SCENE: "STRANGERS IN THE DARK"
VERSION 04: 01.04.04
(currently scene 3)

The man is on the court on his own. He picks up the racket on the floor and inspects it, tries it out. The woman enters.

MAN: There you are. I thought you weren't going to show up. I was just about to leave.

WOMAN: Sorry. I couldn't find my .... Hey! Where did you get that?

MAN: Is it yours?

WOMAN: Where did you get it? Have you been to my apartment?

MAN: No! I found it here, right here on the floor.

WOMAN: That's impossible. I've never been here before.

MAN: Are you sure about that?

WOMAN: Look, there are many things I'm not sure about at this point in time, and being here now is one of them. This place is weird. Not somewhere you'd forget in a hurry. I'd definitely remember if I'd been here before.

MAN: Well then, there's probably a logical explanation for it. Maybe it just looks like your racket.

WOMAN: Hmm.[He hands it it to her. She inspects it. A noise distracts her] What's that noise?

MAN: Oh that. Don't worry about it. It's just electricity talking.

WOMAN: You're not anything like I'd imagined you'd be.

MAN: Yes, I do it all the time too.

WOMAN: Yes what? Do what? What on earth are you talking about?

MAN: Imagining things. Imagining people I haven't met. Imagining how people imagine me. Imagining myself with imaginary people in imaginary situations. Want to know what I'm imagining right now?

[Without waiting for an answer he mimes/plays air guitar on his racket - she laughs. He starts fondling the racket, but subtly, moving his hands up and down the shaft.]

WOMAN: That's disgusting!

[Several balls come flying over the net, hard and fast.]

MAN: Get down!
What happens now is a kind of improvised session. First each time the man hits the ball, he shouts to the womaN "GET DOWN". She falls to the floor. First she covers her head with her hands, then after a while she falls down "dead". As she understands the rules, she hits the ball too, and shouts. The man has to fall down. Later she replaces the words "get down" with "hit me". She man still shouts "get down". Possibly, he stops the "game" by throwing himself ontop of her .....she gets up, her racket is still on the floor ....

WOMAN: That's enough! You're way out of line. You can bloody well save your fantasies for somone as sick as you are.

MAN: Come on - you started it.

WOMAN: You're crazy. I should never have come here.

MAN: You said I was nothing like you'd imagined me to be. What made you say that? What image did you make of me? On what information did you base that image?
Look at me.

VOICE: Look at him.

MAN: Look at me!
[softly] Everyone imagines things. We all imagine things that are sometimes quite real. All part of being human.

WOMAN: [She picks up her racket and inspects it. As if to herself ..] I just can't imagine how it got here.
[the man pinches her]

WOMAN: Owww ????

MAN: Just checking reality for you. That's my job. [She is not convinced] Look. I'm here. You're here. Right here. Right now. It's the real thing. We're a perfect match! Come on. Let's just do it. [He has moved to just behind the serving line. He takes a ball out of his pocket and bounces it on the floor repeatedly, then manically, preparing to serve.]

WOMAN: Are you sure you're feeling okay?

MAN: Never better. Just keen to get started. [by now he is almost throwing the ball in the air, swinging his racket as if to hit it, grunting with the effort]

WOMAN: Shouldn't we toss a coin or something?

MAN: What for?

WOMAN: To decide who gets to serve first. Find out where we stand.

MAN: You cannot be serious!

WOMAN: I'm perfectly serious. That's how we start the match. We toss a coin and then the winner gets to choose if they want to serve first. You know, heads I win, tails you ....

MAN: Look. Nothing is left to chance these days.

WOMAN: Okay. [She tosses a coin anyway] We'll do it your way then. [under her breath] Shit ... [she starts heading towards the "dark" side of the court]

MAN: Where the hell do you think you're going?

WOMAN: I'm crossing over to the other side.

MAN: Are you crazy? You can't do that. You have to be on my side.

WOMAN: Jesus Christ .....

MAN: Now just you keep him out of this.

WOMAN: Holy Mary, Mother of ...

MAN: And her too. In fact, I'd rather we kept religion out of this all together.

WOMAN: [teasing him now] Holy Moses. He raised his hands and parted the water and led the people .....

MAN: Stop it. Please. We don't have much time. [He looks at his watch] Only about forty-five minutes to my reckoning.

WOMAN: Aren't we supposed to be opponents?

MAN: Please. I thought you were my partner. I really need you. Just come back here so we can get started.

WOMAN: Don't you know that we can be on both sides at the same time? [the woman is moving to the dark side, and as she moves, the lights dim]

MAN: Don't leave me here.

WOMAN: Trust me. We'll get through this together. I know it's a long shot, but it's our only chance.

MAN: Don't you understand. .... things have changed ... nothing is left to chance anymore ...

WOMAN: [from the darkness] Let's just get it on.

MAN: You've left me in the dark.

WOMAN: I'm right here, with you. I'm on your side.

MAN: I can't see you.

WOMAN: Don't worry. This is all just a big game.

VOICE: The green shroud of the forest returns, smoothing things out, leaf by leaf, shroud by shroud. The forest grows darker and more intense.

MAN: It's very quiet here.

VOICE: The windows stay open and the world comes in.

WOMAN: What's to be done?

VOICE: Just keep your eye on the ball and let your opponent (partner) take care of himself. He can't hold the forest back for ever.

There is a pregnant pause, and then we here the sound of a ball - "plop"