#4: THE PLAY ABOUT THE DREAM ABOUT THE BABY (IN THE ROCKING CHAIR)

(Teenage BETSY and her three female FRIENDS sit around a campfire beneath the Pennsylvania stars. Maybe an owl hoots. BETSY, FRIEND 2 & FRIEND 3 drink milk; FRIEND 1 sticks to whiskey.)

BETSY: I had the dream again last night.
FRIEND 1: Which dream?
BETSY: (insulted) You don't remember?

FRIENDS 2 & 3: The dream about the baby!
FRIEND 2: (to Friend 1) Duh!
FRIEND 3: Yeah, duh!
FRIEND 1: Hey hey hey, how come you guys know and I don't know?
FRIEND 2: Because you never listen and you're always drunk.
FRIEND 3: Yeah, you never listen and you're always drunk!

FRIEND 1: What? (She takes a swig.)

BETSY: It was different this time.
FRIENDS 2 & 3: Different this time?
FRIEND 2: Was the baby still fat?
BETSY: Still fat.
FRIEND 3: Was the baby still cute?
BETSY: Still cute.
FRIEND 1: Was still the cute baby a little baby? (Suddenly singing some song:) "Hey hey little baby! You're a baby!"

(Pause. All stare at FRIEND 1; she's wasted.)

FRIEND 2: Tell us Betsy.
FRIEND 3: Yeah, you tell us Betsy.
BETSY: Well, it was like any other night. Right after sundown, I had my milk. I said my prayers. And then I did a little knitting. On my little brother's little hat. The one that I'm knitting. I don't really remember falling asleep. I remember getting real tired and putting the needle and yarn back down on my red rocking chair where I always put them and then -
FRIEND 1: (bloody murder scream) AHH!!
FRIENDS 2 & 3: It's not a scary story. It's a dream!
BETSY: (softly) It might be both...

FRIENDS 2 & 3: (excited and scared) It might be both?!?

FRIEND 1: Who has the sauce. I swear it, I'll slice-
FRIENDS 2 & 3: Shh!
FRIEND 1: Sorry. (She burps a girly burp.) Double sorry.
BETSY: So I'm sleeping and dreaming and dreaming and sleeping and sleeping and finally, I have the dream about the baby, the dream I always have about the baby.
FRIEND 2: Did it... ?
BETSY: Oh yes, just like last time.

FRIENDS 2 & 3: Awwww!
FRIEND 3: And were there... ?
BETSY: Just as many as before... if not more.

FRIENDS 2 & 3: Ooooooh!

BETSY: And then...
FRIEND 2: And then?
BETSY: I...
FRIEND 3: Yeah, and then?
BETSY: I...
FRIEND 1: (asleep) Zzzzz and then? where's my sauce? Zzzz.
BETSY: And then I woke up.

(A short silence.)

FRIEND 2: We don't get it.
FRIEND 3: Yeah, we don't. We really don't!
FRIEND 2: What was different Betsy? What was scary?
FRIEND 3: Yeah, what was different? What scared you?
BETSY: I woke up... and looked over... and sitting in my rocking chair... with my knitting supplies... holding my little brother's little hat... the one I'm knitting for him... was a real... live... baby.
FRIENDS 2 & 3: A real live baby?!?
BETSY: A real live baby.
FRIEND 1: Zzzz (Song from before) "Hey hey little baby!" Zzzzz.
BETSY: I don't know how it got there. But I returned it to the neighbors. Honest to God I did. Please don't tell anyone.

FRIEND 2: You carried it down the road?

FRIEND 3: Yeah, really, down the road you carried it?

BETSY: I carried it down the road. Then I returned up the road. Then I sat in the chair. I rocked. And I knitted.

(Silence. FRIENDS 2 & 3 share a glance.)

FRIEND 2: Wow... pass the milk...

FRIEND 3: (passing it) Here....

FRIEND 1: Zzzz pass the sauce... Zzzz.

FRIEND 3: (passing it) Here....

BETSY: I can't be certain.. but I'm pretty sure that the baby... that little cute baby from down the road... I think it knitted some of my little brother's little hat while I was asleep. I think it took its little baby fingers and wrapped them around my needles and knitted. And I don't know why... but I think it wants me to knit more.

FRIEND 2: Knit more?

BETSY: A lot more.

FRIEND 3: Like another hat?

BETSY: Like another hat or like knit forever. Or sew. Or something. In preparation for something. I don't know. It's foggy. I'm tired.

FRIEND 2 & 3: Us too.

BETSY: Dreams are odd. Babies are odd.

FRIEND 2 & 3: We agree.

BETSY: Let us sleep.

(They lie down and they sleep.)

ALL: Zzzz Zzzz.

BLACKOUT