ZOOM IN

ZOOM IN:

A Short Play on Coronic Connection by David Erdos

       

A Zoom call. STEVE and DAN, brothers. DAN is much older. Steve has a beer. Dan has coffee. The scene starts with their drinks close to camera, before they cyber clink, drink and frame up.

DAN.  Here’s to a different world.

STEVE.  Yeah, it is.

DAN.  You wouldn’t understand. Tech’s your magic.

STEVE.  That was a cyber clink, not a click, Dan. And Tech isn’t magic.

        Its just the way of the world.

DAN.  Yeah, but its not the same. Not as mine. We were born in

      Different centuries, almost.

STEVE.  Alright, Mr Moses  I was born in 96.

DAN.  Nearly. See? There’s a helicopter circling round here. It’s like a

      fucking wasp right beside me.

STEVE.  You’ve got a wasp in the house?

DAN.  It feels like it. Its seriously loud.

STEVE.  Judgement time.

DAN.  You think so?

STEVE.  For sure! I mean what is this if not judgement? Fate RUS.

        Whatever. Something’s going down. Wait and see.

DAN.  God forbid.

STEVE.  God forgets. I never had you down as religious.

DAN.  I’m not. I wasn’t. But then all this makes you think.

STEVE.  Nostradamus. All that.

DAN.  Yeah. That and the fears of my dear but done Jewish mother

STEVE.  2020. All we need is the blood now. We’ve had the locusts and the

        burning bush.

DAN.  How’s your kids?

STEVE.  They’re alright.

DAN.  Right, ok.

STEVE.  I see them on zoom when she lets me.

DAN.  Should do it every night.

STEVE.  I have to eat humble starters. I don’t get the pie. Never did.

DAN.  How old are they?

STEVE.  Three. Congrats, bro: shit uncle.

DAN.  Its my badge of pride.

STEVE.  They don’t see you.

DAN.  Well, they never have. That’s all you. You were only with her a

      week. Or that’s what it felt like. This is a way to feel normal. If

      we’re stuck with this now for ever, isolation begets unity.

STEVE.  Be-what?

DAN.  Gats.

STEVE.  Oh. I don’t have a fucking clue what you’re saying.

DAN.  Its a biblical word. There’s a feeling that this is where we are

STEVE.  I agree. But you see it as a test then, all this. I see it more as

        a story

DAN.  A story

STEVE.  Yeah. Someone’s writing. But we don’t know who. We’re not free.

        We’re all of us trapped on the page waiting for someone else now

        to shape us. I almost find it exciting

DAN.  Steve, this isn’t exciting

STEVE.  Go on, say it doom!

DAN.  Don’t you think?

STEVE.  Do you know what I think?

DAN.  Oh, please

STEVE.  I think you’re all pleased in secret. All of you artists,

        especially you at your age. You missed out on the war. You had

        nothing big happen

DAN.  We had other wars, Steven ! Bollocks

STEVE.  And you just missed out on the 60s. What year were you born?

DAN.  69.

STEVE.  69?

DAN.  69. The fact you have to ask is appalling… and don’t make the joke

STEVE.  Wouldn’t dream it

DAN.  If I had your mind I’d get served.

STEVE.  By who ?

DAN.  With a writ!

STEVE.  See, once again I don’t get you.

DAN.  You never have. But how could you. Here I am with a brother but I’m

      still an only child all the same.

STEVE.  I’m hurt

DAN.  You were born, and I was already married. In fact, I was divorced 

      not long after. I only married her for escape. I had to get away. 

      Dad was harsh.

STEVE.  He wasn’t harsh when I had him. He was old. I had freedom.

DAN.  You don’t have it now.

STEVE.  That’s what you say. And what I say is this: Watch this space.

DAN.  You’re funny.

STEVE.  I know. Its all we can do, mate. Start laughing.

DAN.  What if the joke’s on us?

STEVE.  Then we’re buggered and there won’t be that much we can do.

DAN.  So what do we do, genius?

STEVE.  Wait for the red on the skyline

DAN.  The red?

STEVE.  Armageddon.

DAN.  Devils and what?

STEVE.  Choppers

DAN.  Right.

STEVE.  Do you think they’re spraying stuff?

DAN.  No. Though, does anyone know what they’re doing? Keeping eye

STEVE.  Shepherds. Sky dogs, pointing us out. Shepherding.

DAN.  I think they’re just making sure we stay in. The English have never

      liked getting orders.

STEVE.  I know I don’t

DAN.  Hence, Steven

STEVE. Which means what?

DAN.  Wild and free.

STEVE.  If I was, I’m not now. This is like Apocalypse now with your

        chopper. But really now. This is an Apocalypse for the kissing.

        And with your wasp out there buzzing those kisses to come will all

        sting!

DAN.  You sound like you’re enjoying it

STEVE.  Sure! I’m taking it in, man, its gripping! The world’s been

        reordered. And everything that was the same for years isn’t now.

        Its like in one of those films those old films, disaster chic.

        Dad said you used to watch films together.

DAN.  Untrue.

STEVE.  Charlton Heston. The Omega Man. All of that.

DAN.  They used to be on all the time, films like that. As conjecture.

      They were a kind of escape, with the challenge that nothing we had

      or knew fell that far. Disaster was fun. Dystopian entertainment. As

      imaginative acts, they were classics. But he didn’t watch them. I

      did that on my own, late at night.

STEVE.  I was into that, too, but it wasn’t films I was watching. Or maybe

        you watched the classics and I watched the porno subversions of

        them! Logan’s Bum. Soylent Cream. A Brave New Arse. Type anything

        in now on YouTube and you’ll get its Porno grandson, for sure. Are

        you liking this, by the way, me playing at the shallow

        kid brother? Am I cheering you, Daniel, tell me if I help: it’s my

        dream!

DAN.  Were you like this with him.

STEVE.  We had a laugh, I’ll admit it. He was like Father Christmas.

DAN.  He was like the other old nick with me.

STEVE.  Sorry.

DAN. Its fine. Different century. Very different. You got whacked and felt

     it, and then you stayed whacked.

STEVE.  That’s abuse.

DAN.  It wasn’t abuse. It was called bringing up children! Now they bring

      them down. They abuse them, but it was different then

STEVE.  Golden?

DAN.  No.

STEVE.  Shit, then.

DAN.  Not shit. Shite, maybe. Sometimes. Political correctness destroyed

      things. And its made politics itself incorrect.

STEVE.  Yeah the Fascistas line up after they visit baristas. I’m with you

        there  little brother

DAN.  How does that work?

STEVEN.  Honestly?

DAN.  Yes

STEVEN.  You’re a short arse!

DAN.  Oh, really!

STEVE.  I tell you: it’s like your chopper wasp… the Truth stings

DAN.  Listen we’re all the same height on these screens. The joke used to

      be we’re all the same height lying down. That’s what you used to say

      to a woman.

STEVE.  I expect you stayed standing.

DAN.  I’ve had my share of rest.

STEVE.  Tired now. Look at your eyes, man, you’re fucked.

DAN.  I’ve been staring at screens for a fortnight.

STEVE.  Tracking me down

DAN.  No, I had you.

STEVE.  So, it’s taken all this to connect.

DAN.  I knew where you were

STEVE.  But it took this to call me

DAN.  There – can you hear it, the chopper

STEVE.  Good job you did it, time’s running out. They’ll get you.

DAN.  They’re not out for me.

STEVE. Lucky you. That’s good to know, shortarse brother.

DAN.  And you’re wondering why I waited? I was wary, Steve. Worried.

      I wasn’t really sure how you’d be. And what I’d have to do.

STEVE.  Felt the responsibility, did you?

DAN.  Well, what do years matter when every day feels the same?

STEVE.  You talk like a poem, Dan.

DAN.  Well

STEVE.  Well, do you think they will help us?

DAN.  Poems?

STEVE.  The leaders.

DAN.  Yeah, up the garden path, off the cliff. Who knows what goes on. Who

      knows what will happen. Everything now is just questions. You got an

      answer or two in my day.

STEVE (Sub Northern inflection)  ‘In my day ’

DAN.  If someone’s is going to try to control, or for that matter abuse

      someone else, that’s what they’re going to do. It’s quite different.

      Just as a slap is different.

STEVE.  They need a slap now, all of them.

DAN.  Something’s changed. The days fold. We’re all like cats, close to

      sleeping. We’ve hunkered down and turned inward we’re licking our

      cocks.

STEVE.  If we can!

DAN.  The one thing I’ll say is he was firm, but also unapproachable,   

      distant. An authority. Thank you, but he forgot to be a Dad after

      that. You got the other.

STEVE.  I did.

DAN.  You got the second draft. He’d rewritten. He’d worked out all the

      creases. Your trousers were clean.

STEVE.  Some of them.

DAN.  Mine weren’t.

STEVE.  Wanker!

DAN.  No. I had to wear mine too early. I locked down too early. So, this
      is…

  

STEVE.  What?

DAN.  The same freeze.

STEVE.  It hasn’t been a freeze though, has it? Its been a bake, man. I’m

        boiling   

DAN.  Yes, we’re burning up in our houses. Our beds are wards or will be.

      Zoom in a bit

STEVE.  Why?

DAN.  Zoom in, you’re blurry.

STEVE.  You can’t zoom in on Zoom meetings. Mine is just basic.

DAN.  Then on the phone. I can’t see you.

STEVE.  That’s age and lack of sleep. That’s your eyes. We’re closer now

        than we’ve been as far as I know for ever. You can’t HD me. Or

        my pores. Besides, if we got too close we’d be real. We’d know

        that this really happened.

DAN.  I’ve always lived alone so I see it. You do when you’re alone. You

      see through things.

STEVE.  Little brother returns. Ain’t it sweet? Is that why we do it, have

        kids, so we can wipe our souls on our children?

DAN.  Did you?

STEVE.  No, I shagged her, and if you’re as pumped as me, that’s what

        comes!

(They laugh a little. Dan’s weak.)

STEVE.  You look tired, mate.

DAN.  I am. I’m pacing my cell.

STEVE.  It is prison. Well, if we’re both sat here being honest, then I

        should probably tell you that I know a bit about that, actually.

        Nothing bad, though. Safe stuff. A bit of the old heave-ho. Just a

        warehouse. Not someone’s Home. Wouldn’t do it.

DAN.  So even life at the bottom has standards.

STEVE.  Depends on the arse

DAN.  Well, confess:

STEVE. I suppose there is that. There’s no confessional screen.

DAN.  I wouldn’t know. Not a catholic.

STEVE.  Is that what this, then this lockdown, a chance to confess?

DAN.  Or reflect.

STEVE.  If only they’d had this in good old Mother’s Ireland. She had the

        troubles. All I had were tribbles. I used to binge on Star Trek.

DAN.  He didn’t allow TV.

STEVE.  Christ! And there I was boldly going.

DAN.  It’s why I like this now: I see people. Although I shouldn’t like

      it.

      Loving your cage. It’s a thing.

STEVE.  I’m glad you did. It’s been –

DAN.  Not. Its never been. Let’s be honest.

STEVE. Are you glad he’s dead?

DAN.  I’m an orphan.

STEVE.  With a brother beyond.

DAN.  In Zone 3.

STEVE.  4, actually. I’m not sure if that makes it better… what will we do

        when this ends, then?

DAN.  We don’t know if it will.

STEVE.  No zoom out in any of this

DAN.  No. Not yet.

STEVE.  I should turn around, make a screen. I don’t want to look you in

        the eye.

DAN.  There’s no danger.

STEVE.  Now I feel a bit of a dick.

DAN.  Welcome to my world.

STEVE.  Its all our world now, we’re kept cats.

DAN.  What would you mother say?

STEVE.  She’d explode with or without four Hail Marys. Oh, look: my girl’s

        calling.

DAN.  You’ve got another phone

STEVE.  This is a laptop. I should talk to her.

DAN.  Sure, ok

STEVE.  Sorry

DAN.  No need  shall I hang up?

STEVE.  If you want to. I’ll zoom in soon

DAN.  Not tonight, then

STEVE.  Getting late

DAN.  Right. It is.

STEVE. You’ll be alright?

DAN.  I’ll be fine.

STEVE.  I should really take this call, Dan. I’m sorry. Go, yeah?

DAN.  Gone.

STEVE.  Later. See you on the other side!

DAN.  Right you are.

 (Steve leaves the meeting. Dan remains looking. He moves closer in,

 staring through.)

DAN.  It was good to see you, you yob… screens at last serving someone.

      Which side are you on, Dad? Do tell me? Make that some God’s lesson,

      Who’s blessed. Who isn’t?

(He holds his hand up to the screen.)

      Wanker.

 END.

David Erdos May 4th 2020

©    David Erdos has asserted his moral rights as author of his work and has full copyright.