This Is Summer

A square of brown, sweet
Sugar and cocoa
Partnered with a
Golden brown cotton ball
Snuggled tightly together
Between two crunch crackers
Satisfying my sweet tooth
As smoke blows in my face
And a red-orange element
Heats my body beneath the diamonds.
This is summer.

The all-important orb-
Life giving, heat making, light making-
Wakes up early
And goes to bed when it's late.
Tinted eye protection
And SPF 50 is much needed.
People are baking and goldening
Or turning tomato red.
This is summer.

The noise never stops.
"Flip-Flop, Flip-Flop."
Everywhere you go.
Sweltering conditions
Relieved by a light breeze
Or a splash in a lake.
Women sprawled out
On their colorful fabric rectangles.
This is summer.

Mighty Liz (an un-submitted FXT script)

FXT stands for Flathead Experimental Theatre. For the fifth year in a row, students have written original plays and submitted them. The chosen ones are performed by Flathead High's Acting 2 class and directed by the students of Acting 3. I'm house managing for FXT 5 (tickets are available at Herberger's and FHS main office. tickets are $5 for students, children and senior citizens, $7 for adults. Performance nights are May 8 and 9 starting at 7pm in the David M. Hashley Theatre located at FHS)
This was my script which, unfortunately, was not one of the chosen ones. It is about a senior in high school who snaps as she studies for the SATs. Approx time: 10 minutes.

Mighty Liz

INT. A HOSPITAL HALLWAY- NIGHT

There is one light on a girl DR. She starts walking further into the room, other lights come up but they are dim. She carries a teddy bear with a blanket tied around her neck.

LIZ

[Talking to teddy bear] C'mon, Mr. Stuffy! I think the exit is this way

NURSE

Oh, Liz, darling! You shouldn't be out of bed this late!

LIZ

[Yelling] You can't keep me here! Up, up and away! Whoosh!

LIZ runs out UL with her teddy bear still in her hand and her arms thrown out in front of her, flying.

LIZ

They thought they could keep me in there, Carly!

CARLY

[Speaking with pretend interest and enthusiam] No! How did you ever get out of there? What did they do?

LIZ

They tried to brainwash me!

CARLY

Gasp! But how did you escape?

LIZ

Well, after I was captured they insisted that I was not a superhero! They tried to keep me in a bed, jabbing me with needles, but I used my super scream to keep them away! So under the cover of night, my sidekick, Mr. Stuffy, and I made our escape. Only one henchman caught us! But I used my super speed to make a speedy get-a-way.

CARLY

O-M-G

LIZ

But no need to fear any longer, dearest Carly! I am out of their prison hold; I am once a gain, a fee man.. or woman. This chat has be excitingly wonderful, but I must be off! Up, up and away! Whoosh!

CARLY shakes her head as LIZ runs DL and out the door.

CARLY

Wos, the poor girl.

SAM walks in UL

SAM

She needs some serious help.

CARLY

I thought that was the whole reason that she was in the hospital?

SAM

Yes, but as you can see, she escaped. She ran out of the hospital and back home.

CARLY

So what's it like to date a superhero?

SAM

Oh, shut up. She'll be back to normal... I hope.

CARLY

She will be with the plan I have come up with.

SAM groans.

CARLY

What we do is we trick her into taking the SAT's. I know this plan will work. She'll be studying for the SAT's and by the time she finishes taking the dang test she'll snap back and no more "Mighty Liz".

SAM

And exactly just how does this plan of yours go?

CARLY

Don't worry about it. All you need to do is be a victim! Just scream for help; it'll be pretty obvious to know what to do when the time comes.

A high-pitched, girly scream is heard and two men in towels come running on stage from DR with towels around their wastes.

MAN 1

Oh my God, Dudes! There's a chick, a chick! In the boy's locker room!

MAN 2

She started whipping us with towels!

LIZ

Now there isn't a "chick" in the boy's locker room! [She whips the towel in the air] You can't run from me you slimy villains!

MAN 2

Oh my God! She's after us!