I am freaking out here in Canada watching the US Election and AI helped me write this
(Remember my other Story -The Day the Power went out!) well this is a little therapy help me process this horrible reality.
Title: The Longest Day
Genre: Dystopian Drama
Setting: Canada, early dawn on the day after the U.S. presidential election.
---
Scene 1: Dawn
The play opens in a modest apartment, dimly lit by the early morning light filtering through the blinds. A woman in her forties, MARA, is sitting on her couch, wrapped in a blanket, with her phone in hand. She has dark circles under her eyes from staying up late, anxiously awaiting the election results. Her phone screen illuminates her face in the half-darkness.
Mara
(Whispers to herself as she reads the screen)
No… no, no, no, please… not again.
She stares at the screen, watching a video on silent autoplay, with images of the president-elect’s victory speech. Her hands shake slightly, and she sets the phone down, sitting in silence.
Mara
(Sighs deeply)
It’s like waking up from a nightmare only to realize… it was real. Again.
The power flickers, and then everything shuts off. The hum of the refrigerator stops, and the apartment goes eerily silent.
---
Scene 2: Morning
Mara stands by her window, looking out over the quiet street. There’s no traffic, no lights—just a strange, heavy stillness. She wraps herself tighter in the blanket and mutters to herself.
Mara
What happened to all the voices? We were shouting, warning, trying… and still, here we are. (Pause) I always thought… we’d have more time.
She walks over to the kitchen, pours water from a jug, and then fills a cup with instant coffee. As she stirs, she hears a faint knock at her door. She hesitates, then walks to answer it.
At the door is JIMMY, her elderly neighbor with a thin, wiry frame and a stack of newspapers in his arms.
Jimmy
(grinning a little too brightly)
Morning, Mara! Power’s out all over, huh? Just thought I’d come by—got some old newspapers for ya. (He hands her a stack) All the recent ones. You know, for… reading, if things stay like this.
Mara
(nods slowly, taking the papers)
Thanks, Jimmy. Any word from the outside? Radio, TV, anything?
Jimmy
Nothing’s coming through. This one feels different, you know? Like the universe finally flipped the switch.
Mara
(murmurs)
Feels like the end of the world… at least the world as we knew it.
---
Scene 3: Afternoon - The Grocery Store
Later, Mara and Jimmy make their way through the empty streets to a small grocery store nearby, hoping to stock up. There are others in the aisles—mostly silent, carefully picking items from half-empty shelves.
In the corner, a teenager named SOPHIA is helping an elderly man reach a can on the top shelf. She turns to Mara, noticing her looking around.
Sophia
Guess we’re all doing what we can now, huh?
Mara
(softly)
Feels like we’re trying to keep a sinking ship afloat.
Sophia nods, and for a moment, Mara notices a faint glimmer of determination in the girl’s eyes.
Sophia
We’re still here, though. Maybe we’re the ones who can make it better… or at least survive.
They gather some essentials—canned goods, bread, water—and head back out. The sky is gray, and the streets feel hauntingly quiet.
---
Scene 4: Nightfall
Back at her apartment, Mara sits in candlelight, reading one of Jimmy’s newspapers. She sees an editorial headline: “A House Divided.” She flips the page and begins reading an article about environmental collapse and the fragility of modern civilization.
She’s interrupted by a loud knock at her door. She opens it to find Jimmy and Sophia.
Jimmy
(nervously)
Hey, Mara… there’s something going on down by the power station. People are gathering, talking about… fixing things. But it’s getting heated.
Sophia
(with quiet resolve)
If there’s a chance to get power back, it’s worth trying.
---
Scene 5: The Power Station
They walk through the darkened streets to the power station, where a small crowd has gathered. People are debating whether to wait for help or try to restore power themselves.
A man named LUKE, a former engineer, steps forward.
Luke
(speaking to the crowd)
Look, no one’s coming to save us. We’re on our own. We have a chance to bring the power back ourselves, but it’s risky. I can’t do this alone.
Mara steps forward.
Mara
What do you need?
Luke
(grateful, but surprised)
A few steady hands and some hope. We need to move carefully. I’ve got an old manual… we just might be able to reboot this thing.
Sophia, Mara, and Jimmy exchange glances, then nod, each stepping up to offer their help.
---
Scene 6: The Power Reboot
Inside the dimly lit station, Mara and the others work under Luke’s guidance. The manual is old and worn, but Luke reads it by flashlight, carefully instructing each of them as they reconnect circuits and recalibrate systems.
As they make the final adjustments, Luke nods to Mara.
Luke
(quietly)
Flip the switch.
Mara hesitates for a moment, the weight of everything on her shoulders. Then she flips the switch. There’s a tense pause… and then a hum as the power returns. Lights flicker across the neighborhood outside.
The crowd outside erupts in cheers, breaking the eerie silence that had blanketed the city. Jimmy laughs, and even Mara cracks a small smile.
Sophia
(beaming)
Guess we’re not done yet, huh?
---
Scene 7: A New Dawn
The next morning, Mara stands at her window again, watching as the lights stretch down the street and across the neighborhood. The world isn’t the same, but for now, there’s power and a sense of resilience.
Jimmy joins her at the window.
Jimmy
(with a chuckle)
Well, if this is the end of the world, I’d say we’re doing a pretty decent job of starting over.
Mara
(softly, but resolute)
Maybe this is what we needed—to remember how to survive together, rather than wait for someone to fix things.
---
Curtain