"In My Dreams"
School of the Arts 1987
The fire alarm rings out through the crowded corridors of the school as people start to evacuate the building. The other Doris remembers she’d knocked out Leroy, who was unconscious in the auditorium. She goes back to the auditorium to try and rescue him. As she opens the door she can see flames all around. She calls out.
The other Doris: “Help, someone is trapped in here.”
Danny, Chris and Bruno quickly rush over to her. The four of them carefully push their way into the room. The other Doris tells them where she had last seen Leroy.
Chris looks: “Yeah, I can see him!”
Danny runs to get the fire extinguisher that always hangs on the wall but to his shock it is gone.
Danny: “Damn, where is it?”
The other Doris, Chris and Danny rush to Leroy to try and get him out of the room. Bruno notices Lydia calling out from the stage and rushes further into the fire to try to help her.
The other Doris watches in terror as flames seem to engulf her friends.
Lydia: “Bruno honey, thank God, here take Doris’ baby and get her to safety!”
Lydia carefully hands Bruno baby Jenny and he pulls his Jacket around her. Lydia turns and runs back towards the stairs to the back stage area.
Bruno Calls after her: “Wait what about you?”
Lydia turns and looks at him: “I’ll be fine now please Bruno, get that child out of here.
The hooded Leroy watches as The Other Doris, Danny and Chris drag his younger self to safety. He pulls the other Doris to one side.
The Hooded Leroy: “Why are you helping me?”
The other Doris smiles: “Well, despite everything, the Leroy I know is still my friend. Besides it’s my fault he’s lying here unconscious anyway, so I couldn’t just leave him could I?”
The hooded Leroy is taken aback: “You’d still help me even though I’ve been horrible to you?”
Doris nods: “Well, technically the Leroy we’re helping hasn’t been horrible to me yet, so yes I would always help a friend in need!”
The hooded Leroy bows his head feeling ashamed: “I’m sorry... I’m sorry that I haven’t tried to help you through all this and I’m sorry I scared you.”
Bruno meets them carrying baby Jenny: “Quick we all need to get out of here.”
At that moment a beam from the burning ceiling comes crashing down in front of them and blocks their entrance.
Chris becomes alarmed: “Now how are we going to get out?”
Lydia tries to get back down the stairs to the back stage area but flames prevent her. Frantically she calls out after Sherwood.
Lydia: “Elizabeth? ... Elizabeth Are you okay?”
There is no reply and Lydia desperately looks for a way down to help her friend. Then an idea strikes her. There is a small trampoline nearby that was to be used in a dance routine of the show that the school was putting on to give the dancers extra height when they leaped across the stage. Lydia quickly drags it closer to the steps, thinking she can use it to jump and clear the flames. Ideally she’d have a male dancer at the bottom to catch her but this time she was just going to hope for the best.
Lydia takes a long run up, jumps onto the trampoline and leaps into the air. Bringing her legs up like she’s doing the splits. She manages to clear the flames and jump down to the lower level. Thankfully the bales of straw that were stored back stage help break her fall.
Sherwood sits in the corner coughing and the thick smoke causes her to choke: “Lydia! What on earth are you doing?”
Lydia snaps: “I’m helping you, that’s what I’m doing!”
Sherwood is concerned: “What about the baby?”
Lydia: “Bruno has the baby. Now quickly put your arm around my shoulder so I can get you out of here.”
Sherwood does as she is told and sighs: “But how are we going to get out?”
Lydia stops for a moment and looks around the room, realising there is no escape!
Danny spots the fire extinguisher under one of the seats and runs to get it. Then a weird noise is heard throughout the school.
“No! Bruno... I can’t lose you now!”
Everyone looks puzzled at each other, then suddenly the other Doris slowly fades away....
September 2010
Jenny leads a small group of people into her mother’s hospital room.
Jenny: “Are you sure that it’ll be okay for all of you to be here at once”
Bruno smiles: “Probably not so let’s get this done before we get caught!”
Jenny feels uneasy as Bruno, Danny, Chris, Lydia, Coco, Julie, Jesse and Sherwood form a half circle around the bottom of Doris’ bed. As they all hold hands, Bruno turns on a small portable disc player and music starts to play. One by one Doris’ friends sing a line from a song:
“Here as I watch the ships go by
I'm rooted to my shore
I keep asking myself why
And if there's more on the other side
Here as I see the friends I thought I made
A little bit crazed and knowing now
We've outgrown one another
Star maker
Dream breaker
Soul taker
We're happy now
Now when I see the things I want
I can take the things I see
But I keep asking myself why
And if there ain't just a little bit more for me
Here when it's time to count the cost
I keep measuring what I've lost
And wondering if you knew
It would all end up with you
Star maker
Dream breaker
Soul taker
We're happy now
Here as I watch the time go by
How I'd like to sail away
Leaving all my past behind
But I know I'd only last for a couple of days
Here stands everything I thought I made
It's the only life I know
And I can't even call it my own
I've got no hope, I belong to you
My star maker
Dream breaker
Soul taker
We're happy now
We're so happy now ”
As the group sings together on the chorus, unbeknown to them other figures start to fill the room: Mrs Berg, Mr Shorofsky , Angelo Martelli, Nicole, Will, Mr Crandall and Angela Schwartz, although they can’t be seen or heard by the living people they all join in with the song too. Then the hooded Leroy appears and takes his place with the others.
Mrs Berg is surprised: “What are you doing here?”
The Hooded Leroy snaps: “We’ll She’s my friend too!”
Mrs Berg smiles at him and they all carry on singing.
As the song ends everyone looks expectantly at the unconscious Doris lying in the bed but nothing happens.
After a few minutes Lydia takes Bruno’s hand: “It was a good idea Bruno, getting all of us together to sing to Doris to try and bring her out of the coma and I’m sorry it hasn’t worked dear.’
Bruno sighs: “Let’s give it a few more minutes.”
The group of friends stand in silence watching and waiting but still there is no movement from Doris.
Mrs Berg tuts: “Oh my, I was looking forward to a happy ending!”
Angela Schwartz is worried: “Do you think she will ever come out of this coma?”
Mrs Berg nervously bites her lips: “Erm... yes dear.... I’m sure she’ll be fine dear!”
Sherwood breaks the silence: “I’m sorry Bruno but I’m going to have to go I have an appointment.”
The others too agree that they have other places to be. Disappointedly Bruno nods.
Coco hugs him: “I thought Holly would be here. Where is she?”
Bruno gives a weak smile: “Oh she’s busy working on her soap, she couldn’t get away.”
Bruno watches as his friends leave the room. Behind him and unseen the other group starts to disappear too.
Jenny sighs: “I’m sorry it didn’t work. I’m just going to speak to the doctors.”
Bruno stands alone in the hospital room and takes Doris’ hand: “I thought I knew you. I thought if anything would bring you out of this coma then all your friends singing together, one of your favourite songs, would do the trick. Maybe I don’t know you as well as I think I do.”
After sitting holding Doris’ hand for about ten minutes, Bruno presses play on the music player again. He'd been writing a song for Doris ever since the fire had left her in a coma. As the music starts to play Bruno begins to sing:
"You step behind a curtain
In a moment you were gone
Nothing's ever certain
And it's hard to carry on
This is not what we planned
And I know its hard to understand
But if this isn't what you want then
If this isn't what you need pry my fingers from your hand
And maybe it's just meant to be
Maybe you'll find a way to haunt me
Come back and sing a melody to me
Maybe we're just lost at sea
Maybe I'm holding on to driftwood
And I'll be alright if you could
Sing to me
Sing to me
You step beneath the landslide
Nothing feels right when you're wrong
And try to find an upside
Try to sing without a song
This is not what we planned
And I know its hard to understand
But if this isn't what you want then
And maybe it's just meant to be
Maybe you'll find a way to haunt me
Come back and sing a melody to me
Maybe we're just lost at sea
Maybe I'm holding on to driftwood
And I'll be alright if you could
Sing to me
Sing to me
I keep seeing flashes of your hands
When I close my eyes
And I don't know why
And I don't know why
Help me make sense of what I don't understand
'Cause I've gotta know why
I've gotta know why
Tell me why do you sing to me?
And maybe it's just meant to be
That you would sing to me
Maybe we're just lost at sea
Could you come sing for me?
And maybe it's just meant to be
Maybe we're just lost at sea
Would you come sing for me?
Sing for me."
As the song ends Bruno places a tender kiss on Doris’ lips and watches expectantly.
After few moments Bruno sighs: “Maybe I’m not your Prince Charming after all!”
Bruno chokes back the tears and turns to leave, meeting Jenny at the door, who notices he seems upset. She hugs him goodbye and he tells her he’ll call her soon.
As the door closes behind Bruno, Jenny moves closer to the bed and notices her mother’s eyelids flicker.
Jenny becomes excited: “Mom... can you hear me?”
Doris begins to stir, slowly moving her head from side to side.
Jenny rushes to the door and calls out: “Uncle Bruno, she’s awake!”
However, Bruno was nowhere in sight so Jenny rushes back to her mother’s side.
Doris rubs her head: “Where am I?”
Jenny squeezes her Mother’s hand: “Mom, it’s me Jenny. You’re in hospital.”
Doris is puzzled: “Hospital?, ....Why?”
Jenny: “Don’t you remember, you were in a fire?”
Doris thinks for a moment: “Oh God yes the fire. How are the others?”
Now Jenny is puzzled: “What others? It was just you, You were alone in the apartment!”
Doris shakes her head feeling agitated: “No the others at the school, Bruno, Danny, Leroy...”
Jenny gently strokes her Mother’s brow: “You weren’t at the school Mom, you were at home. No one else was there, but Uncle Bruno rescued you and he’s fine!”
Doris is still alarmed: “You don’t understand the School is on fire, Miss Grant is trapped and you, you’re a baby!”
Jenny is concerned: “Mother what are you talking about? I’m a grown woman and you haven’t been to the school for years. Your friends are all okay and the only fire there’s been is the one in your apartment that you lit!”
Doris stops surprised by her daughters words: “I lit the fire?”
Jenny sighs: “Yes, you were depressed, don’t you remember? You’d been drinking and taken some pills and then started a fire. You’ve been in hospital in a coma for the last two weeks. We thought we’d lost you.”
Doris shakes her head: “No, I was at the school of the arts. I went back in time, I saw your Grandmother. All my friends and teachers were there and I was trying to find my way back home to you.”
Jenny takes a deep breath: “Mom listen to what you’re saying. That’s madness! You have been in a coma, you haven’t been at the school and how could you possibly have gone back in time? Grandma is dead and has been for years. I want you to listen to what you’re saying because the doctors think you tried to kill yourself. They are worried about your state of mind. This hospital room is in the psychiatric department. If you keep talking like that they won’t release you and you’ll have to stay here, like before. Do you remember when you were in the psychiatric hospital before?”
Doris becomes alarmed remembering how much she hated being in the hospital: “I’m not mad Jenny, I’m not, I swear to you I'm telling you the truth!”
Jenny tries to calm her: “I know, I know you're just confused, but you can’t tell anyone about time travel and seeing dead people or they will think you are mad. You were in a coma Mom, it must have all been a dream. Just a very strange Dream, right?”
Doris looks at her daughter, with tears in her eyes, questioningly: “A Dream? It was all a dream? None of it was real?”
Jenny nods: “Yes it was all just a dream.”
Doris takes a deep breath and gives a nervous laugh: “I was dreaming?”
To be continued.....