31 Plays in 31 Days, #13 - "The Roof"

[breakinglight11]

This is kind of a dumb idea from a few years back, when I was noodling around trying to think of a script I could write for a low-budget film-- just in case I ever had the opportunity to make one of my own, that wouldn't be as intensive as my previous work. Bernie suggested recasting Sherlock Holmes in a college setting just as an exercise. It's kind of trite at this point with the proliferation of Sherlock Holmes stuff-- to say nothing of the spirit of it present in Mrs. Hawking --but it kind of fit that brief.


Day #13 “The Roof”
for Baker Hall
by Phoebe Roberts

CHARLOTTE HOLMES, an unruly perpetual sophomore
JANE WATSON, an ROTC transfer student
~~~

(CHARLOTTE sits on the roof of the dorm. Enter JANE.)

CHARLOTTE: You found me. I must change up my routine.

JANE: You’re going to get arrested again.

CHARLOTTE: If they can catch me.

(JANE sits down beside her.)

JANE: Well, at least it isn’t broad daylight.

CHARLOTTE: The view’s better. But more and more I find I prefer being nocturnal.

JANE: What are you even looking at?

(Pause.)

CHARLOTTE: Them. All of them.

JANE: Other students?

CHARLOTTE: Everyone. What they’re doing. What they’re up to. Makes it easier to see what’s going on. They’re not hiding it from this angle. People don’t look up.

JANE: And it means they don't look back.

CHARLOTTE: Much more efficient that way. If the alternative is talking to them.

JANE: A lot you’re going to miss that way.

CHARLOTTE: Nothing I need to know.

JANE: That’s stupid.

CHARLOTTE: What?

JANE: To kneecap yourself like that. Just because it’s hard for you.

CHARLOTTE: It has nothing to do with hard.

JANE: My ass. You don’t do anything hard.

CHARLOTTE: Are you kidding me?

JANE: Yeah, yeah, you say you do everything for the challenge of it. But you’re good at that. Figuring stuff out. Catching people out. That’s easy for you. But anything hard? Talking to people? Dealing with… anything? You just avoid.

(Pause.)

JANE: But no problem. You can always just come out here. Where none of that stuff can get you.