Hello Again

Act 1, Scene 1

Dawn sits a little ways away on top of the large rock, a big book lays on her lap. Her face is pained and her hands are shaking The clock beside her ticks slowly, only a few seconds away till both hands hit 12. Dawn looks up, noticing the time. She quickly fixes her hair and wipes her face. The clock hands hit 12 and a bell chimes.

ARTHUR
    (Inelegantly stumbles through the stage right door.)

DAWN
    (Standing up with the book in her hands and smiling broadly.)
Hello again.

ARTHUR
    (Regains his balance.)
Um. Hi?

DAWN
Do you know who I am? Do you know where you are?

ARTHUR
No...I don't...I don't remember anything.

DAWN
(Cheerfully.)
Don't worry. I know everything about you. Your name is Arthur. You just died—

ARTHUR
    (Shocked.)
I died—

DAWN
    (Talking right over him.)
And now you're in the Inbetween, the gap between the end of your last life and the start of your next one. Now--

ARTHUR
(Paces.)
Wait, wait, wait. One thing at a time.
(Stops and looks at her.)
I died?

DAWN
(Exasperated.)
Yeah. I literally just told you that. Are you not listening to me or something?

ARTHUR
Yes, I am listening, I just need you to slow down.
(Pausing to take a breath.)
I'm dead.

DAWN
Yup.

ARTHUR
And now I'm in some kind of weird version of purgatory?

DAWN
    (She sits on the same rock as before.)
Yup. Sort of. Not really because—

ARTHUR
Are you dead?

DAWN
    (Popping the p.)
Nope.

ARTHUR
(Taken aback.)
What? What are you?

DAWN
Well, I've been called a lot of things. Guardian angel, imaginary friend, household god. They're all wrong of course--

ARTHUR
(Before she can ramble on.)
But what are you actually?

DAWN
I'm Dawn, your soulmate.

ARTHUR
My what?

DAWN
(Drawing out the word.)
Soulmate.    
    (Surprised.)
Oh. You're confused. I should've expected that. Uh, how did I explain this last time?
(Mumbles to herself for a bit.)
Do you know that theory Plato had about soulmates?

ARTHUR
(Without pausing.)
Yeah. I know what that is.
(Taken aback.)
Why do I remember Plato's theory, but not my own name?

DAWN
That's because Plato's theory has no emotional significance to you. Anything important is here in my book, like your memories and your dreams. We're supposed to review them before you go on to your next life.

ARTHUR
Do we have to review them? Can't I just leave?

DAWN
Not how this works. Your soul has to accept the past life in order for you to move on to the next one. It's got something to do with regrets or poltergeists or something, I'm not totally sure.

ARTHUR
That makes sense. I think.
(Gesturing at Dawn.)
I still don't get who you are though.

DAWN
Gods, you're dumb. I'm Dawn, your soulmate.

ARTHUR
(Exasperated.)
You keep saying that word. I know what it means but I don't understand how it applies to us. Why would you, if you really are my soulmate, be here and not, I don't know, looking for me in the living world like every other soulmate myth says?