Monday, March 5, 2012

The Ladder - a play in one act

The scene: an almost empty suburban garage. Cardboard boxes line one wall, paint cans sit on a shelf, an old wooden ladder leans against a post. A man and a woman are center stage, talking.

Man: Ok, let's clean up. The boxes and the ladder can go out to the trash.

Woman: I'll take the boxes out but I wanna keep the ladder.

Man, frowning: What for? It's too rickety to use and we have a perfectly good aluminum one.

Woman: I might put it in the studio.

Man, eyebrows shooting up into hairline: The studio? For what? You can't stand on it and it's all old and rusty.

Woman: I know, it's perfect.

Man, turning ladder this way and that as he points out its flaws: Perfect!?! For what?? What are you gonna do with it? We don't need any more junk in the house.

Woman: I might hang it from the ceiling.

Man, slight pause as he considers whether woman can possibly be serious: The ceiling? What the hell for?

Woman: Or maybe I'll mount it on the wall. It'd look great with some old linens folded over the steps and a pot of ivy on top.

Man, comprehension dawning: Ah... a display. Why didn't you just say so?

The end.

7 comments:

  1. If this were "Facebook" I would just comment:

    Like!

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  2. Yup, yup,yup! Excellent! Perfect and completely easy to understand the reasoning. Can't wait to see your DISPLAY in the studio.
    Hugs.
    b

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  3. Oh, yes --- I fully get this. A delightful post. Now I am going to want an old ladder for my studio...

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    1. Yeah, I've seen them in magazine layouts and on pinterest, and decided I really wanted one. I'll post pics once we get moved and I get it hung or whatever I end up doing with it.

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  4. LOL - well of course you would use to display stuff - dahhhhh

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  5. I have an old step-stool someone left out on the curb with the trash. It looks great with potted plants on it. Good job saving the ladder! :)

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    1. You see stools and benches and ladders in magazine displays all the time. I have an old green stool and a white one with the fold-out step and a bench I made from old fence boards, and now the ladder. Pretty soon the house will just be chock full of rotting wood lol.

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