Matty and the Mannequins

     (MATTY, a naked man in his 20's, stands in a store window with a group of MANNEQUINS--SPARROW, SUMMER, AUTUMN, and WILLA--all nicely dressed.)

WILLA:  If someone sees you in here, you'll be arrested.

SPARROW:  Shut up, Willa.  Nobody's going to see him.

SUMMER:  You're very attractive.

AUTUMN:  What's your name?

MATTY:  Matt--well, Matty.  Matthew.  Matty.

SPARROW:  (Giggling.)  Matty!

SUMMER:  So adorable.

WILLA:  How did you get in here?

SPARROW:  Shut UP, Willa!

WILLA:  It's just a question.

MATTY:  I fell asleep in one of the changing rooms upstairs.  Then I came down here, and I'm just trying to get somebody's attention.  You know, passerby?

AUTUMN:  I think it's a little late for passerby.

SPARROW:  Oh Autumn, it is not.  It's New York.  People walk by all the time.

WILLA:  They'll think he's part of the display.

SUMMER:  I wish he was.

SPARROW:  A naked man in a woman's clothing display?

SUMMER:  Plus, he's alive.  He's human.

MATTY:  Maybe I'm dreaming.

SUMMER:  Maybe we're all dreaming.

AUTUMN:  Maybe you'd better put on some clothes.

MATTY:  I don't know where my clothes went.

WILLA:  You're in a department store.  Just put on any clothes.

SUMMER:  I could loan you mine.  Then we'd both be naked--a little bit at least.

WILLA:  You'll do no such thing, Summer.

AUTUMN:  She's right.  We don't want to draw attention.

WILLA:  Good luck.  We've got a naked man standing next to us.

SPARROW:  I think he's more than that.

WILLA:  More than what?

SPARROW:  More than just a naked man.  I think he's art.

MATTY:  I'm art?

WILLA:  He's not art.

SUMMER:  He might be.  I see what Sparrow is talking about.

WILLA:  He would know if he was art.

MATTY:  I might not, I'm very stupid.

SUMMER:  And charming.  Stupid and charming.

SPARROW:  What does it feel like?

MATTY:  What?

SPARROW:  Being naked?

MATTY:  Haven't you ever been--?

SUMMER:  We're only really ourselves when we have clothes on.  When the clothes come off, we're just mannequins.  No identity.  No purpose.

SPARROW:  So what does it feel like?

MATTY:  Well--

WILLA:  Enough of this.

AUTUMN:  No, Willa, I want to hear what he has to say.

MATTY:  It feels...I don't know.  It feels how it feels?

WILLA:  What a poet.

AUTUMN:  Willa--

WILLA:  What breath-taking insight.

SPARROW:  Oh, knock it off!

WILLA:  It feels how it feels.

SUMMER:  Sounds about right to me.

     (The MANNEQUINS begin to argue, until MATTY stops them by shouting--)

MATTY:  I feel terrified!

    (Silence.)

But that goes away.  And then I feel sort of silly, like, what am I doing?  I should put some clothes on.  Then, I sort of walk around and think, huh, this is...sort of liberating--which, people have said--other people, aside from me, I mean, but that is what it is--liberating.  Then you get over yourself.  You just sort of say--Yes, I'm naked, and you move on from it.  Until you run into somebody that isn't naked, and then you go right back to the beginning again.  So right now I feel silly, but I can already tell that I'm starting to feel liberating--like I don't care what any of you think.  I'm naked.  I'm a naked man, and I'm not going to put clothes on, although I do hope somebody walks by this window soon, because I think whatever I took before I walked into this department store six hours ago was a little on the strong side, because now all of you are talking to me and also, I'm cold and sweating at the same time, and you're all starting to sound like Darth Vader.

WILLA:  That. Is. Amazing.

MATTY:  Is it?

WILLA:  The way you described it--

SPARROW:  Take my clothes off!

MATTY:  What?

AUTUMN:  Sparrow!

SPARROW:  Why not?  He knows what's other here--and it's not much.  It's not--anatomical.

AUTUMN:  Still!

WILLA:  Take mine off too!

AUTUMN:  Willa!

WILLA:  Who cares, Autumn?

AUTUMN:  When our clothes are off, we're--

WILLA:  Not if we keep our eyes open.  Not if we're not ashamed.

SUMMER:  Is it warm in here or is it just me?

AUTUMN:  You're all insane.

SPARROW:  Please, Matty, please take them off?

MATTY:  This is--really cool, but also, kind of messed up.

WILLA:  Just do it!

     (He removes the clothing of SPARROW, WILLA, and SUMMER in that order.  They are, indeed, mannequins--flat surfaces and no detail.  But there is something lovely about seeing them with no clothes on.  AUTUMN looks on in confusion.)

SPARROW:  (Over-lapping.)  God, he was right!

WILLA:  (Over-lapping.)  I feel lighter.

SUMMER:  (Over-lapping.)  Now this is more like it.

MATTY:  (To AUTUMN.)  Are you sure you don't--?

AUTUMN:  (Quicly.)  Go ahead!  Just...go easy, please.

MATTY:  Sure.  Sure thing.

     (He undresses her.  She looks at herself in the reflection of the store window.)

SPARROW:  Autumn, are you--?

AUTUMN:  Goodness...

MATTY:  She's never seen herself with--

WILLA:  None of us have.

SUMMER:  It's all right, Autumn.  It's natural.

SPARROW:  It's wonderful.

WILLA:  You don't need those clothes.

     (AUTUMN reaches out and touches the window with her hand.)

AUTUMN:  I'm afraid.

MATTY:  Afraid of what?

AUTUMN:  Afraid I'll never be able to stop looking at myself.

     (She laughs.  The other MANNEQUINS laugh.  MATTY laughs.  They grab hands and begin running around in a circle until they all collapse, still laughing, still naked, still waiting for somebody to walk by and notice them.)