Clarisse’s Confession by Gary O. Bennett
INT. CONFESSIONAL BOOTH
Clarisse sits down into a confessional booth. A Priest leans
toward the slatted window.
CLARISSE
Forgive me Father, for I haved sinned.
PRIEST
How long has it been since your last
confession?
CLARISSE
It’s been a few months.
PRIEST
And what sins have you committed?
CLARISSE
Marcy came over Saturday night. For
three years, Marcy’s been coming over
every Saturday night…
PRIEST
Yes?
CLARISSE
…and every Saturday night we watch a
video.
PRIEST
What kind of video?
CLARISSE
This Saturday, she says, I don’t want to
watch a video…I want to do something
spontaneous…I want to run naked through
the neighborhood, she says. Of course, I
think this is ridiculous. I told her it
was ridiculous…
PRIEST
Yes, child.
CLARISSE
Marcy’s very…persuasive. It’s the
Summer, you know…one of those hot
nights, the air was still. It was…it
was ridiculous, but it was late…it was
dark…no moon. Just stars. Do you know
what it’s like to look at the stars, with
your feet in the grass and every part of
your body exposed to the warm fresh air?
PRIEST
Child, I…
CLARISSE
I felt free. I felt free and alive. I
didn’t even care who saw me. I was so
excited by the whole thing that I forgot
where Marcy ran off to. There I was,
dancing around on the front lawn…when I
saw the headlights…turning into the
driveway, the headlights of my parents’
car. I happened to be close to the
cypress bush, so I ducked behind it.
PRIEST
Excuse me…
CLARISSE
My parents, you know, they’ve been
married for 25 years and like clockwork
they go to dinner and a movie, dinner and
a movie, dinner and a movie, but no, not
on the night I’m dancing in the nude on
the front lawn, ah, ah, they have to come
home without seeing a movie. Do you know
anything about cypress bushes?
PRIEST
No.
CLARISSE
They tickle. They have these delicate
leaves and…
PRIEST
Can I please hear the end of your
confession, child.
CLARISSE
My clothes are hanging on the bannister,
and my parents don’t even notice. So
they close the front door and turn out
the lights, and there you have it. It
was just me and that cypress bush.
PRIEST
Yes?
CLARISSE
Yes, what?
PRIEST
What did you do?
CLARISSE
Oh…I went to my boyfriend’s house.
THE END.
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