Scenes from an Unwritten Story


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1. The 3 AM Call (Ray, Alex, Elias, & Ellie)

[3:07 AM]

ELLIE: Why am I awake? Who’s dying?

RAY: Nobody’s dying.

ALEX: Yet.

ELLIE: That is not reassuring.

ELIAS: What happened?

ALEX: Ray broke into an abandoned church.

RAY: Okay, first of all, “broke into” is a strong phrase. The door was open.

ELIAS: You mean you forced it open.

RAY: … It was spiritually open.

ELLIE: Oh my God.

ALEX: That is not even the worst part. There were noises.

RAY: It was the wind.

ALEX: Wind does not whisper.

ELIAS: Did you just discover ghosts exist at 3 AM in an abandoned church?

RAY: I was investigating.

ELLIE: For what purpose??

ALEX: To get us murdered, apparently.

ELIAS: You both need adult supervision.

ELLIE: We are the adult supervision, Elias. This is the problem.

RAY: Anyway, you guys wanna come see?

ELLIE: I’m going back to sleep.

ELIAS: You need an exorcism.

ALEX: I hate that I kinda want to go.

ELLIE: I am putting all of you on mute.

RAY: Cowards.


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2. The ‘Friendly’ Debate (Eli & Alex, with Sera & Ray as Referees)

[At a coffee shop, Eli and Alex are glaring at each other over a table, a half-empty coffee cup between them. Sera and Ray are watching like it’s a live sports event.]

ALEX: Crime and Punishment is a literary masterpiece.

ELI: Crime and Punishment is just an over-glorified excuse for an existential crisis.

ALEX: That is literally what makes it brilliant.

ELI: No, it makes it pretentious. It’s three hundred pages of a guy overthinking murder and not doing anything about it.

RAY: Okay, but that’s relatable.

SERA: Ray, please do not relate to Raskolnikov.

ALEX: The point is, it’s a deep psychological exploration of morality, guilt, and redemption!

ELI: It’s a guy talking himself into and out of a crime for an entire novel. Just commit and go.

SERA: Are you… encouraging murder?

RAY: That’s what I’m hearing.

ALEX: It’s philosophy! You wouldn’t understand!

ELI: Philosophy is meant to challenge, not romanticize a man having a breakdown.

RAY: So what I’m getting is, if Eli committed a crime, they’d just do it and go to bed.

SERA: And if Alex committed a crime, they’d leave a ten-page manifesto about it first.

ALEX: I hate that this is accurate.

ELI: You should.

RAY: Can we vote on a winner?

SERA: No. We let them fight until they exhaust themselves.


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3. Lost & Found (Sera & Elias at a Bookstore)

[Elias is standing in the philosophy section of an old bookstore when Sera appears, dropping a book into his hands.]

SERA: This made me think of you.

ELIAS: … ‘A Brief History of Human Suffering.’

SERA: Yeah.

ELIAS: That is not comforting.

SERA: Did I say it was meant to be comforting?

ELIAS: …

SERA: It’s good. Talks about how pain shapes civilization, how we document it, how it becomes history.

ELIAS: I do not know whether to be intrigued or offended.

SERA: Both. That’s how you know it’s good.

[Pause. Elias flips through the pages.]

ELIAS: It actually does look interesting.

SERA: Told you.

ELIAS: And you? What are you getting?

SERA: Something with a happy ending.

ELIAS: That is deeply ironic coming from you.

SERA: Even cynics need hope, Elias.

[They exchange a look, and then Elias tucks the book under his arm, following Sera to the counter.]


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4. The Worst Road Trip Ever (The Whole Group)

[A van. Five hours into a road trip. The descent into madness has begun.]

RAY: I have a game!

ELI: No.

RAY: I didn’t even say what it is yet!

ELIAS: It does not matter. The answer is still no.

RAY: You guys suck. Fine, we’re doing ‘Fuck, Marry, Kill’ but with historical figures.

ALEX: I hate that I immediately have answers.

ELLIE: I want no part in this.

SERA: I have questions about your moral compass, Alex.

RAY: Okay, okay, first round: Napoleon, Julius Caesar, and Rasputin.

ELI: Kill Rasputin. That’s not even a question.

ELIAS: That man survived being poisoned and shot multiple times. You think you could actually kill him?

ALEX: He does make a fair point.

RAY: Okay but consider: Marry Rasputin just to see what happens.

ELLIE: Ray, what is wrong with you.

SERA: I want to say something intellectual, but I kind of agree.

ALEX: So we’re all just ignoring Napoleon?

ELI: Short king energy.

RAY: Short dictator energy.

ELIAS: I cannot believe I am trapped in this van with all of you.

SERA: You love us. Now pick.

ELIAS: Kill Rasputin, fuck Caesar, marry Napoleon.

RAY: And we call me the chaotic one?

ELLIE: Can we listen to music now?

ALEX: Only if I get aux.

ELLIE: No. Last time you played two straight hours of depressing classical music.

ALEX: It was mood-setting!

RAY: It was torture.

SERA: I am unplugging all of you.

ELI: Best decision you’ve made all trip.


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5. The 2 AM Existential Crisis (Alex & Elias, with Ellie in the Background Trying to Sleep)

[Alex and Elias are sitting on the floor of a dimly lit apartment, a bottle of wine between them.]

ALEX: Do you ever think about how nothing we do actually matters in the grand scheme of things?

ELIAS: Yes. Often. It is why I drink.

ELLIE (from the couch): Please go to bed.

ALEX: But think about it! We’re just tiny, insignificant specks in an infinite universe!

ELIAS: Mm.

ALEX: And yet, we still fall in love, still write poetry, still suffer as if any of it actually means something!

ELIAS: Mm.

ELLIE: I swear to God, if you two don’t shut up—

ALEX: What if we’re just characters in someone else’s story?

ELIAS: Then I want a refund.

ELLIE: Then I want to be written out. Now let me sleep.

ALEX: You have no appreciation for existential dread.

ELLIE: I have no patience for your bullshit at 2 AM.

ELIAS: Fair.

[Pause.]

ALEX: So what do you think happens when we die?

ELLIE: Oh my fucking God.


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And so they go on—chaotic, brilliant, ridiculous.

Their story might never be written down, but it is lived, scrawled in late-night conversations, in debates that mean nothing and everything, in the quiet understanding that some people are meant to find each other, no matter the time, no matter the place.

6. Game Night Gone Wrong

[They all agreed on game night. They all immediately regretted it.]

RAY: We’re playing Mafia. Dibs on being God.
ALEX: You just want to kill us all and call it game mechanics.
SERA: Let’s not give Ray godlike powers. Again.
RAY: Oh come on, last time was fun!
ELLIE: You accused three innocent people and then revealed you were the Mafia halfway through.
RAY: It was for the drama.
ELIAS: The only drama I want tonight is fictional.
ELI: That’s a lie and we both know it.

[Game starts. Suspicion builds. Chaos follows.]

ALEX: Ellie’s being quiet. Suspicious.
ELLIE: I’m always quiet. That’s just called existing.
RAY: I vote to kill Elias.
ELIAS: I haven’t spoken this entire round.
RAY: Exactly. That’s suspicious.
SERA: I feel like Ray’s the Mafia.
RAY: You always think I’m the Mafia!
SERA: Because you always are the Mafia.
ELI: I’m not even playing anymore. I’m just here for the emotional fallout.
ALEX: I accuse Ray. Again.
RAY: You’re all sheep. Every single one of you.
ELIAS: I am reading a book under the table now. Continue without me.
ELLIE: Honestly, same.
RAY: Fine! I was the Mafia. But you’re all cowards for not letting me finish my monologue.
SERA: *You had a monologue?
RAY: It involved thunder sound effects.
ELI: Never invite us all to the same room again.


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7. Group Chat: The Apocalypse Edition

[The world might be ending. Or not. But the group chat’s on fire either way.]

SERA: There’s a gas leak in my building and they evacuated us. Just FYI.
RAY: Did you light a candle again?
SERA: Rude.
ALEX: Do you need a place to stay?
ELI: Is it really a leak or just metaphorical?
SERA: *ELI, I’m sitting on a sidewalk with a cat carrier and a toaster. It’s literal.
ELLIE: Why the toaster.
SERA: It’s sentimental.
ELIAS: … I respect that.
RAY: You guys are missing the real question: what if this is the beginning of the end?
ALEX: End of what? The world? Civilization? Sera’s apartment?
RAY: All of it. Look outside. Eerie silence. Storm clouds. Feels apocalyptic.
ELLIE: It’s just cloudy, Ray.
RAY: You sheeple would die first in a horror movie.
ELI: I’d be the killer.
ELIAS: You’d be the narrator.
RAY: I’d be the wild card. No one knows what I’d do.
SERA: You’d trip over your own shoelaces and get eaten by zombies.
ALEX: I want to log out of this chat permanently.
ELLIE: Can I join.
RAY: Fine. When the end comes, don’t say I didn’t warn you.


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8. The “Let’s Do a Creative Project Together” Mistake

[An idea that started with inspiration and ended in catastrophe.]

ALEX: We should write something together.
SERA: A play?
RAY: A horror short film.
ELI: A slow-burn psychological spiral.
ELIAS: A tragic historical piece.
ELLIE: I just want to draw the poster.

[Three hours later.]

RAY: Why is the ghost in love with the war criminal.
ALEX: It’s complex.
ELI: It’s a metaphor for inherited guilt.
SERA: The war criminal is a ghost too, technically.
RAY: You people are out of control.
ELLIE: Can I make the ghost glow neon pink?
ELIAS: No.
ELLIE: I’m doing it anyway.
SERA: This is exactly why we can’t have collaborative projects.
ALEX: I’m still writing the final monologue.
RAY: Final?? This thing has five acts now!
ELI: We’re calling it “The Silence Between the Sirens.”
ELIAS: That means nothing.
SERA: Which makes it art.


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9. The Sleepover: No One Sleeps

[It’s 2 AM. Somehow they’re still awake. Sleep-deprived nonsense has taken full control.]

RAY: Okay, confession circle. Say something you’ve never told anyone.
ALEX: I once plagiarized a poem and won a school award.
ELI: I stalked someone for six months for “research.”
SERA: I cried watching a shampoo commercial.
ELLIE: I sometimes imagine setting my office on fire. For the aesthetic.
ELIAS: I learned Morse code at 13 because I wanted to talk to ghosts.
RAY: I tried to raise a pigeon army once.
[Silence.]
RAY: What?
ELI: You win.
SERA: I have so many questions and I’m asking none of them.
ELLIE: We are never doing this again.
ALEX: We absolutely are. This is gold.


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10. Post-Crisis Breakfast

**[After a sleepless night