CANNONBALL BY JEFFREY LO (DOWNLOAD PDF HERE)
An indoor pool.
LILA, an 11 year old girl, stands at the edge of the pool frozen.
A few steps behind her stand her parents, ROSS and JEANNIE.
ROSS: You doing ok there, honey?
No response.
JEANNIE: We are right here.
ROSS: Exactly. We are right here.
No response.
JEANNIE: If anything goes wrong in there, your dad will be able to jump right in to help you.
ROSS: Absolutely!
JEANNIE: You’ve been doing so well in your classes.
ROSS: Instructor Joe was saying how you were much more advanced than everyone else and you were ready to jump into the deep end!
No response.
JEANNIE: But only if you feel ready.
ROSS: Exactly. Only if you feel ready. I was just saying that Instructor Joe thought you were ready. But… yeah… only if you feel ready…
No response.
ROSS: You know what? Never mind you don’t have to -
JEANNIE: You can be brave honey. This is scary. That is true. It is a first time. Most first times are scary. But you can be brave. When you are ready to be brave. Be brave. And when you are brave. We will be proud of you.
ROSS: We love it when you are brave.
JEANNIE: No matter what happens. If you sink or swim. We are proud of you.
ROSS: But if you sink, I will get you.
JEANNIE: Right.
ROSS: So, really, you can be less scared than you –
JEANNIE hits ROSS and he stops talking.
Silence.
Beat.
LILA looks back at her parents.
ROSS and JEANNIE give her a thumbs up.
LILA preps herself then screams –
LILA: CANNONBALLLLLLL!!!!!!
LILA leaps into the pool with great job.
SPLASH!!!!!
ROSS and JEANNIE are soaked.
ROSS: AHHHHH!!!! / COLD!!!!
JEANNIE: YOU DID IT HONEY!
ROSS: OHMYGODTHAT’SCOLD!
JEANNIE: WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!
ROSS: YES! AND SO COLD! SO COLD AND PROUD!!
LILA swims in the pool with great joy.
ROSS and JEANNIE shake their wet bodies and high five each other.
Lights fade.
END OF PLAY.