nightfall

CHARACTERS 
ALEX
SYDNEY

SETTING 
Where imagination takes you 

. . . What? 

What do you mean, what? 

You tapped me? 

What? 

You tapped my shoulder. 

Didn’t. 

Poked it. 

Didn’t. 

Three times. 

OK, Alex. 

I know what I felt. You did. 

Didn’t. I’m going over here. 

How full is your bucket? 

Pail. 

Pail. 

Half. Just under. 

Mine too. 

Sun’s getting low. 

So? 

So we’d better hurry. 

Why? 

Don’t want to be caught after dark. 

Caught? 

Not in these woods. 

You don’t have to tell me. 

You asked! 

Oh. 

And we need enough for a pie. 

Two pies. 

Two pies? 

That’s what Mom said. 

Oh. So stop eating them then. 

They’re pretty juicy. 

’Cause of all the rain. 

I know. . . . What? 

What? 

You did it again. 

What? 

Same shoulder. 

Same shoulder what? 

Three taps again. 

I’m way over here. 

Oh. Right. Hm. 

Maybe the wind. 

Hmm-mm. 

What about a branch? 

Mm. 

A bird? 

Hm. 

What’s that? 

What’s what? 

Over there. 

Wolf? 

Coyote. 

Coyote! 

Look, it’s looking at us. 

I think he’s looking at me. 

It’s probably hungry. 

You think he likes blueberries? 

Coyotes do not eat blueberries. 

How do you know? 

Everyone knows. 

What do they eat, then? 

Blueberry pickers who spill their blueberries. 

Thank you, Professor Funny Pants. 

They do, though. Watch your pail. 

I’m watching. 

Let’s follow it. 

Him. 

What. 

Not it. Him. 

He wants you to follow him. 

You follow him. 

OK. 

And split up? 

Just kidding. Here, give me your pail. 

Why? 

Dump yours in mine. 

Why. 

You’ll spill ’em all. 

OK. 

Then we’ll fill yours up again, after. 

Sure. 

If we have time. 

It’s twilight. 

Still got an hour till nightfall. Maybe less. 

Turn right. 

You saw him turn here? 

Yeah. 

I didn’t. 

You were busy with the buckets. 

Good eyes, Alex. 

Every now and then. 

Don’t run. 

I’m not running. 

Good. . . . Pails. 

Mm. . . . Wow. What’s this? 

Never seen this before. 

No. 

Wait, I know. 

What? 

Graveyard. 

But there aren’t any stones. 

It’s older than gravestones. 

How do you know? 

The mounds. 

You see that on History Channel or something? 

Something. 

Should we count ’em? 

Sure. . . . 

It’s like a whole tribe, huh? 

Maybe. Or maybe. . . . 

What? 

Not the tribe. 

Maybe not. 

What do you think? 

Look at the coyote. 

He wants us to go over there. 

Let’s go. 

Wait. 

What? 

Be careful. 

Why? 

Slow down. 

Why? 

There’s a hole. 

Where? 

Oof. Lots of holes. 

OK. Good eyes, Sydney. 

Look. Bones. 

How old? 

Human. 

I bet it was the tornado did it. 

It was just a storm. 

Tornado storm. 

Big storm. 

Yeah. Tornado. 

Fine. 

Fine. 

I think I know what we gotta do. 

Me, too. What? 

Use your pail, maybe. 

Good idea. . . . 

Pat it down good. 

. . . Good? 

Very good. 

Should we say a little prayer? 

Can’t hurt. 

OK. 

Rest in peace, Fella. 

How do you know it’s a fella? 

Rest in peace, Ma’am. 

Rest in peace, Ma’am/Fella. 

We better go. 

Wait. 

What. 

We should check the other mounds. 

It’s getting dark. 

For more bones! 

Good idea. 

. . . Found one. Here, give me back a bucket. 

A what? 

Pail. 

Here. I’ll keep looking. 

Good. . . . There. 

Did you pat it down? 

’Course. And said a prayer. 

Good. 

And one for you. 

Really? 

No more bones? 

All dead and buried. 

Good. 

Let’s go. 

Wait. 

What? 

Aren’t you going to pour some back? 

When we get home. 

Mm, good idea. 

Took longer than I thought. 

That’s OK, we had to. 

We can come back tomorrow morning. 

Good. 

Get up real early. 

How early? 

Pick more. 

How early? 

We’ll be fine. 

Great. Which way? 

Uh-oh. 

Uh-oh is right. 

Where’s the path? 

Look, there. 

What? 

The coyote. 

Where? 

I think he’s showing us the way. 

I don’t see him. 

I see him. 

It’s getting real dark way too fast. 

Clouds. 

Nightfall. 

Nightfall. 

So fast. 

. . . This way. Come on. 

Don’t run. 

Hey, look, the path! 

It worked. 

Thank you, Mr. Coyote, you can go now. 

You can go now, Ms. Coyote. 

Ms. Coyote. 

Bye! 

Bye! . . . Sydney? 

What. 

Look at my bucket. 

Full. 

Yeah! 

How’d that happen? 

Don’t know. 

Well, I don’t know. You were holding it. 

Well, I was busy, wasn’t I? 

I know. 

Hm. 

We’ll have to rinse ’em good, though. 

At least we won’t have to get up so early. 

True. 

Mom’ll be happy. 

Blueberry pie. 

Two. 

Mm. . . . 

They exit, if they haven’t already.  

Stage lights fade.  

Sounds. Crickets . . . a coyote . . . 
where imagination takes you. 
They continue through the  

BLACKOUT. 

JAMES B. NICOLA

James B. Nicola’s seven full-length poetry collections include Fires of Heaven and Turns & Twists (2021-2022). His poetry and prose have received a Dana Literary Award, two Willow Review awards, one Best of Net, one Rhysling, and ten Pushcart nominations. His nonfiction book Playing the Audience won a Choice award.