End of act two

Curtains open on an empty stage. The audience whispers silently. The people in their seats get up to wait. The actor enters quietly. They open their mouth, then let it shut. They stumble through ifs, ands, or cuts. I sip from the flask, take off a mask. The actor prays for this to last. The epilogue is a monologue, all disorganized and catalogued. The audience sits back down. The actor’s forgotten how.

Act One consists of thirteen scenes. The first few begin faded like a dream. The actor tries to remember what it’s like to be free. But nothing in this act is quite what it seems. The play clears back up around scene thirteen. The actor gives the audience a second look. They’re reading from an empty book. 

Scene fourteen begins Act Two. We lost all the other cast and crew. The actor stands and says, “I do.” I sit behind, knowing it’s not true. Hands reach out from behind the stage. The actor pushes them away. They need to show everyone they’re not afraid. I sit behind the curtain as I shake, so I don’t ruin the play. Scene fifteen, the actor gets a shovel. They see my tears from behind the stage in a puddle. The actor drives into the dirt. Trying to dig until it doesn’t hurt. In scene 16, the actor drops in defeat. They stare at the hole they dug- six feet deep. The curtains close, but only on one side. The actor and audience both try to hide. When they open, the grave is sealed. A brand new actor is revealed. They begin their lines with an ever-silent scream. They walk away from their graves, stepping in between. I am the actor. The actor’s not me. 

On to Act Three.