Playscript on cyberbullying

Playscript on cyberbullying

Synopsis

After Mary’s best friend commits suicide due to cyberbullying, she has a hard time coming into terms with the loss. She needs the support of her friends, family, and colleagues. Also, she needs the incredible help of the person she blames for the death of her friend Joyce, her fiancé, who used Facebook to make it known to the world that Joyce had cheated on him hence the cyberbullying.

Characters:

Mary

Mary’s mum known as Hildah

Mary’s dad known as joseph

Mary’s sister known as caren

The maid

The former fiancé of Joyce who is Mark

Counselor

Pastor

At night….

Mary: (crying) I can’t sleep. I wish she were still here. What did she do to deserve all that she went through?

Caren: (patting her sister’s hair), it shall be well, dear. Joyce is in heaven right now, and I know she would not want you to cry yourself to sleep every day.

Mary: (sobbing) how can I sleep knowing I let my best friend down and contributed to her death? I wish I had never persuaded her to marry that man.

Caren: (trying to change the subject), your counselor said that the appointment is at 9.00 am. She is disappointed you have missed the last three meetings. Dad and mom, too, are disappointed and have told me that they will be forced to come and live with you if you don’t want any help.

Mary (still sobbing) I don’t care about life anymore and am not seeing the counselor. Can you leave my room?

Caren: sleep well, dear. I’ll be checking on you from time to time, and I believe Joyce would have wanted you to make peace with her

Mary: (murmurs inaudibly words and switches off her bedside lamp while waving her sister away)

Next day at 9.30 am (knocking on the door)

Caren: Mary! Mary! Your counselor is here. Freshen up quickly; she is waiting for you downstairs. I am also preparing your favorite breakfast eggs and milk!

Mary: Go away! Tell the counselor to go away too. I don’t want to talk to anyone, and my head hurts.

Mary’s sister: I will have to drag if it is a must if you aren’t downstairs in ten minutes.

Mary: (groaning) Joyce, why did you have to die? I’m lost and empty without you.

(Bangs the shower door as she continues mumbling and complaining about the death of Joyce.)

(Mary’s phone ringing)

Mary: Hello, who is there?

Mark: Hello Mary, it’s me, please don’t hang up

Mary: what do you want?

Mark: I need to talk. I need you to tell my side of the story. It was never my intention for Joyce to kill herself. I love her very much.

Silence

Mark: Hello, Mary, are you there, please can we meet.

Mary: (Signs) I am so hurt right now, and nothing you tell me will make me change my mind. (Shouting) STOP CALLING ME YOU MURDERER. I DON’T WANT TO TALK TO YOU!

(Knock on the door)

Mary: (Hanging up and slamming down the phone)

Another knock on the door and Mary opens.

Counselor: your sister told me that you didn’t want to come down, and I thought it wise to check up on you before I leave. I have other commitments, but I wanted to make sure I see you before I go.

Mary: (visibly irritated). I want to be left alone. What part of being left alone don’t you people understand?  Don’t need help; I need you to bring back Joyce!

Counselor:  (talking calmly) I am so sorry for your loss, and in case of anything, I will leave my card with your sister. I hope you let people help you overcome this tragedy.so many people love you and want to help you.

Mary: (calming down) I am sorry, but I just want to be alone right now. I hope you understand.

Counselor: (nodding) I will leave for now, but I am there in case you need anything. You don’t need to go through this alone.

Noon in the kitchen.

Maid: your sister told me that she will come home late today and if you want to go out, derrick the driver is available.

Mary: may I ask for a favor? Please don’t tell her I haven’t eaten. Her nagging behavior has begun to irritate me.

Maid: I won’t tell her, but please eat something. It’s the third day, and you have only eaten one fruit

(Doorbell rings)

Mary: (groaning) Hope it’s not another nagging relative or the police. Until the police put that murderer behind bars am not talking to any of them.

Maid: let me check who is at the door. I am hoping toits not the police.

Door opening

Maid: hello mum, hello, dad.welcome

Mary’s Dad: Hello, thank you. Where is Mary?

Maid: she is in the kitchen.

Mary’s mum:  (shouting) Mary! Mary! Mary! Your mum is here. How have you been, my daughter?

Mary: (mumbling) oh no! Not again!

(Loudly)  hey mum, hey dad. Welcome. You seem to have grown fond of me. You were just here last week.

Hildah: baby, we have missed you and your father, and I wanted to check how you were coping. Also, I was reading this book about cyberbullying laws and issues surrounding cyberbullying and thought…..

Mary: (groaning and rolling her eyes) mum…

Joseph: respect your mother, Mary. We have all be trying to look at the cyberbullying laws and contacting lawyers to establish f we could help you get justice for Joyce. Joyce was also our daughter, and we loved her very much. We would not rest until she gets the justice she deserves.

Mary: I am sorry, dad.  This death and everything surrounding it has just been overwhelming, and I appreciate your support very much, but I just need some space to be alone and try to come to terms with the loss of my friend.

Hildah: (touching her daughters face lovingly) dear, we are your parents, and anything that hurts you hurts us. We will never leave you alone. Your sister is also concerned that you have refused any professional help, yet she sees you suffering daily.

Mary:(whispering) mum, I am not yet ready to talk to anyone. I love you all and appreciate your concern, but I still need time.

Hildah: take all the time you need, baby. We will be here when you are ready to talk.

(Mary and her parents smile and each head t their rooms while talking about random topics)

Dinner time

Caren: (clears throat)  I have thought a lot today about how we can remember Joyce and all the good she has done for our family. I think we should start an organization that helps those persons who are mentally impacted by cyberbullying.

Hildah: great idea. A lawyer friend of mine told me that these organizations are still very few, and that is why a majority of the cyberbullying victims don’t get the help that they need.

Maid: what is cyberbullying? Never heard of such a disease killing people.

Joseph:(laughing lightly) no, my daughter. Cyberbullying is when people on social media platforms like Facebook troll you without any reason. In most cases, it affects people adversely, and due to the damage caused by their mental health, it can lead to various consequences such as committing suicide.

Maid: oh, thank you. I need to read more and understand it in depth.

Hildah: I have a book which I will gladly lend you. Mary, what about you? Are you for us starting the organization?

Mary:  mum, I am not sure of anything, but I’ll think of it. Right now, I just want my friend to get the justice she deserves. She died a painful death, and I won’t get peace until the mark is behind bars. Why did he expose her like that? She indeed hurt him by cheating on him, but he should have left instead of embarrassing her and pushing her to her death.

Hildah: (signing) that reminds me. Mark called me today. He says he just wants one meeting to explain himself before you can make a judgment of him.

Mary: (standing up while shaking her head) he will have the chance to explain himself in court. I contacted a lawyer yesterday, and he emailed me that we can make a case against him. My lawyer is filling the matter tomorrow at the high court. Can’t wait to see the murderer rot in jail

Hildah:  (looking annoyed) why didn’t you inform us before filing the case? Don’t you think that is a decision you should not have made it alone?

Mary: I am going to sleep and am not changing my mind.

Joseph: let’s all talk about this tomorrow when we all have a fresh mind and Mary, you are not making any decision without our approval. You are right now so hurt by the death of your best friend and are not reasoning. As your parents, your mum and I will not allow you to make any rash decisions. You are still our responsibility, and we will all work towards ensuring your accountability.

Mary: goodnight, dad and mum. Good night everyone.

( Mary leaves as everyone else remains sited and continue with their dinner)

Next day at 8.00 am

Someone is knocking on the door.

Caren: (shouting) can someone please check who is secure and breakfast is almost ready.

Hildah: let me check. I think my visitor has arrived.

Door opening

Mark: good morning, mum. I hope I am not too late.

Hildah: welcome me soon. I hope you are coping well.

Mary: (shouting and visibly angry) Mum, what is this murderer doing here? I thought you wanted my well-being.

Hildah: I am sorry, Hildah, but I would like you to hear his side of the story before you make a decision. Your father and I have decided to give him a chance to explain himself during this breakfast before we can make a decision. It is only fair because you and I know he loved Joyce very much.

Mary: (looking unpleased) I am only doing this to please you mum and dad I have already made up my mind.

Mark: It was never my intention to hurt Joyce. I loved Joyce very much and still love her. It was last year in September after our engagement that I began to notice weird behavior. She would come home late from work, not eat anything, talk very little, and go straight to bed. I tried to ask her what was wrong, but she never answered my questions.

Joseph: did you inform Mary of her changed behavior since she was a good friend to both of you.

Mark: No. I noticed when around Mary, she behaved usually, but immediately she left; she began to behave strangely again.

Hildah: What did you do?

Mark: One night, she left her phone in the kitchen, and it was unlocked. A message popped up, and I read. The news was from a man who had their sex tape, and he was threatening to leak the sex tape if she didn’t pay him monthly to keep quiet. I was shocked and began to go through her phone. That was when I realized that she had been cheating on me this whole time while I thought she was faithful.

Joseph: Were you aware of Joyce’s cheating behavior.

Mary: (shouting). He is a liar. I stayed with Mary a lot, and we were more than best friends. We told each other everything, and she never said to me of the sex tape. (Begins to cry) she only said to me that she had cheated once on Mark, and he promised to humiliate and embarrass her in front of the world.

Hildah: Is there any truth in what Mary is saying, Mark?

Mark: Yes, when I confronted Joyce about the cheating, she told me that she had cheated only once. I was so angry that I promised to humiliate her before her blackmailer humiliated her by realizing the tape. However, I had no intention of embarrassing her on Facebook. I wanted to tell her family and call off the wedding.

Mary: LIAR! What about the Facebook post?

Mark: I have a victim of cyberbullying, and I would never want another person to be a victim. I had to go through therapy for one year and have never really seen social media as a platform to air out my grievances.

Mary: I am losing my patience. What about the post you made?

Mark: I never made that post. My sister did. I told her about the cheating and how betrayed I felt, and she told me she would deal with it. She decided to put on social media to prevent Joyce’s lover from realizing the sex tape since the affair will be known. She said that she contacted Joyce ho also agreed to the plan.

Joseph: So you mean to tell us that Joyce was also in agreement.

Mark: Yes, she was desperate to prevent the release of the sex tape. She thought people would sympathize with her if the posts state that her ex-lover is blackmailing her, but that was not the case. Instead, she was reprimanded and labeled an ungrateful woman who was only fit to be a prostitute. Other persons told her that she was a disgrace to the society and that they wished death on her.

Caren: I remember going through some of the comments of the post and feeling sick. Other persons went to her Facebook account and abused her and her family, especially her mother.

Mark: yes. Daily, the cyberbullying increased even after the post was pulled down. One of my friends pointed out that most of the cyberbullies were persons from the church that Joyce attended. Joyce was a youth leader, and a good number of the youth were hurt that she had let them down.

Mary: I don’t believe it. Why did the church give her a perfect send-off? The youth were devastated by her death and even blamed you for putting pressure on her to be accurate, yet she was only human.

Mark: I have talked to the pastor who can confirm indeed, the youth from the church were the ones who led to the cyberbullying that pushed Joyce to commit suicide. Joyce also left behind a letter that she says no one primarily Mary should blame himself or herself for her death. She says that she just felt that she would have never forgiven herself for letting down her family, friends, and church. She, therefore, decided to make life easy for everyone by taking her life.

Mary: (crying uncontrollably)Joyce, I wish you had told me your problems so that we could have solved them together. I loved you very much, Joyce.

Joseph: (shaking his head) I have seen before being cyberbullied before, but I never thought cyberbullying could make lives so miserable and even lead to death. Joyce committed a mistake by cheating on you, but she didn’t deserve to die in the manner that she did. Those youth in the church should be ashamed of themselves!

Hildah: (shedding tears) what a cruel world we currently live in. People don’t care about the feelings of others. I thought the church is a place of refuge.

Mary: (still crying) I am shocked…. I don’t know what to think anymore…. Mark I am so sorry. This death has hurt me so much. Mum, I wish to talk to the counselor after this. Caren, you can call my lawyer and tell him that the church will handle the matter.

Hildah: I will call the counselor. Mark, thank you for explaining yourself. There is still a lot to be done to make sure that no other person we know dies the same way that Joyce died.

Joseph: (beckoning the maid) please, bring us some more juice so that we can continue to discuss more the issue with Mark.

(Everyone disperses as the breakfast leftovers and utensils are cleared off the table. Mark and everyone seems relieved to have known what took place and the issue that needs to be discussed).

Several hours later, Mary’s family, apart from Mary, is sitting in the garden.

Hildah: I have called the pastor, and he has said he will come to see us tomorrow.

Joseph: Is Mary still with the counselor.

Hildah: Yeah. I checked on them, and they seem to be doing well. The counselor has told me that they are making a lot of progress, and she is glad that mark told her side of the story.

Mark: I am glad I should be of help. I, too, had to get help from the church counselor. It was tough, but I am coping. I have been a victim of cyberbullying before, and someone I love has died because of cyberbullying. I hope our society can recognize the negativity that surrounds cyberbullying.

Caren: I have been researching a lot on this issue, and I can’t do anything anymore. Mum, I am thinking that we should partner with the church to educate persons about the negativity that surrounds cyberbullying.

Hildah: good idea. It is time that our youth and society, in general, use social media to interact, promote good causes, and offer the right information. I will also lobby the local women so that they can influence our legislator to create laws that will introduce harsh punishments for those persons who cyberbully others.

Joseph: Life is too short for people to be so bitter on social media. (Signing) I sometimes miss the old days when there were no social media. Social media has made us insensitive to people’s feelings. We only care about likes and comments. Joyce deserved better.

Hildah: I agree. Life was so much better when there was no social media, but today, we have to learn to live with it.

Mark: Sadly, social media is here to stay. Our primary responsibility is to make sure that we teach those who are around us to use social media for good.

(Enter Mary and the counselor)

Mary: thank you, counselor. It was nice talking to you. I will speak to you soon.

Counselor: Thank you to Mary for opening up. Thank you too, everyone and goodbye. See you soon.

(Everyone waves her goodbye)

Hildah: (Hugging her daughter) Joyce would be so proud of you. She has always wanted you to be happy, and I am sure she never wanted you to suffer for her death.

The next day

Pastor: Before Joyce took her own life, Mark informed me of the cyberbullying incident. I did an investigation and determined that many youths from church were cyberbullying Joyce because they felt that she had betrayed them. Unfortunately, we reached her too late when she had already taken her life.

Mike: I am sorry I took a long to report the incident to you.

Pastor: It is not your fault. You tried your best. I have looked at Hildah’s suggestions, and I think it is time our community understands the negative consequences of cyberbullying.

Hildah: I have an expert who can offer free lessons to us. I also have identified some books that can be of great help to us.

Joseph:(smiling) Hildah has done a lot of research about cyberbullying. We need to raise a generation that uses social media responsibly.

Pastor: I agree, and the church will be at the forefront of advocating against cyberbullying.

Caren: Pastor, thank you so much for always being there for us. My family and I are forever grateful.

Mark: Thank you, pastor, for the support. I will make sure I help whenever possible.

Mary: (smiling) what will I do without my family and pastor? The death of Joyce still hurts, but I am optimistic that no other person I know will die because of mental issues caused by cyberbullying.

(The family and the pastor continue to talk and develop a plan for their cyberbullying program. The maid who is keenly listening to the conversation serves them tea and biscuits)

THE END.