Defense: Your Honor, I object! Mr. Prosecutor is suggesting the answer to the questions he is asking
Judge: Objection overruled. Mr. Chelezki, please get to your point quickly
Mr. Chelezki: Yes, your Honor!
(Turning his attention towards Elma Swift again)
So, Ms. Swift, what exactly did you see the night of February 22nd, 01?
Elma Swift: I was doing laundry when I heard some screams. I ran upstairs to Mr. and Mrs. Johnson’s room and I saw that Amber stabbed and killed Mr. and Mrs. Johnson and Scott and was running away from the window.
Mr. Chelezki: Okay, what happened next? Did you try to call the police, or get help from someone else?
Elma Swift: No, I was so stunned I could not move from my spot. By the time I got around to calling the police, Amber had already escaped.
Mr. Chelezki: That’s all your Honor.
Judge: (to Defense) do you have anything to ask?
Defense: No, your Honor. I do not have anything to ask her.
Judge: Any more witnesses from the prosecuting attorney?
Mr. Chelezki: Yes, your Honor. I would like to call upon Mr. Armstrong the principal of the school where Amber Johnson slaughtered three of her schoolmates.
Judge: Okay, Mr. Chelezki carry on please
Bailiff: May we please have Mr. Armstrong in the chamber
(He says it three times)
Mr. Chelezki: (To Mr. Armstrong) Mr. Armstrong, were you in the school when Amber Johnson slaughtered those three men?
Mr. Armstrong: Yes, I was.
(The judge scribbles something on his pad)
Mr. Chelezki (to Armstrong): Thanks!
Judge: (to Chelezki) Your witness please
Mr. Chelezki: That’s all your Honor. I want to make my final statement sir.
Judge: Proceed!
Mr. Chelezki: All my witnesses suggest that Amber Johnson is a killer and she deserves to hang. She has killed 6 people and to be fair, I want you to take this into consideration. That’s all your Honor.
Judge: (to Defense) Your witness please!
Defense: I would like to call upon Dr. Broderick, Amber Johnson’s psychiatrist.
Bailiff: Dr. Broderick, please come to the chamber
(Says it three times)
Defense (to Dr. Broderick): Is it true that Ms. Amber Johnson was being seen at your clinic since she was 16 years old?
Dr. Broderick: That’s correct!
Defense: Can you tell us what the problem was?
Dr. Broderick: Yes, she was emotionally disturbed. She thought that her parents did not pay enough attention to her. She thought that that her brother meant more to her parents than her just because he was better than her.
Defense: Would you say that she was in an inferiority complex?
Dr. Broderick: Yes, indeed. We can certainly imply that.
Defense: When was the last time Ms. Johnson came to meet you?
Dr. Broderick: She came approximately 3 months before she murdered the first three people. She seemed very upset over something that had happened over Christmas. She was enraged.
Mr. Chelezki: When she was so enraged, why didn’t you bother telling the police?
Dr. Broderick: I had no idea she would do such a thing. I was just trying to help as a doctor.
Defense: So, Dr. Broderick, you are implying that you did not find Ms. Johnson’s behavior violent in any way, and that she was emotionally disturbed.
Dr. Broderick: (looking over at Amber) Yes, I would imply that
Defense: Thanks Dr. Broderick!
(To the judge) Your Honor, Ms. Johnson has already accepted the count for all the murders. But I request you to take into consideration that she is a young and neglected victim. I would request life sentence instead of hanging her to death. Thank you!
Judge: After hearing the witnesses and the Defense attorney’s appeal I give Amber Johnson life in prison. The court is adjourned.
(Scribbles something on the pad and stands up)
(The female officers lead Amber back to the cell)
Closing of Scene V
Playwright—what did I learn?
Writing the dialogues was a lot of fun, and it certainly was a lot of work as well. The difficult part was getting started. Once I did start, I breezed through the rest of the dialogues. I read a lot of mystery novels and most of them deal with some kind of law enforcement agency. It was fun to collaborate in a group and I learned a lot about other people’s point-of-views in general about life just by listening to what each of them contributed to the group. I would say that in a group there is always one person who becomes the implied leader, but this did not happen in our group. Everyone’s opinion was important and was taken into consideration before making important decisions about scenes and presentation.
The hardest part was editing: contributing our different scenes and making them into one long play was challenging. I had to cut down a lot of things in my scene because it was the one which wrapped the whole play up. I had to alter the details some, and others did the same so the play will run smoothly. All in all, it was a very different experience and brought it some of my writing skills that I was unaware of. I have written some poetry in another language, but it was totally different to write dialogues for someone. I did not come up with the lead character, so I was doing my best to portray what I thought of the character.
