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Mac and Bell walk on stage arm in arm quietly. Bell: Why is it youre always acting this way?

Mac: What do you mean? What way? Bell: This! You... Not wanting to talk I never know what youre feeling! Sometimes I dont even know what your opinion is on anything! Mac : Thats so not true. I express my feelings all the time. Its just I really dont feel like talking right now. Here try me; ill give you my opinion on something.

Bell: Alright then. You never told me what you thought of me going to Africa next week. Mac: Well what do you want me to say? Its a choice you made. (Bell shows a visibly upset and angry look when Macs cell phone rings.) Mac: One sec. Hey Billy! Whats going on buddy?! Yeah, I forgot to call dude, Id love to go You guys are playing tonight right?!....Alright bro thanks a million. Ha-ha, whatever man see you there. (hangs up the phone) So where were we? Bell : See?!?! Thats exactly what I mean! Im going away and you have no opinion whatsoever! Im going to be doing volunteer work and it really will mean a lot to me. I hope to have some sort of life changing experience and all you can say is that its a choice I made?! Mac : Chill OK!?! Relax! Truth is I dont want you to go cause Ill miss you. Like I realize it will be great for you and everything. Its something youve always wanted to do.

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Bell: Then why arent you coming with me!? That would solve a lot of things, and you know we need to work on this relationship. Mac: Im sorry; you know that I cant ive got stuff to do here. Besides school holiday is never a real holiday for me and I dont have time. Bell: You never do anything I dont know what work youre talking about. I just want you to be with meto take good care of me.

Mac: *Hmmph* Bell: You know what?! Whatever. (lets go of his arm) Im going to take a cab home. Ill talk to you tomorrow.

Mac: (shrugs)

(Bell walks off the stage. We hear a car speeds off and we see Mac slouches on the bench. Untie his ties and dozes off.) (We hear a car crash behind the stage. Mac awakes from his short nap) Mac : what the.?!! Hey people! Dont you know how to drive! (Mac dozes off again. We hear a whisper) Whisper: I just want you to be with meto take good care of me Mac : Bell? Sigh.i must ve been dreaming. (sigh) Mac exits.

(Hospital scene. we see a nurse standing at one side of the stage and waiting room style chairs set about in the room, possibly some extras could be sitting/walking around, Harris and Azah are hastly coming in)

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Azah (running in): Where is my daughter!! I need to know where she is! Nurse: Calm down please, what is your daughters name? Harris : Bell.Sofia Bell

Nurse: You better sit down while I go look for the Doctor that saw her. Harris: Thank you. Come sweetie, lets sit down. Its alright.

(The nurse walks off stage. They sit down and the doctor comes in with the nurse. She points at the couple and sits down. The doctor approaches) Dr.: Mr and Mrs Harris Pandit? Azah : (half getting out of his seat) Yes, thats us Dr. : Please have a seat.(sits down near them looking at them with open hands. The couple is holding hands) Im so sorry to be the one who says this but your daughters heart didnt pull through after the accident.

Azah : (yells in agony) Nooo!! (Cries into her hands, sulking)

(We see mac coming in in the same way he walked out in his last scene. He sits against a wall and falls asleep. Here the Asatoma goes from the actors voice to a voice that permeates the stage with speakers. Lighting will change to place focus on sleeping mac.) Voice (in a chanting mantra form) Sadgamaya.. Dreaming Mac: I know those words Sofias family used to chant them at dusk. Where am i? I cant see anything but desert out here Where is that voice coming from?
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Voice :. Tamasoma Jyothirgamaya.. Dreaming Mac: What did they mean. Asatoma Sadgamaya, Tamasoma Jyothirgamaya. from darkness to light.. from ignorance to truth what was the last part of it? Voice : Mrithyorma Amrutangamaya.. Dreaming Mac: from from death to to eternity!! (Real Mac wakes up with a start and screaming. Mac gets up quickly seemingly upset and then calms down putting his pockets in his hands and walks off stage in the same way as he came in)

(We have Mrs. Harris is about to jump off a ledge with her arms away from her body on her sides. She is in her Pijamas. Mr. Pandit wanders on stage seemingly looking for her.)

Harris: Sweety?! Are you out here?!...(sees her and starts walking towards her) Oh thank G-d! I found you! Ive been looking everywhere for you. (sees what shes up to) Oh my G-d sweetie! Come back away from that ledge you might fall down. (getting more and more upset) Sweetie? Talk to me please let me know whats going on. Azah :Im going to do it Harris I cant stand any of this anymore I cant live without her She was all I had(starts crying and cups her face with her hands) Harris: This isnt going to fix any of that sweetie Its not going to bring Sofia back and you know that... I know youre looking for some sort of relief from this pain but you have to be alive to feel that relief Please step back away from that ledge let us talk about it.

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Azah: (Trembling and stepping back) I I want my Sofia Bell back (she starts stepping back faster) O!

(Azah runs up to her and she falls back fainting into his arms. He lays her down on the floor and caresses her face with a compassionate look on his face. Exit.) FEW scenes in a flash to show changes in time. Scene 1: mac with friends. Scene 2: mac with another group of friends. Scene 3: mac enter with a bag and books. Macs Dad: mac Mac: dad Dad: We really need to talk Mac: not now Dad: bells gone but you need to move on...your studies.. Macs mom: honeyI think that is quite enoughgive him some space will you?

Dad: space? What space? This space? How big? How long it will take? What about his studies? Mom: we were once youngwe all know how it feels like (Mom walks out)

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Dad: Alright, Im going to settle this once and for all if I had drugs where would I hide them? (Searches the books and bag) Hmm I know he has to have drugs in here, theres got to be some sort of explanation as to why he is acting the way he is but what?! (Searches the bag and pulls out the tickets to a rock concert) so thats it hes turning to street menace.

(Loud music: Enter a group of friends all carrying some sort of instrument. All are still jumpy and excited. Mac is amongst them.)

Mac: You guys were awesome!!! Friend 2: Hell yeah we were! I still cant believe were here? And the crowd was crazy!!! Friend 1: was it?! I didnt notice anything once the music started I just fell into a trance and didnt wake up from it until the DJ said goodbye. It happens every time I hear their music.

Friend 1: (putting his arm around one of the friends) we need to celebrate, how about we go to my place? Friend 2: Yeah alright, lets do that. Still got that pool table?

Friend 1: I sure do. Mac? You coming? Mac: Sorry guys I cant. I got to go home. Friend 1: whats wrong? Want to talk about it? Mac: Ive been having lots of trouble lately at school and with friends. The last time I saw my best friend we had a fight then I dont remember what happened She.. She.. got run
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over by a carOh my G-d Shes dead Ill never get to see her ever again!... I hope I dont die soon.. OMG I could die any minute too! What happens when you die? Anybody know? Do I just stop existing? I dont want to stop existing I need to not die Oh G-d Im afraid

Friend 2: Unfortunately I know how it feels all too well, I lost one of my blood brothers in a horrific car accident two years and three days ago. I haven't been able to escape the nightmares no matter how much I try. I have lost hundreds, if not thousands of hours sleep because of it. I've tried talking to him and his friend in the dream time and time again but to no avail. I have to get over the crash, someway, somehow I just have to, if I don't find a way soon, I won't be able to function normally like most others ever again. It's almost like a massive hole was blown into my soul the day he died. At the wake I was unable to shed a tear although I wanted to more than anything, I felt like I was heartless. No pills or cigarettes or sleep aids can take it away, I wished more than anything in the entire world, that there is someone out there who can relate to me somehow about all of this, so that maybe I can find a way of digging myself out of this dismal tunnel that has seemingly collapsed all around me. Mac: I must be heartless as well! I havent cried about her yet.. I just I just.. Im afraid of myself dying Is that wrong? Friend 1: Alright, is that whats troubling you? Tell us Mac: I am petrified of death I was wondering if if G-d delays death for certain reasons if I.. If I can do something to avoid it. Friend 2: I think death is certain. That is something we cant changelike many things in life.

Mac: like what?

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Friend 1: Get out from that fear. Get out from everything you hate most. You are caged.

Friend 2: Like a bird

Friend 1: m..mmm..mm Friend 2: Like a baby Friend 1: Oh yeasaylike a girl to be exactcaged in a house

Friend 2 : Mac is a bird Friend 1: Mac is a girl. Mac: guys. Friend 2: come on manlets let loose. We ll race to his place. How that sounds? Only tonight. Scout honours. Hehehe Exists: motorcycles roars. Police siren. The boys enter. Handcuffed. Policemen walk behind. All walk to the other side of the stage. One police stands in the middle of the stage. Policeman ( To the audience) : We are all caged in many waysand part of being human is to keep rattling the bars of the cage of existence hollering, ''What's it for?

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Synopsis This is a story of a teen (Mac) that is not able to forget his lover (Sofia Bell) who died in a freak car accident. Her death has not only caused him to live in sadness but also in fear of his own death. He begins to drift away from his family and lead the life of a troubled teen. The title is a symbolic of one being governed by emotion; caged and miserably lost. In fact, he is not the only character that is caged; Sofia Bells mother is also caged in her sorrow that almost costs her life. Caged.