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Cole is a young man in his early 20’s. He stands alone in a room with nothing but a sink, a small desk and three tables all spaced equally apart, placed side to side with the end facing the audience. He walks from the back of the room so he is standing in-between the middle and right hand table

I finally got here at about half past 2. In the morning that is. I usually just wait for Andy to take his coffee break around midnight but I think his wife is having a baby, so it’s someone new.

 I don’t like the new man.

(Pause)

He walks around and touches things and eats salt and vinegar crisps. Dad ate salt and vinegar crisps. I don’t really mind that, but he drops crumbs all over the floor, and Jenny doesn’t like mess so I have to clear it all up before I can go get her. I think Jenny’s my favourite.  She has this cute little scar above her lip. I don’t think it was anything to do with the accident.  She probably got it when she was working as a cleaner in the button factory. She was a cleaner, Jenny. That’s how I know she doesn’t like mess. I think I’d like Jenny to meet mum, when she finally gets here. She’s always late my mum.  Once she missed the start of my play when I was in year 6. I was villager number 4 and she said I was the best little villager she’d ever seen. “You’re lying” I said and she said “No I’m not”. “You are” I said “I saw you try and sneak in in the interval.”  I was only in the first half. “You were still the best” she said. I didn’t say anymore because I saw that she was wearing a long sleeved jumper. It was summer and 20 degrees outside so I knew what she would be hiding with her long sleeved jumper.

(Walking to the sink and filling a dish with water)

“Come on Danny, drink up” Danny’s new. He came here a week ago. Gunshot to the leg- nothing major. He was serving in Afghanistan or something.  Dad was in the army. He always wanted me to join but I couldn’t even finish the mini-marathon in PE. I got all dizzy and felt sick so Dad had to come and pick me up from school. He was angry because he was watching rugby or a football game, I don’t remember. I do remember what he said though. “You’re pathetic”. “I’m sorry” I said. “How did I ever conceive a pansy like you?” He said. “I’m sorry” I said and I knew I was crying. I didn’t want to cry because dad said only little girls cry but I couldn’t help it. “I’m sorry” I said again and I turned my head to the window so dad wouldn’t notice I was crying. But he did. He stopped the car and said “maybe a walk home through the alleys would teach me how to man up.” Someone stole my school bag. It was okay though, because mum said she’d buy me the one from ASDA that I really wanted. I thought maybe if I got a cool bag the children at school would want to be my friend. They didn’t want to be my friend when I got dad’s old satchel that mum had tried to sew back together. Dad wouldn’t let her buy the cool bag from ASDA.

Now who’s this here? John! I thought John left yesterday. I’m glad John’s still here; he was like a brother to me. We had lots in common because he didn’t have any family to claim him and I don’t have any family left. Apart from my mum of course, I’ve always got my mum.  I think he suits the name John. I don’t know what his real name is but I like the name John Doe. We don’t get many of them down here anymore.

John’s kind of podgy and he’s got this big scar down his chest from the post mortem. It was complications, you see. That means I had to take extra care opening him up so they could find out what caused it. That was always my favourite part in school, in biology, when we got to dissect the animals and the organs. It’s fascinating to me, the way the body works. Little impulses fire from your brain and tell your muscles when to move and how to move and…did you know muscles can still twitch after death? I think it’s all fascinating, but other people don’t. That’s why I came to work here, where people understand it. People up there, they don’t understand. Dad never understood. When I was little, I used to pretend dad had a problem with his brain. That it would send nerve signals down his spine and to his arms and legs causing them to spasm involuntarily. So he couldn’t help it, he didn’t want to hit me, it was just that he had a bad brain.

(Looking towards the clock)

3:29. Mum will be here in a few hours. I know she’s excited, that’s why I let her come. She wouldn’t stop going on about how uncomfortable the bed was and how rude the nurses were.  She wasn’t happy, but I knew she would be happy own here with me. I should get ready; she’ll want to meet Jenny and John. And I’m sure Danny would like to meet her too.

Which will be her table?

(Pause)

I’ll put her between John and Danny, because Jenny can be a bit shocking at first. She’s very pretty but the accident messed up part of her face pretty bad. I saw a photo of what she looked like before the car crash. And it’s there, the little scar above her lip. That’s how I know she had it before she died. 

Author's Note

This is just something I wrote for my coursework, just wanted to get some opinions, think it's any good? Also, can anyone think of a good title?