Call @ Deirdre

MORGAN: [speeds away from the gullet as fast as she can, punching the dial button on the display in her car over and over until she gets a connection. She fights with her voice for calm, not very successfully.] Babe? Deirdre, babe, are you there?

DEIRDRE: [Answers immediately, growing increasingly concerned] M-Morgan? Yes, I’m—yes?

MORGAN: [Cries with relief. Her smile is audible.] Hey. I’m sorry I’m a little late checking in. Something um...ran long unexpectedly. But I didn’t forget. I’m here. I just um--shit-- Sorry, I’m driving and you’re on that fancy bluetooth system built in. I don’t actually have a lot of time right now, but I didn’t want you to worry. Are you home right now? Or um, can you be soon?

DEIRDRE: [The joy of hearing Morgan’s voice is overshadowed by her worry. She paces around their house. Rustling can be heard.] It’s been a day. [She says this as though it doesn’t matter.] Morgan, I don’t—what’s happening? Are you okay? Of course I’m home, I have nowhere else to be. Are you driving home now? Will I see you soon? [At this, she does let joy slip.]

MORGAN: [Sighs, savoring the happy lilt of Deirdre’’s voice] Oh, stars above, I wish, babe. I’m actually driving somewhere in the outskirts right now. I um... [Silence. She can’t recover her voice from her tears, but she pushes herself to sound confident if nothing else.] I kind of did something bad and now there’s a Constance-related emergency in progress somewhere downtown and I need to get there to do something about it. I don’t know what yet exactly, I don’t have all the information, but I’ll come up with something. But I really wanted to hear your voice first, and to ask you to stay home where it’s warded and safe, so I know where to find you after. So I can come home to you. I really, really want to come home to you, babe. I don’t know how we’re gonna fix our shit, but if you’ll forgive me for my share of the mistakes and if you still want us too, I want to be your girlfriend and figure it out with you.

DEIRDRE: [In the silence, Deirdre considers that this is a cruel joke, and this woman isn’t Morgan. This town is known for its oddities, but only Morgan could be this short-sighted.] You want me to stay home while you drive off to Fate-knows-where to do something that sounds reckless? You died getting /ice cream/, and you want me to stay home? Do you seriously think the rest of that matters if you don’t even make it back? [She sighs] Fine. Okay. Fuck you, I’ll stay home. I love you, you stupid— [She laughs, voice taken by tears] Come home to me and we’ll find a way to fix everything. But you have to come home. You have to. [She pauses] How long do you think it’ll take?

MORGAN: [also laughing through her tears] I deserve that. You can keep going, if you want. I’m at this stupid stoplight, and there’s freaking traffic, and...I haven’t been getting things right lately. And this isn’t fair. But I don’t know anything that would make this fair besides just going back eight months and listening to you at the hotel and coming straight home after work and waiting for you to finish with your day and come hold me in that bed. But the best thing I can figure is to keep her from getting her hands on the person I care about most. If you think you can convince the families with kids on our street that our place is the only one safe enough to shelter in from some...I don’t even know what stupid made-up human thing you’d call it, that might be good. But I want you to be safe first. [She sniffles, voice shuddering.] You don’t have to decide anything right now, I’m gonna tell you everything as soon as I come home. I um...I think I should be back sometime in the morning at the latest? If it helps, I’m not doing this alone at least? [Cars honk in the background and Morgan swears under her breath.] I love you too, you know. I love you, Deirdre.

DEIRDRE: I don’t want to be mad at you, my love. I want you to come home, and let me love you, and let us figure everything out. I want that. I don’t want to be mad. [Deirdre looks outside, the street is calm and quiet and as it’s always been] If I see something, I’ll shout out about having a party and they’ll all come running in. You know how they love parties. [She laughs. In her head, that sounded funnier than it was. She just wants to be laughing.] Oh no, there’s nothing for me to decide, Morgan. I love you, I always have. Whatever it is you’ve done, you’re already forgiven. And I want you, and us, and I’ve never stopped wanting that. [She hums. She is filled with indescribable fear but she doesn’t sound like it. Even now, she wants to comfort her love.] I love you. Come home to me; I’ll be waiting. I love you.

MORGAN: Fucking universe, I don’t deserve you, babe. You’re too good. But that’s a good plan. You can warm up the brain pastries I’ve got in the fridge and feed it to the parents without telling them what’s inside until they’ve had too many, get the kids high on Yuletide cookies? You do that and tell me how it went when I get back, and we’ll just be together and do everything you said. Oh Stars, I think this is the easiest conversation we’ve ha--[Tires screech. Something outside stutters and bumps] Oh, shit. Gotta-go-love-you-bye! [Morgan hangs up]

DEIRDRE: [Deirdre listens to the silence long after the call has ended, phone still pressed to her ear. She has so much she still wants to say, but she says just this as though Morgan is still on the other side:] I love you too; for every star in the universe, every blade of grass or inch of earth, always and forever, I love you too. [Silence greets her. Her phone doesn’t move from her hand.]

Call @ Deirdre

Morgan: [breathes carefully. In, hold, out. It's not as effective as she wants it to be. Her voice is worn and quiet when the line picks up] Babe? How bad is Anya?

Voicemail [ Deirdre📲 Morgan]

@deathduty

[NEW VOICEMAIL - 10:00AM NZST]

Is this your voicemail? I’ve—I’ve never gotten your voicemail before. Did you not...did you not want to pick up or... [Deirdre laughs bitterly] What am I doing? Asking a question you can’t even answer. I, um, I guess I just wanted to say that I miss you. I want to know how you’re doing. And I want to talk to you. And I...think about you. All the time. I wish you were here. I’ve been doing—I’ve been thinking about—I need to talk to you about— [Deirdre sighs] I don’t want to make this about me. I—hold on, I want to show you this. I want—well, this is a phone call, you can’t see but maybe you can feel it? The sun is really beautiful coming through the mountains. You have to—hold on you have to— [As Deirdre holds her phone up to the morning sun, the gentle sounds of nature fill the voicemail. Occasionally, Deirdre interjects to describe the trees; the balcony she’s on. A bird sings. Deirdre says she wants to come home. The sound of the ocean picks up. The message cuts with an abrupt beep. There is silence.]  

[NEW VOICEMAIL - 10:04AM NZST]

Hello, my love. I got your voicemail again. [she pauses] I, uh, suppose you must be busy. Today, I abandoned the retreat. It seems like they— [laughter bubbles up in the distance] ...get along well without me. Maybe Sundew was right to stay back. I–how is she? Is she behaving herself? [silence as Deirdre moves. Her soft footsteps fill the line until a branch snaps] I’m–I’m taking a hike. I found a dead kiwi. You know, the bird? I’m going to see if I can bring it back. It, um, is really beautiful here. [silence again] I miss you. [BEEP] 

[NEW VOICEMAIL - 9:58AM NZST]

Voicemail….again? Careful, a girl might think you don’t want to answer her phone calls. [Deirdre laughs, the noise is quickly engulfed by the sound of crashing water] I’m at a beach. Do you remember when we went to the beach together? The good time, not the time with your mother. The first time. Do you still remember how sand feels in between your toes? How soft? How...coarse…. [Deirdre laughs again, this time the sound dies because she lets it.] Do you remember when you used to play dead in the water? Do you remember meeting Lydia? Do you [BEEP] 

[NEW VOICEMAIL - 11:43PM NZST]

Morgue! [the sound of yelling and laughing swallows her slurred voice, there is shuffling and creaking as she moves somewhere the sound is muffled] I went— [she hiccups] I went into the city today! I have a good signal now. But you—but you didn’t pick up. I went all the way… I went here. And you’re not here. And I can’t talk to you. And I want to talk to you. But I keep getting your voicemail. But I’m here. I’m here. I’m still here. Just without you. [Deirdre sniffles] I have–I’m going to go back to where there’s no signal again, because I want to go home. I know it’s early, but I want to go home. I’m worried and I—I hate it here. I hate–I think I’m… [her voice cracks] Do you love me? Do you think I’m...Do you think [BEEP]

[NEW VOICEMAIL - 3:00AM NZST]

This one I’ll give you. I know I’m not calling at our usual hour. [She trails off, the bustle of people around her fills the space. When she speaks up again, her voice is quiet.] I love you. I’ve missed you. I’ve been...I just…. well, actually, I-I’m worried about you too, so… [Deirdre sighs] I love you. I hate not being able to talk to you. And I miss you. And I’m sorry. I feel like you’re mad at me about something. I just...a-and I haven’t figured out how long I can make these voicemails before they cut out. But I—I guess–I guess I missed you. Are you okay, my love? Are you… [Deirdre sighs again] I love you. I think I might do something-- [BEEP]

[NEW VOICEMAIL - 10:00AM GMT+1]

[Wind rustles through the microphone. Beyond, there is the jingle of wind chimes, old wood creaking. A bird chirps. A kettle whistles louder and louder and louder and---

The message ends.]

[THERE ARE NO NEW MESSAGES.]