1
The Alligator by Calley N. Anderson
ACT I Scene 1 The sound of a transformer blowing and a room being plunged into still darkness. Time passes. Three young boys—DARRYL, KINGS, and BRADLEY—sit on a couch in the center of a darkened living room, dimly lit by the glow of a flashlight that KINGS is holding and a yellow hazard light flashing in from a maintenance truck outside the window. DARRYL takes the flashlight from KINGS and speaks, putting on his best spooky voice impression. DARRYL Once upon a time— KINGS Shut up— DARRYL In a land far, far away— KINGS Shut up— (KINGS punches DARRYL in the arm before he can continue.) DARRYL Ow! KINGS I can’t tell a scary story if you startin’ it off with “once upon a time” and shit. That’s not the scary stuff! BRADLEY You the only one who wanted to tell a scary story. We just wanted to watch a movie. KINGS Yeah. A scary movie. DARRYL Man Anaconda is not no scary movie. You just scared of snakes.
2 KINGS Who ain’t? DARRYL I’m not! KINGS You ain’t neva seen no snake! DARRYL How you know? KINGS Cuz I known you since kindergarten. DARRYL So you know my whole life? KINGS I been there for ten out the fifteen years so yeah! BRADLEY Are you tellin’ this “scary” story or not? DARRYL It probably won’t even be scary— KINGS Shut up! (DARRYL and BRADLEY chuckle, but quiet down so KINGS can begin. He speaks low and slow.) Back past Macon Road? In one of them low fields there’s a old cemetery. Kinda disappeared because no one was taking care of a Black cemetery, but it’s out there. My brother took me one night. A night like this one to be honest… (He pauses to see if his friends are affected. They aren’t. Well, maybe just a little.) We went out there. It was summer like it is now, so it was humid as hell. But then, we got to this one spot. And it got cold. Real cold. Could damn near see my own breath. So I turn to Tee and tell him we need to go. But when I do I see him starin’ off...lookin’ shook. Scared as all get out. So I look too...turn around reaaaalll slow...and when I did...I saw... (KINGS grabs DARRYL’s shoulders dramatically.) YO MOMMA!
3 (KINGS cackles. DARRYL pushes him over while BRADLEY sucks his teeth at him.) KINGS Y’all knew I wasn’t gon tell no real scary story! BRADLEY Shoulda known. DARRYL Probly don’t even know a real scary story— KINGS You a lie! I know plenty of scary stories. BRADLEY Like? KINGS ...right now? DARRYL Yeah right now! If you know ‘em, you know ‘em. Shouldn’t be hard to— KINGS Whatever bruh. DARRYL I’m just sayin’. I can come up with at least two off top if we really talkin’ about it. KINGS You a lie. DARRYL You ever been to Earnestine and Hazel’s? BRADLEY You ever been to Earnestine and Hazel’s? DARRYL I’m asking Kings! He the one who ain’t live up to all these scary stories he supposedly know. KINGS Stop playin’ mane—
4 DARRYL Can’t even come up with Candyman or Bloody Mary or nothin’— KINGS Why you so worried ‘bout it all of a sudden? DARRYL And no, lookin’ in the mirror at that ugly ass fade don’t count, neither— KINGS Brandon Webber! That shit scary enough for you? (DARRYL and BRADLEY suddenly get quiet at the mention of the name. KINGS regrets it immediately.) My bad. (An instinctual moment of silence follows.) DARRYL What you apologizing for? You ain’t shoot him. KINGS That don’t mean we can just laugh about it. Not yet. BRADLEY Not ever. KINGS Shit ain’t funny. BRADLEY Nah. DARRYL You said it. KINGS And I apologized for it, fool! Damn! DARRYL Know what is funny, though? Ain’t nobody lose a badge for it. Funny to me, at least— KINGS I’m not tryin’ to go there. For real. I am going to get a snack though. Y’all want one?
5 (KINGS stands and walks out of the room, out of range of the flashlight and presumably towards the kitchen.) DARRYL Why people think the only thing scary out here now is dying? BRADLEY Cuz it’s scary? Some people are scared of it, at least. DARRYL I think it’s scarier shit out there. Like snakes. (DARRYL laughs at his joke expecting BRADLEY will too. But instead, BRADLEY closes in on himself a bit. DARRYL notices.) Got somethin’ you wanna add to that? I mean...if Kings ain’t the only one who got a problem wit snakes you can say it. I won’t check you. Well, I’ll try not to— BRADLEY (snorts) Nah, I’m good. DARRYL Are you? You been quiet all day, man. BRADLEY I’m always quiet. DARRYL Not this quiet. And you almost knocked out in driver’s ed. BRADLEY You only noticed because I’m the one that takes the notes. DARRYL I noticed because your five-head was about to smack into the desk. BRADLEY Mane whatever. (They chuckle together.) DARRYL For real. You good?
6 BRADLEY Are you asking the Bradley still recovering from a mental breakdown or the Bradley I used to— DARRYL I’m asking you. (beat) You don’t stop being Bradley cuz of what you went through. Right? BRADLEY (opens his mouth to explain, but realizes it’s too complicated) Sure. DARRYL Aight then. So are you good? KINGS (reemerges, eating chips) Nah he ain’t “good”! He only get this quiet when he know somethin’ and he tryin’ to figure out how he gonna keep lyin’ about it. BRADLEY That is not true! KINGS When you got the flu and threw up in Shayla’s doll house? BRADLEY I was six— KINGS When you “accidentally” stole those basketball cards from the store? DARRYL (under his breath) That wasn’t no accident. BRADLEY Yes it was! I got distracted— KINGS When you got the bubble guts at that Christmas party your mom made us go to at the pastor’s house and you clogged the toilet?
7 DARRYL Ooooooh….
BRADLEY Nigga!
KINGS I can keep goin. Or you can tell us what’s up. You pick. (They stare at each other for a moment. BRADLEY is clearly uncomfortable, but KINGS and DARRYL know this routine and simply stare and wait.) BRADLEY Why y’all always gotta— (Suddenly, all the lights and appliances come back to life. KINGS and DARRYL celebrate the TV’s return while BRADLEY celebrates the shift in focus. Unbeknownst to them all, there is someone standing in the far corner. This FIGURE dons a clearly custom tailored suit made of alligator skin—shoes and hat included. SHAYLA, BRADLEY’s twin sister, comes bolting down the stairs, which makes BRADLEY turn. He sees THE FIGURE and freezes.) SHAYLA Finally! I need the microwave! KINGS Nah we been waitin’ for the power to come back on! We need to eat! SHAYLA There’s a stove. DARRYL You use it! SHAYLA Y’all don’t live here! And I gotta heat up my deep conditioning cap. (KINGS and DARRYL trail SHAYLA to the kitchen, still arguing. BRADLEY is rooted to the spot, staring at THE FIGURE in the corner. THE FIGURE looks at BRADLEY and smiles a wide, menacing smile. Before BRADLEY can
8 react, the power goes out again abruptly. SHAYLA reenters, groaning.) SHAYLA Why can’t MLGW do even the simplest thing right the first time? (SHAYLA looks to BRADLEY, still bathed in the flashlight’s light and staring at the corner.) B? What you lookin’ at? BRADLEY Huh? Nothin’. Thought I saw something. SHAYLA Well come see about your friends because I’ma kill ‘em. (SHAYLA pulls BRADLEY out of the flashlight’s reach. After a moment, everyone’s voices emanate from the kitchen. The FIGURE steps into the flashlight’s light and smiles at the audience before turning the flashlight off.)
9 ACT I Scene 2 Later that night. The room is now a bedroom—a twin size bed that is clearly part of a matching set (think bunk beds that have been separated) sits stage right while a desk-bookshelf sits directly across from it stage left. BRADLEY is sitting on his bed reading through a driver’s test practice booklet when MARIAH, his mother, enters the room through the doorway. She watches him for a moment, a laundry basket in hand, before disturbing his peace and dumping the basket’s contents on the bed and on BRADLEY. BRADLEY Ma! MARIAH If you would’ve folded these like you were supposed to I wouldn’t have to dump them— BRADLEY I’m doing homework! MARIAH Boy it’s summertime! What kind of homework you got? BRADLEY (holds the practice booklet up) The kind that gets me a car. MARIAH They givin’ out cars with the test now? That’s new. (BRADLEY rolls his eyes and turns back to the booklet. MARIAH snatches it.) BRADLEY Hey! (MARIAH stares at him, daring him to say something else. He opts for the safer option and begins to fold the laundry dumped on his bed. MARIAH smirks and starts to help him. BRADLEY emits a long yawn. It catches MARIAH’s eye.)
10 MARIAH How late have you been stayin’ up to read through that practice book? BRADLEY Not that late. MARIAH It’s 6:34. BRADLEY Okay? MARIAH You don’t yawn at no 6:30 unless you tired. So why you yawning? BRADLEY (suddenly closing off, stops folding) So maybe I am tired. MARIAH From? BRADLEY Life? MARIAH Life? At 15 years and 9 months? BRADLEY I guess! I don’t know! MARIAH Yes you do. BRADLEY No I— MARIAH You stopped folding. Never could do more than one thing when you’re...nervous. (They stare at each other. BRADLEY says nothing and attempts to start folding again. MARIAH grabs his hand.) Is everything okay? Like okay okay?