(The scene: A beach on Mars, before the water ran out. Two women are sunning themselves. Demi is serious about sunning herself; Phoebe is the curious one. )

PHOEBE: Oh, you’re a nice shade of green, Demi.

DEMI: Thanks.

PHOEBE: I’m still so pale. You’re more like, what would you call that, a Kelly green?

DEMI: I guess.

PHOEBE: You must have been working on that a really long time.

DEMI: Not really. I’ve just been out here since this morning.

PHOEBE: Wow. That was fast.

DEMI: You oughta see Stacy. She’s even greener than I am.

PHOEBE: Wow.

DEMI: Everybody’s greening up a lot better this year, it seems.

PHOEBE: You know I read in the paper something about how the government thinks the air’s getting thinner. I wonder if that has anything to do with it? You know, all those extr

oa rays getting through and all?

DEMI: I think it’s just ‘cuz it’s such a good summer.

PHOEBE: Maybe you’re right. It feels cooler, though. Don’t you think it feels cooler?

DEMI: Not really.

PHOEBE: Can I borrow some of your lotion?

DEMI: Sure. Here you go.

PHOEBE: Thanks.

(She lathers some on.)

So where’s your new boyfriend this weekend?

DEMI: Oh, you mean Lowell? He had to work this weekend. Some kind of special project or something.

PHOEBE: What kind of special project?

DEMI: I don’t know. This new engineering company he’s working for has him working all kinds of crazy schedules. Sometimes he has to go in and work 25 hours a day to meet their deadlines.

PHOEBE: Wow. What kind of stuff is he working on?

DEMI: I dunno. They have a lot of government contracts, so a lot of the stuff he does is so hush-hush. He doesn’t even tell me about it.

PHOEBE: He’s

not working on that canal thing, is he?

DEMI: The what?

PHOEBE: The canal project. I read about it in the news. They’re talking about building all these canals, you know to bring water down from the poles.

DEMI: Oh, that drought thing.

PHOEBE: Yeah.

DEMI: Bunch of hooey if you ask me.

PHOEBE: You don’t believe there’s a drought on?

DEMI: Oh, there’s a drought, sure. I just don’t believe all the gloom and doom types who say we’re going to run out of water. Whoever heard of such a thing?

PHOEBE: So what does Lowell say about that?

DEMI: Oh, don’t be silly, Phoebe. We don’t talk about stuff like that.

PHOEBE: Oh.

DEMI: He’s so romantic. Not like my old boyfriend at all.

PHOEBE: Oh really? How so? Or should I ask?

DEMI: He likes to take long walks in the moonlight. Two nights ago, both moons were out and it was so pretty. Not that we had much time to look, mind you.

(She giggles.)

PHOEBE: Oh, that reminds me. You don’t have a copy of today’s paper with y

ou, by any chance, do you?

DEMI: No. Why?

PHOEBE: I wanted to see what they said about the moons. You know, check the schedule for the tides.

DEMI: Sorry.

PHOEBE: I was just wondering when high tide was gonna be.

DEMI: High tide? I think this is high tide.

PHOEBE: Really? But the water’s so far down.

DEMI: Well, there is a drought on, you know.

PHOEBE: I guess. That’s still kinda weird, though, don’t you think?

DEMI: What’s weird?

PHOEBE: I mean, I know it hasn’t rained lately. But still, you wouldn’t think that would dry up the ocean, would you?

DEMI: I dunno. I wouldn’t worry about. Can I have the lotion back?

PHOEBE: Oh, sure.

DEMI: Can you look at my back? I’m not burning, am I?

PHOEBE: Oh, let me see.

(She touches Demi’s back.)

DEMI: Ow!

PHOEBE: Oh, you are getting a lot of rays today, aren’t you?

------------ THE END -----------------

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Two females

Demi, who is working on a serious tan – or green, in the case of Martian beach babe.

Phoebe, Demi’s more serious friend.