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Description
Adam, a badly shaven man in his late thirties, is sat in a grotty street upon a rotting wooden bench, talking to himself. He is very hesitant, shaky, and unsure of both himself and his whereabouts. He is sitting upon the bench with his legs crossed, without any shoes, and with seemingly chewed-through socks, so that his toes are exposed.

Adam: Super soup? Loop dee loop. Swing, slash, swoop. Fly!
Pterodactyl, dinosaur. Snail shells. Croc galore!

I’m not happy, mummy. I’m not. I’m me. Just me. Really. Me.

‘RHYME’ – R-H-Y-M-E. I like it. It’s a nice word.

Remember you told me how to rhyme once?

“Get your legs in front of you and count upon your toes,
Then sprinkle pepper on your nails and
STICK ‘EM UP YOUR NOSE.”

See? I rhymed.

(shakes violently)

RUN. They’re coming for me. HIDE. But you’ll help me, won’t you, mummy?

Mummy?

Rhyming is good for your vocabulary. It keeps me safe at night, from them. I don’t like t-

(wails and shakes violently once more)

SOUP. SOUP. Warm. I like warm. Nice. Warm.

Loop dee loop. Spinning, flying, attacking. Swinging! Slashing! Fighting back. Swoop. I can swoop, like a pterodactyl. I can fly. I’m ancient, I’m a beast. I’ll survive. Powerful, dinosaur. Snail shells. Protection. Warmth. SOUP. Crocodile. Bite. Nasty. Don’t like crocodiles.

CROC GALORE.

(shakes for a final time)

Mummy?

I made up another rhyme, mummy. Do you want to hear it?

Mummy? I’m crazy, aren’t I, mummy?

Mummy?

I want some soup, mummy. It’s warm. I like warm. I can hide behind warm. I can’t behind croc-

CROC GALORE.

RUN. HIDE.

-no, no. Soup, soup, soup, soup… soup. Breathe in. Out. In. Out. Stay above the water, drink the soup, drink the soup, avoid their eyes. Don’t breathe. They might hear. Hide below the water. Don’t splash. Avoid their eyes. They’ve seen me. Hide. RUN. Can’t.

Mummy? Help me, mummy. They’re coming towards me, mummy.

They’ve got me. Hands, face, smothered. Can’t breathe. Drowning in soup. Must. Get. Out. Can’t. …Avoid their eyes, avoid their eyes…

(sudden twitch)

Avoid their- Mummy?! There you are. Get off me, mummy. Take your hands off me. Leave me. RUN. HIDE. Why are you strangling me? Mummy?

Fly. Fly. I can escape. Fly. Leave.

I’m going, mummy. You’re hurting me. You’re- mummy.

I never wanted this. I never wanted to be here. I never wished for it. It’s your fault. Leave me alone, just… go. You’ve strangled me, mummy. SOUP. You’ve drowned me in comfort. SOUP. I can’t cope with- I can’t- take me home, mummy. I’m cold.

I can’t stay out in the warmth all this time. It’s chilling my wings – I can’t fly any more.

Mummy?

-Oh, mummy. You’ve left me alone already.

Description
Adam, a badly shaven man in his late thirties, is sat in a grotty street upon a rotting wooden bench, talking to himself. He is very hesitant, shaky, and unsure of both himself and his whereabouts. He is sitting upon the bench with his legs crossed, without any shoes, and with seemingly chewed-through socks, so that his toes are exposed.

Adam: Super soup? Loop dee loop. Swing, slash, swoop. Fly!
Pterodactyl, dinosaur. Snail shells. Croc galore!

I’m not happy, mummy. I’m not. I’m me. Just me. Really. Me.

‘RHYME’ – R-H-Y-M-E. I like it. It’s a nice word.

Remember you told me how to rhyme once?

“Get your legs in front of you and count upon your toes,
Then sprinkle pepper on your nails and
STICK ‘EM UP YOUR NOSE.”

See? I rhymed.

(shakes violently)

RUN. They’re coming for me. HIDE. But you’ll help me, won’t you, mummy?

Mummy?

Rhyming is good for your vocabulary. It keeps me safe at night, from them. I don’t like t-

(wails and shakes violently once more)

SOUP. SOUP. Warm. I like warm. Nice. Warm.

Loop dee loop. Spinning, flying, attacking. Swinging! Slashing! Fighting back. Swoop. I can swoop, like a pterodactyl. I can fly. I’m ancient, I’m a beast. I’ll survive. Powerful, dinosaur. Snail shells. Protection. Warmth. SOUP. Crocodile. Bite. Nasty. Don’t like crocodiles.

CROC GALORE.

(shakes for a final time)

Mummy?

I made up another rhyme, mummy. Do you want to hear it?

Mummy? I’m crazy, aren’t I, mummy?

Mummy?

I want some soup, mummy. It’s warm. I like warm. I can hide behind warm. I can’t behind croc-

CROC GALORE.

RUN. HIDE.

-no, no. Soup, soup, soup, soup… soup. Breathe in. Out. In. Out. Stay above the water, drink the soup, drink the soup, avoid their eyes. Don’t breathe. They might hear. Hide below the water. Don’t splash. Avoid their eyes. They’ve seen me. Hide. RUN. Can’t.

Mummy? Help me, mummy. They’re coming towards me, mummy.

They’ve got me. Hands, face, smothered. Can’t breathe. Drowning in soup. Must. Get. Out. Can’t. …Avoid their eyes, avoid their eyes…

(sudden twitch)

Avoid their- Mummy?! There you are. Get off me, mummy. Take your hands off me. Leave me. RUN. HIDE. Why are you strangling me? Mummy?

Fly. Fly. I can escape. Fly. Leave.

I’m going, mummy. You’re hurting me. You’re- mummy.

I never wanted this. I never wanted to be here. I never wished for it. It’s your fault. Leave me alone, just… go. You’ve strangled me, mummy. SOUP. You’ve drowned me in comfort. SOUP. I can’t cope with- I can’t- take me home, mummy. I’m cold.

I can’t stay out in the warmth all this time. It’s chilling my wings – I can’t fly any more.

Mummy?

-Oh, mummy. You’ve left me alone already.