IZZY is sitting in a small booth, typing on a computer. WILL slides into the chair across from her, balancing a tray of food. NARWHAL CAPTAIN sits as far away from them as possible, guiding the submarine. As the submarine descends further into the depths of the sea, the light slowly fades away into complete darkness. The intercom system crackles overhead as NARWHAL CAPTAIN makes an announcement.

 

NARWHAL CAPTAIN

2,000 meters below sea level. 

 

IZZY

Ewwww, I can’t believe you bought the submarine food.

 

WILL

I got grilled cheese and tomato soup, and I’m sure it tastes delicious. Who can mess up grilled cheese and tomato soup?

 

During this conversation, WILL is eating his soup and sandwich slowly, blowing on the spoon of the soup and dipping the wedge of the sandwich into the soup.

 

IZZY

Please. When was the last time you saw a real tomato? You don’t even want to know how many preservatives they put in your soup to keep it on the shelves. 

 

WILL 

Your mom grew the most beautiful tomatoes.

 

IZZY (reminiscent)

Yes. She loved gardening.

 

WILL

I always ate the cherry tomatoes straight from the vine. Just plopped them in my mouth when I thought no one was looking.

 

IZZY

You were worse than the squirrels!

 

WILL

Oh my God, I forgot about the squirrels! Man, I miss them. … I wonder if we’ll figure out a way to make an underwater garden.

 

IZZY

How would that even work? Who would make that?

 

WILL

I don’t know, but, like, maybe scientists or someone will figure it out? Like, it can’t be that hard. We figured out how to build gigantic submarines that can go underwater! It’s still so unreal that we are here. And don’t plants, like, give us oxygen? So if there were underwater plants, we could breathe underwater!

 

IZZY laughing from the ridiculousness of it all

That is just– what– your mind works in strange ways. 

 

WILL

It could happen! Or humans could evolve. 

 

IZZY

Actually, wait– remember when we talked about that in bio class? There are these people, I think they live on islands in the Pacific somewhere, and they can hold their breath underwater much longer than we can, they have like, larger spleens or something.

 

WILL

See, I’m not wrong. 

 

A beat. IZZY looks puzzled, trying to remember something. 

 

NARWHAL CAPTAIN

2,500 meters below sea level.

 

The announcement snaps IZZY out of her reverie.

 

IZZY

So, what did you bring with you?

 

WILL

You saw– just a bag. We’ll only be down here for a couple days. Seventy-two hours, that’s what they said, right? I don’t need that much stuff.

 

IZZY

I don’t believe it. This is a big issue. It’s not just going to blow over. The literal atmosphere of the Earth is toxic to breathe. That’s not going to be solved in seventy-two hours.

 

WILL

Okay, pessimist.

 

IZZY

More like a realist. We have poisoned the air, and now we’re coming to take refuge in the water, which is already full of oil and dying coral and bleached fish! It’s just all too much.

 

WILL

We have more important things to worry about.

 

IZZY

WHAT?!?! Our very existence is on the brink of extinction. What is more important?

 

WILL (purposefully irritating)

Getting into college.

 

IZZY

You are just– so– 

 

IZZY is infuriated, then realizes that WILL is just teasing her.

 

I think we’re going to be here a while, so I brought all my favorite snacks, just in case.

 

WILL

Like what?

 

IZZY 

Like Pocky, um, dried mango, Flaming Hot Cheetos, and oh! my Nintendo Switch.

 

WILL

Hahahahaha, that would make a perfect college essay: the things I brought on the emergency submarine evacuation and how they are meaningful to me. 

 

IZZY

Yeah, and your essay could be: the time I ate submarine food and nearly died of food poisoning. 

 

WILL

Yeah, ‘cause the admissions team will be soooo impressed with my brush with death.

 

IZZY

You’ll look … so mature. That’s what they’re looking for, right? Maturity? You’ll look … tough!

 

WILL

As tough as someone puking into a toilet can look. Give me a better one!

 

NARWHAL CAPTAIN

3,000 meters below surface level.

 

NARWHAL CAPTAIN steps out from his position behind the controls and dons a large, pointed horn. He steps outside the submarine.

 

IZZY

Okay, okay… ummmmm… the last tomato you ever ate. Or just talk about your memory of gardens or something. I guess that would work.

 

WILL

Yeah, okay, yeah. 

 

NARWHAL CAPTAIN appears in the windows by the submarine. He is swimming with his pod, He looks magical, majestic, regal.

 

IZZY

Just as long as you don’t write about this. Everyone is going to write about the submarine evacuation. We won’t look special.

 

IZZY notices NARWHAL CAPTAIN.

 

OH MY GOD! WHAT IS THAT?

 

WILL

What? Oh cool, it has a horn!

 

IZZY

It’s… a narwhal. Aren’t you supposed to be extinct?

 

NARWHAL CAPTAIN

We are descending deeper and deeper into the sea. 

 

IZZY hears him and presses her hand against the window. WILL blabbers on, oblivious.

 

WILL

Shouldn’t there be a special name for a group of narwhals? You know like how there is a murder of crows? Narwhals need a cool name too. 

 

NARWHAL CAPTAIN

Your life will never be the same.

 

WILL (pulling out his phone)

Wait– let me Google it. Oh my God, why is the WiFi here so bad?

 

IZZY

Will?

 

NARWHAL CAPTAIN slowly begins to drift away. 

 

NARWHAL CAPTAIN

You will never see me again. 

 

WILL 

Hold on a sec– it loaded. Wait, this is so cool. 

Reading off his phone

A group of narwhals is called a blessing. 

 

IZZY

WILL!

 

WILL

Yeah?

 

IZZY

Please shut up.

 

NARWHAL CAPTAIN has resumed his position, guiding the boat. 

 

NARWHAL CAPTAIN

We are now 3,500 meters below the sea, and already there has been an exciting sighting of narwhals on the starboard side of the ship. These magnificent creatures were long thought to be extinct, but this sighting has certainly made history. 

 

A beat.

 

IZZY

I’m scared.

 

WILL

Me too.

 

IZZY

I wonder how deep we’ll end up going.

 

WILL

Who knows. 

 

IZZY

I’m really, really scared.

 

WILL

I’m right here.

 

WILL reaches out his hand across the table. IZZY takes it and gives it a light squeeze. They smile mournfully up at each other.

 

WILL

I promise, it’s all going to be okay.

 

IZZY

What if we end up being crushed by the pressure? What if a rogue narwhal damages the submarine? 

Choking on her words

What if?

 

WILL

It’s going to be okay!

 

IZZY

What if!

 

NARWHAL CAPTAIN

We are 4,000 meters below the sea. 

 

The previously brightly-lit submarine cabin is now barely visible. Almost all light has disappeared, except for the faint glow of bioluminescence in the submarine windows. 

 

BLACKOUT.