Come Back
Screen shows exterior of a garage. Colorful text reads: Come back.
The door opens, and a college woman walks into the garage.
She turns a lamp on and opens a box labeled “Sara’s childhood.”
Sara: Okay.
She sits down on the floor and takes out a stuffed monkey, a magic 8 ball, and a stack of photos. She begins flipping through the photos of her childhood.
The screen is black.
Sara is seen lying down with her eyes closed while water drips onto her face. The camera shows a doll pouring the water.
Monkey: Wow, wow, wow, wow. Look who’s finally awake, boys.
Sara sittts up, confused.
Sara: What?
Monkey: How long has it been? 8? No, ten years, am I right? Sock puppets: Yeah, ten. Ten, ten.
Sara: Am I dead? What’s going on?
Monkey: No, sweet girl, we just missed play time with you. Did you really think you could forget about us?
Sock puppets: Forget? Forget!
Sara: I didn’t forget about you.
Monkey: Yeah? Well, tell that to my layer of dust and loose stitching.
Sara: I just grew up, OK? I mean, you know that you are my favorite stuffed animal growing up, but what was I supposed to do, drag you around campus with me?
Monkey: Well, you didn’t have to throw us into a box and pack us away like you did to the rest of your imagination.
Sara: I’m sorry. I’m just I’m supposed to be an adult now. And it’s not healthy to live in the past. I have to be realistic and mature, and I can’t be having tea parties or fictitious rocket trips to the moon anymore. Can’t you understand that? I mean, I don’t know what else to say.
Monkey: But wasn’t childhood a good time?
Sara: Of course, I had a good time. I had the most fun with you guys, but I can’t turn back time.
Monkey: Are you sure? Boys, roll the tapes.
The sock puppets set up home video of Sara’s childhood.
Sock puppet: No responsibilities. No judgments. All you had to do was use your imagination, and in a split second, you were invincible. You only job was to create and have a good time doing it.
Sock puppets: No cares. No responsibilities.
Monkey: Now, don’t you miss being happy like that?
Sara: You’re not wrong. I mean, I’d be lying if sometimes I didn’t want to just go back in time.
Monkey: Sara, you can. All you have to do is come play with us.
Sock puppets: Play. Play. Won’t you join us for a tea party?
Eerie music plays. Sara picks up a plastic cookie.
Sara: No. Stop. Stop it. I I just I can’t There’s a reason this place shouldn’t exist forever. Yeah, of course, I have great memories drawing and playing and pretending, but I also have shitty memories that I’ve chosen to forget too. I, I just can’t play with you guys. Also, this cookie is made of plastic.
She throws the cookie to the ground.
Monkey: Sara, don’t forget, we know you. We planned for a little resistance.
Sara: What?
Sock puppets: Hold her down.
The doll holds her to the ground.
Sara: What are you doing? How are you so freakishly strong?
Sock puppets: We think you need a little time out until you learned your lesson.
Sara: Just because I’ve grown up, doesn’t mean I’ve lost my imagination. You guys definitely helped me through childhood and thanks for that. But I don’t need you anymore to be creative. Sock puppet: Maybe she needs a nap time too.
Her body is covered with childhood toys.
She wakes up coughing, and she stacks the photo back into the box.
Sara: Yeah. Sorry. I was just looking at something. I’m coming now.
She tucks one photo into her back pocket and goes back inside.
Screen reads: by Sara Mantich
Sara Mantich took the abrupt limitations of COVID-19 and made them work for her in her piece. Viewers grow with Sara, as she projects the past, reflects on it and processes the act of growing up.