2025 Scriptwriting Contest Runner up: The Forgotten One by Adaria Crutcher

THE FORGOTTEN ONE 

By The Author 

Characters: 

Mariana Sanchez, a fragile, 17 year old Venezuelan girl who was recently checked into the psychiatric hospital after her mom’s suicide. 

Elizabeth Sanchez, a very pale, ghostly version of Mariana’s deceased mother.

Setting- An entirely white room at the Albuquerque Psychiatric Hospital, room 105. The room has an unmade bed with white sheets and two black chairs. There are scratch marks all over the walls, and the two chairs face each other. 

The scene opens with MARIANA and ELIZABETH sitting in their chairs. 

MARIANA 

(Aggravated) How are you back again? fidgeting with her hands How could you come back after I told you to leave me alone? 

ELIZABETH 

Mija, you need me. grabbing MARIANA’s hand I know things are complicated, and I’m here for you. 

MARIANA 

(Snatching her hand back) H-h-here for me? You’re here for me? How the fuck are you here for me when you’re dead. You fucking killed yourself, Mama.

ELIZABETH 

Mari . . . Mari, things were hard for me; it’s difficult for me to explain, but 

MARIANA 

(INTERRUPTING) How is it difficult exactly? You killed yourself, Mama. raising her voice You left me with that monster. You left me with him. melancholic tone You left me. 

ELIZABETH moves her seat closer to MARIANA’s. 

ELIZABETH 

I needed to escape. I needed to get out. I couldn’t take it anymore. I just couldn’t. 

MARIANA moves her seat further away from ELIZABETH. 

MARIANA 

And what? I could? Look where that got me . . . right in the psych ward. Do you even know why I am here, Mama? Because I want you to make a good guess? 

ELIZABETH ignores the question.

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ELIZABETH 

(In a low tone) I know that I could’ve found a better solution. I should have . . . I should have, but I wasn’t thinking, Mija, I needed to get out immediately. 

MARIANA 

(Slowly) You left me, Mom. pauses In that household, I became the shiny, new prey for that monster to devour, destroy, and ruin. long pause Now answer my question. fake smiling Why am I here, Mama? 

ELIZABETH ignores the question again. 

ELIZABETH 

He just wouldn’t stop. He just kept hurting me. I felt so lost. I didn’t feel like myself. I thought I didn’t have any other choice. I thought this was my only escape. 

MARIANA makes eye contact with ELIZABETH.

5 

MARIANA 

He hurt me, too. He hurt us both. But only one of us made it out alive, and . . . God, I wish it wasn’t me. But once again, that wasn’t an answer. raising her tone Don’t beat around the bush. Answer the question. You keep reappearing here, in this stupid room, no matter how much I try to escape you; you’re everywhere. In my walls, in my dreams, now somehow, once again, you’re sitting right in front of me. So, answer my question: why am I in this mental asylum? 

ELIZABETH 

(With her head down) Because of me. 

MARIANA 

(Whispering angrily) Say it louder. 

ELIZABETH 

(Still avoiding eye contact) Because of me.

6 

MARIANA 

(Voice slowly rising with each word) clenching her teeth Say. It. Louder. 

ELIZABETH 

Because of me. 

MARIANA 

(Almost screaming) Say it louder. Say it with pride. Don’t be shy. hitting her fist against her thigh Look at me when you say it. 

ELIZABETH 

(Concerned) Mija, why are you screaming at me? a single tear drips down her cheek I’m sorry; I’m so sorry. I didn’t want it to turn out this way. I didn’t. I promise you I didn’t. It shouldn’t have. I should have kept going. I should have been a better mother. I’m sorry, but please don’t scream at me.

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MARIANA 

(Appalled) Why am I screaming? Why aren’t you? You’re dead and talking to your daughter, who you left behind, who you left to fend for herself. You should be sorry. Heck, I should be sorry 

too because I can’t escape you. You won’t disappear, and it’s eating me up. I miss you like crazy, Mama, but what am I supposed to do? You aren’t real anymore. So answer me one last time, as loud as you can. Why. Am. I. Here? 

ELIZABETH grips her head in an almost manic way. 

ELIZABETH 

(Speaking a little louder) Because of me. Because of me. (Lowering her tone) Because of me. 

MARIANA gets up from her chair and paces around ELIZABETH’s chair. 

MARIANA 

(Laughing) Exactly. I’m here because of you, Mama; you left me behind like I’m not your daughter. Like I’m not someone you’re supposed to protect. Someone you’re supposed to fight for. slightly crying Someone you’re supposed to love . . . but I guess you didn’t love me enough.

8 

ELIZABETH 

Don’t you ever say that; of course, I loved you, Mari, and I still do and will forever. 

MARIANA 

Then why didn’t you consider how much this would affect me? You were in pain, but I thought we were a team. I thought we were in this together. So, how could you just leave me hanging like this? 

ELIZABETH 

(Stuttering) I just- I just- I just wasn’t in the right place, Mija. The things he would do to me crushed my spirit, my soul. 

MARIANA 

(Pauses) in a melancholy tone He crushed me, too, especially after you left. Sometimes, I wish I had never been born, and then maybe you could’ve escaped. Maybe you would still be here, and I wouldn’t be talking to a ghost like a crazy person. Sometimes I think that maybe it’s all my fault, right? 

ELIZABETH 

Mari, Mari don’t say that, Mari don’t-

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MARIANA 

(INTERRUPTING) Please don’t call me Mari. You don’t get to call me that anymore. Nobody calls me that anymore. sighs Hell, nobody calls me anything anymore because I’m seen as this crazy psycho, 

and maybe I am. Maybe I am fucking insane; I mean, I’m in a psych ward already; I might as well try to kill myself again and be insane just like you. 

ELIZABETH 

Again? Mija, did you try to pauses to commit? 

MARIANA 

Don’t act all motherly and concerned now. Do you think they put you in one of these white rooms for anything? When you died five months ago, I was still forced to go to school and live a “normal life.” But, you know, the second I guess I publicly show my pain and try to end it, that’s when people start listening. That’s when they care. 

The room goes silent, and ELIZABETH waits around five seconds to respond to MARIANA.

10 

ELIZABETH 

(Hesitantly) I know what you mean, more than you think, sweetheart. I tried to get help. I tried to confide in those around me, but everyone told me to sleep off my sorrows. They told me that I was overreacting and that the pain -the hurting would all stop one day. 

MARIANA returns to her chair, sits down, and starts fidgeting with her hands again. 

MARIANA 

(In an understanding tone) And it didn’t, so you had to make it stop yourself, right? Right? Well, I tried to do the same, Mama. Two months ago, I tried to make it all stop, to reunite with you. I tried, but instead, I’m in this hospital gown, and my own living hell. 

ELIZABETH 

I should have tried for you, Mija. I should have tried harder to go on. You didn’t deserve this. I wasn’t thinking; I couldn’t think. It was all too much. Everything was-

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MARIANA 

(INTERRUPTING) In pain? Like when you try to talk about it or think about it, every part of your body would scream. 

ELIZABETH 

Exactly. Mija, I know this place isn’t the most ideal, but you must stay here to improve. Do what I couldn’t, please, Mariana, please, sweetheart. 

There is a brief moment of silence between the two. They stare at each other as they finally understand each other’s pain slightly more. 

MARIANA 

You know, about two months ago marked three months since your passing. I remember when I got my first boyfriend and was scared to see if we would make it past the three-month horror mark. 

ELIZABETH 

(Lightly laughing) I remember us ranting about how, after three months, things either get better or slightly crumble apart.

12 

MARIANA 

Yeah, I remember that, too. Well, on your three months . . . death-a-versary, I guess you could call it. Things sure as hell took a turn for the worse. That monster, that sick creature pauses dad, h-he pauses started hitting me again. He just kept going and going, screaming at me that it was MY fault that you were dead 

ELIZABETH 

(INTERRUPTING) It wasn’t your fault, Mija; it was never your fault. 

MARIANA 

But I felt like it was Mama. I believed him. I let him hit me like I was a worn-out punching bag because I thought it was my fault. After about thirty minutes of his fist bruising my body 

and my tears slowly drowning my soul, I couldn’t take it. I locked myself in my room. I locked the door and hoped never to open it again. But I failed, and he found out. He found out, Mama, and he was so mad. He didn’t hit me this time, but he sent

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me here because he knew it would hurt me more to lose myself than to finally escape this hellish world. 

ELIZABETH 

But I didn’t escape, Mariana. I didn’t get to finish my story. Everything I worked for and endured all my life ends with a cliffhanger. 

MARIANA 

(Shrugging her shoulders) Maybe that’s the secret to happiness.*thinking* Uncertainty. Maybe I should end mine on a cliffhanger, too. At least, it will leave people talking about me forever. 

ELIZABETH 

But what will it leave for you, sweetheart? You have such a bright future. You have goals. You have aspirations. You have 

MARIANA 

(INTERRUPTING) And you didn’t? Mama, you could have opened up that restaurant like you wanted. laughing Heck, you could have finally learned how to make tamales that actually taste good. sighing You could have been more.

ELIZABETH 

(Pauses) I know Mariana. I know I could have, but there is no me anymore. There is no longer an Elizabeth Sanchez to listen to your rants about TV shows or stupid boys. 

MARIANA 

(Slightly smiling) Yeah, they are pretty stupid. God, I don’t think out of all the boys I told you about one actually had a brain. sighing I miss our talks, Mama. Ugh, and it sucks so bad that the only way we are literally talking right now is because I’m probably borderline schizophrenic or something. 

ELIZABETH 

We needed this talk. I’m happy that you’re finally ready to talk and not shoo me away again. You have a life that is worth fighting for, Mariana. I know out of all people, I’m the last to advise you about living, but you must keep going. Not for me, not for our family, not for those ugly boys, but for yourself. I know that deep down in you, there is still that 

little girl longing to live a happy, beautiful life. I know my little Mariana is still there inside of you.

MARIANA 

But she’s scared, Mama, she’s so scared. What if I can’t come back from this? What if ending my story here is how my life is supposed to go? What if 

ELIZABETH 

(INTERRUPTING) No, I won’t let you talk about yourself like that, Mariana. You deserve a happy life. You deserve it all, Mariana. The life we always dreamt of, the life I never accomplished for you. 

MARIANA scoots her chair closer to ELIZABETH’s. 

MARIANA 

(Nervously) Mari. I mean, uhm, stampering you-you can call me Mari again. I-I’m sorry for lashing out about that early. It’s just nobody, but you called me that, and, uhm, all the pain of 

your death rushed over my body when I heard you say, “Mari.” crying Man, I miss you so much. I miss you more than you’ll ever know.

ELIZABETH 

(Making eye contact) And I miss you more than you’ll ever understand. I know my way of showing it wasn’t the best, but you are forever my little girl. I’m sorry that I left sooner than warranted. You didn’t deserve that, Mija. Nobody deserves that, but you also don’t deserve to die. You’re stronger than me; you will make it, I promise. 

MARIANA 

Do you really believe that I’m worthy pauses of staying alive? Because it gets harder every day for me to think that I am. 

ELIZABETH 

Don’t you ever think you deserve to die, Mari? I thought I did and leaving this world was my biggest mistake. I left behind my whole world– I left you. 

MARIANA 

(Sympathizing) You did what you thought was best for you, Mama. Nobody makes perfect decisions all the time. I know I’ve been yelling and cussing at you —sorry about that– but you were . .. You still are a good mom. You tried your hardest to endure your suffering and couldn’t, but you tried your best, and I admire you for that.

MARIANA gets up to hug ELIZABETH. 

ELIZABETH 

I love you, Mija, but I want you to live your whole life. Don’t crumble your story; rewrite it and live it out. 

ELIZABETH wraps her arm tightly around MARIANA to embrace her. 

MARIANA 

(Making eye contact) To be honest, I think that’s the scariest part of life: living it and hoping you did enough to be content with your ending. 

ELIZABETH 

I wasn’t content about many things, but I was sure as hell content that I wouldn’t have continued for as long as I did if it wasn’t for you.

MARIANA 

I know that I said I was here because of you . . . well more like I made you scream that, but pauses I’m not mad at you, Mama. I was never really mad, just hurt. Nobody really knows how to comfort a grieving child, especially one whose mother committed suicide. I guess I just wanted someone to blame instead of accepting that I miss you so much. 

ELIZABETH 

Don’t ever feel like you’re alone, Mari. I am always here; you just have to dig, and I’ll appear. Whether through pictures or memories slightly giggling or these weird hallucinations that you keep having. 

MARIANA 

(Playfully) See, I told people I was going crazy. Can you even know you’re a hallucination? Will I get attacked like those people do in dreams when you say, “I know this is a dream?” gasping (jokingly) Oh My Gosh, please don’t attack me. I-I don’t even know what the word hallucination means. 

They both start lightly laughing.

ELIZABETH 

(Smiling) See, there’s the Mari I remember. pauses I love your jokes; please never stop, and please don’t be hard on yourself. One day, we will finally reunite, but now, please show the world the Mariana Sanchez, whom I am forever proud to call my daughter. pauses Oh, and I know it’s annoying and gushy, but once again, I love you. 

MARIANA 

(Sincerely) It’s not annoying. I would do anything to hear that from you again and not through whatever form of you this is. sighing I guess what I’m trying to say is ... I love you too, Mama. And I will continue, not just for myself, but for you. Since we can’t finish this game together, I will play it and win it for us both. 

ELIZABETH 

(Crying) And don’t you ever forget that a part of me will forever be there spectating from the sidelines, mija. 

There is a brief silence between the two as they cry. MARIANA wipes her final tears away and breaks the silence.

MARIANA 

(Jokingly) Wait, but please don’t spectate everything; I’m begging you because, uhm, you might see how my taste in guys has worsened since our last rant. 

MARIANA and ELIZABETH laugh and continue hugging each other. After thirty seconds, the lights fade out, and ELIZABETH exits stage left with her chair. When the lights come back on, MARIANA is seen facing the same way but talking to herself. 

THE END

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Cover Page by Jiaying Chen

Read more about the author here: https://thecleverlycreatives.wixsite.com/thecleverlycreatives/post/scriptwriting-contest-second-place-winner-adaria-crutcher