The Fist

Play #72 of my Brief Candles: 100 Very Short Plays

I may have posted this playlet before. I guess I just felt like posting it again. GMD

The play takes place in a doctor’s office. The doctor—who is a generic and therefore nameless doctor—is listening sceptically to a distressed patient, Victor Franken. Franken has been describing what seems to be an unlikely encounter—but an encounter that has resulted, somehow, in the patient’s receiving an injury, a big empurpled black eye.

Doctor: I’m still not sure I understand you, Mr. Franken.

Franken: But I’ve explained over and over, doctor.

Doctor: But what you’ve told me makes no sense at all.

Franken (pointing to his battered eye): Sense or not, here’s the result!

Doctor (patiently): Tell me again what happened.

Franken (sighing heavily): I was walking to work…

Doctor: Uh huh.

Franken: …and I happened to glance up at the sky and there was this small dark cloud hovering over me.

Doctor: Odd.

Franken: Yes. And then the cloud descended a bit until it floated just above my head.

Doctor: Very strange indeed.

Franken (more agitated): Yes. And then, the next thing I know, BAM!!, this huge fist—as big as a pickup-truck—comes swinging out of the cloud and bashes me right in the face!

Doctor: Knocking you down.

Franken (furious): Of course knocking me down!

[both doctor and patient are silent for a moment]

Doctor (quietly): Tell me, Mr. Franken, do you have any obvious enemies?

Franken (outraged): What, in the sky?!!

[The doctor leans back in his chair, presses his fingers together in an attitude of deep consideration and then turns brightly to his patient]

Doctor (quietly): Tell me, Mr. Franken, are you a religious man?

(curtain)