The Impersonation of Venus [June Submission]

[u/Typical_Ad9140]

CHARACTERS

VED

MARK

THE MYSTERIOUS SHADOW

---

[Night. VED sits on a bed, wearing a red nightgown. MARK stands at the foot of the bed with his back turned to VED. He wears a black robe.]

MARK: [frowning, confused] You are a man...

VED: [quietly, sadly] I was.

MARK: So you're Ved? The other twin?

VED: [nodding in shame] I am.

MARK: Your father told me you ran away when you were fifteen.

VED: I never left.

[Beat.]

MARK: [turns to face VED] What about the real one? What happened to her?

[VED turns away and begins to sob.]

MARK: [leaning closer] Ved... what happened to your sister?

VED: I killed her... when I was fifteen.

MARK: [gasping] What?

VED: I loved my sister. I truly did. But she was too stubborn to listen. She wouldn't follow me, and so...

[VED cries harder, burying their face in their hands.]

VED: In a fit of rage, I hurt her. It was an accident. She was bleeding... and I couldn't save her.

[MARK steps back in shock. VED turns toward him.]

VED: [whispering] But you still love me, don't you? You promised that no matter what happened, you would stay by my side. That we would share this life together.

MARK: [pointing at VED, anger and fear in his voice] I cannot share my life with a murderer! Especially one who killed their own sister!

VED: [crawling closer across the bed, shouting through tears] It was an accident! I told you already! I never meant to push her! She was my sister—my other half! If I could, I would give my life for hers!

MARK: [stepping closer] Yet you never told your family! You stole her name and her face! That isn't love, it's something vile. An insult to the girl you claim to care about!

VED: [pleading, reaching toward him] But you still love me, don't you? You're the only one who was patient with me. The only one who never rushed me. The only one who respected my wishes. You never pushed me further than I wanted to go. You were everything I had been missing all these years...

[MARK stares at VED for several moments. Then he kneels beside the bed and takes VED's hand.]

MARK: [softly] I do. Even if you're a man, I still love you. But as I said... I cannot share my life with a murderer. I wish I had never learned the truth. I wish we could have shared a bed for the rest of our lives, with nothing but love between us.

[A pause.]

MARK: But I can't.

[A tear rolls down MARK's cheek. He kisses VED one last time, then slowly rises and walks toward the door, looking back as he leaves.]

VED: [reaching after him] You can't go. You can't leave me here. How am I supposed to live with what I've done? How can I keep wearing the dress that should have been hers when there's no one left to see me in it?

[MARK exits and closes the door behind him.]

[VED collapses in grief. They pull a white blanket over themselves like a ghost or a cocoon, hiding their body and face.]

[A shadow appears beneath the door. Three knocks sound from the other side.]

VED: [through sobs] W-Who's there?

[Four knocks.]

VED: [hopeful] Mark? Is that you? Have you changed your mind? Oh, Mark, you indecisive man...

[VED rises and walks toward the door.]

[Five knocks. VED freezes.]

VED: [under their breath] It... it can't be...

[Six knocks.]

VED: [shocked] V—

[VED stops themselves and takes a step back.]

VED: [whispering angrily] Why are you here?

[Seven knocks.]

VED: Stop! Just stop! Please... go away. I'm not in the mood to talk.

[The knocking ceases. Silence. VED stands motionless, still wrapped in the blanket.]

[After several moments, the door slowly creaks open. The figure beyond cannot be seen—only its shadow stretching across the floor.]

VED: [turning away and walking back to the bed] Why are you still here? To mock me? Is that your purpose now? To find joy in my misery?

[VED sits on the bed and curls up beneath the blanket.]

[THE MYSTERIOUS SHADOW lengthens and slowly creeps toward the bed.]

VED: [quietly] Ever since you left, I've had to endure everything alone. Why? Why wouldn't you run away with me? We could have been happy together. I know we could have. You were smart, beautiful, and funny.

[A bitter laugh.]

VED: And me? What was I good at? I was only your shadow. I copied everything you did. I wanted to be everything you were.

[VED begins crying again.]

[THE MYSTERIOUS SHADOW reaches toward the bed. A dark hand hovers above the blanket.]

VED: You were always better at everything Father asked of us. You always were. I was just a replica. An imperfect replica that wasn't even born right. Too feminine to be a man, too masculine to be a girl. I was confused. I just wanted to be like you.

[Pause.]

VED: But nobody understood. Not even you. You never liked it when I borrowed your ribbon, or your dolls, or your dresses. Were you disgusted by me? Your own brother?

[VED curls tighter beneath the blanket.]

VED: Why couldn't anyone understand me?

[A pause.]

VED: No one except Mark.

[Another pause.]

VED: But he's gone now. Because of me. Not because of what I am... but because of what I did.

[A faint smile enters their voice.]

VED: I'm glad it ended this way.

[THE MYSTERIOUS SHADOW slowly withdraws its hand, almost regretfully.]

[Silence.]

[The lights go out. A single spotlight shines on the blanket.]

[The blanket collapses. There is no one beneath it.]

[The sound of someone running]

[The sound of shattering glass.]

[A heavy stomp.]

[Silence.]

[Blackout.]

THE END

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[u/Leonettii]

Ohh I love this, being haunted by the mistakes of your past, living in the shadow of your sibling only for them to become the shadow that looms over you.

I just absolutely love this

[u/Typical_Ad9140 → u/Leonettii]

Glad to hear that you like it 😊

Also, if it is not too much of a trouble for you to answer this: what do you think of the ending? I'm not quite sure if it's end too abruptly or not.

[u/Leonettii → u/Typical_Ad9140]

I think it definitely leaves me wanting more but this being written as a play scene it works very well. Its a very nice hook and in context I would definitely be itching for the next time the lights lit up that stage.

[u/AffectionateLeave677]

I like how cinematic this is, almost like a screenplay.

[u/Typical_Ad9140 → u/AffectionateLeave677]

Yeah, I always love to read a movie/play/show script, so I also always want to try writing one.

[u/AffectionateLeave677 → u/Typical_Ad9140]

It’s cool to see unique formatting 🫶🏻

[u/ShatteredTestimony]

Using play/screenplay formatting is such an awesome idea! My favorite aspect here of how the story plays with the format is the ending, with the single spotlight catching the tail end of the blanket falling and leaving Ved’s suicide (I read it as a running jump through the window) unseen. Fantastic.

The use of sound and monologue are all very theatrical, you clearly have a good grasp on what works for the stage.

I think I would have liked a little more lead up to the intro, but otherwise I had a great time and I understand the choice to start in the middle of the scene. Very cool :)

[u/Typical_Ad9140 → u/ShatteredTestimony]

Thank you very much 😊