A young girl, ELLY, is sitting on the floor or in a chair or on a bed, rocking back and forth gently, humming a happy tune to herself as she braids short pieces of ribbon (or such) absentmindedly on the left of the stage. There are two nurses on the right side of the stage, whispering to each other as they fill out forms on clipboards and fiddle with medicine (or such) a cart. ELLY’s mother, DELILAH, walks in from the stage right, speaks to the nurses, and they gesture to let her into ELLY’s room.

ELLY: (as DELILAH walks in) Bye, bye, Mommy!

DELILAH: (nervously and absentmindedly) No, no, sweetheart, it’s hello. (she pulls a chair up besides ELLY and sits down next to her) Elly, darling, I’m sorry Papa couldn’t be here today, but he’s looking forward to seeing you tomorrow. Do you remember what tomorrow is, Elly? (does not wait long for a response, as if she knows she won’t get one) It’s your birthday, Elly, remember?

ELLY: Bye, bye, Mommy!

NURSE 1: (still whispering in the hallway) …it’s such a shame about that girl…she’s turning seventeen and she has the mindset of a three-year-old…

NURSE 2: …poor girl just broke down in school…my cousin went to school with her, you know…she saw her on the day it happened…such a sad story…

DELILAH: Elly, darling, I got you some new ribbon. (sets it next to ELLY, who doesn’t look at it and continues braiding)

ELLY: I love you, Mommy! Bye, bye!

DELILAH: No, honey, I’m not going anywhere. Why do you keep saying that?

ELLY: Bye, bye, Mommy!

Lights fade.

(end scene)

Lights come back on, ELLY is the same, but she is the only one on stage. Her father, BRIAN enters stage right, coming into her room. He is a mess inside and out.

BRIAN: (sits down in the same chair DELILAH had sat in) Elly, darling. Elly, look at me. Elly! Look at me!

ELLY: No need to yell, Daddy, I know Mommy’s gone to heaven. You should have seen her go up there (she points up) in her big, beautiful wings. Mommy says she loves you. She says she’s going to miss us…(giggles and says in a sing-song voice) Bye, bye, Mommy!