, and I could hear you cryin’, like you were trapped and couldn’t move, couldn’t reach out …And me? Well, the stream wasn’t water, it was made of blood, and I was tryin’ to reach you, tryin’ to swim through streams of thick blood. And my arms were getting’ so tired and I was being pulled under where I couldn’t breathe and then I heard screamin’ and I woke up, and the sheets were all wet with fear. And my heart was racin’, and I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t catch my breath. Do you ever have dreams like that? Do you ever see stuff like that? When I woke up, when I woke up in my box, I could hear voices, but they weren’t talkin’ to me. They were outside, and I was just a doll in a box without feelin’s who watches life go by, but for one moment the doll wakes up and does sumthin’, for one moment the doll comes to life and does sumthin’, does sumthin’ awful because a doll, it don’t know the difference between wrong and right. I’m so tired. Lie down with me for a moment and we can sleep and the dream will be over. Lie down with me. Lie down with me for a minute. *This monologue is offered by permission of the playwright.
Girl: Hmm. I thought in the whole wide world that we were special, that we were the only two people like us in the world. That we were sposed to be together forever, cause we shared sumthin’, cause when we were younger sumthin’ happened, and somehow if we stayed together, it would come out all right, somehow, it would turn out good, but you’re makin’ it all wrong. You can’t leave me. I can’t let you leave me. Everythin’ would go all wrong. If you leave there would be no more us. That can’t happen. How could there be no more us? I wish that there was some sorta answer. I wish I knew what happened. Back when I was eight, I wish I knew the answer to the mystery. But I don’t. I don’t know nuthin’. All I know is that sumthin’ happened, sumthin’ happened to us. I wish there were more clues, I wish I understood, but it’s just a puzzle without enough pieces. I’m the girl and you’re the boy, and we are the only two people in this world. Broken dolls in a box. And I was hopin’ for some cake, and some vanilla icin’ with candles, like angels in the dark, and my name in candy letters, save them to the end, Eat them at the end. But I don’t think I’m ever gonna get that cake, and I don’t think I’m ever gonna unnerstand nuthin’… Go to sleep. Yeah, that's right. Go to sleep. *This monologue is offered here by permission of the playwright.
BOY: You don’t wanna know. In here, you're safe. Nobody can touch you. In here is the dream. And the dream plays the same show over and over again. Yesterday the show was the same. (Looks at her) You said the same things, I said the same things, and tomorrow will be just like today. Only nobody’s buyin’ tickets to see this show. (Out to audience) Come one, come all, come and see the dream show. But nobody will come. Nope. Nobody will come. They won’t come ‘cause a what’s outside, the thing outside. You see; out there, out in the world, there’s nuthin, there’s just dark. And the faces…Nobody has a face. They're blank. Sure, they talk to you. They touch you…but they died a long time ago. Their bodies are cold. When I’m out there, I turn into nuthin’, I go invisible. Nobody can see me, but I can see them, I can see right through them, but I’m not there. So it’s all right, it’s okay. I’m floating on my cloud. My body has died, turned to dust and I’m floating, floating in my cloud. (Turns to her) Do you know what I mean?
Ghost of the Tree
I got this idea that me n' Johnny and the baby, we could live here. Fix the place up. This could be the baby’s room. Decorate it real nice, and I would love my baby. 'Cause babies, they need love, so we gotta help them out. And I won’t hurt my baby, or leave it on some doorstep. I wish Johnny was here right now. I need someone to hold onto. I gotta get Johnny a suit for the wedding. I thought we’d have this big garden party wedding under the tree. Oh, yeah, uh, I dunno. I don’t feel so good. Invite all our friends, even Crazy Hank. I know champagne’s expensive, but...Oh! (She suffers from a debilitating wave of Pain) Where is he? He said he would be here. Johnny could get a job in construction, and I could do movies and our little girl, I know it’s going to be a girl. She’ll be loved so much. (Another wave of Pain) Did I tell you I used to wanted to be an actress? My mom put me in lessons. That’s when she still gave a shit. Me and her, we used to watch these movies and we used to dream that I would be up there in that perfect world.
When my grammy got sick, everything turned to crap. My granddad; he couldn’t handle me, couldn’t take care of me. He tried to get a hold of my mom, but I dunno, she was gone. So I got farmed out, farmed out to foster care. My life keeps sliding away from me. (Pulling coat tightly around herself) And then at fourteen I was on the streets, doing whatever to survive, but being on the streets was better than all the homes I was stuck in, cause in those places, those homes, they never accepted me. They had all these rules for me, like I was some sort of animal, some sort of dog. No love left over for me. Nobody wanted me. They just wanted their monthly cheque from the government. I was a cheque, a number, an inconvenience.
My mom tried to kill herself. She did. And now her brain is fried…empty. Nobody home...and I don’t want to talk about her. My dad...I don’t want to talk about him either- My dad has a girlfriend. She’s his secretary, and I hate her with all my heart. And she stays in our house! How could he do that to my mom? What’s wrong with him? (Looks up at the tree) When I was little, me and my brother built this tree fort beside the house, and it would be our safe place, our castle in the sky...and we could see into the back bedroom, see my mom sitting there like a zombie, staring out the window. Staring at nothing, (To the audience) or maybe she’s like God, and can see everything, see what a mess I’m making of my life. I cried when my cat Sparkles died. I don’t cry about my mom. I can’t cry about my mom. She never got to do anything with her life. My mom thought I would be the perfect little suburban angel, the light in the dark world. But I’m not. I’m nothing.
Til the Boys Come Home
WILL: We never saw Ralphie alive again. Joe tried to revive him, but...(He shrugs) They figured he did it. Hung himself, shortly after we left. Ralphie had been a good friend of ours. One of the gang. It was sad what happened to him. But, there was no place for Ralphie in this new world we were joinin' up with. Ralphie had no place to go. Maybe it seems kinda cold, but we just tried to put Ralphie out of our minds, pretendin' like he had never existed. Course in a small town, that’s hard to do. There are so many reminders. His house on the corner. That stupid ol' green bike he used to pedal around in. The tree fort. It was hard to forget. I mean you couldn’t go to the restaurant without thinkin' of Ralphie. Ralphie ate like a pig. He was like an eager-to-please puppy. When he’s around, you’re a little annoyed, but when he’s gone, there’s this...hole. Anyway, we got through basic training, and we all got a furlough for one last night with our family and friends. Saturday night. So we boarded the bus for home. Nobody said much. What was there to say? The girls had organized a dance at the restaurant.
Will: The next day, a letter arrived. Joe had caught pneumonia and died over in England, in the hospital. They even gave him a medal. Funny, eh, how things work out. It was a tough year for me...My mom died and my dad sold the general store. He just didn’t have his heart in it anymore...Christine and I were an item for a while, until I went away to college. Took some business courses. Tried my hand at three or four things, before I finally latched onto something that worked. Drive-in movies! What a concept! The fifties were full of concepts. I finally met a wonderful girl, and I have two teenaged kids of my own now. I hope they never have to go through what we did, but, of course, isn’t that why we went over there? So they wouldn’t have to? Jimmy? Jimmy thought his country owed him something, for his arm, for his sacrifice. Gave Mary a proper church wedding, but that didn’t last. Ran out on her in the middle of the night, leavin' her a single mom. He ended up driftin' from job to job. Guess he finally ended up on the streets. Saw him beggin' for change in the park last Christmas. Didn’t look like the same ol' Jimmy...Fire had gone out. Meghan got married; had three kids, and more or less, lived happily-ever-after. I still see her sometimes. We talk and say we must get together...but we never do. Christine got married to a nice guy, but he wasn’t Tony, and he was no magician. Linda eventually gave up on Troy. She settled for someone in her own tax bracket, and Daddy couldn't have been happier. Troy got lucky servin' his country in Korea. They said it was a bullet to the head...And Alex? I went by the restaurant a couple of days later, and it was all boarded up...I like to think she made out okay...
ALEX: No! No! No! You’re lyin'! Joe was my ticket outa here! So, don’t tell me he’s not comin' back! He’s comin'! He’s not gonna let me down! I waited six years for him. Don’t you dare tell me I waited for nuthin'! I put my life on hold...Time stopped... No! It’s not fair! Joe didn’t want the war! Didn’t want to fight! He’s not sposed to get himself killed in some stupid war! He told me. He hated it. You guys wanted to go. You should have died! Not Joe. He wanted to save lives. He was a good person. He was gonna be a doctor...I gotta give him back his book. He dropped it that day, over there. Remember? He was so shy...(Laughs) I had to do all the talkin'. He’s gonna come back. He is, and we’re gonna move outa this crummy town. See; I got these dreams. I got it all figured out...all figured out.