SCENE ONE

(A family sitting at a Thanksgiving dinner)

Mom: So Emma…how’s work?

Emma: Mom. Please don’t ask a question I know you don’t want the answer to.

Mom: Emma please I’m just trying to make conversation. I don’t understand why you’re getting
so defensive.

John: Come on Em it’s Thanksgiving dinner. Mom questioning us about our lives is a family
tradition.

Mom: Oh John, I don’t understand why a mother can’t be interested in what her children have
been up to.

Jonh: (Trying to deflect) Well I’ve…

Mom: John I was asking Emma…

Emma: Nothing mother. I’ve been up to nothing. Can we talk about someone else please?

Mom: But Emma I want to hear about you…

Emma: I don’t have anything to say.

Dad: Emma that’s not true…

Emma: It’s true! I’m 29 years old and I’m a total failure. I’m working for a company I hate;
doing a job I don’t want to do, for a salary that’s half of what my friends are making because I
can’t get a single publisher in the city to even consider my manuscript. No one else cares about
what I have to say. I don’t see why you do.

Dad: So you’re hitting a rough patch right now. You’ll overcome it. You’ve always been a bright
girl…

Emma: Oh god dad. Please stop. Don’t go on about how wonderful I am okay? That’s the only
thing that could make this situation even more depressing than it already is.

Dad: Emma don’t be ridiculous I’m just…

Emma: Just stop. I know what you guys are thinking. (Impersonating them) God she was so
smart it’s such a shame she turned out to be such a disappointment.

John: (joking) I’m not thinking that at all. I’m thinking wow I always knew she’d be a total
failure.

(She has had enough. She stands up and heads for the door)

Dad: Emma!

Mom: John look what you did!

(Emma opens the front door, we hear honking horns, the sound of traffic)

John: (following her) Emma! I didn’t mean it. It was just a joke!

Emma: I’m a joke.

John: Oh god Emma don’t be so dramatic…. (she storms out) Oh come on. Emma…Emma!

(Offstage her scream is heard. Blackout)

SCENE TWO

(A white room, the walls are lined with doors numbered from 0 to 29)

Emma: Where am I?

Man: The start of your life

Emma: I think you mean the end…was I… hit by a car?

Man: Yes

Emma: Am I dead?

Man: No.

Emma: Then what is this?

Man: This (gesturing to the room) a physical representation of your time on earth.

Emma: What?

Man: The doors.

Emma: Yes, I know one doors are, I didn’t hit my head that hard.
Man: Each door represents a year of your life.

Emma: I don’t understand.

Man: It’ll be easier if you just look for yourself. Go ahead. Open one.

(Emma faces upstage and opens the door marked 0. White light flashes in her face. We hear a
baby crying. Emma startled quickly shuts the door.)

Emma: Was that…me?

Man: Of course. This is your life after all.

Emma: No, this can’t be real.

Man: Of course it is. When you’re ready to return to earth just pick a door and walk through.
You’re life will immediately resume from that point on.

Emma: Wait...you mean I can pick any door?

Man: Yes. There are no rules as to what point you return only that you return to your life on
earth.

Emma: So I can pick any age? I can become that baby I just saw if I want?

Man: Yes. If that’s what you wish

Emma: This is insane! So if I go back to being an infant will I get a clean slate? Will I even
remember any of this?

Man: Yes. The memories of your life up until this point will not be erased. You won’t forget
what happened to you, but you will have the ability to change what will.

Emma: So if I open the door marked 1 I have the ability to live a completely different life? Be a
completely different Emma?

Man: That is correct.

Emma: Wow. So many doors to choose from… I don’t know what to pick. (beat) I don’t want to
go back to 29.

Man: So don’t. Pick another door.

Emma: (Nervous, but excited) This is so difficult. I mean most people don’t get to make a
decision this big. I don’t want it to be one I regret you know? I already have so many regrets as it
is…but now I get to change all that don’t I!? I can go back to my life with the knowledge of all
my mistakes and do it differently. Do it how I want it. (She starts at door one and begins
walking down the line) Hmmm let’s see… infant is definitely too young…and even I’m not
pathetic enough to want to go back to High School. (She reaches sixteen and stops) What about
21?

Man: You can go back to being 21.

Emma: Well I mean…I can’t go back before I was allowed to drink. (She laughs at her own
joke, the man does not) Plus 21 was the year I got and quit my first job. It was at a tech company,
Double Click. Doing tech work didn’t interest me, so I quit to pursue my writing. Four months
later the company was bought out by Google…for 3.1 billion dollars. God I was so stupid back
then! If I had just been practical and stayed, I would be a millionaire now.

Man: So why don’t you? Go back to being 21 and make a different choice.

Emma: Really? I can do that?

Man: I told you there’s only one rule: that you return to your life on earth. The rest is up to you.
You can make any choice you want.

Emma: Than I’m going to…and for once I’m going to make the right one.

(Emma approaches the door marked 21, she turns the handle and steps through)

SCENE THREE

(Emma opens the door and enters into an extravagant penthouse. John is sitting on the couch.
He stands as Emma enters)

Emma: (She sees him) John! Where am I?

John: Jesus Emma its 8am... are you drunk already?

Emma: No

John: Really? So you don’t recognize your own apartment?

Emma: Wait… I live here?

John: What is wrong with you? Yes…you bought it six months ago after the big payout. Bragged
for weeks and weeks about how you were only 21 and already a bigger success than your stupid
older brother. (He lightly punches the side of her arm, teasing)

Emma: Right! Of course, of course... (Teasing him back) I always knew I would be. (John turns
away from her to grab his coat and she jumps up and down in excitement. He turns back
towards her and she composes herself)

John: Right…so I guess I’ll be on my way now. I have work in an hour. I just wanted to swing
by and drop off the extra copies.

(She looks down and sees a bunch of cardboard boxes filled books)

Emma: (she picks one up) Are these mine?

John: Of course they’re yours…

Emma: Wait…I have a book! An actual published book!

John: I mean you published it yourself….

Emma: I did? I mean of course I did.

John: Of course. Only my genius sister would publish a book no one wants to buy.

Emma: Really funny John.

John: I’m not joking… (She stares at him bewildered) Seriously Em! I mean you and I are
pretty much the only people with copies.

Emma: I’m sure that’s not true.

John: God what is with you this morning? It’s like you’re suffering from a serious case of
Amnesia. You wrote a book that nobody bought. (Making fun of her) Maybe your brain is
blocking out the memories because they’re just too painful, but it’s true.

Emma: I don’t understand.

John: You wrote a novel and refused to take suggestions. What did you think was gonna happen?
I know this is hard for you, but you can’t just buy your way into success.

Emma: This doesn’t make sense. I stayed at Double Click; this was supposed to be easy.
John: God Emma. Money doesn’t make writing easy; it just makes it easy to give up on it. But
this is what you wanted right? Now you can quit and have something to fall back on.

Emma: Oh come on John. That’s not fair! You’re acting like I wanted to fail!

John: Because you do! You throw a big tantrum every time something in your life doesn’t go
exactly the way you wanted it to. And then you sulk and pout because you feel like the world
owes you something. And you act like you want things to change, but really you don’t. Because
you can just use the fact that things didn’t work out this time to prove that things will never work
out again. That way you don’t ever really have to try because you’ve convinced yourself you’ve
already failed.

Emma: Because I’m a failure

John: No you’re not. Everyone fails. No one’s a failure until they choose to be.

Emma: But I didn’t choose to be! I chose right this time. I finally had control…

John: You never have control. You can’t control if people like the writing. All you can do is keep
writing until they do.

Emma: That’s bullshit.

John: No that’s determination. Speaking of which, I have to go. (He heads for the door) I work
to get to.... and so do you. (He exits)

Emma: No John- wait! (Man enters in his place) You lied to me. You said I could start a new
life. This was supposed to change everything.

Men: You really thought once decision was going to change everything?

Emma: You told me it would!

Man: No I told you, you could make any decision you wanted. I didn’t say it would change who
you are.

Emma: Am I really that person? The one John thinks I am?

Man: You have to decide that for yourself.

Emma: Like I decided to come back here? You know I really thought it was going to be different
this time. Was it so ridiculous to hope there was something better?
Man: No. And who knows? Maybe this life is better, but if it’s perfection you’re looking for
you’re always going to be disappointed.

Emma: You wrong… I don’t think this life is better. I think it only seemed better because I
didn’t actually have to live it. That way I could imagine it exactly how I wanted to be. I loved the
fantasy of it, but now I’m here and it’s real. And reality…is kind of unsatisfying.

Man: Life is kind of unsatisfying

Emma: But I have to go back to it now don’t I?

Men: You do.

Emma: (she nods) Reality sucks, but at least it’s real.

Man: Reality sucks because it’s real. But hey look on the bright side…you can always write
fiction.

(Blackout)

SCENE FOUR

(Emma sits up abruptly. She is lying in a hospital bed. She sighs and looks around the room.
John is sleeping in the chair beside her. She looks at him and smiles. She sees a notebook and
pen peeking out of his briefcase. She reaches over and grabs it. She stares at it and then begins
to write, a smile slowly spreading across her face. Blackout)