Slenderman One Act: Scene One

Scene One

Curtain opens on the living/bed room (main room) of a small cottage in the middle of the wilderness. There is a window up center stage. Outside the window it is snowing. There are 3 doors; one right center stage that leads outside, one left up stage that leads to the bathroom, one left down stage that leads to the kitchen. There is a futon center stage, and a small TV down center stage facing the futon and away from the audience. There is a rocking chair up stage right, next to the window, in the corner. To the left is a clothes drawer. In between the two stage left doors is a desk with an old computer on top. The main room is only lit by a single light on the ceiling above the futon. The switch is next to the stage right door.

The light is off. Everything is quiet. Then the Slenderman appears, like a ghost. He is tall and thin, with too long arms and too long legs. He is wearing black. His mouth is sewn shut. His eyes are completely white. He is bald. His neck bends at an odd angle that no human could bend theirs at. Slowly he sits in the rocking chair, and rocks.

A person appears at the door. When they enter the stage, a screen turns on behind the UCS window (not blocking it) that shows the audience everything the person is seeing, from their point of view, as though there is a camera between their eyes. This person is ageless. This person is genderless. This person is every person in the audience. This person is You.

You open the door to the cabin and go inside. As soon as You turn on the light, the Slenderman vanishes. You bring in Your suitcase and sigh with relief at getting out of the cold. You notice the rocking chair moving and to go stop it, then check the window and wall for a draft. You shiver from the cold, and go to the kitchen to turn up the heat. The audience can now see the simple kitchen (it cannot be seen before now, and not unless You are currently looking inside it), with its 70’s style refrigerator, microwave, stove, counter and cupboards. There is also another door that leads outside. While You are in the kitchen, the rocking chair begins moving again.

You go back into the main room, not noticing the chair, and sit down at the computer. You wipe the dust off the monitor. It powers up with clunky noises. The screen shows the audience what You are seeing on the computer. The computer makes awful dial-up noises as it connects to the Internet. You go to Your favorite social networking site and update Your status: “Just got in the cabin! Love it here, very cozy. Hope the 3 weeks don’t go by too fast.” Your Mom comments: “Be careful up there! Keep in touch!” Your Friend comments: “Don’t get eaten by wolves!” You grab the remote and turn on the TV. The screen, as with the computer, shows the audience what is on TV. The TV is on Channel 1, and the 6 pm news is on. The anchor is talking.

New Anchor

And the bodies were found with the organs torn out and places into plastic bags. No identities have yet been released, but eye witnesses say the two were a couple touring the countryside.

You aren’t paying attention. You are flipping through the on-screen guide until you find an episode of South Park. You change to that channel. The episode is in the middle of depicting the gruesome death of the character Kenny. Stan: “Oh my God, they killed Kenny!” Kyle: “You bastards!” You laugh and go back to the computer.

You hear a scratching and a crying at the door in the kitchen that leads outside. You walk into the kitchen and open the door. You see a cat sitting there, out in the cold.

You

Oh! You poor thing! Where did you come from? Come here, kitty.

You make kissy noises as You coax the cat inside. It comes in easily, so You get it some milk from the fridge. You try to coax it into the main room, but it doesn’t seem to want to go in there. When it goes near the door to the main room, red eyes appear in the dark (that You can’t see). The cat hisses and goes to the other side of the kitchen.