Ep 48 – An Important Call

SCENE STARTS: (Everyone is still at the cafe. “Proserpina Bops” plays in the background.)

SAM: I never got to hear this part of the story.

JESSICA: It kinda just all goes downhill from here. We didn’t exactly have time to talk.

ALINA: (pause) Oh, sorry, I was waiting to see if maybe you heard Jessica. It’s hard to tell whether you can or not. 

DREW: Yeah, she said it goes downhill from here, so there wasn’t a time to talk.

SAM: That’s true… but still, Junichi didn’t tell me anything either.

JUN: I’m sure one day you guys can talk about it again. 

SAM: Maybe, but I want to hear Jess’s story. I should have been more aware of the situation.

FADE OUT.

NEXT SCENE: (Sam and Juni are hanging out in the park with Cerberus.)

SAM: Hey, uh, thanks for hanging out with me today.

JUNI: Of course! Wouldn’t miss it. Nice to see Cerberus too. Hey bud.

SFX: (Cerberus barks in agreement.)

SAM: Yeah, I feel like things are finally settling down around here.

JUNI: How long have you been doing this anyways?

SAM: Like being in the park?… Hmm, almost a year now actually.

JUNI: Really? Thought you’d been doing this for a lot longer seeing as you’re kinda related to the owners.

SAM: Most of this stuff is kept away from normal people. Terry can’t tell me about most of what they do. If I know anything too serious, I might become a target, so I mostly just hang out on the sidelines. But I have the park, and of course you guys and Cerberus.

JUNI: Wait, so that means… When Jessica and I arrived at the park… You had only just started going there a few months prior??

SAM: Yeah… You guys really keep me on my toes. Thankfully I had just finished obedience training with Cerberus when we first met. It would have been pretty bad if you guys had come any sooner… I’m pretty sure he would have eaten you guys. 

JUNI: Well, that makes me want to pet Cerberus less now. (pause) Wait a minute… Doesn’t Cerberus only attack dead people who are trying to escape the underworld?

SAM: Hey! You’ve been studying. 

JUNI: Of course. I told you I want to be just like you. Can’t do that without putting in the extra work.

SAM: You’re doing great and if you have any questions, just let me know. We can figure it out together.

JUNI: I… actually do have one question. But I have a feeling it might be too personal, so don’t feel obligated to answer.

SAM: Sure. What is it?

JUNI: When we met with the Kasha, they said, “you of all people should know how meaningless the afterlife is to the living world.” What did that mean?

SFX: (Sam sighs and hesitates.)

JUNI: And again, you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to!

SAM: No, I guess it’s something that you’d need to know eventually. It does happen sometimes in mythology. 

JUNI: What do you mean?

SFX: (Music plays.)

SAM: Uh, my mom she… she died, about a year ago. From cancer.

JUNI: Oh I’m so sorry— Wait, a year ago?

SAM: Yeah. Long story short, I was uh— I was desperate. I lost my mom, so I secretly followed Terry to meet with Hades. It was a real Orpheus situation. 

JUNI: And were you able to see your mom?

SAM: No. Terry begged me not to do it. They told me if one seeks the dead they too will meet their end. I hadn’t seen them cry until that day. I-I couldn’t say no after that. My uncle was… as nice as a Greek god could be about it. He offered me a pass to this park, for when I needed some alone time. Then Terry said it would be too dangerous to go alone, and that’s how… That’s how I got Cerberus.

JUNI: So you never got to see your Mom again?

SAM: I mean, maybe I will one day when I’m ready to move on to the afterlife. I don’t like thinking too hard about what all of this means. But I understood what Terry was saying. If I truly went with my mom, I would have left them alone and I couldn’t do that. The living have no business with the dead, that’s what the Kasha meant. They could have been a little bit nicer with the way they said it though…

JUNI: I’ll say.

SAM: So you and Jessica need to promise me too: “Don’t go where I can’t follow.” 

JUNI: Of course, I promise. And hey, a Tolkien reference? I think Jessica and I really are rubbing off on you.

SAM: Hey, I’ve been studying too. You two are some of the biggest book nerds I’ve ever met.

JUNI: Well, it was our original escape. (pause) Say, when you say “don’t go where I can’t follow,” does that include visiting the fairy world on your own?

SAM: Of course, didn’t we tell you not to do that?

JUNI: Right… Yeah, you did…

SAM: And… What did you say Jessica was doing today?

JUNI: Just, you know, hanging out with Pelu. I’m sure she’s fine. 

SAM: Huh, uh huh. Actually I do have a question for you. Something she told me to ask.

JUNI: S-she did? About what?

SAM: She said to… ask why she calls you Juni?

JUNI: Oh. It’s nothing. It’s just a… a childhood nickname! Yeah. Trust me, she’ll probably call you Sammy if you let her. You know what, it’s probably that! I bet she was too shy to ask if she could give you a nickname as well.

SAM: Jessica? Shy?

JUNI: Sometimes… yeah. 

SAM: Hm okay… Well I, um, I guess you can let her know I prefer Sam.

JUNI: Sure sure. You know how… random Jess can be at times. 

SAM: I guess, but I can’t help but feel maybe she was… maybe meaning something else?

JUNI: Nah. But hey, you know what, I should get going. 

SFX: (Junichi gets up and starts putting stuff away.)

SAM: Right now? But I thought we were going to get food later.

JUNI: Oh, right. Um, I totally forgot I was supposed to meet with Jessica later.

SAM: Well, see if she wants to come along. 

JUNI: Maybe next time. Anyways, I should really get going.

SAM: Okay… I guess I’ll go see if Terry wants to grab anything. See you later then?

JUNI: Yeah! Of course. 

SAM: A-and Jun?

JUNI: Yeah?

SAM: You’re really not hiding anything from me?

JUNI: No, no. Never. I’ll talk to you soon!

SFX: (Juni walks off.)

SAM: (sigh) Okay, so what could he be hiding from me now? 

FADE OUT.

NEXT SCENE: (Music plays as Jessica finally breaks from her trance. Pelu growls at the fairies who are scrambling.)

JESSICA: What’s going on? What did you do to me?

AOS SI 1: Nothing! We did nothing, but invite you to stay in our humble abode!

PELU: Don’t lie! We’ve been here for days! 

JESSICA: What?! 

AOS SI 2: Now, now. Remember when we floated to you that idea of staying with us and never having to deal with stupid humans ever again? You liked that! No more bullies or rumors!

JESSICA: You kept me here… Like a prisoner. How are you not worse than my bullies?! You’re terrible.

AOS SI 2: Well okay, when you put it that way…

PELU: And bad creatures are supposed to be punished!

AOS SI 1: Now, now, h-hold on—

SFX: (Pelu grows big and smacks one of the fairies really hard. Aos Si 1 gets the wind knocked out of him.)

AOS SI 2: What are you doing? You have to stop him!

JESSICA: Why? 

AOS SI 2: What do you mean why? Because that’s the right thing to do!

JESSICA: Maybe you should have thought of that before you kidnapped me!

AOS SI 2: That’s not fair! We were doing this for your own good. You don’t know how to control such a powerful creature. 

JESSICA: Oh and you do? (pause) I told you everything about what’s been going on in my life. And you used it to trick me! 

AOS SI 2: No, no! We understand that you’re suffering. That’s why we wanted you to stay with us.

SFX: (Aos Si 1 groans but gets back up on his feet.)

AOS SI 1: Okay, well that’s going to leave a mark…

AOS SI 2: Are you okay?

AOS SI 1: Yeah, yeah… Listen, Jessica. We really are trying to help you. If you stay here with us, you won’t have to deal with those people ever again! Isn’t that what you wanted?

JESSICA: What I wanted was for you all to leave me alone! The park was the only place where I felt like I could be myself and you’ve ruined that!

AOS SI 1: (stumbles) Well, I mean—

JESSICA: Pelu, come here. 

AOS SI 2: What are you doing? He’s dangerous!

PELU: Not as dangerous as you!

SFX: (Pelu swats at the fairies again with fire, almost hitting them.)

JESSICA: Mess with me again, and you will regret it.

AOS SI 2: Oh gosh, that’s it, just go! Get out of here! 

JESSICA: Oh no you don’t!— 

SFX: (The Aos Si forces Jessica and Pelu out of the Shi, causing the worlds to bend and change until they are back in the park again. It’s quiet in the fairy’s home.)

AOS SI 1: Well, this will be a mess to sort out… We need to let the others know.

AOS SI 2: So much for our plan.

FADE OUT.

NEXT SCENE: (Jessica gets yeeted back to the park with Pelu, who’s very worked up.)

JESSICA: What just happened? We’re back in the park! 

PELU: Are you okay? We should go back to the Sidhe and make sure the Aos Shi never bothers us ever again! 

JESSICA: Argh, no don’t bother. I doubt they’ll let us back into their territory anyway.

PELU: But then what? It’s not fair everyone gets to hurt you, Jessica. You deserve to be treated better. 

JESSICA: …Well, we may not be able to get revenge on the fairies, but there’s someone we can make sure learns some manners.

PELU: Who?

SFX: (Jessica starts walking.)

JESSICA: Come on, follow me. You’re right. I deserve better. If everyone thinks creating you was a mistake, then I’ll show them what you can do. 

PELU: How are you going to do that?

JESSICA: I’m going to make a phone call. 

FADE OUT.

NEXT SCENE: (Jess and Pelu are around the entrance at the park now. Jessica was on a phone call.)

JESSICA: Okay Pelu, I just called Carter. He should be entering the park in an hour, right at sunset. And when he does, that’s when we strike. 

PELU: I can do whatever I want, right?

JESSICA: I don’t care what you do as long as they all leave me alone.

PELU: Great! I know what to do. 

SFX: (Pelu starts a fire.)

JESSICA: Let’s go over there towards the trees so he doesn’t see you—

SFX: (Junichi arrives, finally finding Jessica.)

JUNI: (panting) Jess! (catching his breath) Jess, where have you two been?

JESSICA: Where have we been? What about you? 

JUNI: Huh?

JESSICA: Do you even know— (sigh) Forget it. I’m done with all of this. Go back to Sam, we can talk about this later. 

JUNI: Jess, what happened? Let’s talk. Sam can wait. 

JESSICA: I don’t want to.

JUNI: Why not? 

JESSICA: Because you’re going to stop me, okay? I have all this anger and frustration in me and I just want to do something about it a-and… I know it’s wrong.

JUNI: Okay, come on. Let’s take a breath. Pelu, put away the fire.

SFX: (The fire extinguishes hesitantly and Juni starts walking.)

PELU: But we have to stop all the people who’ve hurt Jessica! 

JUNI: Hurt? Who hurt you?

JESSICA: I don’t want you to know—

JUNI: Well, too bad! Pelu, who hurt her?

PELU: The two Aos Shi that we met. They kept Jessica in some weird trance for days—

JUNI: W-when? How was I not there?

JESSICA: I don’t know how long it’s been. This happened after we saw each other last.

JUNI: This morning?!

JESSICA: Time moves differently for them, remember?

PELU: And also, Jessica said that Laura keeps making rumors about her and Carter has been touching her.

JUNI: Touching?! What do you mean touching?

JESSICA: Just my hair, or I mean, he’s handsy overall, but it’s when he tugs my hair that’s most infuriating. 

JUNI: Why are you making excuses for him?

JESSICA: Because I don’t want you to worry! You’re finally happy and I don’t want to ruin it.

JUNI: Jess, we’re friends. You can bother me all you want and I’d be happy about it.

PELU: So you’re going to help us attack Carter?

JUNI: What?!

JESSICA: Pelu, you can’t just tell him that!

JUNI: Okay, clearly there are a lot of emotions happening right now. Tell me everything, even your bad thoughts, Jessica. I won’t judge. We can figure it out together.

JESSICA: …It’s just ever since Laura has been making up rumors about me, a lot of guys at school think it’s true and that they can do whatever they want.

JUNI: Have you talked to any of the teachers? Or anyone at your internship?

JESSICA: The HR person just thinks Carter’s an innocent guy who flirts like a child. I’m scared the school’s just going to think the same.

JUNI: That… is frustrating. 

JESSICA: I thought I could just… wait until the internship is done, but I think he found out what classes I’m taking next semester. 

JUNI: And let me guess, he signed up for the same ones. 

JESSICA: I’m at my wit’s end, Juni. How else am I going to get him to leave me alone?

JUNI: I don’t know, but I’m sure if we put our heads together, we can think of something. Heck, I feel like if we just tell Terry, they’ll use their magical demigod powers and fix everything in a matter of seconds! 

JESSICA: (laughs) I can definitely see that. Do you think they’ll really help? 

JUNI: Of course! Let’s message them.

PELU: Why do that when we can fix the problem right now?

JUNI: We are not going to attack Carter. 

PELU: Why not?!

JUNI: Solving your problems through violence won’t fix anything, Pelu!

PELU: Then why did you create me?!

JUNI: I… I mean… 

PELU: This was the sole purpose of my creation and I will follow through with protecting the both of you.

SFX: (Pelu runs off, wanting to find Carter.)

JUNI: No, no, no. Wait, Pelu. Pelu!! Jess, we have to go after him!

JESSICA: Right, let’s go. 

FADE OUT.

NEXT SCENE: (Back at the cafe, “Proserpina Bops” plays as the group talks.)

JUN: Oh thank goodness, so you guys didn’t purposefully attack Carter that night? I mean, I’ve been having nightmares that my brother might be a potential murderer.

ALINA: Jun, we know Carter’s alive, we met him!

JUN: Tell that to my anxiety!

DREW: Well I mean it sounds like Pelu still wanted to have a word with Carter. This dude was bothering you that much? We can uh, go pay him a visit as well, we know where he works now.

ALINA: Wait, you’re right, so Carter was still attacked that night then? Because he specifically told us that he ran away from a big animal when we talked to him.

JESSICA: Yes, but it’s not what you think happened… There’s more to that night than you can imagine. 

FADE OUT.

CREDITS: Residents of Proserpina Park is a production written and produced by Angela Yeh. Directed by Angela Yeh. The voice of Jun is Ben Pollizi. The voice of Drew is Ashley Dawson. The voice of Jessica is Jess Syratt. The voice of Alina is Angela Yeh. The voice of Sam is G3. The voice of Junichi is Spencer Hiroshi Field. And the voice of the Aos Si are Cameron Gergett and Dylan Smith.

Dialogue edited by Angela Yeh. Sound design by Angela Yeh and Rebecca Liu. Mixed and Mastered by Angela Yeh. Script edited by Sara Roncero-Menendez. Original music by Hoa Pham. Season 5 cover art by Winona Noronha. Series logo by Macy Tang. For more information about the show, please go to our website residentsofproserpinapark.com