When the People Met Nemo - by Nour Ibrahim

A single candle lights a ruddy, run down studio apartment. In the darkness of the upper left-hand corner Nemo sits reading a Newspaper. On the back of the Newspaper it reads “Molester Brought to Justice”. The light of the candle brightens the room further and we see the door of the apartment stage right, a door to a bathroom on the back wall of stage left, two big brown chairs facing the coffee table the candle is on center stage, and a list of names in the background marked off in red. The only signs of decoration are a foggy family photo and a poster of the Greek monster Medusa with red X’s on her eyes.

The lights go up further and we finally lay eyes on Nemo reading the paper intently.

The doorbell rings.

Delivery Person: Delivery! Delivery for a Nemo Phorcys.

Nemo hastily puts the paper down and scrambles around the room trying to find her sunglasses.

Nemo: Just a minute!

Nemo finally finds them in one of the cushions of the brown chairs. She quickly puts them on and gets to the door, takes a deep breath and opens it with a smile.

Nemo: Hi.

Delivery Person: Hello, I have a package for-

Nemo: Yes, I’m Nemo Phorcys.

Delivery Person: Great, uh, here is your package. Delivery Person hands Nemo a sort of wrapped up canvas. They said you were gonna pay in cash.

Nemo: Yeah, I was. Um, let me go get it.

Nemo turns to get the money.

DP (at door): It’s 56.99.

Nemo: Right.

DP shifts awkwardly on his/her feet, swaying back in forth.

DP: Uh, you have a very nice place.

Nemo (looking around the apartment): Thanks.

DP: I mean, nice place considering the shifty neighborhood.

Nemo: What do you mean?

DP: You know… I mean you know…

Nemo (finally finding the money): No, I wouldn’t be asking if I knew.

DP: I mean with all the uh… (whispers) dead bodies.

Nemo: Excuse me?

DP: I mean, usually whenever they find someone dead on the news, it’s around these parts-

Nemo (Taking the signing sheet from the DP): Ya, but it’s always criminals, right, no one innocent.

DP: Yeah, I mean still, it’s creepy them showing up dead all in one place.

Nemo: I would assume a neighborhood full of dead bad guys would make people feel safer, no?

DP: I mean, yeah… but no.

Nemo raises an eyebrow at DP.

DP (hastily): I just mean, that many dead, uh, what did you call them, “bad guys”? Yeah, I would be more worried about what’s killing them.

Nemo smiles.

Nemo (handing back notepad): I would be too.

DP smiles back.

DP: So, why are you wearing sunglasses?

Nemo (chuckling): Funny story-

Nemo shuts door in DP’s face.

She sighs and goes to pick her paper back up when there’s a knock on the door.

She pauses. There is another knock this time hastier.

Nemo cautiously goes to the door and leans against it.

Nemo: Who is it?

Percy: It’s Percy.

Nemo rubs her face in frustration. She takes a deep breath.

Nemo: Uh, Percy, I thought I told you not to come back here.

Percy: I know, but this is really important, you have to let me in.

Nemo: I can’t do that Percy.

Percy: Please, I really need your help.

Nemo pauses unsure of what to do.

Percy: I have food.

Nemo sighs and opens the door to see a cautiously smiling Percy, holding two paper bags.

Percy: Chinese?

Nemo shakes their head and moves towards the two chairs. Percy follows, placing the food on the coffee table.

Percy: It’s pretty dark in here, do you maybe wanna open a curtain or…

Nemo (going for the Chinese food): Do whatever you want.

Percy goes to open a curtain.

Percy (playfully): So, how have you been?

Nemo: Percy, get to the point or get out.

Percy: And here I thought we were friends.

Nemo: I have no friends.

Percy: C’mon, aren’t we buddies? Pals?

Nemo (breaking open some chopsticks): What on earth gave you that idea?

Percy sits on the chair opposite to Nemo and starts rummaging through a bag.

Percy : I don’t know, maybe the sparing my life part. Nemo glares at him. Fortune Cookie?

Nemo: We are not friends. Nemo looks down at food. You kill people.

Percy: So, do you.

Nemo plays with her food.

Nemo: Yeah, that’s different. Nemo takes a bite of the food and spits it out. The food is cold.

Percy: Yeah, sorry, it took me a while to find your place again. You’re not that easy to find without an invitation.

Nemo: As it should be. Nemo gets up to throw out food. Don’t… just don’t move.

Percy: I won’t.

Nemo exits the apartment. Percy immediately gets up and strides over to the bathroom, feeling his back pocket. He takes a quick look in and goes back out, finds the newspaper on the floor and picks it up. He reads the front page and sighs. He hears the door opening and runs back to the chair with the newspaper and sits casually whistling to himself.

Nemo enters, closing the door, pauses, staring at him.

Nemo: You moved.

Percy: No, I didn’t.

Nemo : The Newspaper was on the floor (pointing) over there.

Beat.

Percy: Yeah, good point.

Nemo sighs and slumps back into her seat.

Percy (making a paper airplane with the newspaper): So… I wanted to ask you something.

Nemo: No.

Percy: Have patience will you, I’m getting there.

Nemo: I already said no.

Percy: What if it wasn’t a yes or no question?

Nemo: Is it?

Percy (cautiously): Yes-

Nemo: Then No.

Percy: Just, c’mon, here me out, okay? It’s a bad guy, you love killing bad guys.

There is a silence.

Nemo: You want me to kill someone?

Percy: Well yeah… Please?

Nemo gets up.

Percy: Look it’s… it’s just so easy for you. All you have to do is look at the guy. And this guy, is pure evil. He’s after my family. Remember, my family? The reason you spared me?

Nemo: I spared you so you wouldn’t get into this crap again. What did you do to get this guy on your back?

Percy: Nothing! I’ve been clean, I swear, I haven’t killed anyone since you spared me. But he’s an angry guy from the past. I’m here cause I want to keep that promise. I don’t want to kill anyone, including him.

Nemo: You just want me to do it.

Percy (sighing): Nemo, I swear, if I had any other option I would use it-

Nemo: You can go to the police.

Percy: And what? If I turn him in, I have to turn myself in-

Nemo: Well maybe that’s the price you have to pay.

Percy: What? Pause. What about that whole giving me a second chance thing-

Nemo: Percy, I don’t do that kind of thing anymore.

Silence.

Percy: What?

Nemo: I said I don’t use my eyes anymore. I’m done with that.

Percy laughs in disbelief.

Percy: Wait, wait, wait, wait. No, not fair. You’re lying. The second I ask for help you just stop doing the thing that you told me literally gave you purpose in life.

Nemo: People change.

Percy: When it’s convenient.

Nemo shrugs. There’s a silence.

Nemo: I think you should leave.

Percy stares at her. He angrily strides towards the door. He stops before he leaves.

Percy: I can turn you in too, you know.

Nemo (sharply): What?

Percy: I can turn you in, I know where you live, it wouldn’t be hard-

Nemo: Alright, turn me in. I’d love to hear what kind of explanation you give the cops.

Percy turns to her desperately.

Percy: Nemo, please. I – I don’t know what else to do.

Nemo: Percy, do yourself a favor, pretend I don’t exist. For all you know, I’m a myth. Now get out, I have something I have to do.

Nemo walks to the package. Percy gets in her way. She pushes him.

Nemo: Don’t look at me like that.

Percy (holding her tightly by the arms): Nemo, please listen to me. I’m begging you. Please. I can’t let him touch my family. Please.

Nemo stares at him sadly.

Nemo (apologetically): I’m sorry… I can’t, I can’t anymore.

Percy nods tearfully. Reluctantly he releases her.

Percy: Fine… fine.

Silence.

Suddenly, Percy retrieves a switch knife out of his back pocket, grabs Nemo’s hair, and holds the knife to her throat.

Nemo: Percy! Don’t.

Percy: Look, I asked you nicely. But in reality, I only need your head, okay, just your head.

Nemo: Are you crazy! I thought you were done killing people.

Percy (mockingly): Please. You’re not people. You’re hardly human. You’re a monster. A literal monster.

He presses the knife further into her neck.

Nemo (weakly): Don’t…

Percy: You gave me no other choice you freak!

Nemo quickly take off her sunglasses. Percy looks her in the eyes with horror and realization.

Percy: No-

Percy collapses to the floor. Nemo leans against the wall behind her gasping, rubbing her throat. She sinks to the floor weeping. She looks around the room and notices her package. She slowly gets up and goes to pick it up. She goes to the coffee table blows out the candle, removes it and places the package on the table instead. She opens it face down, picks it up, revealing to us that it is a mirror. She is careful to keep the reflective side out of her line of site. She looks to Percy’s dead body and moves to go to the bathroom. On her way she stops by the family photo, and gently moves her fingers along the frame. She then continues to the bathroom with the mirror, enters and closes the door. There is a silence and finally the soft thud of a body hitting the floor.