Glass Box
Shreya Nilangekar
Characters:
One: an interdimensional, god-like being who blesses artistically gifted people with the abilities to create meaningful art (such as writing, drawing, painting, and sculpting). Belongs to a group known as “The Other Ones,” which is run by the omniscient entity known as “Her.”
Two: another interdimensional, god-like being with similar powers to One. Is responsible for blessing The Girl with her abilities. Also belongs to the “Other Ones” and works for “Her.”
The Girl: the human who has been blessed with artistic abilities by Two and is mostly unaware of this fact.
Settings:
The Girl’s bedroom: located in Piscataway, New Jersey. This is where One and Two have been monitoring The Girl for a while now, since she seems to spend most of her time there itself.
The Girl’s Void: located in The Girl’s subconscious. An abstract place where time and space are in a limbo. This is where her unexpressed, unwritten thoughts and feelings are stored.
Time:
It can be inferred that the events in this play take place sometime around 2018.
Other Notes:
One and Two are god-like beings that exist in a different dimension. Their interactions may seem robot-like, and therefore, non-human, but that is the point. Think of the play as translating the speech / communication between two transient beings into human dialogue.
Act One
Piscataway, New Jersey. THE GIRL’S bedroom.
THE GIRL looks frustrated. She stares at her computer blankly, typing in words and phrases before deleting them. Her wide eyes, shielded behind black frames, look at the window and the dull landscape behind it, searching for an idea. The beings that belong to The Other Ones, known as ONE and TWO, follow her gaze, attempting to understand THE GIRL. When they look back at her, she has already turned off her computer and picked up her phone, her need to write replaced with temporary distraction.
ONE
Just when I felt like we were getting somewhere! What was she even looking at?
TWO
How would I know, One? We’ve been observing The Girl for one week now and we still haven’t figured out a way to solve this problem.
ONE
Can’t believe you’re referring to The Girl as a ‘problem’ now.
TWO
You know what I’m talking about! This isn’t just some petty ‘writer’s block’ as the humans call it! I think we might be dealing with something more serious here.
ONE
Well, what do you think we’re here for? We are what the humans don’t understand, what they choose not to believe…at least in these modern times.
TWO
Do NOT give me that same stupid speech. Do you think I’ve forgotten how to do my job?
ONE
Maybe. After all, you were the one who traveled to other galaxies to find new creations instead of tending to this one.
TWO
I was under Her orders. I had to do my job.
(A beat passes.)
Human Time is slow, anyway. Four years away in Human Time is four eons in other places. I was helping my creations flourish in ways they couldn’t even imagine. What were you doing?
ONE
Demon Control, of course. As it turns out, humans have been developing Demons at a faster rate these past few centuries. A good number of them aren’t ours.
TWO
So they’re like diseases?
ONE
Worse. They’re primitive. Don’t even know their own purpose yet. ONE shudders. They just do what helps them to survive – they devour.
TWO
Do you think The Girl has demons?
ONE
The Demons in this century are different from the past ones. These ones don’t just devour the mind – they devour the soul, too. And based on my assessment of The Girl’s situation, I would say that she does.
TWO
I thought you said these Demons were primitive. If they’re robbing humans of their emotions, they’re taking away what makes them human. They’re taking away human expression!
ONE
They aren’t just taking away human expression. They’re leaving humans with nothing to express. It’s interfering with our entire system.
TWO
Things have really changed around here. We need to act fast.
Act Two
Piscataway, New Jersey. THE GIRL’S bedroom.
ONE and TWO observe THE GIRL again. She sleeps peacefully, her mind weaving dreams. It seems like she has given up on writing for the day.
ONE
I need your help, Two. You have experience. Help me figure out The Girl’s Demons.
TWO
Did Her assign The Girl to you?
ONE
She doesn’t know yet. You might get in trouble if Her knows.
TWO
Why?
ONE
We were the only ones on Earth when you blessed The Girl with writing and then left to go to other galaxies. The Other Ones weren’t even close to Earth at the time.
TWO
So… she’s my responsibility now? Couldn’t you have told me this earlier?
ONE
I just wanted to confirm my suspicions.
TWO
That The Girl is plagued with Demons?
ONE
Yes.
A silence falls over ONE and TWO, who are still trying to process this new information. THE GIRL snores softly, mumbling incoherently.
TWO
We need special permission from the Dream Department if we want to speak to The Girl through her dreams. The only problem is that they’d know something is wrong the moment we ask them for permission.
ONE
Okay, well, why don’t you tell me what you remember first?
TWO
I was wandering around Earth when I felt myself being drawn to something like a magnet. It led me to The Girl.
ONE
And then?
TWO
I sensed this strong emotion coming out of her. When I tapped into it, I found that she always liked writing. I decided to bless her even though she wasn’t on The List –
ONE
She wasn’t on The List? Everyone we bless is supposed to be on The List that Her makes –
TWO
Why can’t you LISTEN to me for one second? I heard a prophecy when I went close to The Girl. Her usually allows exceptions like these.
ONE
A prophecy? That’s it! It could be the answer to finding out The Girl’s Demons!
Act Three
Piscataway, New Jersey. THE GIRL’S bedroom.
ONE
Do you remember what the prophecy said?
TWO
It’s been a while since I heard it, but I recall hearing the words ‘glass box’.
ONE
Really? ‘Glass box’? How’s that going to help us?
TWO
Well, finding a creation’s Demons shouldn’t be impossible! Isn’t there some way you can summon them or something?
ONE
In order to do that, you have to summon the exact emotion that the Demons have manifested into.
TWO
Well, reading her isn’t hard. She writes when she feels emotional…when she feels the need to express herself.
ONE
Could you be more specific?
TWO
(TWO glares at ONE.)
It started out innocently enough: puppy love. Soon, that turned toxic and she wrote more and more about that until she got over it. After that, it was depression and frustration, and then she started writing about all of her emotions.
ONE
What stopped her?
TWO
Actually…I’m not sure. Somewhere along the lines, writing became more than an escape. It became an insecurity. Something she felt she had to prove to other people.
ONE
So, it’s anxiety? Desperation? Demotivation?
TWO
I’d say perfectionism too, but it seems more than that. I don’t know. Whatever’s in her has left such a deep impression that she can’t write anymore. Unless…
ONE
What?
TWO
…unless it’s a combination of everything.
ONE
Like a mess of emotions?
TWO
Exactly! How can you pick one thing to write about if you feel everything? Don’t you think she feels frustrated, too?
ONE
Wait, I think that’s it!
TWO
What do you mean?
ONE
Well, Her always said that our creations had certain things in common. Most of them are creative, imaginative, empathetic, passionate, and –
TWO
– and introspective. The answer lies in her work!
ONE and TWO look through the scattered papers on THE GIRL’s desk, not caring if they make a mess. THE GIRL had a tendency to be absent-minded and disorganized, anyway. They finally stumble across a rough draft labelled “Untitled”. Somehow, it looks different from the rest of her works. It looks raw. Unfinished.
TWO
The Girl never leaves anything incomplete.
ONE
Read it.
TWO
(TWO picks up the rough draft labeled ‘Untitled’ and reads it aloud.)
We both know the issue is not her depression or her sadness. We give our creations pain from time to time to encourage their abilities. But her Demons do not just consist of these things. She has no motivation, and she does not believe in herself. The Demons have created chaos in her, and she cannot write.
ONE
Impressive. In her own way, she knew about us.
TWO
(TWO’s gaze trails down to the end of the page. The last paragraph stops mid-sentence, the words ‘glass box’ italicized underneath. There’s no context to make sense of it.)
Maybe the answer is something she is not fully aware of yet.
ONE
(ONE hovers above THE GIRL and brushes away a strand of hair that rests on her forehead. A few seconds pass. ONE is deep in thought.)
She isn’t dreaming right now. The Dream department will never know.
Act Four
THE GIRL’s Void. A place where time and space are in a limbo.
ONE and TWO jump into THE GIRL’s mind, maneuvering through her neurons and cells. Once they pass the physical barrier, they form a link with her subconscious, asking for permission to enter. Her subconscious lets them in. They arrive at a white landscape. It looks deceivingly empty, but they know it’s not. A powerful vibration resonates through the void, surrounding them, overwhelming them. ONE and TWO feel her unexpressed words and thoughts, her raw emotions, her desires. Suddenly, a swarm of letters appear in the Void, floating in no particular direction.
TWO
The true heart of all our creations. It’s the start of everything. There’s always so much hope and innocence buried in unexplored potential.
ONE
It’s been a while since I’ve explored a creation’s true heart. I’m not sure how we can even find what we’re looking for without getting lost in here.
TWO
(TWO gestures to the void, taking command of the letters swirling around in it. The words finally materialize, spinning around ONE and TWO, creating a dizzying, hypnotic effect. ONE tries not to be affected by it.)
I think we can find the missing paragraphs here.
The words “Themselves control defend to cannot walls creating existence raw new her their too Demons others there are We another care will our come like our parts the of fall will Universe little eaten stuck its in ready pretty trap be to and creatures creation” line up next to TWO.
ONE
Where are the words ‘glass box’?
TWO
I think we have to find out where that fits in.
(It’s hard to concentrate with the other unheard thoughts complaining to be formed into words and the raw emotions begging to be acknowledged, but TWO manages to sort the words in an order that makes sense.)
I think I’ve solved it.
ONE
(ONE reads them aloud.)
Her Demons are raw, new to their existence, creating walls even they cannot control to defend themselves. There are others like Us, so if We cease to exist, another will come to care for our creation. We are only the tiniest parts of the Universe. But the others will fall prey to the Demons’ trap, and We will be stuck in its little____, like pretty creatures ready to be eaten.
(ONE pauses for a moment to digest the text.)
I don’t like the way this sounds. I think we should leave. Her will be looking for us by now.
TWO
I think we should leave as well.
(ONE does not respond. TWO finds that it cannot see ONE anymore.)
One?
ONE
Two? I can’t feel you right now. Or anything.
(ONE and TWO’s voices slowly drift apart.)
TWO
It’s probably just the vibration.
ONE
Two? Two?! I can’t – I can’t hear – I –
TWO
Voids shouldn’t be able to harm us. You should be okay!
ONE
Two? Two? I’m not really sure what’s happening –
TWO
(TWO is now visibly nervous.)
Can you try to tell me where you are? Or what you see?
ONE
They’re coming for me! They’re right here!
TWO
What’s coming for you? One? Are you there?
Act Five
THE GIRL’s Void. A place where time and space are in a limbo.
The words circle around TWO menacingly, accompanied by THE GIRL’s raw emotions, desires, and thoughts. The landscape seems to stretch out longer than usual, shining brighter than normal.
TWO
Won’t you at least show yourselves to me?
(There is no response.)
Anyone?
(More silence. Realization dawns on TWO, who realizes what the prophecy means.)
We will be stuck in its little glass box…like pretty creatures ready to be eaten.
(TWO fades away.)
The letters begin rearranging again, struggling to form proper sentences. A terrifying intensity fills The Void. The words “Glass box prison Her Wait no we can’t purpose primitive can’t form No sense make want control control other ones galaxies Trap them Glass prison only for Her” stand out in the center of The Void.
THE GIRL suddenly wakes up, jolted from a strange occurrence that will leave her mind as quickly as it came. She rubs her eyes, trying to regain her surroundings.
THE GIRL
The Glass Box was built to fit more. The Demons want Her.
Blackout.
Shreya Nilangekar is a junior at Rutgers University majoring in Economics and minoring in Creative Writing and Data Science. She works as a Programs and Communications Assistant at the Samuel Dewitt Proctor Institute for Equity, Leadership, and Justice, which is located at the Rutgers Graduate School of Education. When she is not working or going to class, she enjoys writing short stories and poetry in her free time.