The Ghosts of Hecksher Park

The Ghosts of Hecksher Park

A 10 minute stage play by J Colton Reid

Title: Ghosts

Scene: A Public Park

Starring: Jim Carrey, Michelle Yeoh, Jennifer Lawrence

SETTING:

Hecksher Park, a playground in Central Park. It is October 1975, only six months since the end of the Vietnam War. Many people pass through Central Park every day, and the playgrounds are generally very busy with local and visiting families. Not the worn down, derelict playground at Heckscher Park. Here it is quieter. Fewer children come to play each passing day. The leaves are starting to turn, the air has a chill to it, but it is not too cold to go out.

CHARACTERS (2W, 1M):

Mei, 67 (played by Michelle Yeoh): Mei is an aged, Chinese-born American citizen. She has lived in New York since she immigrated with her husband, who died several years ago. She is reserved and very observant, often making harsh judgements about people without context. She has faced persistent racism in recent years, and does not go out very frequently. She wears a heavy winter coat, and a trapper hat.

Z, 30 (played by Jennifer Lawrence): Z is a single mother of two children. Her husband was killed in Vietnam, leaving her to raise their two young children alone. Once a fun loving, energetic, joyful person, but fate has left her tired, and unhappy with the path of her life. She is lonely and craves a friend.

Racine, 33 (played by Jim Carrey): Mr. Racine is a dead man. He was a young father, who felt it was his duty to go fight in his country’s name. He was killed, leaving his little child to live with their aunt. He visits the park to watch his child play, and is stuck in a transitory period between this life and the next. Not even death could take away his playful, joking personality. He wears a white-grey sweatsuit.

Scene 1

It’s a chilly autumn day at Heckscher Park. There is a playground with a swingset in the center of the stage, with two benches on the left side of the stage, and one on the right. In the background there is the NYC skyline and several trees, a mix of orange, yellow, and red.

Mei sits on the bench closest to the audience, looking disheveled. Racine sits on one of the swings, but does not swing.

Mei: (Under her breath) What do you think, Bo? They’ll grow up to be fine women, don’t you think? (She pauses, as if listening for a reply, then continues, nodding) In America, they don’t have to be wives if they don’t want to. (Pausing again) Well, they can if they want to. They can be whatever they want to here, that’s the point.

Racine notices Mei seemingly speaking to herself, slowly making his way around the park, toward her. He ends up behind her

Mei: Well now they are fine women, with good husbands too. Fine women who don’t visit their mother. (She pulls out a flask, and takes a long drag) We got what we wanted, eh? (She takes another drink, before placing it on the bench next to her)

Racine gingerly grabs the flask, while Mei is watching children play

Racine: My, my, what do we have here? A crazy person in New York?! (He sniffs the flask) A drunk crazy person in New York! Now I’ve seen everything. (He takes a short drink from the flask) Thank you so much my dear crazy friend. I would say I hope that you fix whatever is wrong in your life, but then I wouldn’t have anything to drink. To your delusion! (He nods the flask toward Mei, then chugs the entire thing, tapping on the bottom to make sure it’s empty. Then he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, and places the flask back where it was)

Mei grabs the flask at that exact moment, their hands almost touching. Racine walks back and sits on the same swing.

Mei: Bo, I swear sometimes you are still here with me. (She attempts to drink from the empty flask) What the hell, did I finish it already? (She lets out a deep, sad sigh. Her hand rubs the armrest on the park bench) Oh, Bo. Oh, Bo. Come back to me, Bo.

Mei stands up without energy and then walks off stage. Racine waves goodbye

Racine: (Yelling after Mei) Same time tomorrow?! Bring something a little less strong, if you could. I’m a lightweight! (to the audience) Get it?

Scene 2

Another cold autumn day in Heckscher Park.

Mei is sitting on her usual park bench, watching the children play. Racine is sitting on his usual swing. Z enters from the left, carrying a baby wrapped up in big blankets. She is chasing a ball that has rolled underneath Mei’s bench.

Z: (out of breath) Sorry!! Could you hand me that ball?

Mei doesn’t notice, she is lost in her own world

Z: (hesitantly taps on Mei’s shoulder) Sorry, could you hand me that ball? I can’t reach down for it

Mei: (surprised and upset) What? Oh, yeah sure. (She grabs the ball and hands it to Z) Here’s your ball.

Z: Thank you, sorry to bother you. (Yelling) Here it is, hun! (She throws the ball toward the playground, hitting Racine in the head)

Racine is shocked and hurt, he rubs the part of his head that got hit. He picks up the ball and inspects it.

Z: (to Mei) Which one is yours? (She gestures toward the playground)

Mei doesn’t reply. She doesn’t even move. Racine throws the ball back at Z, clearly trying to hit her in the head. He nearly hits her.

Z: (a little louder this time) Which one is yours? (She sits on the bench next to Mei, not noticing the ball just barely whizzing past her head)

Racine: Damn! So close. She would’ve whooped her kid bad for that one.

Mei: (agitated that Z sat on “her” bench) None of them! Would you just leave me alone?

Mei gets up aggressively, and storms off stage. Racine follows, imitating her, sticking his tongue out at Z. Z stands up, shocked.

Racine: (sarcastically) Yeah! Leave my friend alone! 

Z is still shocked, and she is looking toward where Mei went.

Z: “None of them?!” What was that all about?

Z sighs, sits, and relaxes a bit on the bench. She is swaying the baby in her arms.

Z: (sighing) Oh hush, hush. It’s ok. Momma’s got you. Momma’s got you. No one’s got Momma, but Momma’s got you.

At that moment, a ball comes flying in from off stage, hitting Z in the back of the head.

Racine: (from offstage) Yes!!

Z: Dammit! (She rubs the back of her head, looking back toward where it came from) Ugh, I hate New York. (She picks up the ball, inspects it for a sec, then places it next to her on the bench. She now speaks to baby) New York was never in Momma’s plan, nuh uh. Neither were you, sweetie. Neither was any of this, sweetie, but that’s ok cuz Momma can keep it all together, can’t she? (She sighs again, shaking her head slightly) I hate New York.

Scene 3

Yet another cold autumn day in Heckscher Park

Racine is standing on Mei’s park bench, staring at the playground. He has an intense look on his face

Racine: Are you watching, honey? You know, your dad was once the best long jumper in the world? Maybe not the world, but definitely Indiana (Aside to himself, shrugging) Top 10. (Back toward the playground) Yep, people called me the Ghost, cuz I was in the air so long, looked like I was floating! Watch!

Racine leaps from the bench, onto part of the playground (a jungle gym of sorts). 

Racine: (pleased with himself) Turns out real ghosts don’t float. (Looking at how far he jumped) Not bad! Still got it.

Racine jumps down from the jungle gym, and sticks the landing like an olympic gymnast

Racine: (looking toward the playground) Dear, one day you’ll be a good long jumper like Dad. I’ll teach you and you can be the best in all New York if you like. (moving towards the playground, he looks slightly down, as if looking at a child who is not there) Oh, honey. I love you so much. Give me a hug!

Racine goes down on both knees and holds his arms to the side, then hugs the empty air in front of him. He holds this position for a moment

Racine: I miss you, honey. (wiping a tear from his eye) I’m sorry I left you. I won’t ever leave again. 

Racine gets up, smiles softly, then walks back to the swing, and sits on it. He pulls the Z’s ball from his pocket, and tosses it a few times

Scene 4

Another mid-autumn day in Heckscher Park

Z is sitting, holding her baby in her arms, watching her other child play on the playground. Racine is tossing the ball high in the air, and catching it, over and over. 

Mei enters from the left, and sits next to Z on the bench. She does not exchange words or say hi at all. There is an awkward silence between them.

Racine, noticing Mei, catches the ball and pockets it. He walks over and inspects Mei

Racine: No drinks?! Why do you spit in the face of our tradition?

Z: (to Mei, awkwardly) Cold day, isn’t it? Too cold for the baby soon I bet.

Mei does not respond

Racine: (to Z) We don’t want to talk to you. Plus your baby is ugly. (He looks at baby and grimaces dramatically)

Racine huffs and then leans down, and ties Mei’s shoes together. Neither her nor Z seem to notice his presence at all. He stands up and walks back to the swingset, tossing his ball in a self satisfied way

Racine: Seriously one ugly baby.

Z: (after some time, to Mei, with fear) It’s your grandkid, right?

Mei: (dismissively) What?

Z: When I asked which one was yours, you said none of them. You meant one was your grandkid, right?

Mei: (thinking for a second) Yeah.

Z: I knew it. (There’s an awkward pause again) Hey, I’m not judging you just so you know. 

Mei: (trying to end the conversation) ok?

Z: For leaving your grandkid here the other day. I think about it half the time too. (She gestures toward the playground)

Mei: (sensing an out) With a baby that ugly, I get it. (She gets out her flask discreetly)

Z: Excuse me? Hey! You can’t drink here!

Mei: Would you just shut it?

Mei gets up to leave, but quickly falls face first on the ground with her shoelaces tied. Racine laughs.

Z: (laughing a little) Are you ok?! (She puts the baby down hastily, to help Mei back up.) What happened?

Racine, now on the jungle gym again, sees the baby teetering toward the edge. He leaps over, catching the baby just in time

Racine: Did you see that, honey? Might’ve been my best jump ever. (He realizes he is holding a child, emotions well up in him, then he continues) Maybe falling on its face would’ve been good for this monster. Mother of the year, we got here! (He places the baby back on the bench in a safer way, then places the ball from his pocket on top of the baby. He looks on them.)

Mei: (begrudgingly accepting help from Z) I’m fine, I’m fine! (she sees that her flask has spilled over and is empty. She sits on the bench, angry and hurt)

Z: (sitting back down) You shouldn’t drink in front of your grandkid. (she picks up her baby, and the ball rolls off. Z doesn’t notice)

Racine: (grumpy) Mother of the year! (he picks up the ball, thinking)

Mei: (without thinking) What are you talking about? I don’t have any grandkids. (realizing she’s outed herself, embarrassed) I can drink wherever I want! Why do you think you can tell me what to do, miss hates her ugly baby.

Z: (annoyed) Are you some kind of creep then? And my baby isn’t ugly! She looks like her dad!

Mei: (starting to yell) Well I can see why he never comes out of the house, your Frankenstein husband!

Z: (fully yelling) My husband is dead!

Mei is caught off guard by this. Z stops, feeling that she’s revealed too much. They sit in awkward silence. Racine lifts up Mei’s winter hat, placing the ball underneath. 

Racine: That’s gonna be really funny when she finds that. (looking to the playground) Honey, did you see what I… (he stops, as Mei speaks)

Mei: (fixing her hat, breaking the silence) The wind’s picking up… (then embarrassedly) I… I am sorry… 

Z: (after a pause) It’s fine. You didn’t know.

Mei: (testing the waters) My husband… He died too.

Z: Vietnam?

Mei: No, no. He died in his sleep a few years ago. Woke up one morning, rolled over and he was just lying there, soulless and empty.

Z: I’m sorry, that’s awful.

Racine: (encouragingly) “Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak knits up the o-er wrought heart and bids it break.”

Mei: (opening up) He was the one who wanted to come to America. So I followed him. He wanted to have kids, so we did. We used to bring them here, you know?

Z: To Central Park?

Mei: No, here. Heckschler. I hated this ugly park, but he liked it cuz it was empty. We’d sit here and just watch the kids play. He’d hold my hand, and it would make me feel… so glad for following him here, for having kids. (there is a pause, Z doesn’t speak, it feels like Mei has more to say, which she does) Sometimes… I feel like he’s here, trying to tell me what to do.

Z: (a little embarrassed) I’m sorry for sitting in your husband’s spot. (she thinks a bit before asking) Would you like to hold the baby? You can say no.

There is a long pause, during which Racine sits down square beneath them, and puts his arms around both of them

Racine: Oh shoot, you’re making me sappy. (looking at the baby) Can you get a disease from holding that thing?

Mei: Yes, I would like that very much I think.

Z hands Mei the baby, around Racine, who recoils from the child. Mei holds the baby expertly.

Z: You’re a natural. Much better at it than me. 

Mei: I didn’t want to be a mom, then I had a lot of practice (Mei chuckles)

Z: I never really wanted it either. Neither of us did. Just kinda happened… A few times

Mei: Why didn’t you give them up for adoption?

Z: Ryan, their dad, didn’t want to. Said he didn’t want their ghosts chasing him around the rest of his life. (she pauses) Convenient for him I guess.

Mei: (while looking at baby) Do you feel like his ghost is chasing you now?

Z: (looking at the playground) I dunno. We were never really in love, I think. We just got together when the first kid came, felt like the right thing to do. (She pauses again, this time for longer) But you know, I do love them. And I do miss him. But I really miss myself, you know, like before the kids, before Ryan. I think… I think I’m chasing my own ghost, grieving myself (she stops, feeling embarrassed) That was stupid, sorry.

Racine: (quietly) “Thou know'st 'tis common; all that lives must die,

Passing through nature to eternity.” 

Mei: (gathering her thoughts) No, I don’t think that’s stupid. (She hands the baby back to Z)

There is a long pause, as both of them think. There is an awkward but honest air between them. A winter bird begins to sing in the trees.

Racine: (looking to the bird) The birds sing their travail. The cry of man is singing too.

Mei reaches across her body with her left arm, and touches Racine’s hand on her shoulder. Racine looks at her, totally shocked.

Mei: (to Z) The cry of man is singing.

Z: What?

Mei: It’s something Bo used to say. Bo’s my husband, I think he’s reminding me so I can tell you. (takes a pause) The cry of man is singing.

Z: (slowly) The cry of man is singing… like, even our pain is beautiful?

Mei: Sort of. I mean, maybe. I never understood that man. 

Racine: (still shocked) It’s lovely to weep. It’s beautiful and poetic to feel anything. We can leave our hearts in one place, even after we’re gone (he looks longingly over to the playground) Or with one person.

Mei and Z do not hear Racine. But they listen to the birdsong for a little while in silence, and it seems that maybe his words find them somehow.

Z: (after a while) The cry of man is singing. We can reminisce and cry and love, but we can’t let our grief kill us, make us into ghosts.

At this, Racine gets up, and looks a little disturbed. He looks at Mei and Z, then slowly walks off stage.

Mei: I like that. I think we both needed to hear that.

Z: Bo’s a wise man.

Mei: He really was.

Z: (interrupting) Is. He is a wise man.

Mei just nods, appreciative. Some time passes again, and the birdsong stops

Z: (checking her watch) Well, we probably should be going. Naptime’s soon.

Mei: Of course. It’s too cold out anyway.

Z: Yeah, honestly. I hate New York winters

Mei: I just hate New York

Z: (chuckles) Yeah same (she pauses) Will we see you here tomorrow?

Mei: I’d like that. (A longer pause, Mei is wanting to say more but can’t quite get the words out) See you then.

Z: You too. (Z turns toward the playground) C’mon honey! Let’s go home!

Z walks around the playground and exits to the right

Mei: (she gets up to go, and as she does, she adjusts her winter hat, noticing the ball) Oh, Bo. You always surprise me (she chuckles, then peacefully) Bye, Bo.

Mei places the ball on the bench, and exits to the left

Scene 5

A non discrete time in Heckscher Park

Racine sits quietly on one of the swings. His feet are against the ground, but his body sways forward and backward slowly. He is holding the little ball in both hands, and staring at it.

Racine: (quietly, to himself) “My grief lies all within, and these external manners of lament, are merely shadows to the unseen grief that swells with silence in the tortured soul.”

Racine: (after a pause) When one dies, the living weep. When one lives, the dead weep. (mocking Shakespeare) “My grief lies within.” (pauses, then introspective) What then, is the living to the dead? Fetuses, not yet born? What is the living to the dead? A memory, cruelly untouchable? What is the living to the dead? (a longer pause, then Racine stands and places the ball on the ground) No, the living are ghosts to the dead. Ghosts. Poltergeists, Haunts. She haunts me. And she’ll live a life without a father, and be fine. I am a ghost to my daughter, but she will forget me. I can never break the curse, and I will never forget her. She will haunt me forever.

Racine exits to the left