What are you doing here at this hour?

Drama/Sci-Fi scene from the short play Unknown Pieces, where Dana talks about a friend that was captured to be put to rest.

Featured Scene – Unknown Pieces

Town alarm stops sounding.

TESSY: (sighs relief) Oh, finally, that dreadful sound.

Dana, a mail carrier approaches Tessy’s doorstep.

DANA: Evening, Mam.

TESSY: Is that you, Dana?

DANA: Howdy, Mam.

TESSY: What are you doing here at this hour?

Dana hands her mail.

DANA: Haven’t you heard the news?

TESSY: What news?

DANA: That alarm going off today was no false alarm.

TESSY: It wasn’t?

DANA: That was a real alarm.

TESSY: It wasn’t a test?

DANA: No, Mam. It was discovered that Leonard Japhy was sent in.

TESSY: Oh, my…Leonard Japhy?

DANA: It’s a crying shame.

TESSY: What’s going to happen to him?

DANA: He fell unconscious and they transferred him over to a special unit where they’re running a bunch of tests on him. Doesn’t look good.

TESSY: That’s the fourth one this month.

DANA: Yep.

TESSY: But when are they ever going to get their act together over there, Dana?

DANA: Not easy to say. There’s a lot of hush hush going on.

TESSY: Leonard Japhy wasn’t the overachiever type. Why him?

DANA: Must have been doing better than we thought.

TESSY: But he didn’t seem to be doing all that fantastic. I only spoke with his wife not two weeks ago and she told me all about how they were keeping everything even.

DANA: Perhaps they’ve lowered the bar.

TESSY: We weren’t informed.

DANA: You and I both know the rules are always changing.

TESSY: Makes one feel as though nobody’s safe.

DANA: (sadly) Sure does.

TESSY: (concerned) Are you okay? Would you like some freshly made iced tea?

DANA: I better not.

TESSY: You sure?

DANA: …I knew Japhy.

TESSY: Oh, I’m so sorry Dana.

• To read the full ePlay Unknown Pieces find purchase button below:

Scene Summary

In the one act eplay Unknown Pieces, Tessy gets visited by Dana, a mail carrier who has surprisingly sad information to share regarding their post-apocalyptic reality.

• Genre: Drama / Science Fiction
• Length: ~5 minute scene
• Characters: 1 woman, 1 man
• Themes: friends
• Best For: Drama Scenes

FAQ

Related Drama Scenes

• I’m in this for life, Mrs. Larner. – from Lenny
• You could go now. – from Momma, I’m No Fool
• I can’t look at her anymore.  – from Burning Flowers
• Everything’s happening like in my dream. – from Waves Wash In
• I wouldn’t even go as far as to call me your friend. – from Stars of the Desert

Scene Source: Unknown Pieces

Unknown Pieces is a drama play script by Joseph Arnone, 2026.