Stage: The two chairs stand centre stage, closer now but still apart. Dim light. A heavy air of anticipation.
They rise slowly, almost in unison. Both move behind their chairs, gripping the backrests like anchors. Their knuckles whiten. They lean forward slightly, breath audible.
HER (low, controlled): Why hide me.
Silence. He shifts his grip. His chair creaks under the pressure. He opens his mouth, closes it.
HER (sharper): Why.
Silence. He lowers his gaze, won’t meet her eyes.
HER (exploding, shouting): TELL ME! Make it make sense.
She slams her chair forward. It scrapes harshly across the floor, echoing. Silence follows, heavy and jagged.
HIM (snapping back, voice breaking): You don’t know what it cost me.
HER (mocking, furious): What it cost you?
(beat)
Are you serious?
She circles her chair like a predator, hands trailing along the backrest.
HER (softer, bitter): I was not a shadow. I had a face. I had a voice.
(beat)
And you made me invisible.
HIM (suddenly shouting): I saved you!
The words burst out. He shoves his chair to the side, violently. It falls with a crash. Silence. They both freeze, chests heaving.
HER (after a long pause, whispering): Saved me from what?
He doesn’t answer.
HER (stronger): Look at me.
He slowly raises his head. Their eyes meet. The first sustained look between them. They hold it. Too long. The tension unbearable.
HIM (voice cracking, almost pleading): I kept you in the dark… so they couldn’t touch you. To protect you.
HER (quiet, steady, devastating): You kept me in the dark for too long.
(beat)
And now I can’t see myself.
Silence. She lets go of her chair. It tips onto its side with a hollow sound. She stands empty-handed.
HER (whisper): You turned me into air. Why? For whom?
Silence stretches. Their breathing is all that remains.
Blackout.
reflections of an unquiet mind 