The Burning

A Short Play

A chalet in Switzerland. The sun has gone down. The fireplace is roaring. There is a large sofa where KAI, LOUISE, GERRY, and HOUSEKEEPER are drinking wine and eating cheese. In front of the sofa, there is a table. There is a door on the left. A large plant sits next to it. A large golden chandelier hangs from the ceiling. The walls have been painted terracotta. 

GERRY:    (Gesturing to HOUSEKEEPER). How are you finding your stay? 

HOUSEKEEPER:    (Unsure). Good…

LOUISE:    She didn’t expect to find herself in a chalet with yuppies, that’s for sure! 

HOUSEKEEPER:    You’re not yuppies, per se. I just wouldn’t have specifically chosen you to hang out with. I think that’s fair to say. 

KAI:    (With a mouth full of cheese). Well, I think we’re in a good position tonight. It’s cold outside, and we’re talking by a warm fire. 

GERRY:    Speaking of heat, I’m getting a little sweaty. Am I free to open the door for a few minutes? 

Everybody nods.

GERRY:    (Trying the door). It’s locked! Who locked it?

GERRY, LOUISE, and KAI look at HOUSEKEEPER.

HOUSEKEEPER:    (Grabbing the chain around her neck). It was on my chain, but it’s gone! 

GERRY takes off his jumper, revealing a white vest underneath.

GERRY:    I’m boiling in here. I’m turning that bloody fire off. 

LOUISE:    Once the fire goes out, things should get cooler. 

KAI:    Not always. These things are designed to keep heat in. 

HOUSEKEEPER:    I’ll call my boss. He can bring us a spare key. 

HOUSEKEEPER moves to the far side of the room to call for help.

GERRY:    (Wiping his forehead with the back of his hand). I hope he gets here soon. I don’t know how long I can stand this unforgiving heat without passing out. 

KAI turns off the fireplace.

LOUISE:    Don’t be so dramatic. 

KAI:    The fire is out, so we should start to feel some relief soon. Although, I must admit I am feeling somewhat delirious. 

LOUISE:    (Rolling her eyes). You men wouldn’t know suffering if it hit you between the legs. 

HOUSEKEEPER begins shouting. GERRY, KAI, and LOUISE turn to stare at her.

HOUSEKEEPER:    (On the phone). How long?! You must be joking! Yes, we have put the fire out, but it’s still just as hot! Well, what the hell are we supposed to do now?

HOUSEKEEPER hangs up and returns to the sofa where GERRY, KAI, and LOUISE have been standing.

HOUSEKEEPER:    He can’t get to us until tomorrow morning. We have to keep ourselves cool until then. We have access to cold water, so that’s something. 

GERRY:    Is that it? I paid thousands to come here! Well, you can tell your boss I won’t be coming back! 

LOUISE:    (Hands on hips). I could be at home with my mother. She’s a wonderful woman, but she loathes ambition. 

GERRY:    (Wafting himself). My mother is dead. 

KAI:    My mother walked out on us when I was five. 

HOUSEKEEPER:    I never knew my mother. 

GERRY:    She is the only woman I will let question me and my decisions.  

LOUISE:    You know, she said something to me before I left… (In an exaggerated high voice.) “Lou, for the love of God, don’t break your neck because if you do, I’ll kill you!” 

KAI:    Is it just me, or is it getting hotter? 

HOUSEKEEPER:    (Walking over to the fireplace). The fireplace is back on… (She twists a knob that breaks off). Oh, no, no, no! 

GERRY storms over to see HOUSEKEEPER holding a part of the fireplace in her hand.

GERRY:    Oh, great! (Turning to KAI and LOUISE). She’s ripped it off! We might die of heatstroke, thanks to this idiot! 

HOUSEKEEPER:    Don’t take that tone with me, you garden gnome. All that wine has made you red! 

LOUISE stands between them. 

LOUISE:    Alright, calm down. Arguing is only going to make things worse. Now, I advise everyone to strip down to as many layers as you are comfortable with. 

GERRY:    Surely you don’t mean down to our underwear? 

LOUISE:    Well, if it makes you that uncomfortable —

GERRY:    Are you saying my body is ugly? 

LOUISE:    (Laughing). God, you really are an insufferable man. That is not what I said. 

GERRY:    Well, what did you say? 

HOUSEKEEPER flops herself back onto the sofa.

HOUSEKEEPER:    Enough! You’re giving me a migraine. 

KAI:    We have twelve hours until someone can come to our rescue. If we don’t get along, we’ll be dead by dawn.

LOUISE:    I’ll sleep by the door, so I can look at the sky.

LOUISE grabs a blanket from the sofa and takes it over to the door.

GERRY:    (Crossing his arms). I’m starting to feel woozy. 

GERRY lies down on the floor. HOUSEKEEPER exits stage right.

KAI:    Is the room spinning? I feel like I’m on a rollercoaster. 

LOUISE:    (Moaning). I feel sick. 

HOUSEKEEPER enters from the right. She is holding a cup. She walks over to GERRY and nudges his leg with her foot. GERRY opens his eyes.

GERRY:    What is it?

HOUSEKEEPER dumps the contents of the cup on his face. GERRY sits up suddenly, coughing and spluttering.

GERRY:    No, you idiot, I asked for a drink! 

HOUSEKEEPER:    What are you talking about, you fool? I thought this might cool you down. 

LOUISE:    (To GERRY). You didn’t ask for anything. You’ve just been lying there. 

GERRY sits up.

GERRY:    (To KAI). You heard me, didn’t you?

KAI:    (Yawning). No, I didn’t hear anything. 

LOUISE:    (Gesticulating). Oh, Lord, help us. He’s gone loopy! 

GERRY jumps to his feet.

GERRY:    I have not gone loopy! 

GERRY stumbles over to HOUSEKEEPER.

GERRY:    (Pointing in HOUSEKEEPER’S face). You’re playing a trick on me… yes. You haven’t liked me since the start. (Sneering). With your snivelling. And you have the gall to call me a garden gnome. Do you think you have the right to question me?

HOUSEKEEPER:    You’re drunk on heat. I won’t dignify you with a response.

KAI runs over to the large plant next to LOUISE and vomits into it. 

LOUISE crawls away quickly.

LOUISE:    Don’t get any on my blanket! 

HOUSEKEEPER:    This is not good. 

GERRY:    I’m tired. I’ll sleep on the sofa. 

GERRY takes up a portion of the sofa and closes his eyes. KAI wipes his mouth and moves to the corner opposite LOUISE. HOUSEKEEPER sits on the other end of the sofa, away from GERRY.

LOUISE:    (To KAI). When did you have your first kiss?

KAI has his knees up, and his arms are on top of them.

KAI:    I was sixteen. The girl was called Julie. Julie Nobody. The kiss itself wasn’t anything to write home about, but it happened in a parking lot. 

LOUISE:    I was twenty, and —

GERRY sits up and turns to look at LOUISE.

GERRY:    You were twenty?! 

LOUISE:    Yes, I was twenty. No boys ever liked me. It wasn’t until I started going out that it happened. We were at the bar, and he bought me a drink. I liked him immediately, and he was smiling, so I went for it.

GERRY:    I was twelve, of course. I was absolutely bonkers about girls back then. Her mum knew mine, and we were playing hopscotch on the beach. Her blonde hair kept blowing across my cheek, these little ringlets. She stood on a mound of sand and kissed me. I couldn’t stop blushing. 

LOUISE:    (To HOUSEKEEPER). What about you? When was your first kiss? 

HOUSEKEEPER:    (Sighing). I was thirteen, and it was Winter. There had been heavy snowfall, so the school had to close. I went sledging with my neighbour and her brother, who was two years older. He pushed me down the hill, and I couldn’t stop laughing. He tripped and fell on top of me, and then we kissed. 

GERRY:    I’m going to get a glass of water if anyone fancies one?

GERRY grabs his empty glass from the table and swigs the remainder of his wine. He exits stage right.

GERRY:    (Off). For all its beauty, this trip has been a complete write-off! Now, I’m trapped inside a building with three strangers! 

KAI:    Well, this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind either! 

GERRY returns, but he is not holding a glass of water. He is holding a shard of glass. 

LOUISE:    (Cautiously). Why are you holding a shard of glass? 

HOUSEKEEPER:    Put it down. 

GERRY:    (Laughing). What a bunch of idiots. Why do I always get lumped with the empty-headed cronies? 

KAI:    Sir, would you look down? You are holding something very dangerous. 

GERRY looks down, letting the glass fall out of his hand. LOUISE storms over and stamps on it vigorously. 

LOUISE:    (Panting). I hate violence. I loathe it. 

KAI tentatively walks over to GERRY and tries to guide him to the sofa, but GERRY pushes him away. 

KAI:    Hey, I’m just trying to help.

GERRY:    I don’t need your help! Not from any of you! 

KAI, LOUISE, and HOUSEKEEPER all gather in front of GERRY. 

LOUISE:    What is wrong with you?

GERRY hops onto the sofa.

GERRY:    (Laughing.) Look at all your poor sallow faces.

HOUSEKEEPER:    If that door opened, I’d throw him into the snow.

LOUISE:    I’d like to drown him in an icy river.

KAI:    I just want to go home.

GERRY:    If we get out of here, what will you do? Eh? Go back to your pathetic lives filled with misery? 

LOUISE begins tugging on GERRY’S vest. 

LOUISE:    Get down! Get! 

GERRY shrugs her off. HOUSEKEEPER pulls LOUISE away.

HOUSEKEEPER:    Leave him!

LOUISE sits on the ground and runs her hands through her hair. She is visibly distressed. 

LOUISE:    Why do terrible things happen to good people? I work so hard at my job, only to be ignored by my dumb boss. I have a colleague who works in the same department as me, yet she reaps the benefits! 

KAI:    Being alive is like being aboard a ship navigating a ruthless sea. Those who hold on the longest are thrown off first. When I found out that life is often unfair, I stopped trying. 

GERRY begins to sing an unintelligible song. He kicks out his legs one by one.

HOUSEKEEPER:    Is this fool singing?!

LOUISE gets up and jumps on the sofa. She shoves GERRY forward so he falls onto the floor. 

GERRY:    Oi! How dare you!

GERRY pulls LOUISE down from the sofa and drags her to the door. 

GERRY:    I should throw you through the glass. 

HOUSEKEEPER and KAI quickly run over to them. 

LOUISE:    Go on then, do it!

GERRY:    Don’t tempt me. 

KAI:    Leave her alone. It’s the heat that’s making you be like this. 

LOUISE:    I beg of you, please, do it. I long to feel that fresh air. Oh, the smell of my blood as it pours over the crystalline snow. Oh, how I crave that rush; the rush of pain. I have suffered for so long, but I am too much of a coward to do anything about it. 

LOUISE studies GERRY’S face and smirks. 

LOUISE:    Mummy’s boy. I bet you’re her pride and joy. Someone who can do no wrong. 

GERRY:    (With disgust). I wouldn’t spit on you if you were on fire.

LOUISE:    Fine. Let me burn. Watch as I reduce to ash.

HOUSEKEEPER:    No blood. No ash. 

KAI:    No pain. 

GERRY:    Go to hell.

LOUISE slams GERRY’S head into the glass door. GERRY falls to the ground. 

HOUSEKEEPER:    What the hell have you done?! 

LOUISE kicks GERRY. His head lolls to one side. HOUSEKEEPER kneels down and checks his pulse. 

HOUSEKEEPER:    He’s… dead.

LOUISE and KAI exchange glances.

KAI:    Are you sure?

HOUSEKEEPER nods.

LOUISE:    This can’t be happening. I came here for a break! For a bit of peace! 

KAI:    What do we do with him? I don’t mean to be vulgar, but it’s hot… He’ll start rotting very quickly. 

HOUSEKEEPER:    Well, we need to drag him to the other side of the room. Then we have to make it look accidental, but — 

LOUISE screams and runs to the sofa, jumping on just like GERRY did. 

LOUISE:    Do you see them?! They’re floating above us.

HOUSEKEEPER and KAI look concerned. 

HOUSEKEEPER:    See who? 

LOUISE looks up to the ceiling. 

LOUISE:    Oh, you hypocrites with your mind games! You tell us to be kind to ourselves. To never say a bad word. But, when we elevate ourselves to great heights, you stab at us with sewing pins! Do it like this! Do it like that! Oh, but not too much. You’re making others uncomfortable! How much of the world do you want me to care for? How many languages shall I learn? (Hopping from one foot to the other). Look, I can use both feet! Is this what you want? Is this enough?! (Stretching out her arms into a crucifix). I give myself to you completely! 

HOUSEKEEPER:    Will you get down here and help us?

LOUISE starts to pray. HOUSEKEEPER grabs GERRY’S legs.

HOUSEKEEPER:    (To KAI). Grab a leg. 

HOUSEKEEPER and KAI drag GERRY to the far side of the room. 

LOUISE:    We’re filled with such poison. We’re terrible people at heart. What is a good person? (To KAI and HOUSEKEEPER who have returned from disposing of GERRY). I can taste him on my flesh. (LOUISE touches her lips). 

HOUSEKEEPER grabs LOUISE and takes her back to the door. 

HOUSEKEEPER:    (Forcing LOUISE’S head toward the door). Do you see this? That is clean air. Free of blood, free of ash. Out there, your poison falls silent. In here, you are temptation. Your blood is not my blood. We are not the same, and I don’t accept it. While we burn in here, you grow like a disease. I will end this. 

KAI:    How?

HOUSEKEEPER pulls LOUISE away. They move backwards. HOUSEKEEPER runs at the door that has been locked for hours. It gives way and swings open. 

KAI:    You did it! 

LOUISE releases herself from HOUSEKEEPER’S grasp. LOUISE tries to pull the door closed. 

LOUISE:    We have to pay! Look at what we’ve done! We don’t belong here! When they come for us, we will be long gone. Burn. Burn. Burn. 

KAI:    I will not be punished for this! I did nothing! 

HOUSEKEEPER:    She’s right.

KAI quickly looks at HOUSEKEEPER.

KAI:    Are you mad?! She killed him! Not us. 

HOUSEKEEPER:    What happens when they come to rescue us? There is a dead man rotting in the corner, and we are just a few feet away. If they find us guilty, we will go to prison. And, for how long? Our lives are over either way. Take your last moments of peace. Relish them with dignity. 

HOUSEKEEPER collapses on the ground. LOUISE begins to cry. KAI walks over to the sofa where he puts his head in his hands. 

KAI:    It’s my birthday today.

HOUSEKEEPER smiles.

HOUSEKEEPER:    (To KAI). How old?

KAI:    (Sighing). Thirty-six. 

HOUSEKEEPER gets to her feet, and grabs a piece of cheese from the table. She walks over to KAI. 

HOUSEKEEPER:    (Singing). Happy Birthday, to you. Happy Birthday, to you. Happy Birthday, dear…

KAI:    Kai.

HOUSEKEEPER:    (Singing). Dear Kai. Happy Birthday, to you. 

HOUSEKEEPER holds the cheese in her palm for KAI. He blows on it. 

BLACKOUT