Garden Sanctuary
A One-Act Play
by
Joseph P. Rogers
Cast of Characters
(In order of appearance)
JANET ( a woman in her thirties)
JACK (her older brother)
JULIE (their younger sister in her late twenties)
LAURA DELL (a psychologist)
Scene I
THE SETTING is in family room of an attractive house. Through the patio doors a garden can be seen. JULIE is outside seated on a garden bench, while inside the family room JANET and JACK converse.JANET: It is time that we call Dr. Dell. We should have done so months ago.
JACK: I'm content to leave well enough alone. She gets up every morning, eats breakfast with me, goes out to the garden, eats lunch and dinner out there, and then comes back inside about ten o'clock.
JANET: This has been going on for over a year.
JACK: I think that she'll eventually become bored and resume a more active life.
JANET: When? Two years from now? Ten years from now? If she were eighty years old, what she is doing would be fine. But she's not even thirty yet!
JACK: I like to see her happy, and she seems happy in that garden.
JANET: "Seems" is the operative word there.
JACK: Considering all that has happened to her, she's done quite well.
JANET: Oh, I know that she had a week worse than anything Murphy envisioned when he wrote Murphy's Law: her fiance broke off their engagement; she lost her job; she was involved in a multi-car accident; and she was mugged by a thief who used both of her credit cards.
JACK: That's enough to make anyone want to withdraw from the world.
JANET: Yes, temporarily, but not permanently.
JACK: She does seem to intend this to be permanent. I'll ask her if she's willing to see Dr. Dell.
JANET: Don't ask her; just go ahead and call Dr. Dell.
JACK: No. It won't do any good to bring the psychologist here if Julie is not receptive to her.
JANET: All right. Try to talk her into it.
(JACK goes through the patio doors into the garden)
JACK: Have their been any butterflies around today?
JULIE: Yes, a few. I'm glad that you purchased that book about how to attract butterflies to a garden.
JACK: Julie, our sister wants you to speak with Dr. Dell. I'm supposed to persuade you to allow the doctor to come here.
JULIE: You're a good brother, so I'll make life easy for you. Tell Janet that you persuaded me. You can call Dr. Dell.
JACK (walks toward the patio doors): Thanks. I suspect that Janet would call her regardless of whether you agreed or not.
JULIE: Yes. She probably would.
(JACK exits)
Scene II
LAURA DELL, accompanied by JACK and JANET, enters the family room.LAURA: I don't suppose that I need to ask where she is?
JACK: No, Doctor, if she were not there, you would not be here.
LAURA: Quite true. All right, let's see what I can do.
(LAURA goes through the patio doors and enters the garden where JULIE is still seated.)
LAURA: Good afternoon.
JULIE: Hello, Dr. Dell. It's been a long time. I wasn't aware that you made house calls.
LAURA: Well, as the saying goes, if the mountain will not come to Mohammed, then Mohammed will come to the mountain.
JULIE: Welcome, Mohammed.
LAURA (laughs): Thanks. How are you doing?
JULIE: Just fine. As long as I stay here in my garden.
LAURA: Well, now, that's the problem, dear. Isn't it?
JULIE: I don't regard it as such. This garden is the solution to my problems. It is my sanctuary. It is Eden before the Fall.
LAURA: It is a rather small garden to take on such importance.
JULIE: It is large enough for me.
LAURA: It's fine to spend some time in one's garden every day, but to spend almost all of your time there is a waste of time, unless of course, one is a professional gardener. Have you ever considered that as an occupation? Perhaps you could get a job over at the botanical gardens.
JULIE: My gardening skills are minimal, and I have never taken a class in botany. In any case, I prefer to remain here in my own garden.
LAURA: And a lovely place it is! But there is a vast world around us, a world filled with possibilities! You have so much that you could contribute to that world, and there is much that it can give back to you.
JULIE: I've lived the active life and found that I prefer the contemplative life. As Socrates said, "The unreflected life is not worth living."
LAURA: Yes, yes. True enough. But being active in the world will give you more experiences upon which to reflect.
JULIE: Some experiences I would prefer to forget.
LAURA: You had a week of terrible luck. However, we can choose how we react to whatever happens to us. We are not like Pavlov's dog that would react to the ringing of a bell by salivating. The dog knew that dinner followed the ringing of the bell.
JULIE: I'll try not to salivate if you decide to ring a bell, Doctor.
LAURA (laughs): Well, good. But my point is that as human beings we have free will and can choose our reaction. If a person's boss yells at her, she can react instinctively and yell back and get fired, or she can choose the reaction most beneficial to her and behave calmly and eventually get promoted.
(JANET enters the garden through the patio doors. She is carrying a tray with glasses on it)
JANET: Would either of you care for some lemonade?
LAURA (taking a glass): Yes, thank you.
JANET: Jack told me not to come out here because you were having a private counseling session. However, I was sure that you would like a cool drink, Dr. Dell. Julie is accustomed to sitting out here for hours without any refreshments. I know that I couldn't stand it out here.
JULIE: You should give it a try, Janet. Some prayerful reflection would do you some good.
JANET: A hermit's life is not for me. I need the company of other persons. I am a married woman with many friends with whom I spend much time. When I'm alone for an extended period of time, I feel as if I almost cease to exist. I avoid solitude like the Plague, Dr. Dell.
LAURA: Actually, that's not a healthy mindset either. Perhaps you would like to make an appointment for a session with me at my office.
JANET: I have no need to see a psychologist! My sister is the emotionally-disturbed person! I am a well-adjusted woman with a husband and many friends!
LAURA: Having a spouse and friends is not proof of emotional stability. I think that you would profit from a few counseling sessions with me.
JANET: I believe that you are the one who would be making a profit from any sessions, Doctor. (She walks away) If you will excuse me, I just remembered some errands that I need to run. (JANET exits)
JULIE: And, when you arrived here, you thought that I was the nutty one.
LAURA (laughs): I don't think either of you is nutty. However, I do think that by returning to society, you could lead a happier and more productive life. Within you is a wellspring of potential that is not being realized sitting out here.
JULIE: Can you be sure of that, Doctor? A wise person once said that more things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.
LAURA: Are you praying out here, Julie?
JULIE: Oh, part of the time. I do some praying, some gardening, some reading, and some star-gazing. I also like to just watch the birds and rabbits and squirrels and butterflies and other insects. It's amazing how much activity occurs in such a small area.
LAURA: I'm not going to get you out of this garden, am I, Julie?
JULIE: No, but thank you for your concern, Dr. Dell.
LAURA: Well, I guess that I'll be on my way. If you don't mind, I'd like to leave some books and CDs by some personal power gurus like Anthony Robbins, Wayne Dyer, and Stephen Covey. I think that you would benefit from what they have to say.
JULIE: That will be fine, Doctor.
LAURA: Good-bye, Julie. Call me anytime that you'd like to talk.
JULIE: I will. Thanks, good-bye.
(LAURA exits through the patio doors into the house.)
Scene III
JULIE picks up one of the books and pages through it. Ten to fifteen seconds later JACK enters through the patio doors.
JACK: So I hear that we won't be going out on the town tonight.
JULIE: I'm afraid not.
JACK: Well, that's okay.
JULIE: Will Janet think that it's okay?
JACK: No, but she's gone. She left in a huff. Suggesting that she needed therapy didn't endear Dr. Dell to Janet. I was eavesdropping inside and felt like applauding the doctor. (He sits down and examines the books and CDs) These look interesting. I thought that Dr. Dell made some worthwhile points.
JULIE: Yes. She did.
JACK: While she was speaking with you, it occurred to me that the verse "Her ways are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace" could aptly apply to you now. You've grown spiritually in the last year.
JULIE: But?
JACK: I'd like to see you share your gifts. We can be in the world but not of the world. Because evil abounds in the world, you want to remain here in this unfallen garden. I would encourage you to try to overcome evil with goodness.
JULIE: I don't know, Jack. It's been a long time.
JACK: When you are in this garden, you place yourself into a peaceful mindset. You could achieve that same mindset no matter where you are. Spread your garden into the world.
JULIE (laughs): You are persistent, and you have been kind to me, and your arguments are sound. Perhaps I will take a little walk over to the park now. I always liked it there.
JACK: Good. That will be a fine start.
JULIE: Tomorrow I might walk over to Janet's house. The expression on her face when she opens the door would be worth a king's ransom.
JACK: At least that much.
JULIE: And, when I finish reading her books and listening to her CDs, I'll return them to Dr. Dell's office.
JACK: Her expression should be worth a queen's ransom.
JULIE: With all that ransom money, we could buy some expensive, exotic flowers for this garden, even though I apparently won't be spending so much time here. (She stands up.) Well, I guess it's time to see what happening at the park.
(JULIE and JACK exit through the patio doors.)
THE END
