Timeless

AT RISE:

TWO LADIES sit across the room from each other. They each have a laptop balanced on their (well I suppose it's obvious, really) laps. Who'd a thunk. I should probably give them names or risk the ire of the obviously socially conscious audience, who would insist that the lack of names for female characters, far from being a result of lack of nominal inspiration, was in fact, a sign of deep-rooted patriarchy in the author. Patriarchy being a somewhat strange choice in term, perhaps for what father would decide not to give his daughter name? But I guess the term doesn't really refer to it's direct meaning per se, and is just a snazzy buzzword generated by extremely angry people. You know, upon further reflection, the author is starting to realize that this entire set of stage directions itself will probably raise it's fair share of ire and is now wishing that he (or she!) should have just made the protagonists some sort of asexual single-celled organism regardless of the needs of the plot (such as it is).

Anyway, their names are Doris and Cloris.

DORIS:
Hey Cloris?

CLORIS:
Yes Doris?

DORIS:
What's the deal with the internet, anyway?

CLORIS:
It's a bunch of computers.

DORIS:
Well, yeah. But, I mean, what'll we do with it when we're done?

CLORIS:
Done?

DORIS:
Finished. You know, ready to move on.

CLORIS:
I honestly do not know.

DORIS:
Yeah, weird, isn't it? Nobody ever seems to talk about what happens after the internet. I mean what if it doesn't just sort of evolve into something new, what if we end up completely destroying it for the sake of something else.

CLORIS:
Well, it's not like the internet was just turned on one day, out of the blue. It gradually developed into what it is now. I really don't think there's just a big switch out there marked "emergency internet off switch" or something.

DORIS:
But what if there is? That's like, my entire point.

CLORIS:
Then we all learn the dewey decimal system again until "Internet 2" is up an running.

DORIS:
And what about all the porn?

CLORIS:
Porn will take care of itself.

DORIS:
I guess they could just print all the porn out and hire someone to retype it or whatever.

CLORIS:
I'm sure that's exactly what's going to happen.

DORIS:
Yeah. The porn will take care of itself.

CLORIS:
It always has.

DORIS:
There's something comforting about that, isn't there.

A moment's thought.

CLORIS:
You know, there kinda is.

BLACKOUT. END PLAY.