An Almost Perfect Thing Read Free Page A

tell you. That's my answer. My turn. You live alone.
    GREG
    Yes. Now—
    CHLOE
    That wasn't a question. That was a statement. This is a question. Did you always want to be a journalist?
    GREG
    No. Were you in Toronto?
    CHLOE
    That's not what you say. And now you broke the rule so you lose a question. My turn. What did you want to be? You have to tell me or you lose another question.
    GREG
    I used to write fiction. Short stories mostly.
    CHLOE
    Why don't you anymore?
    GREG
    Haven't felt inspired to, I guess.
    CHLOE
    That's sad. Why did you decide to become a journalist instead of a fiction writer?
    GREG
    I don't know. Instant gratification?
    CHLOE
    What does that mean?
    GREG
    Nothing. My turn. The day you were taken, did you have to go far away or were you in the city?
    CHLOE
    Can't tell you. My turn.
    GREG
    What can you tell me?
    CHLOE
    Figure it out. My turn. Do you like that people read your work? Follow you? Wait every day just to hear what you have to say?
    GREG
    I'm not sure that they're waiting to hear what I have to say.
    CHLOE
    They are now. Did you like being on the front page last week?
    GREG
    Sure… yeah. I guess… I don't know. My turn. You don't need to tell me where you were or how you got there. But I want you to describe your first day, or your first memory. What happened. What was said to you. Okay?
    Beat.
    You're going to have to answer something.
    CHLOE
    I will. Just let me think…
    Beat.
    I have an idea. Why don't you write this like a fiction book? Since you're a real writer, you know how. Not many people know how. You'll get to be really descriptive. Like it's one of your short stories.
    GREG
    Chloe—
    CHLOE
    Close your eyes.
    He doesn't.
    It starts in darkness. That means you have to close your eyes to get it right.
    The lights go out. For the rest of the scene CHLOE alternates between speaking to
GREG
and
MATHEW
. She can be physically in the scene with
MATHEW
, but speaking to
GREG
. When
CHLOE
is with
MATHEW
,
GREG
does not see what we see.
    It's so dark when you wake up that you stick your hand in front of your face and you can't even see it. You try to make out shapes but there's just nothing. Nothing. But you're okay. You just have to stay real calm—
    Shift. CHLOE's room in MATHEW's house.
    HELP ME! SOMEBODY! HELP ME! DAD! HELP ME! HELP ME! SOMEBODY! HELP ME! PLEASE! Dear God, please help me. Please help me, God, please— Help me, please, please, help me, help me, please—
    GREG
    And so what's happening?
    CHLOE
    (to
GREG
)
Nothing. I stay completely calm. I breathe and count. That's what you have to do when you don't want to panic. My dad taught me that. Breathe and count.
    GREG
    Okay so—
    CHLOE
    HELP ME! PLEASE! HELP ME! SOMEBODY! HELP—
    GREG
    You're breathing and counting and then what happens—
    The sound of two deadbolts and a key.
    CHLOE
    (to GREG)
The lights come on.
    MATHEW enters. He and CHLOE stare at each other.
    GREG
    How'd they come on? Was there someone in the room with you?
    CHLOE
    (to GREG)
No. They were controlled from outside the room.
    GREG
    And you're alone?
    CHLOE
    (staring at MATHEW, speaking to GREG)
Completely alone.
    GREG
    Describe what you were feeling. Hurt? Hungry? You must have been terrified—
    CHLOE
    (to GREG)
I was mad. I was never terrified.
    GREG
    Even if you were mad, I'm sure you were still—
    CHLOE
    (to GREG)
I said I wasn't!
    (to MATHEW)
Please don't hurt me. Please. Please. Please don't hurt me.
    MATHEW
    I'm not going to.
    MATHEW
moves towards her; she flinches, moves away.
    CHLOE
    (to MATHEW)
No—
    MATHEW
    You don't have to be afraid.
    He goes to touch her.
    CHLOE
    (to MATHEW)
No, please—
    MATHEW
    It's okay. I promise. Do you like your room?
    CHLOE
    (to either
GREG
or
MATHEW
)
What?
    GREG
    Should I not call it that? Room.
    CHLOE
    (to GREG)
It's okay.
    GREG
    Tell me what it looks like when you first open your eyes.
    CHLOE
    (to GREG)
There's a bed.
    MATHEW
    It used to be mine. The comforter's new