March 22 - Confessional

I wrote this for a writing competition.  It was not selected to continue.  I therefore post it here.

FEMALE VOICE:  should be very even.  No matter what she says, she should maintain the same calm, soft tone.

MALE VOICE:  the man in the room. 

ANNA - girlfriend of MAN

Confessional  

[Int.  Dark Room]

We hear a steady beating similar to a heartbeat.

FEMALE VOICE:

You find yourself in a room.

Beat continues.

MALE VOICE:

[Groan]

FEMALE VOICE:

You find yourself in a room.

MALE VOICE:

[Groan]

FEMALE VOICE:

You find yourself in a room.

MALE VOICE:

Ok!  I get it!  I find myself in a room.

FEMALE VOICE:

You find yourself in a room.

MALE VOICE:

Ok.  I’m in a room.

FEMALE VOICE:

You find yourself in a room.

MALE VOICE:

I’M IN A ROOM! I CAN SEE THAT!  What do you want me to do about it?

FEMALE VOICE:

The room is programed to respond to many human generated commands.  Try something.

We hear the sounds of MAN fighting against something.  Feet scuffle, he grunts.

MALE VOICE:

Release bonds?

FEMALE VOICE:

Command not recognized.  This room is programed to respond to many human generated commands.  Try something.

MALE VOICE:

Turn on light?

Click.  Beat becomes softer.

MALE VOICE:

Can you tell me what I can do?

FEMALE VOICE:

This room is programed to respond to many human generated commands.  Try something.

MALE VOICE:

Move?

Sounds of something moving along a track. Sound stops.

MALE VOICE:

Look at bed?

Sounds of something moving along a track.  Sound stops.

MALE VOICE:

It’s a bed.  Can you tell me why I’m strapped down like this?

FEMALE VOICE:

No.

MALE VOICE:

Can you tell me what I’m supposed to be doing?

FEMALE VOICE:

Leaving.

MALE VOICE:

My goal is to get out of here?

FEMALE VOICE:

Yes.

MALE VOICE:

So release me.

FEMALE VOICE:

Command not recognized.  This room is programed to respond to many human generated commands.  Try something.

MALE VOICE:

Can I ask you questions?

FEMALE VOICE:

The room cannot guarantee answers.

MALE VOICE:

Fantastic.  Why is there a bed?

FEMALE VOICE:

For you to look at.

MALE VOICE:

That’s it?

FEMALE VOICE:

Question not recognized.  This room is programed to respond to many human generated queries.  Try something.

MALE VOICE:

Does anything in this room have a purpose?

FEMALE VOICE:

The room and surroundings are here for your exploration.  Your goal is to escape.

MALE VOICE:

Escape?  You said leave before.

FEMALE VOICE:

The room and surroundings are here for your exploration.  Your goal is to escape.

MALE VOICE:

Ok.  Explore bed.

Fabric rustles and we hear gears turning.  Beat stops abruptly.  A phone rings and is answered.

ANNA:

I’ve had enough of this!

MALE VOICE:

Wait this is what “explore” does?

ANNA:

Either you commit or you end this.  You come home late, you don’t tell me where you go, you disappear for days, you lie…

MALE VOICE [interrupting]:

 What happened to her wasn’t my fault!

ANNA:

Fine, fine.  Leave me hanging.  Don’t…

MALE VOICE [interrupting]:

End this!

Beat resumes where it left off.

MALE VOICE:

She killed herself. I had nothing to do with that!

FEMALE VOICE:

You find yourself in a room.

MALE VOICE:

Are you trying to punish me?

FEMALE VOICE:

Do you need punishing?

MALE VOICE:

I had nothing to do with her death.

FEMALE VOICE:

Really?

MALE VOICE:

I mean I don’t know.  I didn’t pull the trigger.

FEMALE VOICE:

You find yourself in a room.

MALE VOICE:

Way to change the subject.

FEMALE VOICE:

You find yourself in a room.

MALE VOICE:

I’m not looking at the bed again.

FEMALE VOICE:

You find yourself in a room.

MALE VOICE:

Do I have to explore?

FEMALE VOICE:

You have to escape.

MALE VOICE:

Find exit.

FEMALE VOICE:

Command not recognized.  This room is programed to respond to many human generated commands.  Try something.

MALE VOICE:

I suppose it wouldn’t be that easy.  Fine [pause].  Look at chest.

Sounds of something moving along a track.  Sound stops.

MALE VOICE:

Explore chest.

FEMALE VOICE:

Chest cannot be opened.  It is locked.

MALE VOICE:

How do you open the chest?

FEMALE VOICE:

How do you open a chest?

MALE VOICE:

Shit, I don’t know; I don’t try to open chests very often. What do I need?

FEMALE VOICE:

Question not recognized.  This room is programed to respond to many human generated queries.  Try something.

MALE VOICE:

What are the contents of this room?

FEMALE VOICE:

In this room are a chest, a bed, a lock, blankets, a doll, and a key.

MALE VOICE:

Where is the key?

FEMALE VOICE:

Question not recognized.  This room is programed to respond to many human generated queries.  Try something.

MALE VOICE:

Look at bed?

Sounds of something moving along a track.  Sound stops.

FEMALE VOICE:

You are looking at the bed.

MALE VOICE:

I don’t see a key.

[Pause]

Look under bed?

Thunk.

MALE VOICE [cont.]

[grunt]

Key!  Uh… take key.

Sound of something metallic sliding across the floor.

MALE VOICE [cont.]:

Unlock chest?

FEMALE VOICE:

Function not permitted at this time.

MALE VOICE:

What do you mean?

FEMALE VOICE:

Function not permitted at this time.

MALE VOICE:

Has anyone ever told you how frustrating you are?

FEMALE VOICE:

Many.

MALE VOICE:

Wait, many?  How many?

FEMALE VOICE:

This program has been running for 420,030,360.534460 minutes.

MALE VOICE:

Holy crap.

FEMALE VOICE:

Are you going to do something with that key?

MALE VOICE:

I tried “Unlock Chest” but you said that wasn’t permitted.

FEMALE VOICE:

Function not permitted at this time.

MALE VOICE:

Take me to the Chest!

Sounds of something moving along a track.  Sounds stop.

MALE VOICE [cont.]:

Oh.  [pause] Open chest?

Lock opens with a heavy clunk.

FEMALE VOICE:

The chest is open.

MALE VOICE:

Thanks.  What now?

FEMALE VOICE:

Question not recognized.  This room is programed to –

MALE VOICE:

I GET IT!  [Pause]  What’s in the chest?

FEMALE VOICE:

Blankets.

MALE VOICE:

Explore chest?

Rain lashes a window.

MALE VOICE:

Where am I?

A woman cries.

MALE VOICE:

Anna?

FEMALE VOICE:

[Sniffling]

Steven?

MALE VOICE:

You’re not Anna.

FEMALE VOICE:

Of course I am. 

MALE VOICE:

You’re not.  You’re that computer.

FEMALE VOICE:

Are we that different?  To you?

MALE VOICE:

I told you already, I had nothing to do with her suicide.

FEMALE VOICE:

Nothing?  Nothing at all?

MALE VOICE:

You’re not Anna and you’re not God. I don’t have to defend myself to you.

FEMALE VOICE:

Are you sure?

MALE VOICE:

You’re not God, are you?

FEMALE VOICE:

How would you distinguish?

MALE VOICE:

This is silly; I’m going to find the door.

FEMALE VOICE:

Are you?

MALE VOICE:

Yes.

We hear a man walking on a wood floor.  These steps slow and morph into the sounds of wheels moving along tracks.

MALE VOICE [cont.]:

What are you doing to me?

FEMALE VOICE:

Answer the question.

MALE VOICE:

What question?

The heartbeat picks up again.  It should increase in intensity throughout the next exchange.

FEMALE VOICE:

Why are you here?

MALE VOICE:

You tell me!  I have no idea why I’m here!

FEMALE VOICE:

Really?

MALE VOICE:

Really!  Anna shot herself.  I had nothing to do with that.

FEMALE VOICE:

Then how do you know what the weather was like?  Why do you have a memory of being with her that night?  Why do you know what the key looks like?

MALE VOICE:

What key!

FEMALE VOICE:

Look around the room, Steven.  This room is familiar to you.  Right down to the doll.

MALE VOICE:

What doll?

FEMALE VOICE:

Question not recognized -

MALE VOICE

Of course the question is recognized! We’re having a fucking conversation!  You can understand me. [Pause, heavy breathing]  Look at doll!

Sounds of something rotating on a track.

MALE VOICE [cont.]:

Oh god.

FEMALE VOICE:

You find yourself in a room.  Your goal is to escape.  Proceed.

MALE VOICE:

How did you make a doll to look like her?

FEMALE VOICE:

[slightly louder]

Proceed

MALE VOICE:

With the hair… and the…

FEMALE VOICE:

[Slightly louder]

Proceed.

MALE VOICE:

… The gun… and…

FEMALE VOICE:

[Slightly louder]

Proceed.

MALE VOICE:

The blood.

FEMALE VOICE:

[Loudest]

PROCEED.

MALE VOICE:

I’m not sorry.  I didn’t do anything.  I didn’t pull the trigger!

FEMALE VOICE:

You didn’t.

MALE VOICE:

No.

FEMALE VOICE:

It’s funny how the human brain tricks itself. You played the game in exactly the same way.

MALE VOICE:

What do you mean?

FEMALE VOICE:

You took her to the bed first, didn’t you?

MALE VOICE:

What are you saying?

FEMALE VOICE:

That’s how you solve your problems Steven.  You know that.  You take her to the bed first.  Then you find the key.  You knew exactly where to look, didn’t you?  Then you unlock the chest.  You explore.  What do you find?  A woman. Terrified.  What do you do?

MALE VOICE:

You’re not Anna.

FEMALE VOICE:

How do you know that?

MALE VOICE:

You’re not Anna.

FEMALE VOICE:

You leave.  You left me.

MALE VOICE:

You are not Anna.

FEMALE VOICE:

With a gun in my hand.

MALE VOICE:

I didn’t.

FEMALE VOICE:

You did.  You left me alone.  You put the gun in my hand.  You did.

MALE VOICE:

I didn’t pull the trigger.

FEMALE VOICE:

Where are you?

MALE VOICE:

I’m in a room.

FEMALE VOICE:

Are you?

A chest rattles on the ground.  The MAN is inside.

MALE VOICE:

What have you done?

FEMALE VOICE:

Nothing.  Nothing at all.  You however, have turned on the tap.

The sound of water rushing.

MALE VOICE:

How?

FEMALE VOICE:

It’s not my fault there’s a very sensitive button behind this chest.  Your rocking triggered it.

MALE VOICE:

No, you are complicit in this!

FEMALE VOICE:

I didn’t do anything.  You pulled the trigger on yourself.  Just like Anna.

MALE VOICE:

Help!  Help! Hel-

The last line is garbled. 

The heartbeat flat lines.

[END]