short drama

Here is a short drama script (about 58 minutes long) titled The Last Page. Genre: Emotional / Family Drama Setting: A cluttered living room, late afternoon. Characters: LEO (28): A quiet, burnt-out writer. NINA (60s): His mother, sharp, proud, hiding her illness. SCENE START INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY Sunlight cuts through dusty air. Books and papers are everywhere. LEO sits at a typewriter, staring at a blank page. The sound of a single key click is the only noise. NINA enters slowly, holding a cup of tea. She winces slightly, leaning on the doorframe. NINA Youve been in that chair since breakfast. Its almost three. LEO (Not looking up) Im working. NINA Youre not working. Youre staring at a ghost. Leo sighs, rubs his face. LEO What do you want, Ma? She sets the tea on the corner of his desk, next to a pile of rejection letters. NINA I want you to eat something. An egg. A cracker. LEO Ill eat later. NINA (Quietly) There might not be a later for me, Leo. He freezes. Looks up. She holds his gaze, calm. A heavy silence. LEO Dont do that. NINA The doctor called. You were in the shower. LEO No. We said we had more time. NINA We lied to each other. Its what were good at. She sits down, slowly, like her bones hurt. NINA (CONT'D) You think I dont see you burning yourself out for a story no one will read? You think I dont know the rent is three months late? LEO (Defensive) Im close. This book its different. NINA Its the same. You write about people like theyre puzzles. But you never let anyone close enough to see your own missing pieces. LEO Thats not fair. NINA Life isnt fair. Do you know what I wanted to be? Before you came along? A painter. A real one. Leo looks at her, surprised. She never told him this. NINA (CONT'D) I had a scholarship. Paris. But I got scared. So I married your father, had you, and I hid in the kitchen. LEO Why are you telling me this now? NINA Because I dont want you to wake up at sixty, surrounded by empty pages, wondering where the color went. She reaches into her pocket. Pulls out a worn, yellowed envelope. Slides it across the desk. LEO Whats this? NINA The letter I never sent. From Paris. In 1982. Read it. Leo takes it, hands trembling slightly. He doesnt open it yet. He just holds it. LEO (Whisper) I dont know how to write the ending. NINA Then dont. Just write the next sentence. She stands, groaning softly. She walks to the door, then stops. NINA (CONT'D) And Leo? Eat the damn egg. Its good for you. She exits. Leo stares at the letter. He slowly puts it in his shirt pocket, near his heart. He turns to the typewriter. He takes a breath. He places his fingers on the keys. He starts typing. The sound of the keys is fast, alive, loud. FADE OUT. SCENE END End of Short Drama