Characters:

EDDIE: has to look like Brian, but dressed very flamboyant, almost childish. Whenever he is on 

stage, a white spotlight follows him. No one acknowledges his presence.

BRIAN: looks like Eddie, dressed plainly, 18 years old

YOUNG BRIAN: a child version of Brian, using clothes to play both a younger kid and slightly 

older kid

MOTHER: 40s, dressed plainly, almost classic

REBECCA: 30s, dressed plainly but professionally

SUPERVISOR: 60s, dressed plainly but professionally

Setting:

Time setting is a dystopian world, but very similar city settings to modern day. Stage setting one is a domestic setting, 1 bed and mirror, spaced away from a counter with stools. BRIAN and EDDIE each have a bed, and MOTHER is by the counter and stools. For traveling settings, no actual set is required. The second setting is an office building, a filing cabinet, table, and chairs, arranged to look like a cramped meeting room reminiscent of the cubicles that fill the rest of the building. Lighting for present settings should be white with a cool tint. All flashbacks should have a warm yellow, orange, or red tint to differentiate.

EDDIE: (Rolls out from under the bed.) Wow. What a great sleep. Good to be back. 

What now, buddy? (Extended pause.) Buddy?

MOTHER: (Enters the bedroom.) The tiredness will pass, honey. You need to get up.

BRIAN: (Sits up with a groan, rubbing his hands over his head.) I will, Mom. Give 

me a second. 

MOTHER: I’ll have coffee ready downstairs. Happy first day, honey.

EDDIE: First day? First day of what? You don’t keep secrets from me. If you’re 

going somewhere, can I come? Brian?

(Brian says nothing, but begins to get dressed and gets out a briefcase, occasionally shaking his head or rubbing his eyes.)

Ooh, is it a surprise? Oh, I bet it’s a surprise. You’re so funny, Brian! What 

do I need to wear? Is this okay?

(Chuckles.) Of course it’s okay, it’s my favorite.

BRIAN: (Looks at himself in the mirror.) Hello, I’m Brian. I’m very excited to be 

here. How can I be of service?

EDDIE: Brian?

BRIAN: (Deep breath.) I’ve got this. Of course I’ve got this. Today will be a great 

day.

(Leaves the bedroom and enters the kitchen, EDDIE trailing behind.)

Good morning, Mother.

MOTHER: Oh, look at my sweet baby, all grown up! I know you only turned eighteen 

yesterday, but you already look so grown up. Are you ready?

BRIAN: Of course I’m ready. It’s time.

EDDIE: Time for what?! (To audience.) I mean, come on, this is ridiculous. A 

surprise is one thing, but acting like I’m not here is just mean. (Back to 

stage.) Do you hear that, Brian? Stop being mean!

MOTHER: Oh, I almost forgot. I got you a gift. (Hands him a small box. Brian opens 

it to reveal a watch.) It’s so you always know what time it is. Remember, 

there’s nothing more important than being punctual! 

BRIAN: Thank you, Mother. And I know, that’s why I need to go catch the bus. I 

will see you later.

EDDIE:     The bus? That’s not a good surprise. What kind of a surprise is school?

(BRIAN walks off stage left, EDDIE slowly drags behind, stopping before 

he gets to the wings.)

Whoaaaa what’s that? Is that a new bus? Look at that, that’s so cool. Oh, you got me good, Brian. Brian? Hey, wait up!

(EDDIE follows off stage, lights fade as sounds of nature and traffic build 

up. Lights come back up as BRIAN comes back onstage, EDDIE following 

behind him, skipping.)

That was a cool bus. Although, if I have to choose, I prefer the yellow one. It’s just a better color.

(EDDIE skips in front of BRIAN, waving his hand in BRIAN’s face as 

BRIAN keeps walking.)

Hellooo. Are you going to tell me where we’re going yet? No? Fine, let’s just keep walking. Look! It’s a bird. Hello, Bird! Oooh, look at that cloud! It looks like a cowboy. We should play cowboys later. There’s a plane! (Laughs.) Oops, that’s just another bird. Hey, Brian, wait up!

(BRIAN exits stage right, EDDIE following behind as stage left gets set up 

with a couple desks and a filing cabinet. BRIAN and EDDIE 

re-enter stage right.)

This is where we’re going? Come on, Brian, this is just a boring glass 

building! Let’s go to the upside-down museum instead!

(REBECCA enters stage left as BRIAN walks towards her.)

BRIAN:  Hello, my name is Brian. I’m so excited to be here. How can I be of 

service?

REBECCA: Oh, hello, yes. You must be the new hire. I’m Rebecca. I’m so excited 

you’re here. How are you feeling?

EDDIE:       A new job? Brian, what kind of surprise is this? Jobs are for boring, old 

adults. (Looks at REBECCA, who doesn’t hear him.) No offense.

BRIAN: Pretty good, I think. Tired, of course, but that will pass, or so I’ve been 

told. Mostly just eager to get to work.

REBECCA: That’s what we like to hear. You’ll have a grace period of two weeks 

before we really get you settled in here full-time. Here, these forms will

make everything official. Fill out the information paperwork and I’ll be 

back to answer any questions you have.

BRIAN: Sounds good, thank you.

EDDIE: Hey, buddy, I’m going to scope this place out. Don’t have too much fun 

without me. (Pauses.) Not that that would be possible.

(REBECCA exits into the wings, while EDDIE ducks onto the apron. He wanders around the empty stage.)

EDDIE: Gross. Ew. What even is that? Is that a suit, or a slab of rock? What’s with 

the clocks? They all say the same thing. And there’s … boxy computers, boxy printers, boxy folders … whoa, wait, where’s all the color? I see … black, gray, warm gray, cool gray … what is up with this? The world hasn’t ended, people! Why do you look like you’re in a graveyard? (Pauses.) Yeah, there’s no way Brian’s staying here. Oh, I gotta get back.

(EDDIE takes the same path around, follows REBECCA back to the table where BRIAN sits.)

REBECCA: Do you have any questions about the forms?

BRIAN: Um … this part here when it asks about section selection?

REBECCA: You read the company manual, did you not? My notes say it was sent to 

your house exactly three weeks ago.

BRIAN:  Cover to cover. But… it feels a bit foggy right now.

EDDIE: Was that what all those papers were? I thought you were having a paper 

airplane building contest.

REBECCA: That’s understandable. Since up until now all you have done is gone to 

school, the company will take into consideration what you are most 

interested in. It will give you an opportunity to hone your skills.

EDDIE: Oooh okay, maybe this place isn’t all terrible. It’s possible I saw the worst 

parts of it. What sections do you get to choose from? Fireman? Video 

Game designer? Astronaut? Oooh, can you sign up to be a rock star? That 

would be sick!

REBECCA: If you want to try something new at another time, that is a possibility. But 

you can choose to start from any of the following sections. There are 

sections for higher clearance employees, as a sort of motivation, but these 

are the starting positions.

EDDIE: Hey, Brian, read ’em out loud.

BRIAN: (Reading to himself.) Mail sorting. Receptionist. Accounting assistant. 

Paperwork filing. Cart attendant. Note attendant.

EDDIE: (Long pause.) You’ve got to be kidding.

REBECCA: Just start with whatever calls to you first.

BRIAN: Wow. This is hard. I mean, they all seem to be so important.

EDDIE: Excuse me? Okay, I just—cut! Cut!

(BRIAN and REBECCA freeze as EDDIE addresses the audience.)

This has got to be a joke. I mean, Brian used to talk about what he wanted 

to be all the time. And none of them included being trapped in a tall glass 

box like this. Wait, wait, I can prove it. We talked about it all the time.

(Stage right lights up with red and yellow lights, and MOTHER and a YOUNG BRIAN enter. MOTHER holds a coat.)

MOTHER: Brian, please. I need you to calm down. We need to get you to school.

YOUNG BRIAN: Mom! But Eddie and I were just deciding what we’re going to be when we 

grow up.

MOTHER: Is that so?

YOUNG BRIAN: Yeah! Do you wanna hear?

MOTHER: Can you tell me while you put your coat on?

YOUNG BRIAN: Uh-huh. So when I grow up, I think I want to be a superhero if I can make 

the cut. If not, I’m going to be the first rock star on the moon.

MOTHER: That’s quite something.

(MOTHER and YOUNG BRIAN exit, and the lights stage right fade to black.)

EDDIE: See? Rockstar on the moon. I mean, that has to be in high demand, right? 

Maybe this is part of the joke. Maybe these are code words for something. 

Like … bungee jumping, or … jet skiing. (REBECCA and BRIA unfreeze.)

BRIAN: I think … I think I could be a receptionist. I like talking to people.

REBECCA: Then this sounds like a good fit. Let me go get a desk set up for you, and 

I’ll find your supervisor.

BRIAN:  Thank you.

(Silence as REBECCA exits.)

EDDIE: Come on, Brian. What’s going on?

BRIAN:  (Talking to himself.) I can do this…

EDDIE: Well, sure you can, buddy, but you don’t have to. That’s my point. Run out 

of here screaming and don’t look back. Who’s stopping you?

BRIAN:  Everything's going to be okay…

EDDIE: Yeah, even if you choose something exciting. Just walk out the doors. 

Before they make you sign some paperwork or something. Then it’ll really 

all be over.

BRIAN:  This is where I’m meant to be. I just have to see it through…

EDDIE: You don’t. This isn’t where you’re meant to be, Brian. Buddy, you’re 

made for so much more than this. Everything is black or white here; 

there’s no gray, and don’t even think about color. Look, look at all those 

people through the window. Everything they’re wearing looks like it’s 

made out of steel. Everything is so stiff here. What happened to sliding in 

the grass and wearing out the knees in your pants. Buddy, come on, you 

know this isn’t where you’re supposed to be. (Tries to get a response from 

BRIAN.)

Buddy?

(SUPERVISOR enters with REBECCA.)

SUPERVISOR: Ah, Brian, I presume?

BRIAN:  Yes, sir. Brian McCallister. I’m very excited to be here.

SUPERVISOR: We’re excited you’re here. Rebecca says you’re interested in the 

receptionist position?

BRIAN: Yes, sir. I enjoy talking to people. I was on the student government until 

recently, and I’ve always been very active in sports and the community, so 

I have references if that would help.

REBECCA: We have the data here. His scores do indeed seem like he would be best 

served as a voice or voice for the company. According to the numbers, he would be more likely to get bored and slack off in a less involved job.

BRIAN: I … I apologize.

SUPERVISOR: Don’t apologize. Other people are more suited for jobs where they 

wouldn’t be interrupted or distracted by others. That’s why we collect the 

data throughout your schooling, alongside intellectual and personality 

tests: to figure out how to use our employees’ strengths. After all, efficiency is key.

EDDIE: Strengths? Brian, use your actual strength and tear the door off its hinges 

so we can get out of here! Wait, wait, wait, pause! Cut! (BRIAN, SUPERVISOR, and REBECCA freeze.) Don’t you remember your strength? Look, remember this?

(YOUNG BRIAN, dressed older than before.)

YOUNG BRIAN: And he’s focused, looking down the line. Quarterback star Brian 

McCallister is on a roll. He looks right, he looks left—

MOTHER: (Offstage.) Brian? Sweetheart, what are you doing?

YOUNG BRIAN: Mom, watch this! (Throws a football into the wings.) Do you see how 

strong I am? The football coach says I’m improving fast, and he sees a lot 

of potential in me! I’m going to get stronger, and one day I’ll be a football 

star!

(YOUNG BRIAN runs off stage.)

EDDIE: And you did! And you were! What are you doing here, Brian?

BRIAN: So … when can I start?

SUPERVISOR: We like to see the enthusiasm! But we’ll get all the paperwork and 

logistics through today and you can be here bright and early tomorrow morning. We’ll have grids and charts to keep track of your performance. After your first month, we’ll evaluate your performance and decide if you will stay as a receptionist or transfer to another section. Are we understood?

BRIAN:  Yes, sir, thank you. I won’t let you down.

EDDIE: Let him down? There’s nothing for you to do at all. What are you 

supposed to do? Brian? Hey! (BRIAN and EDDIE walk to stage right, where one bed has been set up. BRIAN sits on the edge of the bed.) Come on, don’t you remember, we just had a conversation about big things coming soon! You had such a bright future, what’s gotten into you. Hey, here, look. 

(Snaps, lights turn warm, spotlight disappears. EDDIE enters flashback.) What’s up with you? You’ve been awfully quiet.

BRIAN:  I’ve just … My mom was telling me that it’s time … for me to be an adult.

EDDIE: Whoa, really? Already?

BRIAN: Yeah. I’ll get a job.

EDDIE: A real job? Like, professionally playing sports? Or will you get to be an 

astronaut?

BRIAN: I … I’m not really sure. It’s an … abrupt transition.

EDDIE: You’re going to be a great adult! You’re already great. Think of all the 

things you can do. Being an adult is awesome, you’ll get to do such cool 

things!

BRIAN:  It’s … intimidating.

EDDIE: It’s exciting! Oh, I’ll be right back. I have a surprise for you (EDDIE exits 

flashback, walks to stage left, steps back into his spotlight downstage 

stage left, snaps, watches, expectantly waiting for the lights to change.) 

Huh? What’s going on? (Snaps again, lights still don’t change.)

MOTHER: (Enters from stage right.) Are you getting ready, honey?

(EDDIE curiously watches the rest of the flashback play out from his spotlight.)

BRIAN: Trying.

MOTHER: (Sits on bed next to BRIAN.) You’re not excited? This is a big deal. One of 

the most important things that happen in someone’s life.

BRIAN:  No. I don’t understand. I promise I can be an adult without the surgery.

EDDIE: (Visibly confused, watching.) Surgery?

MOTHER: Everyone does it, sweetheart. It’s an exciting time, part of growing up.

BRIAN:  But … I enjoy my imagination. I don’t want to lose it. Can’t I have an 

opportunity to prove I can do this before being forced to get the surgery?

EDDIE: Lose your imagination?

MOTHER: That’s not how it works, honey. They’ve already done a lot of research. 

This is for the best.

EDDIE: (Turns to audience.) No …

BRIAN:  Growing up sounds … hard. And scary.

MOTHER: The first week will be an adjustment for sure. But that’s why the surgery is 

necessary. It makes it easier.

BRIAN:  But … but what about Eddie?

MOTHER: Eddie?

BRIAN:  My … my friend. 

MOTHER: Oh, honey, Eddie isn’t real. It won’t affect him. We all had imaginary 

friends before the surgery. But all they do is convince us that we’re wasting our time growing up. And that’s just not true. You’re going to be fine, and nothing will happen to Eddie.

(Lights fade out except for the spotlight, flashback over. BRIAN and MOTHER exit stage right. EDDIE takes a few steps towards center stage.)

EDDIE: But … but I’m still here. Will I always be here?

We have to watch, don’t we? (Sits on stage floor.) Maybe it’s because we 

fail. Our punishment, for allowing our friends to lose their imaginations, is 

we’re forced to watch. (Draws knees to his chest.) Or maybe we fade. That 

might be better. I don’t want to watch him lose himself.

(Starts crying.) 

I don’t want to lose my best friend.

(Blackout)