​ii. boxes

BECKETT
​okay—
​assess
​reset

​you got this

​my new place was humble;
​just a little utah-shaped room
​in the basement of a butcher shop
​one little window
​looking out on a graveyard

​it was the first place i found

​i didn’t have any furniture
​i let jackie have it all
​wanted to be as low-conflict as possible
​so all i had was a bunch of frayed cardboard boxes
​borrowed from a friend
​who had just left a poet
​they had sharpie scrawls all over them
​naming rooms that i didn’t have
“office”
“attic”
“den”
​i started out sleeping on the floor
​thinking, ok tomorrow i’ll run out to the store
​get an air mattress or something
​but—i don’t know, i just kind of got used to it

​it felt monastic
​like i was doing penance

(a giant marionette spider descends from the rafters, operated by susan.)

SHELOB (SUSAN)
​such a good boy

BECKETT
​oh yeah, the place had spiders too

SHELOB
​atone for the darkness within

BECKETT
​that’s right shelob!
​yeah, i named her shelob
​so fucking basic

SHELOB
​you belong here with us spiders
​hidden away in the basement
​with other cursed things
BECKETT
​i had a ratty old blanket from when i was a kid
​i’d lay there in the dark
​thinking about all the things i was sorry for

(phone ring; sadie speaks into an old vintage phone, her back to the audience.)

SADIE (as work)
​hey beckett! it’s work. wow this is crazy right? anyway, just ​wanted to check in, we’re still doing team meetings at 4…uh, ​we’ll send you a link

(beckett ignores the call.)

BECKETT
​i had had plans to you know, do the place up—
​but i just kind of lost my drive
​i ordered some basics on amazon:
​a beanbag chair, a bath mat, a couple sauce pans
​a…colander?
​not like i cooked

​honestly the grocery store freaked me out
​and i really didn’t want to leave the house

BECKETT, SUSAN & SADIE
​that’s death out there!
BECKETT
​actual, literal death

​i could hear it
​going door to door—

WOLF
​{howl}

BECKETT
​yeah no thanks

​mostly i did delivery—
​a lot of delivery

​tracking the driver on my phone
​watching them out the peephole
​waiting till they’re gone
​crack open the door
​snatch my food
​slam it shut

BECKETT, SUSAN & SADIE
​sanitize—

BECKETT
​eat my dindin with a plastic fork
​reclining on my boxes
​while binging old horror movies:
​night of the living dead
​bride of frankenstein
​and the wolfman

(a knock at the door. beckett freezes.)

WOLF
​hello? is anyone home?
​got some packages for you

BECKETT
​just leave them by the door!