alex mistral. four fin

A light hum of the awakening sound and lighting
systems begins to crescendo, building from the
electric buzz of  currents to the push and pull of a tide as it
strokes the shoreline. The squawk of seagulls lightly fills
the air, fulfilling a nautical tone throughout the theatre.
The lights flash on, presenting a light beige color to illustrate the
morning. A coastline is seen on the backdrop. A lighthouse is
on stage, with a wooden door and a circular window placed
at the entry of the building.

[The door opens and a young male, ALEX, enters the stage. He peers back inside of the doorway, shouting.]

ALEX: Come on, JANE! You're going to make us late again.

ALEX, ASIDE [exhausted, annoyed tone]:

She does this all the goddamn time. We've been going to this theatre for six years! Six! And she can't get the energy to wake up on time. I think the only reason they keep her anymore is she's the only one that can apply eyeliner without poking someone's eye out.

[Moments later, JANE exits the doorway and enters the stage, annoyed by his urgency. She peers inside the doorframe to say her goodbyes for the day.]

JANE: Bye 'Nan, bye dad! We'll be back once rehearsal is done.

[She turns to ALEX, frustrated as they quickly begin their journey to the theatre]

JANE: It's not my fault that you don't go out of our way to help 'Nan. You're so obsessed with Shelle that you can't give a second thought to her. You'd probably write a play once she died and talk about how important she was to you. You would try to turn it into your 'shining star' moment. Get famous off the death of a grandparent you never took a second glance toward.

[ALEX appears flabbergasted, astonished by the assumption.]

ALEX: I would not! I love 'Nan.

[JANE steps around in front of ALEX, facing him.]

JANE: Yeah? What's her diagnosis?

[ALEX stops. Stumped, thinking.

ALEX: It doesn't matter. We still have her right? That's what counts.

[ALEX quickly shuffles past JANE'S blockade, avoiding the topic as a whole.]

JANE: Dad hates that, you know. He wishes you cared about her more than the theatre. He sometimes thinks that you don't even care about him, too.

[ALEX scoffs]

ALEX: Well, that's because he's boring. You don't really think being a crab fisher is any interesting, do you? I mean, what do you get out of it? Crab guts? Wet clothes? Constantly being alone on a boat? How depressing is that?

JANE: You say that like the lighthouse is any different. We spend all day at the theatre, while he's stuck alone tending to the mother that can't remember what her husband or child is like.

ALEX: Well, that's on him. Put her into a senior home, or something. Get back out on the water if he loves it so much.

[JANE sighs, and gives up, falling silent and continuing onto the rest of their treck.]