We're Not From Here

a play in one act

Cast: Swayam & Arnav

Evening. Garden.

Faint chirping of birds. As the drama runs its course, the natural light will steadily go down.

A bench in the middle of the stage facing the audience. Another bench placed on the left, facing towards the right, perpendicular to the first bench and a bit closer to the edge of the stage.

[The stage is empty when the curtain goes up. A voice is heard off-stage.]

VOICE: I don't know... Sometimes I think, why does anything has to make sense at all? Everyone says, You got to have a purpose, a theme... Or else where are you even going?

[Pause. Enter SWAYAM. Casually dressed. Has a look of weariness on his face, walking with rather lethargic strides. With him is ARNAV, modishly dressed with animated behavior. Both tall, although ARNAV is a little chubby and plump, and SWAYAM on the thinner side. Both a couple of years into their young adulthood.

As SWAYAM speaks, ARNAV is gazing into the left direction, as if in search of something or someone beyond the stage.]

SWAYAM: Where am I going? I'm scared Arnav.

ARNAV [rather uninterested in the conversation, seemingly preoccupied by some thought]: Where are you going?... Oh yes, totally! A theme's a must! [Pointing to the bench in the middle] Anyway, make haste. There's our seat. We must claim it before anyone else does!

[He quickly strides off and sits on the bench continuing to gaze in the same direction as before.SWAYAM is left behind.]

SWAYAM [pointing to the other bench]: Can we please sit somewhere else today? We always sit on this bench. See that seat is empty.

ARNAV: No! We sit here! It is absolutely necessary for us to sit here. This is our seat.

[SWAYAM displeasingly starts walking towards the seat.]

SWAYAM [in a low voice]: It's all animation before you realise you are caught in a routine, then it's just scary...

ARNAV: What? Yeah, no, don't answer that, I don't care anyway. Hopefully we are just in time. He hasn't arrived yet.

SWAYAM: Um... What if he doesn't come today? Or he sits somewhere else... How are we supposed to know?

ARNAV: Will you be cool for once? I can say with absolute surety that he'll come.

[Pause. SWAYAM repeatedly stares at his own palms and looks in the skyward direction. ARNAV continues to gaze in the same direction as earlier relentlessly.]

What day is today? [SWAYAM sighs] There he is! [Gives a sturdy pat on SWAYAM's shoulder] I told you

he'd come.

SWAYAM: Does this person never smile or what?

ARNAV [animated]: Didn't I tell you he'd come? See, I knew he'd come. I'll tell you, he has a pattern- Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and sometimes Friday as well. [Pause.] And Saturday.

SWAYAM: So you mean he comes down here pretty much everyday?

ARNAV [vexed]: No you idiot! Didn't I just mention his pattern? Monday, Thursday, Saturday- and sometimes Fridays as well. Are you that stupid?

SWAYAM [in a low voice]: You forgot Wednesday...

[Pause. ARNAV stares at SWAYAM furiously.]

ARNAV: I didn't say Wednesday because he doesn't come on Wednesdays! How stupid are you not to understand that? Ah, perhaps he comes on Sundays as well, but who is to know? We don't come here on Sundays. [Pause. Making an effort to get heard realising SWAYAM is oblivious again, staring at his palms] We have been observing him for so long now! [Shaking his shoulders vigorously] Are you listening to me?

[SWAYAM shakes off his hands from his shoulders, getting up from the bench.]

SWAYAM [angrily]: Okay, maybe you come here to spy on him, but I come here to relax for the day, you understand?

[ARNAV is taken aback by his tone. Looking skywards SWAYAM sighs.]

[in his quiet tone] even the sky doesn't seem to give me peace nowadays. Its calm- peaceful and quiet... and scary. [ Returning to the conversation with the same tone as he started the dialogue] Anyway, i can't even tell if he's the same person as yesterday's. Or the day before that. Or the day before that.

ARNAV: The day before yesterday was Tuesday, he hadn't come that day.

SWAYAM: He did.

ARNAV [scornfully]: Oh ho ho! So you did notice him? Because I thought it is only I who spies on him. You do it too!

SWAYAM [justifying]: I looked at him once okay? [Looking in the direction of the man] I mean with such bright colored cloths and that gloomy face how could you not notice him? Or for anyone for that matter... Plus who keeps looking at the ground and the sky so much?

ARNAV: He's not sad, he's in a thought. [Pause. With a tone of careful observation] Maybe a bit puzzled by something, but definitely not sad.

[SWAYAM sits.]

SWAYAM: Yeah well, he's clearly in a thought, I'm not denying that. But people don't think when they are happy, people think when they are sad.

[Both continue to look into the direction of the man, without paying attention.]

ARNAV: Nonsense! I think when I'm happy. I think about how happy I'm, I think about what made me happy... [Pause.] I think about goodness. I think about a lot of things!

SWAYAM: Yeah, no- it's not like you are thinking-thinking though, you know-

ARNAV: You don't make sense.

SWAYAM: It's a bit complex. It's weird.

ARNAV: You are weird. Now enough with your stupid thoughts.

SWAYAM [obliviously gets up from the bench, looking skywards]: When you are happy you are in the moment- the present... But you are never and can never really be in the moment, if you are to think that is.

ARNAV [interrupting]: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't think I'm interested in your philosophy. Now come back here will you? Are we here to do this? We are here to observe the person, aren't we?

SWAYAM: No, I'm not sitting with you. And also you are here to spy on the man, not me. I'm here to...

[SWAYAM sighs and sits down.]

ARNAV: Yes, there you go then, we are both here for the same reason. [Pulling him closer] We are like brothers. No- More the same person! Same thoughts. Now get your pad out and start making some observations. I've got some myself- write- observation number one, character is found in the same location. Character? Or should we call him the person- or simply man? The man sounds good. But do not erase if you have already written something else. Days of appearances- Monday, tuesday, Saturday. Occasionally Friday. And did we say Wednesday? Observation number two- no three- always alone. Solitary existence [Laughs.] Observation number four... Swayam? [Turning towards him] In what world are you? [Shaking him vigorously] Wake up from your stupid dream! Why isn't your notepad out? Why aren't you writing things down? Swayam!

[SWAYAM panics, becoming aware of his surrounding.]

SWAYAM: Get your hands of me! [He gets up from the seat and adjusts his cloths. Returning to the seat in a moment he gets a notepad and pen out] Yeah- here it is. Pen. Wait, let me just turn the page.

ARNAV: What you got there?

SWAYAM: Oh this... I'm trying to write a play actually... This is just some rough work. I could have started writing it already, but I don't have a theme yet.

ARNAV [mockingly]: A play without a theme? What are you nuts? [Laughs.] Anyway, did you turn the page? Good. [He looks in the direction of the man as if observing closely. You know what, keep the notepad aside. Let's name him first.

SWAYAM: Is that really necessary?

ARNAV: Yes, it is! we have known him for so long now, he's one of the subjects of our lives.

SWAYAM: Your...

ARNAV [emphasizing] : Our lives. We could give him all kinds of unconventional names based on our observations. What's say? I'll let you go first.

SWAYAM: Not interested. Although I do wonder what he is thinking about.

ARNAV: I wonder the same.

[Silence. Bending forward, he rests his hands on his palms and continues to look in the direction of the man. Seeing ARNAV quiet, a mischievous smile spreads across SWAYAM's face.]

SWAYAM [trying to make ARNAV anxious]: You know he's right there. And he seems pretty harmless. You should go ask him.

ARNAV: We should.

SWAYAM: Go ask him! He's one of the most important subjects of your life. I bet you'll find peace. One inspirational step out of the chaos- to near the ultimate peace!

ARNAV: Shut up!

SWAYAM: Worse come worse, what could happen?

ARNAV: What... Nothing! [Pause.] Also, when did you become so approaching-a-stranger hooligan, you lady bird? If you think so tough, go ask him.

SWAYAM: Why should I go? You should.

ARNAV: I won't go, you go.

SWAYAM: I won't go, you go.

ARNAV: Okay enough! We'll both go together and ask him.

SWAYAM [agitated]: Yeah, let's do that...

ARNAV: Yeah...

[He gets up from his seat.]

SWAYAM: Well...

ARNAV: Get up will you?

SWAYAM [getting up slowly]: Let's go. [Both start walking in the direction of the man, their speed decreases as the distance does.] Well, I was thinking, do we really have to Arnav? I mean we could just not...

[They turn and quickly stride back to the bench.]

ARNAV: It's not okay to intrude in someone's space anyway. What were we thinking approaching him?

SWAYAM: Well you wanted to know what he was thinking.

ARNAV: Oh, like you didn't! You do care about it, admit that. And it was your idea in the first place- us to go talk to him.

SWAYAM: Forget it.

ARNAV: It was your idea!

SWAYAM [looking at his palms]: Let's just leave. I'm physically and mentally exhausted [stares skywards].

ARNAV: Why? What's the matter?

[SWAYAM packs his back, and starts walking away.]

SWAYAM: You don't want to know. Forget it.

ARNAV [sympathetically]: Maybe I do. Come back here will you? [Quickly striding towards him] Put that bag aside and talk to me Swayam. I'm here. Come, let's sit for a while.

[Both return to the bench. Pause.]

SWAYAM: I don't know. Nothing makes sense. It seems I've lost all motivation to have a purpose. You know, the universe has a music of its own, with the wind and the birds chirping... [ARNAV is distracted and starts looking in the direction of the man.] I strive to hear the crow- emphasizing on it and it only. It isn't bitter after all. It blends well. That scares me. Don't know how, don't know why, but it scares me. [ARNAV reaches for the bag which on the other side of SWAYAM who gets distracted.] What are you doing?

ARNAV: Oh nothing, just some water. Go on, I'm listening.

SWAYAM: The universe overpowers everything- all of us. In the sweetest of melodies it tells me- you know what it tells me? It tells me that my presence or absence does not matter. My existence- it does not matter. Illusion- everything!

[He laughs pitifully in a low tone while ARNAV is seen writing on the pad.]

ARNAV [looking in the direction of the back stage]: Suraj! [Screaming and waving] Suraj!

[ARNAV runs in the direction of the backstage and disappears. SWAYAM watches him stride away. Staring at his palms he sobs for a brief period. Then looking skywards lets out a pity laugh and sits in silence. Complete silence for 3 minutes. Enter ARNAV.]

ARNAV: Boy, boy, boy! I've so much fun whenever I meet him. Everytime we see each other, we hop in joy! What a guy, what a great guy!

SWAYAM [pointing towards the man]: Arnav look-

ARNAV: Once coincidently we met at this totally random place. Do you know which restaurant? Near the bank- oh what bank was it?

SWAYAM: Arnav-

ARNAV: What?

SWAYAM: Look- the man... He's crying.

ARNAV: What man? Oh yes, where?

SWAYAM [irritated]: Where we have been looking all evening!

ARNAV: Yes... crying? wait- he's not crying!

SWAYAM: Can't you see? He's crying!

ARNAV: When did you start hallucinating in daylight Swayam? How are you so stupid?

SWAYAM: But- but... he is.

ARNAV: Shut up Swayam! You have been irritating me the whole evening! First with your habit of talking nonsensical things nonstop, then with your bizzare observations about the man being sad, now you say the man is crying when he's clearly not- and overall with you lack of liveliness!

SWAYAM: I'm too exhausted to process anything today- I'm sorry. It's late already, I'd like to leave now.

ARNAV: Yeah, I don't want to stay either.

SWAYAM [getting his pad]: Have you been writing in this?

ARNAV: I don't need it anymore. Just tear it and throw it away.

[Swayam does that.]

SWAYAM: Oh wait- Were the ideas of my play on the same page?

ARNAV [laughs]: Oh yes- on the other side of it.

SWAYAM [sighs]: Eh. What a day... Anyway, I hadn't made any leads on it. I didn't even have a theme for god's sake. Just had an idea for a character which I thought was really cool. I'll have to think of something else now I suppose, I was stuck anyway.

ARNAV: Oh how much do you talk! And hurry up will you now?

[Both start walking. SWAYAM looks in the direction of the man and suddenly stops.]

SWAYAM: Arnav wait-

ARNAV [vexed]: What now?

SWAYAM: Where's... the man?

ARNAV: What?

SWAYAM: The man- he's gone...

ARNAV [angrily]: Even today we couldn't see him. And once again, all because of you!

SWAYAM: I'm sorry, I'm sorry!

ARNAV [assertively]: Now we'll have to come tomorrow as well. And by we, I mean we! You'll have to come too.

SWAYAM: Alright, alright, I'll come...

ARNAV: I gave you no other choice.

SWAYAM [sighs-looking skyward] : Ah, this routine- routine of life, routine of being alive.

ARNAV: Shut up, shut up! And don't even dare not to turn up tomorrow.

SWAYAM: Yes, I'm coming. I want to know what he was thinking about. On what he generally thinks.

[Both exit. Bare stage. SWAYAM's voice is heard off-stage.]

-hey Arnav, what do you think he must be thinking about right now?

CURTAIN.