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Characters August: As played by your most optimistic friend. Gender and pronouns are those of this friend. Zeph: As played by the grumpiest bartender you have encountered. Gender and pronouns are those of this bartender.

Setting A round room with white paneled walls. Empty except for AUGUST and ZEPH each on a sort of self-powered treadmill. The familiar sounds of feet thumping on whirring treadmills are present throughout.

AUGUST Your eyes are closed.

ZEPH Because I can’t watch you do that anymore.

AUGUST What’s it like today?

Did you hear what I said?

ZEPH I don’t want to do this.

AUGUST What’s it like today?

ZEPH You just asked me.

AUGUST I thought you forgot.

ZEPH You just asked me.

AUGUST I thought you forgot.

Like sometimes when you say something to me that you say every day. Like when you say “Lunch?” Sometimes in the moment after you say “Lunch?” I wonder if you said it. If I’m remembering you saying it from just now or from yesterday or the day before. Or if you’ve never said it at all.

Anyway that’s why I asked you again. Because I couldn't remember.

I did ask you, right?

What’s it like today?

AUGUST Did I ask already?

ZEPH It’s. It’s kinda nice. It’s like. Pretty cloudy overhead. But those big fluffy. You know, big clouds like. They have dimension. A lot of different shades of purple and gray. Out that way it’s blue, clear blue. It’s like a different day entirely over there. But uh. Behind us, back there, it’s looking like. It’s those dark, heavy clouds back there. Feels like a storm coming, you know that smell? That smell that makes everything feel wide open and agitated? That’s it. Things feel agitated.

AUGUST But it’s behind us?

ZEPH Could catch up, easy. They move fast. Faster than us.

AUGUST But we’re heading towards the blue?

ZEPH Yeah we’re heading towards the blue.

AUGUST I can see it.

ZEPH You always ask me, why do you always ask me?

AUGUST Who else am I gonna ask?

ZEPH You could guess the weather just as easy.

AUGUST You always tell it so good. “Agitated”? I couldn’t… so visceral, I mean. Plus you never asked me what the weather was. I can’t answer if you don’t ask.

AUGUST How do you think of all those words? “Agitated,” how do you [thinking of the right word]… remember ’em?

ZEPH They’re not impressive words.

AUGUST You said another one… about the clouds, um…

AUGUST Dimensional! Or dimension? And yesterday you said - yesterday? - You said uh… OMINOUS! I don’t know I just. Words like that are just falling out of my brain like [demonstrates] blop blop blop. Klnkh. Bshhh! Bshhh!!

ZEPH I go through the dictionary.

When you get quiet. I go through A to Z. No repeats.

AUGUST Unless you forget you repeated.

ZEPH No repeats. I don’t forget.

AUGUST …I can’t even think of… three words that begin with Z…zoo…zzzoo…zzzzzzzzzzoo-godammnit.

Do you ever think about what would happen if we stopped?

AUGUST I think that when I get tired. I try not to. It’s dangerous to think that way, you know? But sometimes my legs - it’s not a cramp, it’s like a- a tingle. In my knee. Makes me walk like this.

AUGUST What do you think would happen? If we stopped? What do you think would happen if we stopped?

AUGUST That’s what you think or that’s what you’re telling me that you think.

ZEPH That’s what I know.

AUGUST What are you talking about?

AUGUST [stating obvious fact] The windmill would stop running. The city would lose power. Our room would lock down so they couldn’t get in and we couldn’t get out. We would starve to death.

ZEPH [letting it go] Yeah, you’re right.

AUGUST Do you— do you not think that would happen?

ZEPH Just leave it, August.

AUGUST No, Zeph, tell me what you think would happen.

ZEPH Because there’s nothing out there.

AUGUST The windmill’s out there.

ZEPH There is no windmill.

AUGUST The windmill is out there.

AUGUST [Stating fact. Or a fairytale.] It is, we’re in it. We’re in the bottom. We keep the engines’ base power going in case there’s no wind. And it powers the city! We power the city! Thousands of people can go- can do- can live like they did, because we power the city!

ZEPH Why would they count on us to do that

AUGUST ...because we messed up. We didn’t do what we were supposed to do. So we have to stay here now. And we have to guess the weather. Which helps us stay on the treadmills, because we don’t know whether it’s windy or not.

ZEPH And who told you that

ZEPH All of it. All of that.

AUGUST I... they... I just, that’s just how it is. That’s what it is.

ZEPH But who told you?

AUGUST They did, when they brought me here.

ZEPH Yes, I told you that. When you got here. I was here first. I told you that.

AUGUST …I don’t remember…

ZEPH I was here first. I told you that.

AUGUST [Trying to think of a word that starts with z. Not ‘zoo.’] ..zz…zzzz…zzzzzoo.

ZEPH And whoever was here when I got here, that’s who told me.

ZEPH How tall is the windmill?

AUGUST It’s.. it’s a thousand, a thousand feet…

ZEPH Did you ever see it? When you lived in the city, did you ever see it?

ZEPH A one thousand foot windmill? Do you know how tall that is?

ZEPH [Gestures at the obvious conclusion.]

Why do you keep walking?

What else am I supposed to do.

Maggie Kearnan is a Boston-based playwright, director, performer, educator, and scenic painter. The plays in Maggie’s head are usually lyrical historical fiction, angsty dystopian thrillers, or naturalistic explorations of friendship and art.

Spencer Alton is a Boston-based artist, educator, storyteller, professional nerd, and future sword owner.

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A message from Phong Bui Publisher and Artistic Director

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