Damaged

Damaged

(meant for theater)

[Character]

Raymond

 

Raymond grew up in Baltimore Maryland. He was raised in a foster home with a brother who was these folks actual son. Raymond always got treated like the red headed stepchild of the family, and never felt like he was part of the family because he was adopted. Raymond’s foster mother Mary, father William, and brother Zach—all lived in an upper class home in a ritzy area of the city. Raymond’s rough childhood of neglect caused him to retreat into comic books, and fantasy worlds. He would imagine his waking life was a battleground and he was the representation of Thor on earth. Currently Raymond is 12 years old and still finds himself wandering his way into the comic book store everyday to read the comics on the used shelf, because he had no money to buy them. After reading, he takes to the streets to pretend he is Thor and searching for something out of the ordinary that he can conjure a mission out of. Raymond has no friends, due to his stunted maturity, and is a product of his psychological dismay endured throughout his life. Raymond wants friends, but he hasn’t had a lot of opportunity to see anyone outside of school, because his foster parents refuse to take him places.

[Character]

Walter Shed

 

            Walter shed is a 60-year-old African American man, who lives in Baltimore Maryland. Walter is from Queen Annes county Maryland, but after his service in Viet Nam for the U.S. Army he moved to Baltimore to live in the city. Walter grew up out in the county and lived with his parents, and had no siblings. His parents are now deceased. Walter got married in 1980 and lived with his wife in the city. Walter never wanted to go to college. He thought that was for rich people, and he found peace and content working retail. He never had much money, but he always remained optimistic for his wife’s peace of mind. In 2005 his wife died of breast cancer. Walter never had any great friends as a child because everyone lived so far apart. As an adult the friendships he did have as a child fizzled out once he joined the Army. Walter has been working in a comic book store for 10 years now, and finds himself wrapped up in the monotony of the last 10 years of his life. He is now alone, a widower with no friends or family. He finds himself sitting on the bench outside his store everyday 2 hours before it opens to watch families across the street at the park, because it reminds him of the love he once had. Walter is still so sad when he is at home over the loss of his wife, that he tries to drown his sorrows in the bottle. Walter feels like he has no purpose, and is ready to meet his maker, and be with his wife again.

[Opening Scene]

Raymond walks into the comic book store with his shoes untied and plastic hammer that looks like a replica of the mighty Thor’s hammer hanging out of his back pocket.

 

Store clerk

Hey son, tie your shoe.

Didn’t your mother teach you to keep your shoes tied? You’re going to ruin your laces.

 

Raymond

Oh! Thanks for letting me know Mr. (long silence)

 

Store clerk

Shed, I’m Mr. Shed

 

Raymond

Thanks Mr. Shed, but my foster mom hasn’t really taught me much of anything.

I just stay out of her way and fight off the frost giants with my hammer.

 

Shed

I see

I’ve noticed you playing in the park across the street a lot.

It looks like you have a lot of fun.

 

Raymond

FUN!?

I don’t have fun over there; I’m too busy saving the world from the frost giants to think about having fun!

 

Shed

Oh, my mistake.

I would hate for the frost giants to get in my store, thanks for protecting me.

 

Raymond

It is but a duty to my people, Mr. Shed

 

Raymond leaves the store to head over to the park with his plastic hammer in his hand. Meanwhile Mr. Shed contemplates Raymond’s situation.

 

(In Sheds thoughts)

This poor kid

He’s obviously way too old to be carrying around a plastic Thor’s hammer

I see this kid everyday, and never is he with anyone.

He comes in here to read these comics and goes over to play by himself in the park

I feel bad for him

 

That night after Mr. Shed closed the store. He went home to his 50 empty bottles of liquor scattered across his apartment, and leftover popcorn kernels all over the recliner and floor. His carpets were multicolored from all of the stains over the years.

He peers at the only picture on the wall, containing a woman, in the arms of himself, with smiles on both of their faces. Indicating a sense of remorse and sorrow.

Mr. Shed opens another bottle of gut rot whiskey, and begins to sip while he watches Shark Week shows on Animal Planet.

The next day Mr. Shed gets up early and heads over to the comic book store 2 hours before the opening time. He sits on the bench out front and casually looks around at the people and smiles, indicating he was thinking about the woman in the photograph. Over in the park he notices a boy balled up in the corner of a park bench crying and alone. He can see that under the bench lied Thor’s hammer. Mr. Shed approached the boy casually.

 

Shed

Son!? What are you doing over here? Shouldn’t you be in school?

 

Raymond jumps, and looked up startled that someone was speaking to him.

 

Raymond

Yes, but I didn’t think anyone would notice if I was gone today

Its not like they even notice when I am there.

 

Mr. Shed looks down at Raymond noticing a black eye forming and a little swelling. His pants were mildly wet and dirty from what appears to be falling on the ground.

 

Shed

How did you get that black eye?

Are you ok?

 

Raymond

Yeah

I’ll be ok.

Just some kids on my way to school.

They didn’t like what I was wearing, and so I hit one of them with my hammer

There was too many frost giants with them this time.

 

Shed

Come on in the store, ill open up early today, you need to get cleaned up

 

They walk over to the store go inside, and Raymond heads to the bathroom to wash the dirt off his hands. Raymond comes back into the set.

 

Raymond

My name is Raymond

I noticed you never got my name, and you keep calling me “son”

 

Shed

True

I was wondering what your name was, but I figured if you wanted me to know you’d tell me

Do those kids give you a hard time often?

 

Raymond

Usually everyday, but I don’t usually get beat up like this.

The power of Thor works in mysterious ways

You never know when the hammer will empower you

You have to be worthy of its might

 

Shed

Yes, you do

I too wielded the mighty hammer once

But that was a long time ago, and that story takes some time

 

Raymond

I sure would like to hear it some time Mr. Shed, but I think I should get to school

 

Shed

One second Raymond!

Here, I have a gift for you that might help

 

Mr. Shed walks into the back room and brings out an old pair of glasses that looked as if they were from the 70’s

 

Shed

Now look

These are invisibility glasses

They were acquired from the downfall of Mr. Evil

I was lucky enough to get my hands on them

As long as you wear these nobody can see you

You must be careful though, because they can still hear you

 

Raymond

ARE YOU SERIOUS?

YOUR GONNA LET ME HAVE THOSE?

Those other kids aren’t gonna give me any trouble anymore before school

 

Shed

Yep!

Just keep in mind, they’re old like me, and may not work all of the time, but most of the time they do

 

Raymond reached in his back pocket and pulled out Thor’s hammer. Stared at it for a moment, and handed it to Mr. Shed

Raymond

Will you hold on to this for me?

Because you were a previous wielder of Thor’s hammer, I will let you use it to fight the frost giants off of your store.

 

Mr. Shed accepted, and smiled.

Raymond headed off to school with his new glasses excitedly.

Mr. Shed closed up the store that night and hung Thor’s hammer by the door so Raymond could see that he put it there to ward off the frost giants. Mr. Shed went home that night to his sloppy and disgusting apartment. He sat in his dirty old recliner in front of the T.V and looked up at the photograph. He smiled at it, and got up and threw his full bottle away and went to bed.

Shed

Thank you dear

You’ve always been there for me.

By: Charles Richmond

PLEASE LEAVE CONSTRUCTIVE CRITISISM.