The Mistake of Time

M. Abirzaim Veraldy

THE MISTAKE OF TIME

PLAYERS

JOSH MACINTOSH, 30, An arrogant, handsome and flamboyant professor

LUNA, 25, JOSH’ assistant who is cute and calm

RYLAI, 65, JOSH’ godmother

GEORGE KENNEDY, 35, a maniac and rude

LINA INVERSE, 25, JOSH’ past beautiful and kind lovestruck

SCENE I Set in year 3030, a convention is held as a presentation of the newest invention that is made by a famous professor called JOSH MACINTOSH. This invention is called a time machine. Many famous professors come to the city hall to witness it. It is on August 1st.

JOSH. Good evening ladies and gentleman, here I am, Josh MaCintosh, would gladly present my newest invention.

(audience are chattering and whispering)

JOSH (opening the curtain). Here it is! My greatest time machine!

(audience are giving applause and amazed)

JOSH. Yes, you all might be amazed with this creation. I finally found it through hard times. Thanks to my brain for giving me this luckiness and my godmother, Rylai, who supported me, but, it is so sad that she has passed away a week ago. I dedicate this time machine for her. Alright, so, is there any question for me?

PROFESSOR 1 (raising his hand). Here, I want to ask you something. If you already solved the formula of time travelling, would you tell us how to do it?

JOSH (laughing). Of course not! This cannot be explained to anybody. It is a secret.

PROFESSOR 1 (murmuring). Geez, he is so arrogant.

JOSH. Alright, next?

GEORGE KENNEDY (rushing angrily) Hey, here! JOSH! Have you ever slept with my wife?! Hey asshole!

(Audience are gasping and shocked.)

JOSH. Excuse me?! Okay, can a security go grab him and take him outta here?! He is ruining everything.

GEORGE KENNEDY (raging). It is George Kennedy you fucking asshole! Remember my wife, Rosalia?! A famous model whom you slept with a week ago! You filthy son of a bitch!

JOSH. Okay! Security! Take him out! Alright, this presentation has ended. I hope you all enjoy your night. Thank you for coming.”

(JOSH rushes into backstage.)

(The curtain is closed and stage was blackout. Audience is coming out with confusion. It is moved to the backstage where JOSH and his assistant, LUNA, are having a small discussion.)

JOSH. What the hell was that?! He has ruined my presentation, that bastard.

LUNA. Calm down Josh. People might mark you as an asshole, but you need to blow the steam off of your head.

JOSH. How can I calm my ass down? People already get exposed by the news.

LUNA. No, I got a plan that can erase that news from their head. You just need to listen.

JOSH. What is it Luna? Tell me.

LUNA. You must do a test, showing them that your time machine is working. That will blow them off.

JOSH (thinking and then hugging her). What a brilliant idea Luna! You’re smart!

SCENE II The pamphlets are already spread over the street. The time machine creator is ready to start his experiment. Before that, JOSH always does his ritual. It is to go to his old house owned by his mother.

JOSH. Okay, Luna, here we are, doing my ritual everytime I do a test.

LUNA. Yes Josh, I know it.

JOSH (sighing). Yeah, I wish I could see her again

(They are coming inside just a while to see the house and then go.)

(It takes place on the city hall at night. It is on August 25th, 3030.)

JOSH. Good evening ladies and gentleman! Here I am again. I would like to apologize for what happened in our last presentation. I will pay it by showing you all this, my very first test of the time machine!

(Audience are gasping and murmuring.)

JOSH. Yes! You all might feel amazed, because this is awesome! We are here, me and my lovely assistant, Luna, will demonstrate you all how this thing works.

(LUNA is preparing the time machine.)

JOSH. Alright. As a proof, I will take some evidence from there. Not to worry about time paradox. I will go back at time where I was not born yet. It means I won’t meet myself.

(LUNA is opening the time machine as it is ready to go.)

JOSH. Okay! We shall start! I hope to see you all again one hour for now

(The machine is on.)

JOSH (whispering to LUNA). Wish me luck.

(JOSH is entering the machine and then disappears.)

SCENE III. JOSH has travelled to the past, back to the year 3000 at the same day. He starts taking picture and gather some evidence, until he meets this girl. 25-year-old girl in front of a bar who has attracted JOSH. She is coming closer to JOSH.

LINA INVERSE. Are you from here? You really look like a stranger.

JOSH. No, I am not. I am from fut... ahh, sorry, I am from outside, I am an outsider here.

LINA INVERSE. Ahh, so you’re an outsider? Yeah, it seems that way. I can judge from your outfits. It looks like it is not from this town.

JOSH. Yep, you’re right.

LINA INVERSE. Haha, you’re so interesting. Nice to meet you.

JOSH (smiling). Nice to meet you too, pretty good-looking girl.

(Then JOSH realizes that it reaches the time deadline. JOSH has to comeback to the future. Time is already set.)

JOSH. Oh, God, this is it!

LINA INVERSE. What is it?

JOSH. Sorry, we can’t talk any longer. I have to go.

LINA INVERSE. Uhm!? But, wait! I don’t know your name yet.

(JOSH rushes into the time machine and comes back to the future.)

(JOSH has finally shown that his masterpiece works. People are amazed and they seem to forget everything in the last meeting. The presentation is over. One day passes by, August 26th, JOSH realizes that his wallet is missing.)

JOSH (panic). Luna, do you know where my wallet is?

LUNA What? Of course I don’t know, I am not keeping your wallet. It might drop in the house. Let’s go check it there.

(They are going to JOSH’ old house.)

SCENE IV They arrived at the house. It is in the late night. They are searching in every corner of the room. And then, JOSH accidentally drop something in the attic. It is a box. It has “father’s stuff” written on it. JOSH opens it.

JOSH (shocked). Whh..... what is this?

(he is shaking)

LUNA (curious). What is it JOSH?

JOSH. It is.... it is.... it is a wallet. It looks like mine.

LUNA (shocked). REALLY?! Let me take a look!

(LUNA opens the wallet. She finds JOSH ID in it.)

LUNA. It is true! It can’t be!! But, how come? You don’t say you dropped it in the past JOSH!

JOSH (starts crying). No, it cannot be mistaken. My mother died when I was 6. Until then I did not know about my father. Could it be?

LUNA. No way JOSH! Does it mean you are the father? Your own father?!

JOSH (cries). It could be. Ah! Then, the girl I met in the past was.... Maybe, she found my wallet there... then, it is true

(JOSH cries a lot.)

JOSH (sobbing). I finally know my parents, Luna. Thanks to the time machine.

LUNA. But, Josh, did you even sleep with her?

JOSH (suddenly shocked) Damn! I did not. I did not even have time.

LUNA. Wow, that is not Josh, I know

JOSH. Geez Luna, it’s not a time to joke. Wait a second! What date is it? August 26th right?

LUNA. Why is so sudden? Ahh, yeah it is.

JOSH. Geez, it means we only have 2 hours left. I remembered that I was born in May 27th at 1 a.m, and it spent 9 months. Well, it was an old research though. But, it is important now.

LUNA. Oh my! Then we have to hurry and go back to the past. It is already 12 a.m.

(They are quickly heading back to the lab where the time machine is stored.)

(They are in front of the lab. They find the door breaks open. Someone has busted the lab. When they enter the lab, they find out that the time machine is destroyed. A letter is left by the Maniac. It is GEORGE KENNEDY, the man whose future had been destroyed by JOSH. He avenges JOSH. He succeeds.)

JOSH. NO NO NO NO NO NO!! NOOOO!!

(JOSH cries hysterically.)

(LUNA drops her knees.)

(JOSH cannot fix the time machine. In the moment of his realizations, he sadly satisfies with the outcome of his time machine, the time machine that leads into his greatest mistake. JOSH cannot blame the Maniac, because it is just a bad timing. Before he disappears, he wrotes his own story, called The Mistake of Time.)