JOSEPH DOUGHERTY
A very short play.

ONE
It will end. It won’t last forever. Nothing does.

TWO
Somebody said nature favors populations over individuals. Good news for humanity, tough break for people with names and addresses.

ONE
Almost everybody I know is an individual. Well, most of them. Give us a chance. It’s going to be different. When it’s over. We’re going to be different. If we’re not, then we’ll have missed the point of the whole experience.

TWO
There is no “point.” It’s an event, not a story.

ONE
The story comes later.

TWO
What are we supposed to do in the meantime?

ONE
Make plans. Make sandwiches. Talk to each other. Talk to the dog, to the cat, to the moon. And remember.

TWO
Remember?

ONE
A fever can do so much damage, but it can’t burn away your memories, any more than it can melt your dreams.

(pause)

TWO
What’s your name?

- END -


Joseph Dougherty is a writer living in California.