I used to do a lot of community theater, from the time I was very young until we moved from California to Georgia. We’ve been here almost 20 years, and I’m ready to get back into it. Auditions for Steel Magnolias at the Arts Center in my town are next week. I needed a monologue, but couldn’t find one I liked that also reflected the character I’m auditioning for. So I wrote one.
Inspired by “The Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson
Everyone in town loves my roses. It's true. And I know everything about this town. My granddaddy built the first house here more than 100 years ago, and I have never wandered past the town limit. Why? Because this town needs me to protect it from itself. Every time I walk into town I notice some new sign of trouble.
For example, the Cranes have a new baby and they just coddle that princess to no end. She is going to expect luxury all her life. And oh how they worry. For plain and fancy worrying, give me a new mother every time.
And then there is the Stewart girl. Fifteen years old and crying all the way home from school, not caring one whit about how that might look. Perhaps I'll write a note to her parents. You never know what might have been going on with that Harris boy.
I write notes almost every day to warn people of possible evil in this world. I have one here for Mrs. Harper: "Have you found out yet what they were all laughing about after you left the bridge club on Thursday? Or is the wife really the last one to know?" Is that harsh? Perhaps, but wickedness is never easily banished and I am the only one in town who seems to notice. As my father used to say, "A clean heart is a scoured heart."
Can you smell my roses? I can from a block away when I walk home after mailing my letters. Sometimes people ask to cut some for their homes. Can you imagine? My family has cared for these roses for more than 100 years. They belong to my house and to me. So beautiful. So sweet.
So, what do you think?
With every blog post, I learn more about you. 🌹