Spinning Wheels
Jennifer Le Blanc

ACT I
Scene 1
A Therapist’s office. Dr. White is at her desk
taking notes. Aurora is on a couch.
DR. WHITE
Can you tell me when this began?
AURORA
Oh, somewhere around my 16th birthday, I think.
DR. WHITE
Always the same nightmare, though.
AURORA
Yes.
DR. WHITE
Hm. Do you still have both parents?
AURORA
Yes.
DR. WHITE
Hmmmm.
AURORA
Why? Is that unusual, Dr. White?
DR. WHITE
Yes. In my line of work. No stepmother then?
AURORA
No.
DR. WHITE
Hm.
AURORA
But I was separated from my parents for many years. I
mean long before I was married, once upon a time- you
know-
Buzz
DR. WHITE
I am so sorry, I’m the only doctor in this afternoon.
She presses a button on her phone.
Yes, Cindy?
2.
VOICE OF CINDY
Miss Ridinghood on line one.
DR. WHITE
Just tell the pharamacy to refill her Xanax.
VOICE OF CINDY
Dosage?
DR. WHITE
Same as for the builders at Straw, Stick, and Stone
Construction Co. Lycotrauma-induced PTSD.
VOICE OF CINDY
Got it.
DR. WHITE
And, Cindy? No more Zappos deliveries to the office.
VOICE OF CINDY
Yes, Dr. White.
DR. WHITE
Sorry. Okay. Now I have some unusual questions to ask
you regarding this irrational fear-
AURORA
Irrational?! They’re terrifying!
DR. WHITE
But they’re also practical, Aurora. Come now. Do you
know a better way to make yarn? Okay. Now. Animal
friends?
AURORA
Naturally.
DR. WHITE
Frequent bouts of singing, no doubt. Is your furniture
anthropromorphic? Prone to bouts of singing with
you? Perhaps your fear of spin-
AURORA
Don’t say it! I’ll be up all night screaming!
DR. WHITE
Alright perhaps the furniture in question animated and
attacked you-
AURORA
Don’t be ridiculous3.
DR. WHITE
It’s not ridiculous, my two o’clock appointment has
dear friends who are clocks and candlesticks. Very
welcoming, I hear.
AURORA
If they’re so wonderful, why is she seeing you?
DR. WHITE
Husband has anger management issues. I can’t disclose
more, I’m afraid. Now, you said you were separated
from your parents at a young age?
AURORA
Yes.
DR. WHITE
Eating disorder? Bread crumb hoarding? Fear of
sweets?
AURORA
No.
DR. WHITE
How do you feel when I say “The Woods?”
AURORA
I love nature! Well, I hate briars. But who doesn’t?
DR. WHITE
Hm. Discomfort with towers?
AURORA
Oh! Yes, hate them.
DR. WHITE
Okay. Now we’re getting somewhere. Long
hair? Check.
AURORA
Surely you’ve seen other people with this fear.
DR. WHITE
One woman many years ago. Let me think. Do you suffer
from hay fever?
AURORA
No.
SNOW WHITE
Visitations from riddling small impish men?
4.
AURORA
Good God, NO!
DR. WHITE
That was a bit strong. What do you have against small
men?
AURORA
Nothing. IDR.
WHITE
Are you
height-ist? You
feel just vastly
superior because of
your stature?
AURORA
No, I didn’t mean anything by-
DR. WHITE
The prejudice of you royals is just sickening
sometimes. You’re as bad as my husband. Charming my
ass. Is bigger really better? You don’t know Jack,
then. I know at least 7 horizontally challenged men,
who would risk life and limb for someone they care for-
AURORA
What the hell do small men have to do with my anxiety
about-
DR. WHITE
Perfectly normal household items? I mean, maybe you’re
just afraid of a little housework, princess? Some of
us have spent years of our lives scrubbing floors,
piles of dishes-
AURORA
Oh, for pity’s sake!
DR. WHITE
Some of us didn’t have the luxury of fearing brooms, or
buckets, or spin-
AURORA
Stop it!
DR. WHITE
Some of us don’t have “fairy godmothers” to clean up
after our messes-
AURORA
This is nice. This is really nice. I come in because
I’m suffering from insomnia- night terrors, from some
adolescent trauma, and I’m treated to this communist
(MORE)
5.
AURORA (cont’d)
manifesto from an upwardly mobile peasant with a dwarf
fetish!
DR. WHITE
How dare you? Did you just use that disgusting
term? Those miners-
AURORA
You called the fellow an imp!
DR. WHITE
I said “impish.” Like “puckish.” And I’ll have you
know, she ended up marrying that imp man after her
first, very TALL husband turned out to be a gold
digger!
AURORA
Bullshit. What was her name?
DR. WHITE
Oh some horrid German name.
Terrible German accent
Rumplepimple? Stilkinpimp? Pumplepimpkin?
DR. WHITE
Striplerumpstick?
Riddlystinklebottom? Primpstickyfiddleskin?
AURORA
Are you really
mocking one of your
clients? Seriously?
AURORA
Where did you get your license? Wicked witches
upstairs psychology and beautician night school?
DR. WHITE
Oh, butch up, Buttercup, take an Ambien and leave the
spinning to-
AURORA
I don’t have to take this. I’m leaving.
She gets up to leave, gathers her belongings.
DR. WHITE
Yeah, well try not to have any hysterical fits if you
walk by a granny at a loom, or a little girl knitting,
or a truly terrifying spinning wheel! Jesus, how can
you possibly fear a-
An apple falls out of Aurora’s bag. Snow White
screams. She faints.

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