Characters

Billy Jackson: Youngest child. Sibling of Victoria and Travis. Does not have many friends. Likes

to mind his own business. Doesn’t like taking risks. Scared easily. Does not like being

put into situations he can not control. Follows Travis around.

Travis Jackson: Middle child. Sibling of Victoria and Billy. Billy looks up to him. Very

manipulative. The popular kid in class, has many friends. Very mischievous. A risk taker.

Is not scared of much.

Victoria Jackson: Older sister of Travis and Billy. Not tall but not short. Very smart, always on the

honour roll. Easily taken advantage of. Curious about everything. Nosey. Can’t ever mind

her own business. Very conceded. Arrogant.

Steve Nelson: Friend of Victoria. Tall, very rude and inconsiderate towards others. Typical jock.

Captain of the football team. Most popular guy in school. Has a secret interest in books,

monsters and paranormal activity.

Synopsis

Two brothers have a map that tells them where another world is. They want to see if it is real. They realize they have misplaced the map so they search their sister’s room first just in case it is in there. They don’t find it and realize their sister has it and is going to the spot with her friend. When they arrive they follow clues to the “upside down” and then something terrible occurs.

        Scene 1

Setting: Bedroom of his older sister’s

(We see Billy and Travis searching through baskets).

Billy: Did you find it yet?

Travis: No I’m still looking.

Billy: Oh God, we are never going to find it.

(Billy and Travis search their older sister Victoria’s room for

what they are looking for. They hear footsteps coming up the stairs).

Travis: Dude, we are so dead. Hide!

(Billy and Travis hide in their sister’s closet. Victoria enters the room to get the

map while on the phone with friend Steve).

Victoria: Hey, Im getting the map. Dont worry, those stupid brats have no idea I took it. They are

absolutely clueless. We have to meet tonight at Bluebay park at 9pm. I’ll tell my parents

I’m sleeping out, you do the same. Okay, see you later!

(Victoria grabs the map under her mattress and exits the room and Billy and Travis exit the closet).

Travis: Oh crap! She has it. What if she finds the place before we do? How did she even get it

and why would she even want it? Ugh, she is so nosey!

Billy: Maybe we should just let her go. Who cares if she finds it before us? Is this really that big

of a deal?

Travis: Are you crazy? Of course we have to go. Stop being a big baby. Were going, so shut it.

(Billy shakes his head yes in silence).

Scene 2

Setting: BlueBay Park.

(Billy and Travis see Victoria arrive with Steve at BlueBay Park)

Billy: Oh God. Really, Steve? He is such a jerk. Why is she with him?

Travis: Who knows, maybe he knows something we don’t. Some say he’s really weird and a

secret nerd who’s into monsters and ghosts and that sports are just his big cover up.

(Victoria and Steve begin following the clues on the map).

Billy and Travis follow carefully behind them. The clues lead them into the woods).

(Billy and Travis whisper back and forth).

Billy: Are you sure you want to go in the forest? Mom says we aren’t allowed here after dark.  I heard that the place is cursed and people go missing here all the time.

Travis: Relax princess, it’s just a stupid rumour. Lets go, hurry up before you do fall behind and get lost.

(Victoria and Steve on their knees looking at the hole in the stage)

Billy: What the heck are they doing? What are they looking at?

Travis: I’m not sure. Whatever they are looking for they won’t find. It’s all just a myth.

(While Steve and Victoria are on their knees a monster pops out of hole in stage and

grabs Victoria and Steve. Audience sees, Billy and Steve don’t. Victoria screams loud.

Billy and Travis rush over to hole after scream).

Travis: LOOK! There’s Victoria’s phone! She never goes 5 seconds without that in her hand!

They must be close.

Billy: Travis come over here quick! Come look in here maybe we can see them.

(Billy looks in hole in stage where monster popped out of. Travis

walks away from hole in stage and continues searching the setting).

Billy: Victoria! Steve! Are you down there?

Travis: Dude, we are never going to find them. I think I know where they are. If I’m right, they

are going to need our help.

(Travis looks toward the hole, implying they must go down there)

Billy: Are you kidding me? There is no way I’m going in that hole. We don’t know what’s down

there, it could kill us!

Travis: But she’s our sister! We have to give it a chance. Grow up. You’ll be fine.

Billy: Oh ya like she would totally go into a deep scary hole to save us. Ya right. She thinks we’re

stupid clueless brats, remember? Maybe we should just call for help.

Travis: No way I’m calling for help! If i’m right about whats in there, we could make this

discovery on our own! Every news channel in the world would want to hear our story.

We’d be rich stupid clueless brats! I’m going in whether you follow me or not.

(Travis makes his way to the hole in the stage).

Travis: Are you coming or not?

(Billy slowly makes his way over to the hole in the stage and looks down to it).

Billy: Are you sure you want to do this? Are you really willing to risk your life?

Travis: Don’t worry, we got each others backs. We will protect each other like we always do.

Billy: Fine, let’s do this.

(Billy and Travis grab hands, count to 3, close their eyes and jump into hole in stage).

End Scene

It was 1987 on bright sunny morning in my hometown Herat. When I was about 13, my parents, my two brothers (who were 8 & 9) and I all lived in a small concrete slab that was barely big enough for my two parents alone. My two brothers and I had spent most of our free time in our small backyard which was filled with beautiful trees that my brothers and I would climb. I am only a few years older than them so we stayed relatively close throughout our childhood. Usually our parents would watch us closely just to make sure we were not causing any ruckus. Where we lived, it was hard to just “play outside” like a normal kid. Our parents never really explained to us why we could not be too loud, or why we could not doing certain things. Back then I never understood why, until one day it all flashed before my eyes.

I can still remember the day like it was yesterday. I walked down the short hallway that separated our one bedroom to the living room/kitchen area where I found my family all gathered around our kitchen table stuffing their faces with breakfast. The light shined through the tiny windows, and we talked about our plans for that day. Since we lived far from the city, our parents chose not to put us in school. It was too expensive and unsafe to send us there so they decided homeschooling was a better option. We would do 3 hours of math and language and then the rest of the day was ours. My mother had mentioned that later that day she needed to go to the market to pick up a few things. Since she was not allowed to leave our house without a man, my father would of course tag along. Little did I know, that it would be the last time I would ever see my parents. When they left the house I was responsible for my siblings. They were usually only gone for a few hours so I was okay with it, but time time it was much longer than I expected.

My parents left the house around 12:00 pm which was when the supermarket was the busiest. As the time passed by, I remember watching my brothers sit around and play games, laugh, and smile. They were so young and innocent. They were not able to see how cruel this world can be. A couple of hours had passed and my parents still were not home. I started making up excuses like maybe they had went to a friends or seen someone they knew on the way home yet at the same time, I knew deep down something was really wrong. The time went on and the sun began to set. I continued to act as though they would walk through that door any minute but they never did. Around 8:00 pm, I decided I would go out and look for them. I put my two little brothers to sleep, kissed them both goodbye and I went on my way.

As I left my home, I wondered if I would ever return to them. The streets I lived in are not safe, especially for someone who was my age and gender. I was never more terrified in my life. I had never left the house alone before. I tried to the best of my abilities to stay under the radar and cause no attention to myself but also cover all the ground of where I thought my parents would have been. I searched for about 4 hours during the night though the streets of Herat, and in much sadness, found nothing.

On the walk home, I did a lot of thinking. “What if they never return? How will I do this all alone?”. These were the frequent questions that filled my brain. It was like I grew up in a matter of seconds. I knew I had to be strong, stronger than I ever was before. I had two little boys lifes sitting in the palms of my hands and for those reasons I held it together and promised myself I would devote my life to caring for them. I remember how it felt walking in the doors thinking that maybe my parents had returned but the sad reality was, they never did came back.

On their way to the supermarket, they must’ve been captured by a group. This happens to a lot of families where I was from. I just never thought it would happen to mine. I walked down the small narrow hallway in which I just walked down earlier that day to see my family all together eating breakfast, happy, and smiling and that’s when it hit me. I would never feel that way again. I still haven’t felt that way and it has been 20 years. I made my way into that small bedroom and seen my two little brothers laying there, fast asleep and peaceful. I laid in between them, took their hands and cried.

What was once a small town full of life and laughter is now a town full of sorrow and sadness. It is unsure of what really happen to this ghost town. Upon approach of the town, the feeling of emptiness hits. The feeling of shivers goes down the spine like being hit with a bucket of ice cold water. The traffic lights are the only colour this place ever sees. The dark black clouds hover over what seems to be the entire town. How can an entire town just be washed away and forgotten so easily? How does everyone just get up and walk away? When walking through the streets of this lonesome town, although it is silent, by shutting the eyes for a brief moment, the sounds and images of all the families in the pubs and restaurants pour into the brain like a joyful movie. Once the eyes are open, all that is seen is all the empty tables and peeling wallpaper. The feeling of their joy warms the soul for a split second and then it disappears.  The sad reality sinks in. There are no more cheerful families laughing in these places anymore. The air was breathless. There was not a family or another soul in sight.

The streets are dull and grey. The windows have been smashed in all the houses and bright coloured graffiti covers the buildings from head to toe. Weeds accumulate through every crack in the road. The cold winds that blow through these empty houses runs a cold shock through the body as its wondered what the town would be like if it was not abandoned. People walking through would most likely be able to hear the delightful laughs of children playing in the streets, cars everywhere and most importantly; happiness. Unfortunately, this is not how it is. This town is now forgotten and all the people will have left is their memories of how it used to be.  

Ever since I was a little girl I’ve loved sports. Baseball, volleyball, basketball, hockey, track and field, dance, and figure skating. You name it, I’ve done it . It wasn’t ‘til elementary school, around grade 7 and 8, when I really gained a passion for sports. Yeah, I played a lot, but none of them really ever stood out to me as a “passion”…expect for one: Volleyball.

It all started for me when I played in a tournament in grade 8 and won. I loved that feeling. I loved the feeling of me and my teammates sharing that moment together after all the hard work we’d put in all year. I couldn’t wait to get to highschool and play with a bunch of new people, and against teams that I’d never played before but wow, did the game ever change when I got into highschool. I still remember my first tryouts like it was yesterday. Oddly enough, I wasn’t scared. Everyone was super kind and helpful. We practiced drills, practiced rotations I’d never learned before and ran. We ran a lot! Although it was of course overwhelming at times, who knew that this would be the start of the best 4 years of my life, filled with tears, joy, laughs, wins, losses, and the most amazing memories ever.

Fast forward 4 years, and I’m in my last year of highschool (which felt like forever, even though it was grad in a blink of an eye). My team and I had just had just got the news that we were going to be playing in the NSSSA finals for a chance to go to NOSSA. Of course, we were over the moon because if we won, this would be our 4th year in a row going. The date for games were set and, luckily, we had the advantage of hosting. This  meant we got to play in our own gym, a place where we’ve been practicing all season long. We knew those court lines like the back of our hands. As the days of anticipation lead up to this big moment, we practiced late after the sun had set, and we worked even harder knowing that this could be it. This could be the end of our high school volleyball careers.

When game day finally arrived, I was really nervous but also very excited.  I didn’t want this to be the end. I loved volleyball, I never wanted to stop playing. I woke up bright and early, made sure I had everything I needed for the games like my shoes, socks, ankle braces, knee pads, and a water bottle.  When I got to the school, we all went into the change room put on our jerseys and headed out to the court. Then, we all partnered up, grabbed a volleyball and waited for the ref to blow the whistle for the captains. Once warm ups started, I could always feel the other teams eyes staring at my team and I while we served and practiced our hitting. It was kind of intimidating, but we wanted them to see how well we played the game. When warm ups were done, it was time to get on the court. Like routine, we would all line up at the end of the court, wait for the whistle to blow then walk up to our designated spots and get ready to receive the first serve. As I waited to receive the first serve, my heart raced  with anxiety and sweat dribbled down my forehead. I faintly heard the crowd cheering, but what I was really focused on was setting that ball up for a smash. Once I saw the ball serve off my opponent’s hand and fly over to our side of the net, my teammate bumped it up to our setter and she set it up to the middle, which was me. I thought to myself, this is it, it’s my time to shine. I approached the ball and smashed it over the net to the ground on the other side. I remember hearing the crowd cheering, my teammates encouraging me and I was ecstatic.

When the game end approached, the score was relatively close, and we were getting a little worried but like always, we worked together and got the winning point. That was one of my favourite moments in all of my 4 years. The minute that ball hit the floor and the point was ours, we all jumped and screamed in excitement. To think that my teammates and I had come this far was an amazing feeling. This was 4 years in a row going to NOSSA.  Not only am I thankful for all the memories that volleyball has given me, I’m also very thankful for all of my teammates that became family. We’ve been through all of it together and I would do it all again in a heartbeat