Title: A few questions
by Chris from London | in writing, fiction
(ALICE, an average sixteen-year-old schoolgirl, is sitting at a desk, in a dark, grey room. The walls are concrete. A desk lamp on the desk is switched on, and a dim light highlights the desk, which is littered with paper. There is another, vacant chair opposite ALICE. In the distance we hear a door shut and DR. SMITH, a tall, bespectacled suited man in his late thirties enters, holding a clipboard. He smiles and takes the seat opposite ALICE.)
DR. SMITH:
(Extending a hand) Good evening Alice, I'm Doctor Smith.
(ALICE glances up but makes no reaction. DR. SMITH frowns and takes his hand back)
DR. SMITH:
Never mind. I usually get that. (Smiling) Well then, shall we start?
(ALICE shrugs. DR. SMITH nods)
DR. SMITH:
I'll say a word, and you tell me what it means to you, Ok?
(ALICE sighs and sits up)
DR. SMITH:
Ok then. (Scanning his clipboard) Let's see ...what does 'Freedom' mean?
(There is a long pause. DR. SMITH sighs and begins to speak when ALICE speaks up)
ALICE:
Music.
DR. SMITH:
(Smiling) Wonderful! (He jots it down on his clipboard) Ok... 'Frustration'?
ALICE:
Parents.
DR.SMITH:
(Still writing) 'Stress'?
ALICE:
Job.
DR. SMITH:
'Passion'?
ALICE:
(Pause) Singing.
DR. SMITH:
Good! (He writes something down) 'Fear'?
ALICE:
(Pause) Failure.
DR. SMITH:
(Frowning) Ok... (he glances at his clipboard) Ambition?
ALICE:
(Straight away) Strength.
DR. SMITH:
Finally... 'Misunderstanding'.
(There is a long pause. ALICE stares at DR. SMITH long and hard before smiling. DR. SMITH stares expectantly)
ALICE:
You.
(DR. SMITH goes to write it down, before looking up, confused)
DR. SMITH:
(Bemused) Me? (ALICE nods, still smiling) Why?
ALICE:
You wouldn't be asking me all this if you really understood. My answers won't help someone narrow-minded like you.
DR. SMITH:
(Stunned) Well, it seems to me like no-one could understand you, let alone me!
ALICE:
(Smiling) Never mind. I usually get that.
(DR. SMITH glares at her before turning on his heels and strolling away. ALICE sits back and folds her arms. The desk lamp dims)
Through this piece I wanted to show that there is more to people than meets the eye. We are often just shoved into a certain group from one glance of a person without them knowing who we really are. I wanted to show that we are different, and there is a lot more to us than the common perception of youth today.
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