LOST THE PLOT!
The worst story you'll ever read
Hi! I'm the author of Lost The Plot, AKA The Narrator's Playground. I won't bore you for too long - you're not here for my rambles (at least, not yet). But there's something I want you to know before you read.
This is a long story. While each chapter is relatively short, there's like, 17 of them. If at any point you feel the need to stretch your legs, get some water, or just take a screen break, please feel free to do so. You are under no obligation to read this in one sitting - in fact, I encourage you not to. I'll even add some intermissions, if you need the extra reminder.
Okay, that's all.
On to the story...
Chapter 1: This story is a tangent.
Once upon a time, three girls were sitting in a playground.
It's a fine start to the play, albeit blunt. I suppose that's just the writing style - it's clearly amateur.
Tess, Lemon, and Kate are three girls of no great importance. They grew up in the same quiet neighborhood, and have been friends ever since grade four (They met at a birthday party where they bonded over the hatred of Daniel, a presumably obnoxious boy who isn't mentioned anywhere else in the text. Boom, Friendship!)
Pointless backfill aside, the story begins in the middle of their conversation on a park bench, where Kate is telling her friends all about her wonderfully bland trip to the mountains - more specifically how she got the tacky red sweater she was currently wearing. Tess sits to her right, visibly bored, whilst Lemon makes more of an effort to look interested. You can only imagine their sighs of relief when Kate runs off to bug her parents for travel photos.
Lemon's glow-in-the-dark watch says that Kate's been gone for ten minutes, but to the girls, it couldn't have been more than five. Still, as the hands converge closer to 4:30, she can't help but worry. Lemon is a paranoid girl, and the conveniently located forboding forest is making her even more anxious than usual. Despite her requests to search for their missing friend, the two of them sit there for another five minutes - two to Tess, and ten to Lemon.
Tess is more than happy to leave Kate behind. She'd been frustrated with her over-the-top chattiness for weeks, and with the first day of Official Middle School coming up, she can't afford to be seen with someone like her (that's what the movies say, at least). It's only because of Lemon's insistance that she agrees to look, and even then she barely does. After half-heartedly checking under the slide and trailing behind when Lemon questions the parents, she tries to cop out. I believe the exact quote reads: if she's gone, she's gone! It's really no big deal.
But, as luck would have it, she trips. Not over a stick, or a pothole, but something red that trails into the forest...
Yarn.
The way it's written, the story wants you to think the yarn is blood. It details Lemon and Tess' horrified reactions, even having one yell out "KATE IS DEAD!" for extra flare. But they're not stupid. It's out of character - not to spoil anything, but the entire plot hinges on the two being smart and perceptive.
Either way, the girls eventually realise that
A) the blood is, in fact yarn,
B) It's the same shade as Kate's sweater
and therefore,
C) it'll lead them to Kate.
So, they follow it into the forest.
Jeffrey, where's the string?
Chapter 2: Scene: set
SCENE 2: THE FOREST
A dark forest with dim lights. Eerie music plays in the background, NOT halloween music, there IS a difference.
TESS and LEMON are following a red string, looking for KATE. LEMON is in front, enthusiastic. TESS is uninterested.
LEMON: Kate! Can you hear us?
TESS: Are we done yet?
LEMON: Are you out of your mind? We haven't even reached the end of the string yet!
TESS sighs, but continues. Almost instantly, the string ends in a non-suspicious clearing. TESS doesn't say anything, but drops the string and stands with her hand on her hip.
LEMON: Wha- she has to be here! The string...
TESS: The string means nothing, Lemon. I've been trying to tell you that for the past 20 minutes.
LEMON (emotionally): I'm not giving up on her!
TESS: Well I am, heck, I did 20 minutes ago. I'm going back.
TESS (to self): Alright, which way did we come...
TESS steps on a plate, opening a trapdoor.
TESS: ...from.
LEMON excitedly examines the trapdoor.
LEMON: Tess, you're a genius! I bet she's down here!
TESS: ...are you sure? This place looks ancient.
LEMON: I'm sure of it! Come on!
LEMON runs offstage, 'through' the trapdoor.
TESS: great.
Chapter 3: To-do
Sound List (in order)
- Playground ambience
- Clock ticking
- Organ strike
- Forest ambience
- Wind
- Door creaking
- Glass breaking
- Elevator music
- Static
- Crash
- Footsteps
ScreamNO SCREAM. DO NOT PLAY THE SCREAM.- Power shutdown
- Boss music
- Sci-fi ambience
- Machine start up
- Whizzing
- Cheering
- Birds chirping
To-do
Before show
- Put on stagehand uniform
- Place bench
- Change set to playground
- Have sound open & ready to play
Scene 2 (forest)
- Remove bench
- Remind boss to place string
- Place trapdoor
- Change set to forest
- Dim lights
- Remind boss to remove string
Scene 3 (lab)
- Change set to lab
- Place chair
- Brighten lights
Sponsor break (QuickHear)
- Prepare sounds
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Chapter 4: A masterclass in comprehending death
Scene four begins when Tess and Lemon descend a rickety metal staircase into an abandones science lab. The equiptment is dangerously cobbled together - an amalgamation of test tubes and big red buttons that warn you not to push them. After Tess breaks an empty glass as a one-off joke to emphasise the lab's age, they resume their search for Kate.
In another room, a figure shifts in her chair. She's been sitting for longer than she can remember, anxious, waiting for someone to save her. Brought in a hurry, told to stay put until they came. She's helpless and lost and confused and so, so scared. When she hears the door open, she knows this is her chance.
"TESS! LEMON!"
She yells as loud as her voice permits.
Lemon perks up at the sound of her friend's voice; Tess, not so much. She's more concerned about the dust clinging to her hair - she'll have to wash it twice tonight. Lemon doesn't buy it when she insists it was nothing, so she resigns to brooding as her friend frantically examines the room.
Lemon knows where the exit is. Not by heart, but surely she'll recognise it when they leave. Plus, the main priority right now is finding Kate. She knows she's in here, she can recognise her cheery voice anywhere. Whoever brought her here clearly has the worst intentions, and it'd be totally immoral to leave without her. So it's fine that she isn't actively thinking about the exit, good, even! No, she's not being snappy. Tess is just getting on her nerves - really, how can she be so careless? saying all these horrible things about Kate and the lab and threatening to press that button and-
what?
"I'm gonna do it if we don't leave."
"Tess."
"I will. I'm going to. See."
Her hand hovers over a button on the wall, adorned with warnings and coloured a headache-inducing cherry
"You can't press that, you don't know what it does."
"Go home and I won't"
"You can't be serious. Tess."
Tess' fingers dance across the plastic, tapping along the edge of the button, a promise about to snap.
Lemon is a paranoid girl,
And a smart one. She knows this isn't normal.
The rules that governed life abandoned her at 4:35.
And even though it makes no sense for the button to kill her,
There's always the chance it could.
(She lands with a thud) She lunged towards Tess, (against the wall; a click!) eyes burning, (To her growing horror,) heart pounding, (she begins to realise) thoughts racing to catch up with her body. (what she's done.)
The alarm is blaring before she can react.
THE ALARM!
Chapter 5: Chapter 5 is sponsored by QuickHear
[alarm]
Okay, everyone in positions? Jeffrey, is the elevator music ready?
"In position, we'll count on the start of three. Start on the count of three, ack! Okay. One, two, three!"
[elevator music]
I'm sure you're all wondering how Lemon and Tess will fare in th underground lab
But first a word from our sponsor...
...
"Jeffrey, drumroll!
"Sorry!"
[drunroll]
QuickHear!
Are you tired of low-quality sound effects with
[static]
More static than a plastic slide?
Do you want clean, uninterrupted music for your projects?
Well, look no further than QuickHear.
Every crash,
[crash]
footstep,
[footsteps]
and ear-splitting scream that you hear in this play was ethically sourced from QuickHear.
The website is easy to use, hassle free, and most importantly,
You don't need to pay!
Visit QuickHear.site, where quality sounds are just a click away.
[scream]
"Shoot. Sorry."
Anyways, back to the story, where Tess and Lemon must find a way to escape.
JEFFREY, YOU'RE FIRED!
Chapter 6: Tess is a jerk who can't get in the tunnel
"QuickHear? Sounds like a scam"
"You were listening to that? I'm- no. Tess, what were you thinking? Were you even thinking? You can't mess around in places like this, we, you could get hurt."
"Woah there. I didn't press the button, that was your fault."
"Wha- You started it! I wasn't the-"
"GUYS! IN HERE!"
"That was loud. We're getting closer."
"No we're not, it's probably just like. The echoes. Something sciencey."
"Keep yelling, we'll find you!"
"OVER HERE!"
"Tess, over here, a door!"
"That? It's so... small."
"We'll have to crawl, but I think we can fit."
"I'm not doing that."
"Tess."
"You go in, i'll wait here."
"Oh my gosh, you're joking."
"No."
"Get in."
"You first."
"No, then you'll just stay here."
"Oh no, you caught me."
"Tess, please.
"Fine, but you go in first."
Chapter 7: Reunion
Kate is in the centre of the room, tied to a chair, doing her best to squirm free. Lemon rushes over to her, worriedly inquiring if she's okay.
"Yeah, just help me get untied!" She chimes in her ordinary voice.
She looks overjoyed to see the two, as usual. She's even wearing the same eye-catching sweater from this morning. Her overwhelming normalness puts Lemon off in a way she can't place, but she supposes it's nothing. As long as Kate was safe, she can ask exactly what happened later. Trying to distract herself, she shifts her focus to the rope tying Kate down.
I like to think that Tess has an odd history with knots. Her father took her camping as a child (to her and her hair routine's dismay). He taught her how to tie knots - square knots, overhand knots, clove hitches and the like. He taught her how to untie them too, so she could reuse the rope. However, none of this is written, so we can only assume that Tess just has an unusual proficiency with knots with no explanation other than it being useful to the plot in that moment.
She unties the knot, but Kate doesn't move. She just sits and smiles. Cheerful. Normal.
Surely whoever had taken her would've done something to her. Cut her hair, or something.
But she was completely unchanged.
Almost as if nothing had happened.
It was Tess who figures it out first. I'm sure you've noticed it's become a bit of a running joke in this play, that Tess unintentionally furthers the plot whilst trying to escape it. But this time, she wasn't trying to avoid the task, just take a jab at Kate's fashion sense (or lack thereof)
"Geez, I thought they would've had you change into something less obnoxious before tying you up."
Lemon was about to defend Kate, but she had to admit Tess was right. Even if she'd word it deiieferntly, the question still remained: Why do you still have that sweater? And more worryingly: wasn't it destroyed?
(Yes, it was. The sweater was unravelled and strewn across the forest floor. Tess had tripped over it and thought it was blood. Lemon was adamant about following it to the end. It led them to the bunker.)
So, if Kate's sweater was gone,
How was she still wearing it?