Wish Upon a Star
Stewart Princely is home alone and questioning his feelings and his future...
transcript
transcript
It’s Christmas Eve night and Stewart is navigating his own feelings and wrestling with a decision...
STEWART:
(hums along to ‘O Come Let Us Adore Him’, trails off a bit melancholy and quiet towards the end, sighs, closes laptop, to self, pondering) I...don’t know what I was thinking coming back here. I mean, I know I have to come back home to my parents after camps and stuff because I’m still a kid. (furrows brow) ...technically... (squints, thinking) I’m seventeen now, though. That’s, like, old enough, right? (shifts a bit, sitting up, realization) Could I really not come back? It’s crossed my mind before. But that would be irresponsible. Especially without communicating first. (sighs, looks down) Plus...I guess I was hoping things would be different. But they’re clearly not. Mom seemeed at least a little happy to see me. But dad is same-old-same-old. And they both went to church for the evening service even though I refused to go back there. I guess they still don’t...(sighs) but it’s fine. I watched service online at that other church I found when I stopped going to our local one. It was...(trying to sound hopeful) nice? But I wish I could be there in person. Watching through a screen just isn’t the same. At the end of the day, I’m just sitting on my bed in my room all alone. The house is so quiet. There’s no one here. It doesn’t even feel like Christmas anymore. My dorm room at WILLOWISP feels more like Christmas than this!
(lies back on bed, long exhale) Stupid, stupid, stupid. You should have stayed. WILLOWISP has Christmas services and stuff. You know they have chapel stuff. You checked them out once or twice. They probably had a cool service tonight, maybe. But it’s too late now. You’re here. All alone. In this stupid house in this stupid town with people who don’t believe you and don’t listen to you and just don’t care. (sighs again, turning over) I just...I thought maybe this time they would have changed. At least a little bit. That’s what I get for being hopeful, I guess.
(sits up again) I don’t have to...lose all hope. I can just hope in something else. Hoping my WILLOWISP career will be better than how things are here at home and at school and all the bullies and all the...other crap...is good. It’s just a pivot. I don’t think I can ever lose hope. No matter what happens, I have to hope. Even if it sets me up for hurt. I guess that’s just how I’m wired. Even when...horrible things happen, I can’t help but believe that good will prevail in the end. It has to. I guess that’s why I’ve kept my faith, despite everything.
(curious, stands, walks up to the window) Hmmm... (rushes over to grab his coat, put it on, zip it up, goes back to the window, exerting as he opens it and climbs out onto the roof, sighs into the cold air) There. This is better. It felt too...cramped in there. I know it’s chilly out and there’s snow all over the roof, but I need to (deep breath) breathe. (lies back in the snow, looks at watch) Man. It’s below freezing? But it doesn’t feel like it. I guess I shouldn’t stay out here too long, though. Wouldn’t want to get frostbite or anything. I just...need a minute. (closes eyes, breathes peacefully)
(lies back, looks up at the sky) Wow. The sky is so beautiful. There are so many stars. It’s so clear and bright. (hesitates) God? Sorry if I... (sighs) thank You, for...everything. Things are crazy and sometimes, I really don’t know what to do. I feel like I should get out of here, but I don’t want to be ungrateful. I’m not really a wayward soul like they say, am I? I just...I need to do what’s right for me. I just want You to tell me I’m doing the right thing and stuff. That’s my Christmas wish.
(gasps as he sees a comet pass) Woah! Was that a...shooting star? (whispers in awe) amazing... (thinks) Okay. Okay. I’ll do it soon. (smiles, breathing a warm laugh)
(sudden gasp as his phone pings) It’s..Zeke texting the group chat. (reads while texting) Merry Christmas, guys. (lies back, sighs and continues watching the sky)
STEWART:
(hums along to ‘O Come Let Us Adore Him’, trails off a bit melancholy and quiet towards the end, sighs, closes laptop, to self, pondering) I...don’t know what I was thinking coming back here. I mean, I know I have to come back home to my parents after camps and stuff because I’m still a kid. (furrows brow) ...technically... (squints, thinking) I’m seventeen now, though. That’s, like, old enough, right? (shifts a bit, sitting up, realization) Could I really not come back? It’s crossed my mind before. But that would be irresponsible. Especially without communicating first. (sighs, looks down) Plus...I guess I was hoping things would be different. But they’re clearly not. Mom seemeed at least a little happy to see me. But dad is same-old-same-old. And they both went to church for the evening service even though I refused to go back there. I guess they still don’t...(sighs) but it’s fine. I watched service online at that other church I found when I stopped going to our local one. It was...(trying to sound hopeful) nice? But I wish I could be there in person. Watching through a screen just isn’t the same. At the end of the day, I’m just sitting on my bed in my room all alone. The house is so quiet. There’s no one here. It doesn’t even feel like Christmas anymore. My dorm room at WILLOWISP feels more like Christmas than this!
(lies back on bed, long exhale) Stupid, stupid, stupid. You should have stayed. WILLOWISP has Christmas services and stuff. You know they have chapel stuff. You checked them out once or twice. They probably had a cool service tonight, maybe. But it’s too late now. You’re here. All alone. In this stupid house in this stupid town with people who don’t believe you and don’t listen to you and just don’t care. (sighs again, turning over) I just...I thought maybe this time they would have changed. At least a little bit. That’s what I get for being hopeful, I guess.
(sits up again) I don’t have to...lose all hope. I can just hope in something else. Hoping my WILLOWISP career will be better than how things are here at home and at school and all the bullies and all the...other crap...is good. It’s just a pivot. I don’t think I can ever lose hope. No matter what happens, I have to hope. Even if it sets me up for hurt. I guess that’s just how I’m wired. Even when...horrible things happen, I can’t help but believe that good will prevail in the end. It has to. I guess that’s why I’ve kept my faith, despite everything.
(curious, stands, walks up to the window) Hmmm... (rushes over to grab his coat, put it on, zip it up, goes back to the window, exerting as he opens it and climbs out onto the roof, sighs into the cold air) There. This is better. It felt too...cramped in there. I know it’s chilly out and there’s snow all over the roof, but I need to (deep breath) breathe. (lies back in the snow, looks at watch) Man. It’s below freezing? But it doesn’t feel like it. I guess I shouldn’t stay out here too long, though. Wouldn’t want to get frostbite or anything. I just...need a minute. (closes eyes, breathes peacefully)
(lies back, looks up at the sky) Wow. The sky is so beautiful. There are so many stars. It’s so clear and bright. (hesitates) God? Sorry if I... (sighs) thank You, for...everything. Things are crazy and sometimes, I really don’t know what to do. I feel like I should get out of here, but I don’t want to be ungrateful. I’m not really a wayward soul like they say, am I? I just...I need to do what’s right for me. I just want You to tell me I’m doing the right thing and stuff. That’s my Christmas wish.
(gasps as he sees a comet pass) Woah! Was that a...shooting star? (whispers in awe) amazing... (thinks) Okay. Okay. I’ll do it soon. (smiles, breathing a warm laugh)
(sudden gasp as his phone pings) It’s..Zeke texting the group chat. (reads while texting) Merry Christmas, guys. (lies back, sighs and continues watching the sky)
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