Manifestations of Delphi
E.
Hunter Spreen
E. Hunter Spreen
11970 Rhus Ridge Road
Los Altos Hills, CA 94022
e@spreen.com
Red lights flashing
offstage- up right. A glorious white
light beckons offstage down left. Busy
highway sounds. Radio. Emergency chaos.
Lights up on EVAN WHITE burnt and crawling towards the light downstage
left. It is a tortured and slow journey.
Delphi Thibbodaux sits with her feet up on the couch.
DR. JOYCE CANADA
sits in a chair opposite.
Evan
You don’t drive.
Delphi
Evan? (Silence.) Evan? (Silence.)
Evan
You never drive.
Delphi
I keep waking up.
Dr. Joyce Canada
It isn’t real.
Delphi
I keep waking up. I haven’t slept. He cries out in pain.
Dr. Joyce Canada
We can’t treat another’s pain as if it were our own.
Delphi
I need drugs.
Dr. Joyce Canada
We can sympathize… we can’t truly empathize-
Delphi
He’s in so much pain-
Evan
*/A cry of incomprehensible pain.
Delphi
Screaming.
Dr. Joyce Canada
Pain affects our memories, attitudes, emotions, physiological functions. Thoughts:
Evan
Why is light given to she who is in misery and life to the bitter of soul who long for death but it does not come and search for it more than hidden treasures who rejoice exceedingly and are glad when they can find the grave? Why is light given to a woman whose way is hidden?
Dr. Joyce Canada
Pain is such a personal experience. Experience can be misleading.
Evan
*/A
cry of incomprehensible pain.
Delphi
*Fuck! I want drugs! I want some drugs! I need drugs. I need them now!
Dr. Joyce Canada
*Thalamus, putamen, caudate nucleus, hypothalamus, amygdala, periaqueductal grey matter, hippo-campus, red nucleus, pulvinar, and vermis of the cerebellum- pain is key to our survival, so much so that our whole brain gets involved.
Delphi
Did you hear me? I said I want some drugs.
Dr. Joyce Canada
Drugs? Why do you think drugs will help?
Delphi
I can’t sleep. I haven’t slept in a month. So I want some drugs. To help me sleep. And then, when I’m awake- I want drugs that make me feel like I’m asleep.
Dr. Joyce Canada
Do you think drugs offer some measure of solace?
Delphi
Fuck solace. I want some sleep. Sleep without dreams.
Dr. JoyCe Canada
Traumatic death can shatter one’s world.
Delphi
People say-
Dr. Joyce Canada
Yes?
Delphi
Pointless things.
Dr. Joyce Canada
Such as?
Delphi
So everything’s pretty much back to normal is something wrong it’s not like you to just sit around try to be philosophical do you want some pie you’re such a good sport get right back on that horse, dear well, you need to get you a Man you know, God has a plan for everything. Right. So did the Broncos. Give me the drugs.
DR. Joyce Canada
People feel helpless in the face of the unknown. They’re only trying to-
Delphi
People disappoint me.
Dr. Joyce Canada
People don’t always do what’s expected of them.
Delphi
People do exactly what’s expected of them.
Dr. Joyce Canada
Perhaps your expectations are unrealistic.
Delphi
I have no expectations.
Dr. Joyce Canada
What do you feel?
Delphi
Exhaustion. I keep waking up. Evan’s in the room.
Dr. JOyce Canada
It’s not unusual to have these feelings. Months after you can feel numbness, pain, yearning. Guilt.
Delphi
Every waking hour. I had no idea.
Dr. JOyce Canada
It takes time for these feelings to pass. But they will.
Delphi
I don’t have time. Just please, write me a prescription.
Dr. Joyce Canada
(taking out a prescription pad) This is not the most elegant solution to the problem. Sooner or later, you’re going to have to face the inevitable.
As Dr. Joyce writes,
pills of various colors begin to fall around Delphi. She catches them and pops
them into her mouth.
Dr. Joyce Canada
The pink ones will put you to sleep. The rest-
As Dr. Joyce writes another prescrip-tion, it rains pills. Delphi stands up on the couch ecstatic. She tries to catch them in her hands and on her tongue. She eats pink pills throughout the rest of the scene.
Dr. Joyce Canada
Well…you’ll sort them out. Have you written down your affirmations like I asked you?
Delphi
I tried. They sounded so contrived.
Dr. Joyce Canada
Fake it ‘til you make it.
Delphi
I hate that- platitudes.
Dr. Joyce Canada
Fake it ‘til you make it.
Delphi
Sometimes I can’t believe you do this for a living.
Dr. Joyce Canada
Why do you say that?
Delphi
Because sometimes it doesn’t seem like you care.
Dr. Joyce Canada
Is that all you want? You want me to care about you?
Delphi
You’re my therapist. You’re here to provide me consolation.
Dr. Joyce Canada
So implicitly I should care about you?
Delphi
It would tend to follow.
Dr. Joyce Canada
See. Right there. That’s an expectation.
Dr. Joyce disappears
on her chair.
Delphi
You know how it is when your life runs on and it seems like you’re just along for the ride something happens you hit a fork in the road you have a realization an epiphany suddenly your life changes completely I mean nothing is the same thoughts attitudes opinions values it’s like a stranger crept inside while you were sleeping you don’t like the way you look in your clothes they don’t suit you you’ve changed somehow you’re the only one who knows it though the only one who
sees it. Everyone you know treats you as if you were a known quantity. You resent this, but you don’t let anyone in on the secret. Or you do and some friends support you and some feel slighted like you sold them something and it didn’t work like you said.
Evan
Cries out in the dark
DELPHI
(waking up)
Still breathing.
Evan
*/A cry of incomprehensible pain.
Delphi
*Stop. I want you to stop. Stop. Drive the car. Drive the car. Why don’t you fucking-ever drive the car?
(as if another person is speaking to her)
Well I did one night and we all see how that turned out.
Does it hurt much?
DELPHI CONT’D
(inaudibly to herself.)
Well, it hurt me.
(to Evan)
It hurt me.
(answering a voice inside her head)
I already said that.
(answering again)
I already said that.
Did you feel that? The cold?
I guess these days you find things pretty hot to the touch. That’s what comes of waking people up.
The lights start to
fade, but never go to black.
Evan
Why is light given */to she who is in misery and life to the bitter of soul who long for death but it does not come and search for it more than hidden treasures who rejoice exceedingly and are glad when they can find the grave?
Delphi
*I am a warm, friendly, well-liked person.
Clicks on the floor
lamp beside the couch.
I often give advice when I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about.
Clicks off the
light. Then clicks it on and off several times
I understand and fully appreciate that yellow is not my color.
Delphi clicks off
the light.
Delphi
I keep an eye out for tooth decay. I bounce back with energy and enthusiasm. I love to bargain.
Clicks on the light.
The first thing I look for in a car is a well-built engine.
Click, click, click
and so on.
Evan
A
cry of incomprehensible pain. */Labored breathing.
*The floor lamp
clicks off.
Silence.
The silence is
pierced by the ringing mechanism of a fire alarm. Delphi wakes up with a start.
Dayton
Ma’am now what you got here is a precision mechanical instrument. Most advanced smoke detector on the market. Inside: got 18 feet of high-tension carbon steel band with a molecular and crystaline structure so powerful it'll drive the ringing mechanism for seven continuous minutes. Full intensity.
Delphi
I’m not interested.
Dayton
Are you and your household prepared to handle the certainty of death?
Delphi
There’s only me.
Dayton
Are you prepared to handle the certainty of death?
Delphi
Not today.
A burst of pills
rain down. Delphi gobbles them up.
Dayton
Did you know, Ms.Thibodaux, over seven hundred thousand fires destroy the homes of millions of Americans annually. That costs the average hard working person like yourself and me over 874 million dollars a year. You got that kind of money?
Delphi
Am I supposed to answer?
Dayton
It’s rhetorical. I say, you got that kind of money I don’t take a pause and then I say neither do I. You wanna try it again or should I go on?
Delphi
It’s an equalizing phrase.
Dayton
Right. Like yourself and me. See I’m well aware that sentence is grammatically incorrect. But it’s designed to make you feel comfortable. With me. Like we’re on the same level. Up against the same problems.
Delphi
You make a living at this?
Dayton
I’ve been Kingpin-of-the-Month six times in a row this year. That’s a record. Because people respond to me.
Delphi
Are you a Republican?
Dayton
I’m not affiliated. I vote Independent. Did you know that you can unplug your TV and three days later it can still start a fire?
Delphi
You’re pretty single-minded, huh?
Dayton
I’m acutely aware, Ms. Thibodaux, of the need for strong self-discipline coupled with persistence and a strong, positive mental attitude. You bet! Ever notice how much dust and lint builds up around your television set?
In the blue light,
Evan can be seen draped over the TV set. He caresses the set as if it were
Delphi’s body. Delphi is drawn to him.
Dayton Cont’d
TV creates an electromagnetic field that draws dust inside your television. If the set arcs or overheats, that dust can explode like gunpowder.
Dr. Joyce Canada
appears walking in the sky. Delphi and Dayton freeze.
Dr. Joyce Canada
Answer me this boy.
Evan weeps and
clings to the television.
Dr. Joyce Canada
What’s the smallest unit of being?
Evan cries out in
pain.
Dr. Joyce Canada
That’s right. Now answer me this. Do you find that acceptable?
Evan
Shock!
Dr. Joyce Canada
Oh I know all about shock. It takes time. Time to adjust. Your belief about the world-how it operates has been shattered. But it’s time to move on. (indicating Delphi) What do you think she’s waiting for?
Evan
Words.
Dr. Joyce Canada
Might as well start there.
Evan cries out in
pain.
Dr. Joyce Canada
Or just give up. It’s all the same to you, right?
Dr. Joyce disappears.
Evan
How did we get here?
Dayton
Ma’am? Ms. Thibodaux? */Have you ever used a fire extinguisher before?
Delphi
*How did we get here?
Evan
Wasn’t there a time when we were happy?
Delphi
No. Things were good. They must have been. Otherwise you wouldn’t be holding on.
Dayton
Ms.Thibodaux?
Delphi
Tell me something. What’s your name?
Dayton
Dayton.
Delphi
Dayton, hmm. Dayton? Have you ever felt that somehow-despite your best intentions- your extremest efforts-you can’t quite seem to communicate?
Evan
Things */were good.
Dayton
*Words.
Delphi
Pardon?
Dayton
Actions speak louder than words.
Delphi
Words get in the way-that’s a song.
Dayton
I don’t know. It’s not my problem.
Delphi
Communicating?
Dayton
Right. I don’t have. That problem.
Delphi
What do you have?
Dayton
A fire extinguisher.
delphi
Set something on fire and I'll put it out.
Dayton
That’s against company policy.
Delphi
I know how to use this. (As she speaks, Delphi completes the actions she describes.) All you have to do is remove the seal-push this white button-aim the nozzle at the base of the fire and gently sweep across it from side to side.
The spray from the
fire extinguisher engulfs Evan. He cries out in pain.
Dayton
You’re sad. You’re lonely. Something weighs heavy on your soul.
Delphi
Eighteen feet of high-tension carbon steel band isn’t going to make it go away.
Dayton
You under estimate our product.
Awkward silence.
Dayton
We’re really off my script here. Normally. This is the part- well we already did that uum. So we’ll just jump to where I say uhhh, I say- (mechanically) I don’t believe it are you after my job?
Delphi
And what do I say?
Dayton
There are various reactions. What was your first impulse?
delphi
I felt like laughing.
dayton
Laughing. Okay.
delphi
Should I laugh?
Dayton
Sure.
Delphi lets out a
huge, spontaneous gut laugh.
Awkward silence.
Delphi
What next?
Dayton
Uhh. Do you mind if I use your bathroom?
Delphi
It’s down that hallway and on the left.
Dayton exits. Evan
reaches to touch Delphi, to embrace her. She walks away. Evan falls to the
floor. */Evan crawls towards the light of the bathroom. His breathing is rapid,
shallow, irregular.
Delphi
*Variously I imagine him. Cutting off his head. Burying it. Like with something poisonous. The only way to keep it from- the poison, the only way to keep if from infecting– what’s left– is to bury it deep.
Dayton returns from
the bathroom.
Dayton
Okay. Here we go. I bet you’ve always heard it’s a lot safer to crawl on the floor during a fire. Right? Fact is: The floor is (stepping over Evan) “The Deadliest Place to Be.” Why? Modern homes have all these- Curtains! Couch covers! Carpets! Synthetic materials that give off noxious gases as they burn! Gases heavier than air. They sink in the heat, bank up a foot and a half, and start to circulate. Got something here I wanna show you.
Delphi
Jesus. That’s horrible. What is it?
Dayton
Dog. Died in a fire. Did you notice? Not one hair on its body is singed. Why do think that is?
Delphi
I’ve no idea.
Dayton
Hydrogen sulfide! One of the many noxious gases released in house fires! I’d like to show you more but you’re looking a little squeamish. Listen: If you're absolutely forced to go through a smoke filled room- the safest way is in a crouched position with your head level with the doorknob. (demonstrates) Ms. Thibodaux? Would you like to try this with me?
Delphi
My fiancé died.
Dayton
He’s dead?
Delphi
Is he?
Dayton
You said.
Delphi
Car crash. We were hit by something. An object. Like one of those blocks that come off a flat-bed truck. The car went out of control. We hit a railing. It split in two. The car. The gas tank exploded. My fiancé- he was- he burned alive.
A long awkward
pause.
Dayton
I do not know what to say. I’m sorry. I see this isn’t a good time- why you might not be-
Delphi
I keep waking up. My doctor gave me a prescription but- could you hold me? I don’t mean- I mean in a human-to-human kind of way, not-
Dayton
No, of course, not. Yes-
Delphi
Do you think you could manage something like that? I took all these pills. I want to sleep-
Dayton
Let’s try it. Do you want to lie down here?
Delphi
Okay.
Dayton sits on the
couch. Delphi lies on his lap. Awkward silence.
Delphi
It’s cold.
Dayton picks up a
blanket.
Dayton
Better?
Delphi sighs. She
falls asleep.
Awkward silence.
The television casts
a blue light onto the couch. Dayton finds the remote and turns off the TV.
Delphi
Don’t turn it off! Christ.
dayton
I’m sorry.
delphi
I need the light. I need it.
Awkward silence
Delphi
Can we try again?
Dayton
Sure. Okay.
Delphi settles on
the couch with her head on Dayton’s lap. He tries to find a place to put his
arm.
The lights start to
fade, but never go to black.
Delphi
If you were taking your last breaths just now-how would you spend this moment?
Dayton
I’d want to be on a Ferris wheel. At night. Like the one in Paris. In the Tuilleries. See the whole city spread out around me.
Delphi
Alone?
Dayton
Well. It might be nice have someone with me. Or maybe it wouldn’t matter.
Delphi
I want to be right here. Doing- I don’t know. Just let it come. Let it come.
Delphi closes her
eyes and goes to sleep.
The light from the
television spills out and engulfs the entire space with blue light and snow.
Dr. Joyce Canada
External inspection reveals that the unwashed face is covered in multiple foci with dried, crusted blood, and road dirt mainly along the central portions including the glabella (between the eyes) and the nasal surface. Blood is noted within the nostrils, mouth, as well as oozing from the left external auditory meatus (left ear canal). There is prominent left peri-orbital ecchymosis with edema ("black eye").
Dr.
Joyce picks up a bone saw, its sound permeates all consciousness. She brings
the saw down towards Evan’s sternum. Evan opens his eyes.
Dr. Joyce Canada
(continuing with saw)
Decedent’s blood tests positive for CO (carbon monoxide) indicating that death was not instanteous with crash, but resulting, at least in part, from the burns, and inhaling smoke while dying.
Evan
He takes gulps of
air, struggles against asphyixiation.
Dr. Joyce Canada
Lung tissue samples are indicated to determine the presence of soot in lungs. Note that organic materials burn to carbon dioxide in the presence of excess air; if air is limited they will burn, at least in part, to carbon monoxide. Note also that-
Evan
I- I- I- I- I-
Dr. joyce canada
You must relax in order for this procedure to continue-
evan
I- I- I- I-
Dr. joyce canada
Describe your experience up until now.
Evan
Joke-
Dr. Joyce
It’s an earnest question.
Evan
Can’t-
He struggles for
air, once he gets a breath his lungs surge with searing pain.
Dr. Joyce Canada
Why don’t you throw some words out at me. What’s the first thing that comes to mind?
Evan
Crap.
Dr. Joyce Canada
You’ll need to dig a little deeper I’m afraid. Don’t want to appear a dilettante, now do we?
Evan
Pardon-
Dr. Joyce Canada
Elaborate. Can you describe yourself in five words?
evan
Not possible- five-
Dr. Joyce Canada
Yet here nonetheless. Please explain.
evan
Because pain-
Dr. Joyce Canada
Pain is a personal experience.
Evan
Pain-
Dr. Joyce Canada
An unpleasant sensation caused by stimulation of the nerve endings, physiologically speaking.
Evan
Pain- makes us-
Dr. Joyce Canada
Descartes thought pain was an effect of the mind. Je pense, donc ergo sui etcetera. Thought it was an illusion like the body or the stars, like perhaps even death. How do you feel about that?
Evan
Pain makes- makes us-
I- Dr. Joyce canda
Our senses sometimes deceive us.
evan
No. Pain makes us real.
dr. Joyce canada
Oh, dear. Now you’ve said too much.
Dr. Joyce picks up a
bone saw, turns it on and brings it towards Evan’s sternum. The lights start to
fade, but never go to black.
dr. Joyce canada
Circmstances of Death. Severe trauma sustained in a motor
vehicle accident. Individual was found in a pool of blood some two meters from the vehicle.
A doctor who called 911 told rescuers that the
victim was talking and had a pulse.
Evan reaches up and
grabs her by the wrist. They disappear.
Delphi appears.
Sitting up on couch.
Delphi
Two suns- Two cities- Two cities with seven gates- A circle- Hollow as a napkin ring. Suffering is glamorous, but I’m tired. Tired. Bored. The body will find balance- chemical or otherwise. Night sweats, oil oozing pores, excessive urination, projectile vomiting- all signs of a body moving towards- Needs. Desires. Aren’t at all. The body makes its demands. Obey. One way or another. Obey. Depression. Speak a moment about the inner atmosphere. A result of low serotonin levels and a niacin deficiency. So says she. Simple. Elegant. Organic substances. A piece of chocolate cake and a rare steak and I’ll be a new person. Zoltov. Prozac. Accountability. No one assumes responsibility these days except for terrorists. I blame it on Nixon. I blame it on Nixon. Oh yes. The mind is a scary house.
dayton
So you’re awake now! How’re you feeling?
Delphi
I slept?
Dayton
A couple of hours. Here. Thought you might want something to eat.
Delphi
You turned off the TV.
dayton
You were asleep. I thought-
Delphi
Turn it off again, and I’ll throw you out.
dayton
Understood.
Awkward silence.
Dayton
Let me ask you, Ms. Thibbodaux; if fire broke out in your house tonight how much time do you think you’d have?
Delphi
Fire isn’t going to break out in my house tonight.
dayton
Let’s just say what if? What if it did?
Delphi
You’re here. We’re awake. No one is sleeping.
dayton
Do you know there are five ways people die in home fires? I have a test here, a list of the five killers, and to kind of stimulate your thinking, I’d like you to indicate for me what you feel would be their order of deadliness. (Hands her the test.) For example, if you feel smoke inhalation claims more lives than major appliances, you can express that by putting a number one next to it and so on like that. Am I clear.
delphi
I don’t have a pencil.
dayton
Here. You can use mine.
Delphi
Do you really think I’m going to buy a fire alarm today?
dayton
There must be some reason you don’t want to protect yourself from the terrible threat of fire, may I ask what it is?
delphi
I don’t see the point.
dayton
Close your eyes. Go on. Close your eyes.
delphi
No.
dayton
With your permission I’d like to take you through a visualization.
Delphi
If it’s a visualization then why can’t I keep my eyes open?
Dayton
You need to see something other than what’s around you – your present reality.
delphi
There’s nothing else.
Dayton
See that’s where you’re wrong. Dead wrong, Ms. Thibbodaux. Good things are happening all around you, although they might not be as obvious as you expect. Joy and beauty are all around you- they’re just waiting to be revealed.
delphi
What’s that to do with a fire alarm system?
dayton
You have to see beyond the material aspect of the thing. It’s representative.
delhpi
Boy, you’re desperate to sell me something.
dayton
I’m really sorry to hear you say that. Not that I haven’t heard it before. But we shared something tonight that goes beyond-
Delphi
I fell asleep on your lap.
dayton
How often do you fall asleep on salesmen’s laps?
Delphi
More often than I care to admit.
dayton
You said you hadn’t slept-
Delphi
Why are you in sales?
Dayton
This isn’t about sales. I’m committed to protecting people from
the deadly threat of fire. I believe in the quality of my product. There has
never been reported any death, burn or injury to a home protected by this
system. My company has been the leading developer of safety equipment for over
thirty years. Maintaining the highest level of quality possible is not just our
policy- it’s our responsibility. See I’d rather try to justify the cost of fire
protection to you tonight than try to make excuses the night your house catches
fire and you don’t get out alive.
delphi
You think it’s about the money? I don’t want to do this because of the money?
dayton
Money is a huge barrier in people’s lives, but I want you to see beyond-
Delphi
I don’t give a fuck about the money-
Dayton
Then there must be some other reason you don’t want to protect yourself, Ms. Thibbodaux.
Delphi
Get out.
A door frame
appears. The door opens.
Dayton
You think no one but you has experienced real tragedy? Let me tell you about the
Wheeler family-
Delhpi
Get out!
A door frame
appears. the door opens and slams closed.
Dayton
The Wheelers had seen my program. They were very impressed and planned to have the protection installed after they paid their car off. Six weeks later- fire struck and took the lives of their two sons. This letter expresses the parent's feelings. "Help me Daddy! Help me Daddy! I'm burning-
Delphi
No!
It rains pills. Delphi frantically tries to eat as many as she can.
Dayton
Let’s talk about appliances! Last year; three and a half million fires, were caused by appliances! A couple return from a ski vacation, plug in their automatic coffee maker then lay down for a nap. The man was found in the bedroom. The wife- in a recliner chair.
Delphi
Crawls on the floor
eating pills.
Dayton
Look! Here's a case where a pop-up toaster malfunctioned at 4 o'clock in the morning! Wasn't being used! But it was plugged in! Ever leave your small appliances plugged in at night? Sure. Lots of people do. Who's going to go around unplugging all the lamps! Stereos! and the like?
Delphi
Sur-ren-der. verb. 1. To undergo capture, defeat, or ruin:
Dayton
You think you’re safe because you know how to use a fire extinguisher?
Delhpi
May the day perish on which I was born and the night in which it was said a child is conceived May that day be darkness!
*/A wall with a door
frame floats to center stage.
Dayton
*Over a quarter mile of electrical wiring is currently - pardon
my pun - running all over and around us, Ms. Thibbodaux. Problems in wiring can lie dormant in your
walls for years before enough shifting, settling and deterioration causes the
worst fire you could ever imagine!
Delphi shovels pills
into her mouth.
Delphi
Sur-ren-der. 2. To yield (oneself) Unrestrainedly, as to a particular impulse.
Delphi piles Pills
into heaps and tries to bury herself in them.
Dayton
Ms. Thibbodaux, how is this possible!
He grabs Delphi and
drags her around the room.
Dayton Cont’d
I think if you look close you'll notice that in your home, even
in the bedrooms where you have doors, you usually have a light switch.
He pulls her up to
see the light switch.
We all agree that's a real convenient location for a light
switch.
He shakes her head
affirmatively.
The problem occurs when the door opens and closes.
He closes the door
against her body.
You get that-
He drags her over to the wall and slams her head against it.
-vibration in the wall that can loosen the screws on the back of the switch.
He drops her. Delphi
scrambles back to the comfort of her pills. Dayton grabs her by the legs and
pulls her to him. He holds her and strokes her hair.
Arcing occurs from the loose wires in the connection. You know, most fatal fires occur between 10 o'clock at night and 6 o'clock in the morning while you and your family are helplessly asleep. Why do you think more people don't wake up in time?
Delhpi
Why is light given */to she who is in misery-
Dayton
*Asphyxiation! Yes! Yes! Yes! Asphyxiation!
He puts his hand
over her mouth. She tries to push him away.
You really are on top of things, Ms. Thibbodaux.
Delphi struggles to
break free.
Dayton Cont’d
You're probably the most informed woman I've ever spoken with. I’m sure you already know that autopsies and coroners reports show that 70 percent of all deaths due to home fires are caused by asphyxiation.
Delphi stops
struggling and falls limp from his arms.
Death due to lack of oxygen.
He picks her up and
holds her close. He whispers-
What is your house? What is it really? Well- you’ve got lots of bricks and wood, some furniture and home appliances, but you know that’s not what I’m talking about. You know that. What makes all this brick and wood different from all the other brick and wood on your block, Ms. Thibbodaux? What? (Puts his ear to her mouth.) That’s right. That’s right. Home is you, Ms. Thibbodaux. You and Evan and the dreams and memories you made together. You can’t replace that. You can’t replace that and you can’t take that away. That’s why you want to do every thing in your power to protect it. Every thing within your power. Every good person- when they see it in perspective- agrees with me. They agree and they don’t let a day go by without protecting the life of the one they love. And that’s the way you feel too, isn’t it Ms. Thibbodaux? Isn’t it?
Dayton puts Delphi
on the sofa. He begins to do breathing
exercises while he speaks. The lights start to fade, but never go to black.
Dayton CONT’d
I am a warm, friendly, well-liked person. I begin each day with positive expectancy. I am actualizing the person I intend to become. My realized positive results are evidence of my belief and my faith in the law of cause and effect. Success insists upon discipline, personal sacrifice, and single-mindedness. The pain of discipline is much less than the pain of failure, the frustration of inadequacy, and the hopelessness of poverty. I control my future. I face all problems with courage and thus solve them more readily. I pursue my goals free of any feelings of ill will or animosity towards others. My success is assured and does not require me to take advantage of any other person. Rather, it obliges me to help others, without telling anyone about my good deeds. I see myself through the eyes of success, free of the infantile short-sightedness of failure. I am free. I function without limitation.
Silence.
The silence is
pierced by the ringing mechanism of a fire alarm.
Evan appears walking
in the sky. TV snow encircles him.
Evan
Is this me?
All channels available.
Metal folding in on itself.
The crush of metal as it buckles over my back.
Is this me?
Sailing through the windshield.
Is this me?
All channels available.
Falling through the open door.
Flames eating my back?
Who’s crying out?
Evan Cont’d
Who’s that crying? Pleading? Begging?
Is this the end?
When will it come?
Has the time passed?
No channels available.
Is this me?
Delphi
Evan? Evan? (hysterical) Evan! Evan! Evan? (Silence.) Evan? (Silence.)
Dr. Joyce Canada
You’re awake. I thought the prescription-
delphi
None of those pills work. I keep waking up.
dr. Joyce Canada
They must have had some effect.
delphi
I hallucinate. I feel numb. I keep waking up.
Dr. Joyce Canada
You feel guilt. Guilt over things done or not done. Guilt over things said or not said. Guilt for surviving. You feel regret. It’s only natural.
Delphi
It’s not natural. I keep waking up. He’s in so much pain.
dr. Joyce Canada
What about you? What are you feeling?
delphi
I feel tired. Disoriented. Agitated. My clothes bother me. I can’t breathe. I have trouble breathing. It feels like someone is strangling me. I feel like I’m on fire. I want him to stop-
Dr. Joyce Canada
It takes time-
Delphi
I want him to stop-
Dr. Joyce Canada
-time to adjust-
Delphi
Stop. Stop. Stop. God. I want him to stop. Stop the breathing, stop-
Evan
(cries out in the
dark)
DELPHI
Breathing.
Dr. Joyce Canada
Over time the intensity and frequency of your pain will subside.
Delphi
Nothing a bottle of Clorox and a can of Draino can’t cure.
Dr. Joyce Canada
Why don’t you do it, then?
Delphi
Are you serious?
Dr. joyce canada
You need to get serious about this suicide thing. Suicidal individuals are goal-oriented. They get things done. They make plans. They follow through. They buy a gun.
delphi
I can think of about a dozen different ways-
dr. JOyce Canada
Make a decision. Commit. Half-hearted cries for help try everyone’s patience.
Delphi
Your compassion-
Dr. Joyce CAnada
This is strictly amateur work you’re giving me here.
Delphi
You’re pissing me off.
dr. JOyce Canada
There’s nothing wrong with you.
Delphi
I’ve experienced severe emotional trauma.
dr. JOyce Canada
No one leaves this life untouched. No one gets a pass. You can’t escape pain. Just like you can’t escape the terrible threat of fire. You can’t escape. But suffering is optional. Suffering is what comes of grasping. Of trying too hard to hang on.
Delphi
You’ve cheered me up enough for one day. Time to go. (She gets up to leave.) If you can’t be thankful for what you have, be thankful for what you have escaped.
Dr. Joyce Canada
Frankly, I find you rather tedious. I’m putting you on notice.
Delphi
You’re evicting me from therapy?
Dr. JOyce Canada
You bore me. Develop something more than a sophisticated ironic tendency. You have two weeks.
Delphi
I’m not ironic. I’m an insomniac.
Dr. JOyce Canada
You want another prescription?
Delphi
I want to sleep!
DR. Joyce CAnada
You think you’re clever. You quip. You launch your little mental sorties. I return the sallie.
Delphi
You’re the scud missile to my ICBM.
Dr. Joyce Canada
Peacekeeper. You’re thinking of a peacekeeping missile. Above ground and considered part of the actual ground theatre.
Delphi
I pride myself on my intelligence and wit.
Dr. JOyce Canada
That seems to be all you have going for you.
delphi
Can you check my chart? You must have me confused with another patient.
Dr. Joyce Canada
Stop crying over spilt milk. It could be worse.
Delphi
I do not dispute that.
Dr. Joyce canada
Two weeks. You have two weeks.
Delphi
I pay you good money.
Dr. Joyce Canada
Two weeks.
Delphi
Two weeks?
Dr. JOyce CAnada
Two weeks notice and then I’m going to dismiss you.
Delphi
Dismiss me? Don’t patronize me.
dr. JOyce canada
I’m afraid that’s all we have time for.
Delphi disappears on
her chair.
dr. JOyce canada
Some psychology. For those who need reference. Her first anxiety attack came when she was six years old. Her parents threw her a surprise birthday party. Her mother dressed her up in her favorite green knit dress. There was no natural fiber in it. Therefore she assumes it was knit. It was her favorite dress and it is apparently important that it was green. Grass green. She doesn’t, in fact, like green. She claims to have never worn green since. Her father picked her up from Sunday school where they sang “Happy Birthday” to Jesus. They sang “Happy Birthday” to Jesus regardless of whose birthday it was. She was allowed to put six pennies into the plastic cake and to blow out six pink candles. Jesus took care of the rest. The class said a silent prayer asking Jesus to save their immoral souls. The whole event confused her. It was her birthday after all, and she felt they should be celebrating her and that there should be plenty of pink cupcakes with strawberry icing and pink sugar sprinkles Jesus be damned. Her father brought her home afterwards. She walked into the house, into the dining room which was taken up by an intimidating antique table with spindle legs larger than her head and a professional ironing press donated to her family by the local dry cleaners after their house on Slate road had burned down. It was inordinately still. She could feel the afternoon hanging heavy, giving way to evening. She could feel the imminent arrival of Marlin Perkin’s Wild Kingdom. It was a poignant moment of realization – the weekend had passed, her birthday was almost over, and she had nothing to show for it but a bruised knee and an urge to graduate highschool and flee home. The house was inordinately still.
Dr. Joyce Canada Cont’d
She saw her mother in the living room holding her little sister, Cherry, by the seat of her ruffled underwear. “Come here and tell me about Sunday school, Delphi.” She walked towards her mother while at the same time her school mate Fritz Walker leapt up at her from behind the couch along with twelve of her other friends including Angela Boxell. They all screamed, “Surprise!” Delphi screamed, peed her pants and passed out. (closes chart) There. That explains it all I think.
Red lights flash
offstage- up right. A glorious white
light beckons offstage down left. Busy
highway sounds. Radio. Emergency chaos.
Lights up on Evan White burnt and crawling towards the light downstage
left. It is a tortured and slow journey.
Evan
I- I- I- I-
Dr. Joyce Canada
Do you speak the language? Can you read the road signs. How long have you been sleeping?
Evan
A
cry of incomprehensible pain.
Dr. JOyce Canada
It’s easy to repeat yourself.
Evan
I- I- I- I-
Dr. joyce canada
She haunts your dreams does she? Find something else to hold onto. Stop fighting her. Let go. Describe life as you see it in your small, circumscribed world.
Evan
Pain!
Dr. Joyce Canada
What’s a little pain? Time to get low level. Nuts and bolts. Get your priorities straight. Establish a routine. Count your blessings. Take stock. What’s working for you? What needs fixing? Don’t be ruled by circumstances. When life hands you lemons make lemonade. The parade doesn’t stop because you can’t get yourself organized. Make hay while the sunshines.
Evan
I- I- I- I-
Dr. Joyce CAnada
Stop crying over spilt milk. It could be worse.
Evan crawls towards
the light and gives up.
dr. JOyce canada
Now where were we? Yes. Some psychology. For those who need reference. He’s the product of a liberal arts education and has no visible course of action. It is no secret: His family was poor. His mother was crazy and tortured him for her own entertainment.
Evan
Don’t listen to her. She’s telling you lies!
Dr. Joyce CAnada
His father slept - to use the euphemism - his father slept with anything that couldn’t crawl away. He sired a slew of mutant no-neck barbarians, half brothers and half sisters that Evan feared he’d run into if he ever went back home. How long has he been sleeping? He wonders. Oh. Life plays tricks on you. His mind struggles to find something to hold on to. There’s no turning back.
Evan
A cry of incomprehensible pain.
Dr. Joyce Canada
Yes. It’s harder than he thought. His life used to be up market. He educated himself out of poverty only to find himself crawling down the highway at midnight covered in blood, glass, and his own shit.
Evan
I- I- I- I-
Dr. Joyce Canada
Is that you? Tearing at your skin? Is that you- screaming for the lights to go out? Is that you on the seven am news?
Evan
Oh god. Stop. Make it stop. Stop touching- Stop- I won’t-
Dr. Joyce Canada
So much of his identity is bound up in torture and suffering and no doubt, like most of us, he does suffer. But I begin to wonder how much comes from his actual pain and how much from his dramatization of that pain? From his acceptance of his identity as the burned, car crash victim? Can one separate the real from the self-inflicted?
Evan
I- I- I- I-
Dr. Joyce Canada
What if I could reframe your situation? What if I */said-
Delphi appears
disoriented.
Delphi
*Evan! Evan! Evan? Evan? (Silence.)
Evan? (Silence.)
Evan
You never drive.
Delphi
I keep waking up.
Dr. Joyce Canada
It isn’t real.
Delphi
I keep waking up. I haven’t slept. He */cries out-
Dr. Joyce Canada
*We can’t treat another’s pain as if it were our own. We can sympathize… */we can’t truly empathize-
Evan
*A cry of incomprehensible pain.
Delphi
*Screaming.
Dr. Joyce Canada
Pain affects our thoughts:
Evan
*/A cry of
incomprehensible pain.
Delphi
*Fuck!
dr. joyce canada
Memories:
Delphi
It happened. After midnight. I overcorrected. Lost
control.
Dr. Joyce Canada
Attitudes:
Delphi
I had not been drinking. One or two beers, is all.
Dr. Joyce Canada
Emotions.
Evan
You never drive.
Delphi
Shut up! He won’t be-
Dr. Joyce Canada
Physiological functions. */It all affects our perception of pain.
Evan
*A cry of
incomprehensible pain.
Delphi
*Fuck!
The silence is
pierced by the ringing mechanism of a fire alarm.
Dr. Joyce Canada
What do we mean by experience? Apprehension of an event? An emotional sensation?
evan
Don’t listen to her. */She’s telling you lies.
Delphi
*Fuck! The car went out of control! I saw an object. Like one
of those blocks that come off a flat-bed truck. I
couldn’t miss hitting it.
Evan
There was a pop in the center of the car. Like when the TV */goes out.
delphi
*The car split */in two.
Evan
*The gas tank */exploded.
delphi
*Get out! Get out of the car!
Dr. Joyce canada
The world is built around illusions. A sharp curve along the road- some 50 meters
from the crash site. General terrain is hill with small and large rocks, and
pebbles along the roadside. Inspection of the vehicle yields
Dr. Joyce Canada Cont’d
body
tissue and/or desiccated blood, both present inside the compartment on the
driver and passenger sides. Large amounts of broken laminated Impulse-brand windshield glass are
present, clustered in a tight geographical area. The roadside was scorched from the intensity */of the flame.
Evan
*A
cry of incomprehensible pain.
Delphi
*I want drugs! I want some drugs! I need drugs. I need them now!
Dr. JOyce Canada
The world is built around illusions.
Delphi
Did you hear me? I said I want some drugs.
Dr. Joyce Canada
Drugs? Why do you think drugs will help?
Delphi
I can’t sleep. I haven’t slept in a month. So I want some drugs. To help me sleep. And then, when I’m awake-
Dr. Joyce canada
Do you consider yourself high maintenance?
Delphi
I care about quality control.
Dr. Joyce canada
Elaborate.
Delphi
Lux in tenebris lucet et tenebrae eam non comprehenerunt.
Dr. Joyce Canada
I’m not up on my Latin.
Delphi
The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not understood it.
Dr. Joyce Canada
Hmm. I’d call that progress.
delphi
What about Evan?
Dr. Joyce Canada
You need to come to terms. The deceased may no longer be with us in the physical plane, but you can still make a place for them in your life. The idea may seem strange, but it’s important to develop a new relationship with your loved one.
Evan
*/A
cry of incomprehensible pain.
Delphi
*Fuck! Just give me the drugs!
Dr. Joyce
disappears. It rains pills.
Delphi
Sometimes the lights go out.
They just go out.
They go out and it’s done.
It’s done. Over.
Abrupt ending and the lights go out.
You can’t know when the end is
coming.
How could you?
Evan
Feel it.
Delhpi
Oh. But how can you know?
Evan
Feel it.
Delphi
You may feel it. How can you be sure?
Evan
Shock.
Dayton and Dr. Joyce
Canada appear walking in the sky.
Dayton
Shock! Extreme pain.
Dr. JOyce Canada
Shock can develop as a result of a reduction in the volume of fluid circulating around the body. The most common examples of this are external or internal bleeding, loss of bodily fluids through severe diarrhea, vomiting, or burns.
Evan
*/A cry of incomprehensible pain.
Delhpi
*Fuck!
dayton
Extreme pain. Pain unchecked can increase a person’s degeree of shock.
Evan
Want to crawl out of my skin!
Delhpi
Why don’t you drive? Why the fuck don’t you drive? You’re never on time. Why can’t we ever get any where on time? I can tell you aren’t listening.
Evan
Wrecked my car. Totaled.
delhpi
I wasn’t the one driving.
Evan
You get behind the wheel drunk.
delhpi
You lied to me.
Evan
Weren’t watching the road.
delphi
You lied to me.
Evan
Never drive. You get behind the wheel drunk.
Delphi
You couldn’t even look at me.
Evan
I heard sirens. Screaming.
Delhpi
The car split in half. I walked away.
evan
You left me.
Delphi
I heard you screaming but I couldn’t find you.
Evan
Left me.
delhpi
I heard the screaming. The begging. I saw the fire.
Evan
Screaming. Screaming. I- I- I-
Delphi
I would have pulled you- I would have saved you.
Evan
I crawled out of the car.
Delphi
No.
Evan
The seatbelt held me tight. I couldn’t find the release. I heard sirens but distant. They didn’t come right away. There was stillness at first. Silence. Then fire. Screaming.
delphi
I felt the fire. I reached for my seatbelt.
Evan
I felt my skin.
delphi
I couldn’t break free.
Evan
No.
Delphi
I couldn’t break free.
Evan
Fire. Tore at my skin. I- I- I- crawl out of my skin.
Delphi
I couldn’t break free.
Evan
You left me.
delhpi
I wanted out.
Evan
Heat. Tore at my skin. I wanted the breathing to stop. I heard
the screaming. I heard the begging. Is this me?
Evan collapses.
Delphi holds him.
Delphi
I loved you- but I couldn’t-
Delphi puts her hand
over his mouth and starts to suffocate him.
Delphi
I won’t let you go.
*/Evan struggles for an eternity then eventually gives up.
Delphi
*Stop. Stop. Oh god stop. Stop the breathing. Stop the
breathing. Stop the breathing. Stop. Oh god can't you stop? Stop. Stop. Stop
the air. Don’t you know air feeds fire? Air feeds fire. Shh. Shh. Shh. It's
okay. It's okay. I won't let you go.
Silence.
Delphi CONT’D
I dreamed about you. You were driving. You had one hand on the
wheel and one on my shoulder. It was…
(Us.)
in this…
(perfect moment.)
Your eyes
Everything moving fast around us.
I loved you.
I can’t believe I gave so much away.
I can’t keep doing this.
I can’t keep you…
You fucking owe me.
You fucking owe me.
Silence.
The silence is
pierced by the ringing mechanism of a fire alarm.
Dayton
Ms.Thibodaux? If I could explain something to you that would help you avoid making a serious mistake would you appreciate my interest?
All consciousness is
pierced by the ringing mechanism of a fire alarm. It stops raining pills.
Dayton
Ms. Thibbodaux? What do you think is the most likely thing to cause a fire in your home tonight?
Delphi
Get out! Get out of the car!
Dayton
Can you give us a guess, Ms. Thibbodaux?
Delphi
The fire in our hearts.
Dayton
Actually, Ms. Thibbodaux, it’s heating equipment.
Delphi
Are you happy?
Dayton
How’s that?
delphi
Happy. Are you happy?
dayton
I have a good job. I work hard.
Delphi
People work their whole lives. They wind up dead in a ditch.
dayton
Where’s your furnace located?
Delhpi
In the back of the house.
Dayton
That's probably your most economical location. From a heating standpoint. But consider this. It’s isolated. A fire could start while you're sleeping and get completely out of hand before you'd even know about it.
Delphi
I keep waking up.
Dayton
Can you afford to take that risk?
Delphi
He didn’t die right away. By the time he got out of the car most of his clothes were burned off. He crawled away from the car. He kept crawling he wouldn’t stop crawling. A man tried to beat the flames out-
dayton
Where were you?
Delphi
The paramedics said they found me upside down, my weight was resting on my head, and my neck was at a ninety-degree angle.
Dayton
You’re lucky to be alive.
Delphi
I was in a halo cast.
evan
She’s lying.
dayton
How did you get out without getting burned?
delhpi
Evan was trapped inside. The car split in two.
Dayton
If the car split in two why were you trapped inside?
Delphi
The gas tank exploded. We were trapped by the seatbelts.
evan
Don’t listen to her. She’s telling you lies.
delphi
We went to the beach that night. He told me he loved me. Said he loved me unconditionally.
Dayton
Unconditional love. Awww.
delphi
People love you for the complicated shit you are.
Dayton
I’m not sure it goes that far.
Delhpi
I miss him.
Evan
Liar.
Delhpi
I imagine him. He comes
home. He pours a cup of coffee. He sits
at the kitchen table. He watches me struggle with the back door. I pretend I
don’t see him my attention is on the door. I struggle harder. I can’t enlist his aid. He must offer it. He
must offer after seeing me struggle. And the struggle must be real. He must
believe it to be real. That’s when he’ll- there. There he is. I feel him. At my
side. Warm. Buoyant. Alive.
Dayton
How did you meet?
Delphi
He moved into the apartment next to mine. I didn’t like him at first but he made great martinis.
Evan stands up like
a puppet. He sits on the arm of the couch above Delphi.
Evan
My parents taught me every thing I know about love. They taught me about unconditional love. We were Catholic.
Delphi
Then that was a unique accomplishment.
Evan
I went to Catholic school my whole life. I have no faith. But I believe in unconditional love.
Delphi
Let’s say we loved each other – would you love me if I slept around? If I gave you an incurable disease?
EVan
People who love each other, don’t do things like that.
delphi
It’s my experience that they do.
evan
I’d like to take your pain away.
Delphi lets loose a spontaneous gut laugh.
Evan
This is the last of the gin. And only a few more olives.
Delphi
Then we’re done here.
Evan
You don’t like me, do you?
Delphi
Not particularly.
Evan
Yet you drink my gin.
Delphi
I’ll drink with anyone.
Evan
Will you have sex with anyone?
Delphi
Not with you. (To Dayton) Ta da!
Dayton
You slept with him.
Delphi
I shoulda cut him down quick and dead. Shoulda been more mindful of my resources. Shoulda trusted my instincts.
evan
I put effort into that evening. I wasn’t going to let her slam the door in my face. I thought she was going to drink my under the table.
Delphi
He lied to me. Told me he locked himself out of his apartment.
evan
I lied about my damn keys. I didn’t think she’d react the way she did.
Delphi
I called the cops.
evan
I kept ringing the doorbell.
Delphi
Persistence coupled with a desperate desire for anyone that finds him repulsive. You bet!
evan
I wanted her. I fucking wanted her. She has that look about her. She can’t help herself.
Delphi
How can I take him back to the beginning? Point out the ruin from the start?
Dayton
You were going to marry him?
delphi
I said yes. I figured he’d back out sooner or later.
Evan
We were five hundred dollars short. We couldn’t afford a band.
Delphi
He wanted to get married on a cliff overlooking the ocean.
Dayton
Why were you getting married?
Evan
She has that look about her. She can’t help herself.
Dayton
(to Delphi)
You called it off?
Delphi and Evan
launch their Recriminations at lightening speed.
Evan
You were never committed to me.
Delphi
You had a stripper give you a blowjob the night before the wedding.
Evan
You never paid a phone bill.
Delphi
You pretended to be suicidal to make me feel guilty.
evan
Why couldn’t you get a job making good money?
Delphi
You always had to be the center of everyone’s universe.
Evan
You’re a compulsive liar.
Delphi
Did you get my picture? Did you see me jump off that mountain? Take a picture of me. Take a picture.
Evan
You lied about voting for Dukakis!
Delphi
You and Susan masturbated on the phone together.
Evan
She had a good job in sales.
Evan
You told me to get over my parents.
Delphi
Fuck unconditional love!
Evan
My parents loved me even when I disappointed them.
Delphi
That’s probably why they died.
Dayton
Well, it’s obvious that you’re in agreement on the major issues. But like most people it’s human nature to avoid the inevitable.
Delphi and Evan
launch their accusations at atomic speed.
Evan
You ruined my birthday.
Delphi
You can’t keep a fucking promise.
Evan
Name one.
Delphi
I’m going to give up cigarettes. I’m going to stop smoking pot. I’m going to quit drinking. I won’t buy any more cocaine.
Evan
You thought I was a salesman! I said what do you think I’d be good at? What do you think I am?
delphi
You were always trying to sell me something I didn’t want.
Evan
You said I had an uninspiring dick!
Delphi
I said it looked like a pacifier. Or maybe a drawer pull.
Evan
You fucked me anyway.
delphi
You lied to me.
Evan
I loved you.
delhpi
You lied to me.
evan
I didn’t think it would last.
Delphi
You owe me. You fucking owe me!
dayton
I bet you folks have heard the old saw ‘where there’s smoke there’s fire.’
Evan
(snaps out of it.)
Sure.
Dayton
Me too. But since I started working in alarm sales I take it a
little more seriously. See where there's smoke; there's already been a fire and
chances are innocent people like yourselves have lost their lives.
Evan
We don’t need a fire alarm.
Dayton
I wanna be clear on this point. When you're talking about a house on fire you're talking about temperatures upwards of one thousand to fifteen hundred degrees. Any plastic smoke detector is gonna melt and be rendered useless. Now don't misunderstand me, smoke detectors are valuable. They protect you from the number three cause of death; smoke inhalation. Let me ask you this: What is smoke?
Evan
Unburned particles of carbon?
Dayton
What causes smoke?
Evan
Incomplete combustion.
Dayton
The first minute fire breaks out in your home what temperature will your ceiling be?
Evan
One hundred thirty-five degrees Fahrenheit!
Dayton
The water bucket stage!
Evan
Here, if you know about the fire- you can get up, grab the fire extinguisher and put the fire out.
Dayton
Consider. Your fire is small. Silent. In most cases you’re sound asleep.
Evan
Four o’clock. Fire breaks out in your home. By 4:03 - The ceiling's almost four hundred degrees.
Dayton
Your fire's being spread by heat! Curtains! Lampshades! Paint! Pictures! Burst into flames.
Evan
The superheated air mushrooms. It circulates throughout your home. It banks down towards bed level. The fire begins to burn so rapidly it has to get air somewhere; so, it draws it out, and puts you into a deeper, sounder sleep.
Delphi is asleep on
the couch.
Dayton
4:05. The ceiling jumps over seven hundred degrees! The superheated air banks bed level.
Evan
You could get noise here.
Light bulbs pop.
Furniture begins to crackle and snap. Tv tubes explode.
Dayton
You don't know you got a fire by now- you got little or no
chance getting out alive. Victims hear a
noise. They sit or stand. One breath and they're immediately overcome.
In as little as four minutes you can have. Fire! At the ceiling, 1000 to 1500
degrees. 300 degrees at the floor!
Evan takes out a
candle.
Evan
Let's say this candle represents your television on fire. The fire is free-burning because there's
plenty of oxygen.
Dayton takes out a
glass jar. Evan lights candle.
Dayton
Let’s put your house over it. Now let's say this represents your four walls and ceiling. Notice I've left your doors and windows open so its definitely not air tight, right? Watch what happens. The fire is using up oxygen. When that flame goes out it means there’s not enough air to support life. There it goes.
Dayton takes jar and
candle.
Dayton
It’s going down. It’s going down. Down. It’s out.
Evan panics and
falls to the floor. He starts crawling away.
Dayton
At this point you would be dead.
Evan frantically
tries to get away.
Dayton
Dead because you couldn't breathe.
Evan tries to draw
air into his lungs. He’s stunned by the searing pain
Dayton goes over to
Delphi and pulls out a mirror.
Dayton
One more little thing I want to show you.
He holds the mirror
over Delphi’s mouth.
Dayton
This is important. This’ll reframe your situation.
Evan crawls over to
the couch.
Dayton
I think you see what I'm saying.
Evan sits back
against the couch and finds he can breathe without pain.