Maine

I'm holding cherries,
but there's blood in these woods

both hands clasped open,
a handful of them, all red and full
perfect doubles from stems untorn,

but there's blood pouring from the knuckles

why are we here?
let's take a deeper look

ext: the dark woods, Maine

Alec holds in his hands cherries,
he's looking at them intently. wide eyes, ferocity.
as if, at any moment, they might disappear.

Alec: I'm crying. I think I'm crying.

Nerm: you are. why?

Alec: because I'm grieving her. my legs - I can't feel them.
I cannot begin to imagine the horror from my fractured chest
god

oh God

fuck. fuck.

Nerm watches Alec with a tilted head, as if trying to discern something there

did you eat one?

Alec: what?

I said, did you swallow it?

Alec: I swear, nerm, if you're going to make a biblical reference,-

that's not it, they're bleeding - look

and sure as Hades, blood is seeping all the way to Alec's elbow,
still the cherries- untainted.

Nerm: why are you crying?

because I'm grieving her. my legs - fuck. the basin, you know what I'm talking about nerm I told you the bas-

of your feet.
I know.
the bayou system crowding the thickness,
empty, echoing

the basin is filling with mudwater, I know.

Alec: how?

I can feel the sizzling spreading by the grass. from each spade.

just then, Alec notices that nerm is wearing no shoes.
that makes sense.

Alec: I'm crying. I'm crying.

Nerm: I know, Alec.
But WHY are you crying?
don't you have everything you want?

everything you need to keep walking?

just then, nerm points at Alec- his clutched wrists, his frozen hands, clasped for the life of them unwilling to part

nerm: the cherries, Alec, I think they're not-

Alec: I'M CRYING
I'm crying because she's aching for me, for all the years lost -
for everything that was bringing us here -- to now.

The forest is still.
it's as if the owls and praline preys have gone mute by order of the trees,
leaning in,
listening

(they know Alec, they know Alec)

And she knows me. but I don't know her.

I can't. because if I hold on, I may never come back - to now.

To the rarity of this horrific chasm.

The woods are silent.
By order of the trees.

Alec looks past his shoulder, to his right, where Nerm stands

Alec: You knew.

Nerm: I did.

Alec: Why didn't you tell me?

And why, for the love of god, years after,
did you keep calling me by her name?

Nerm: Aliskanlik. Laf gelişi.

Alec: Hayır. Başka bir şey var.
Ozluyorsun. Seviyordun.
Çok seviyordun.

Nerm yere bakıyor.
Ağzından kelime çıkmıyor.
Ağzı kapalı, yüreği suruyor, kanalizasyon sistemi yere akıyor ve toprak ile temas edince Nerm Alec'in omuzundan uzağa bakıyor.

bir sahil duyuyor. boğaz, ama tamamen terk edilmiş.

Alec: I'm grieving the loss of a life that was never a life