Monday, January 1, 2018

Clarisse's Confession

            INT.  CONFESSIONAL BOOTH

            Clarisse sits down into a confessional booth.  A Priest
            leans toward the slatted window.

                                CLARISSE
                      Forgive me Father, for I have sinned.

                                PRIEST
                      How long has it been since your last
                      confession?

                                CLARISSE
                      It's been a few months.

                                PRIEST
                      And what sins have you committed?

                                CLARISSE
                      Marcy came over Saturday night.  For
                      three years, Marcy's been coming over
                      every Saturday night...

                                PRIEST
                      Yes?

                                CLARISSE
                      ...and every Saturday night we watch a
                      video.

                                PRIEST
                      What kind of video?

                                CLARISSE
                      This Saturday, she says, I don't want
                      to watch a video...I want to do
                      something spontaneous...I want to run
                      naked through the neighborhood, she
                      says.  Of course, I think this is
                      ridiculous.  I told her it was
                      ridiculous...

                                PRIEST
                      Yes, child.

                                CLARISSE
                      Marcy's very...persuasive.  It's the
                      Summer, you know...one of those hot
                      nights, the air was still.  It was...it
                      was ridiculous, but it was late...it
                      was dark...no moon.  Just stars.  Do
                      you know what it's like to look at the
                      stars, with your feet in the grass and
                      every part of your body exposed to the
                      warm fresh air?

                                PRIEST
                      Child, I...

                                CLARISSE
                      I felt free.  I felt free and alive.  I
                      didn't even care who saw me.  I was so
                      excited by the whole thing that I
                      forgot where Marcy ran off to.  There I
                      was, dancing around on the front
                      lawn...when I saw the
                      headlights...turning into the driveway,
                      the headlights of my parents' car.  I
                      happened to be close to the cypress
                      bush, so I ducked behind it.

                                PRIEST
                      Excuse me...

                                CLARISSE
                      My parents, you know, they've been
                      married for 25 years and like clockwork
                      they go to dinner and a movie, dinner
                      and a movie, dinner and a movie, but
                      no, not on the night I'm dancing in the
                      nude on the front lawn, ah, ah, they
                      have to come home without seeing a
                      movie.  Do you know anything about
                      cypress bushes?

                                PRIEST
                      No.

                                CLARISSE
                      They tickle.  They have these delicate
                      leaves and...

                                PRIEST
                      Can I please hear the end of your
                      confession, child.

                                CLARISSE
                      My clothes are hanging on the
                      bannister, and my parents don't even
                      notice.  So they close the front door
                      and turn out the lights, and there you
                      have it.  It was just me and that
                      cypress bush.

                                PRIEST
                      Yes?

                                CLARISSE
                      Yes, what?

                                PRIEST
                      What did you do?

                                CLARISSE
                      Oh...I went to my boyfriend's house.

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