Butterflies On the Moon

Spotlight upper stage left. Unknown Woman (UW) seated by the window, it is raining. She is talking to Unseen Figure (UF) the audience can not see (UF), yet is present. She is smoking a cigarette and has a hot drink...

UW: They say butterflies only live for three days. Others say you could visit the moon in that time. (flicks her ash)

Do you think if butterflies could fly to the moon... they would? Would they still go if it meant it would take all their lives? (pauses)

Or would that be the very reason? Three days, though. (flicks cigarette again). What would you do?

After weeks of slumber, confinement and the invertible metamorphosis… what would you do for only for three solid days of pure freedom?

UF: I wouldn’t. Either way, you’d waste time living your life through someone else's expectations, or waste your time travelling to the moon. Sounds like a curse if you ask me... and a trap! A trap and a curse!

UF's hand comes into the spotlight, flicks his cigarette ash and goes back into the shadows.

UW: Maybe that's why the trip is worth it. I mean, why wouldn’t you go to the moon? Just Imagine…

UF: Butterflies on moon? As opposed to moths on the sun?

UW: Moths follow instincts, butterflies follow senses. A moth would willingly fly into the sun, unaware of its imminent fate, allowing itself to die. They would happily waste their time doing what they are supposed to do. Butterflies are different.

No two butterflies are the same.

(pauses)

Butterflies on the moon...

Think how they would…glide rather than flutter. Swimming through the non-existent air away from pesky birds and their hungry beaks.

You could watch two monarchs synchronised in a long dance that is courteous, strategic, and eloquent to the eyes.

You could blink more than once and wouldn't miss a move, and they would never grow tired. Forever prolonging their deaths...it's - it's quite a beautiful picture, really.

(She sips her drink).

You would want to bring a feast of flowers with you, maybe some small pots to plant them as well (chuckles lightly to herself).

Three days... three days.

Lights fade to black. Spotlight upper centre stage, UW is at a small bus stop with UF. The audience cannot see UF yet is present. It is still raining.

UW: Okay, so now there's a day, and a bit left, your halfway to the moon what do you do, do you turn back waste your time, and thus meeting your death mid-flight or keep going knowing when you get there you have a pretty view but would eventually die, anyway?

(no response from UF, UW stares blankly).

Think about it. You've got no worries from human life, no bills, no commitments, work obligations. No expectations or conformities. Just life. Pure living and daring to do so. Still wouldn’t go to the moon? I would.

Lights fade to black. Spotlight lower stage right. UW is sitting reading a book about butterflies. She turns a few pages, huffs, puts down the book.

UW: This book says butterflies can live up to six weeks! Six weeks? That's a bit longer than three days! Maybe six weeks is three days to a butterfly? A whole freakin' summer holiday. You could go to the moon and back and still have six days' spare!

(long pause)

The rain lightly stops.

That's the funny thing about the concept of time - relatively speaking, it doesn't exist... and yet -

The butterfly effect says we do.

Three days...

Lights fade.

END

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