Apple House by Kirsten Doane
The Hendersons by Lauren Grobman THE KITCHEN TABLE Curtains open to a family sitting at a table. It appears to be an early 1960s all-American household. The father, Richard, still in his business suit, is drinking a beer and staring at the TV. His wife, Deborah, is wearing a dress and apron and is smoking a cigarette. Their young son, Wilbur, is sitting next to her, wearing an astronaut helmet and playing with a stuffed animal. The stuffed animal has a seat at the table. Next to Wilbur is his older sister, Sandra, who is dressed casually and playing with her food. A plastic baby doll is also seated at the table. Skeeter Davis’ song “The End of the World” is playing. The song plays up until Deborah gets up and turns off the radio. The song should stop immediately after the line “Why does the sea rush to shore?” and then everything snaps to. The TV starts playing the show Gunsmoke loudly, the son is having a full-fledged conversation with his stuffed animal, the wife is complaining about the neighbors and the daughter is continuing to play with her food. Deborah is giving Richard some more tuna casserole when she notices Sandra is not eating. 33
