Ghost Girl

by Richard Stuart Dixon

© Richard Stuart Dixon, 2005
Ghost Girl by Richard Stuart Dixon, Good School Plays.
Act One, Scene 1:
(All the action takes place in Forget-me-not Park. As the lights rise the stage is empty. The voice
of TRINITY FOLLOWS can be heard offstage.)
TRINITY FOLLOWS
(calling out for her missing friends)
Sally!
(a pause)
Emma!
(another pause)
Jane!
(a pause)
For heaven’s sake, where are you?
(TRINITY enters. She’s been lost for a hundred years, but believes she’s only been lost for an
hour. She’s wearing old fashioned clothes of the early twentieth century.)
TRINITY FOLLOWS
(to herself, in frustration)
I must have been lost for at least an hour. Mother will be so angry with me.
(calling again)
Jane! Emma! Sally!
(again to herself)
Where could they have gone? How could I get lost in a city park?
(seeing a candy wrapper on the ground)
I wonder what this is?
(picking it up)
What strange paper! It feels like crinkly silk!
(reading the label on the wrapper)
Twix.
(looking up)
Twix?
(reading some more)
Chocolate Covered Cookie Bar. I’ve never seen anything like this before.
(reading)
Nutritional information. How strange. Lots of marks and numbers. I wonder where this came
from? I better put it back.
(She puts the wrapper down again as GERTIE BOSCH and POLO NASH, two park attendants,
enter.)
POLO NASH
Hey, what do you think you’re doing, kid?
GERTIE BOSCH
Don’t you know it’s illegal to litter?
TRINITY FOLLOWS
Oh, I’m so glad to see you! I’ve been lost, you see, for ages!
(GERTIE and POLO look at each other.)
POLO NASH
Lost? C’mon kid, you think we’re stupid?
GERTIE BOSCH
How could you get lost in Forget-me-not Park?
TRINITY FOLLOWS
Forget-me-not Park? Isn’t this Forrest Park?
GERTIE BOSCH
Forrest Park? There is no Forrest Park.
POLO NASH
And why are you wearing them funny-looking clothes?
GERTIE BOSCH
On your way to a costume party?
TRINITY FOLLOWS
Costume party?
(to herself)
I must be going mad.
POLO NASH
You going to pick that wrapper up, kid?
GERTIE BOSCH
It’s not going to pick itself up.
TRINITY FOLLOWS
I didn’t mean to litter. I found it here and put it back. I thought it was something special.
GERTIE BOSCH
Special? You thought a candy wrapper was special?
POLO NASH
(to GERTIE)
Maybe she’s high on something.
TRINITY FOLLOWS
(picking up the Twix wrapper)
There. What do you want me to do with it?
POLO NASH
Are you messing with us, kid? Because if you are, I’m gonna get you charged with littering.
(TRINITY backs away.)
GERTIE BOSCH
Take it easy, Polo. She looks kinda scared.
(gently, to TRINITY)
What you got there is garbage. What are you s’posed to do with garbage?
TRINITY FOLLOWS
Garbage?
GERTIE BOSCH
Trash. Junk. Empty candy wrappers.
TRINITY FOLLOWS
If it’s trash, I suppose I should put it in a rubbish bin.
POLO NASH
Rubbish bin? You from England or something?
GERTIE BOSCH
Round here it’s called a “trash can”.
TRINITY FOLLOWS
If you want me to call it a “trash can”, I’ll do so willingly. All I want is some help finding my
way out of here.
POLO NASH
Oh come on, quit pretending you’re lost.
GERTIE BOSCH
Every path in this park leads to the entrance.
TRINITY FOLLOWS
But I’ve tried that, and I always end up back here.
POLO NASH
(to GERTIE)
She’s wearing funny clothes and saying crazy things. I say we call the cops.
TRINITY FOLLOWS
But I haven’t done anything wrong. I just want to find my friends and go.
GERTIE BOSCH
Your friends? There’s no other kids around here.
TRINITY FOLLOWS
I suppose they must have gone home without me.
POLO NASH
(looking offstage)
Well, look who’s here. Talk about good timing.
(CONSTABLE SOLE and CONSTABLE KNOX enter.)
CONSTABLE SOLE
Evening, Gertie, Polo.
CONSTABLE KNOX
Who’s your friend?
GERTIE BOSCH
Some kid who says she’s lost.
POLO NASH
We caught her littering.
CONSTABLE SOLE
Littering? We got a strict rule against littering in Forget-me-not Park.
CONSTABLE KNOX
We’re proud of this park, kid. We like to keep it clean.
TRINITY FOLLOWS
Why do you keep calling it “Forget-me Not Park”. It’s Forrest Park!
CONSTABLE SOLE
This here is Forget-me-not Park and has been for a hundred years.
CONSTABLE KNOX
There’s a big sign at the entrance that says so.
CONSTABLE SOLE
Why are you wearing those clothes?
CONSTABLE KNOX
You a member of some kind of history club?
TRINITY FOLLOWS
There’s nothing odd about my clothes. You’re the ones wearing funny clothes.
GERTIE BOSCH
She’s confused, Constable Knox.
POLO NASH
She’s been acting all crazy and that.
CONSTABLE SOLE
(to CONSTABLE KNOX)
Maybe we should take her downtown and run a check.
TRINITY FOLLOWS
Yes, take me out of here. I’ve got to get home to mother, on the North Bank.
CONSTABLE KNOX
The North Bank? There’s nothing on the North Bank but factories.
TRINITY FOLLOWS
Please don’t tease me.
POLO NASH
(to the CONSTABLES)
You see? Her brain’s all muddled up.
GERTIE BOSCH
And she’s kinda scared, aren’t you, honey?
TRINITY FOLLOWS
Of course I’m scared. I don’t know where I am, and you’re acting so strangely, and my friends
are gone…
CONSTABLE SOLE
What’s your name, kid?
TRINITY FOLLOWS
Trinity. Trinity Follows.
CONSTABLE KNOX
What’s the date?
TRINITY FOLLOWS
Saturday the twelfth, of course.
CONSTABLE KNOX
What’s the month and year?
TRINITY FOLLOWS
June…June, 1906.
POLO NASH
1906? It’s 2006, kid.
GERTIE NASH
Don’t you mean 2006, Trinity?
TRINITY FOLLOWS
2006?
CONSTABLE SOLE
Saturday, June 12, 2006.
TRINITY FOLLOWS
Stop it! Stop teasing me! It’s not fair! You say you’re the police! Why don’t you help me?
CONSTABLE SOLE
(approaching TRINITY)
Now take it easy. I think you’d better come with us.
CONSTABLE KNOX
(approaching TRINITY)
We’ll take care of you. Trust us.
TRINITY FOLLOWS
(backing away)
Why should I trust you? You’re dressed all funny, and you’re saying crazy things! I’m not going
with anyone!
(She runs offstage, dropping the Twix wrapper.)
POLO NASH
(picking up the Twix wrapper)
Should we go get her, Constable Knox?
CONSTABLE KNOX
No. Just keep an eye open for her, in case she gets any worse.
CONSTABLE SOLE
If she’s using something, it’ll likely wear off.
GERTIE BOSCH
What if she’s having some kind of breakdown?
POLO NASH
Yeah, what if she’s like mentally ill or that?
CONSTABLE SOLE
We’ll report her to Ms. Brown and Ms. Gray, the social workers.
POLO NASH
Me and Gertie got work to do, picking up trash like this.
(holds up the Twix wrapper)
Kids today! C’mon Gertie.
GERTIE BOSCH
You get all kinds on a Saturday evening.
(They exit.)
CONSTABLE KNOX
There’s something about that kid that’s real convincing.
CONSTABLE SOLE
Yeah. Like as if she really believes it’s a hundred years ago.
CONSTABLE KNOX
Let’s go tell those social workers.
(They exit.)