Short sketch: Violin

Lights up. KAYLIE is playing the piano while her father MATTHEW is standing at a further corner of the room. She accidentally punches a wrong key on the piano and MATTHEW shakes his head in disappointment. Furious, KAYLIE stops playing and stands up. Her mother DESIREE is sitting on a sofa. She put a book she is reading down on her lap.

KAYLIE: I hate it! I don’t want to play the piano ever again!

DESIREE: Kaylie, what’s the matter? You love to play the piano.

KAYLIE: I don’t! It’s too difficult!

MATTHEW: Kaylie, you better get your butt back here and finish playing the piece! It’s not that                        hard to play it unless you put your heart to it!

KAYLIE: How many times I’ve told you I don’t want to play that instrument?

MATTHEW: And why do you hate it? (beat)

KAYLIE: Because piano is not the right instrument for me! I want to play something else, but                      you say no! It’s always a no! You want me to play the stupid piano and that’s it! And now that I think about it, maybe I hate music! (pause)

DESIREE: Kaylie, how could you say that?

KAYLIE: I quit! Do you hear me? I quit the piano and music!

KAYLIE storms out of the room and slams the front door shut with a bang. She goes out of the house. She walks down the street and saw a music store called Symphony. She peeks through the opened door and sees a 40-years-old man playing a violin. She is fascinated by the melody he is playing and enters in.

KAYLIE: What a beautiful melody!

The man stops playing and put down his bow and violin.

SIMON: (smiles) Thank you, young lady!

KAYLIE looks at the violin SIMON is holding with a fascinated look on her face.

SIMON: Do you play violin?

KAYLIE: No, sir, but I wish I can play it.

SIMON: Do you play any musical instruments?

KAYLIE: Only piano, but I don’t like playing it.

SIMON: (surprised) Why is that?

KAYLIE: My dad forces me to play piano. He expects me to be a professional pianist in the                       future. To me, piano is like shit. You just sit at the piano and stretch your fingers to reach for those damn keys. I’ve watched people playing string instruments like the violin, and it looks even more fun to play with.  Lindsey Stirling is my favourite violinist. Have you heard of her?

SIMON: Of course! She’s an incredible Youtube sensation!

KAYLIE: I dream of holding a violin and play well, just like her.

SIMON: Then would you like to make it real?

KAYLIE: What do you mean?

SIMON: Do you want to learn to play violin? I can teach you all the basics. (beat)

KAYLIE: (eyes widened) You really mean it?

SIMON: I see determination, enthusiasm, and passion in your eyes. You remind me back when I                 was your age, young lady.

KAYLIE: Oh! Thank you so much, sir! I’m Kaylie!  (puts out her hand for a hand shake)

SIMON: Nice to meet you, Kaylie. I’m Simon. (shakes her hand)

SIMON reaches out a common brown-coloured violin that hung on the wall behind the counter. He then hands it to KAYLIE.

SIMON: This violin is for you.

KAYLIE: (surprised and happy)Are you serious? Do I have to pay for it?

SIMON: It’s a gift, my dear. You can play it whenever you want. Now let’s get started, shall we?

SIMON takes his own violin from a case and introduces KAYLIE to a note. From a window of the store, DESIREE passes by and sees through the window. She gasps in shock and drops the bag of fruits she is holding.

DESIREE: Kaylie? What is she doing in there? And why is she holding a violin? Oh no!                                 Matthew will not be happy when he sees this. Oh! What am I going to do?

DESIREE picks up the fruits that are scattered on the floor and puts them back into the bag. She then makes her way back home. She places the bag on a table and collapses on the sofa next to it. Back in the sore, KAYLIE finished her first violin lesson. She places her violin carefully into a violin case and closed it tight.

SIMON: You’re a fast learner! That’s good! I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?

KAYLIE: Okay, Simon! Bye!

KAYLIE went out of the store and walks back home with a smile on her face. When she arrives at the house, she immediately saw her mother.

DESIREE: Where have you been, Kaylie?

KAYLIE: Um..I was hanging out with my friends.

DESIREE: Then tell me what that thing you’re holding is?

DESIREE points one finger at the violin case KAYLIE is carrying. KAYLIE gulped.

KAYLIE: Umm…(pause)

DESIREE: Is that a violin?

KAYLIE: How do you know?

DESIREE: I saw you in Symphony. You were with the owner of that music store, weren’t you?

KAYLIE nodded slowly. Her head hung low, feeling guilty.

DESIREE: (walks to KAYLIE and gently put both hands onto her shoulders)Kaylie, sweetheart, I                    actually don’t mind that you want to play the violin.

KAYLIE: (eyes widened) Really?

DESIREE: I notice that you’re struggling with every piano practice, and I’m relieved that you’ve                             found what you want to play. Unfortunately, I’m afraid that your father will be pissed.

MATTHEW walks by. He freezes for 5 seconds when he sees the violin case.

MATTHEW: Kaylie, what is that?

KAYLIE keeps quiet. Her fingers gripped tightly on the handle of the case.

 MATTHEW: Kaylie, I demand for an answer! Now!

DESIREE: Matthew, it’s just a violin. She wants to play it.

MATTHEW snatches the case away from KAYLIE’s grip. He then slaps hard on her right cheek. KAYLIE’s face turns left, afraid to look at her father’s face. 

DESIREE: (shocked) Matthew!

MATTHEW: Do you know anything about this, Desiree?

DESIREE: S..she went for violin lessons at the Symphony music store. I saw her an hour ago.

MATTHEW: Then I’m going to return this and to have a word with the owner. Kaylie, when I                            come back, I must see you practicing. 

DESIREE brings KAYLIE to the sofa and takes care of the injury left by MATTTHEW’s slap. MATTHEW goes out of the house and straight to the music store. As he enters in the store, SIMON is fiddling an electric guitar behind the counter.  

MATTHEW: I would like to return this violin please.

SIMON stops playing the guitar and puts it down. MATTHEW carefully places the heavy case onto the counter table. SIMON opens the case and shows a surprised look on his face.

SIMON: This is Kaylie’s violin. Wait a minute, you must be her father.

MATTHEW: (clears his throat) Yes I am, and how do you know this is Kaylie’s violin?

SIMON: I help her to engrave her name on the violin. See?

SIMON lifted up the violin from the case and shows MATTHEW the name KAYLIE engraved on the violin’s front surface.

MATTHEW: Listen, sir. I’m not satisfied by what you’ve done for her. She’s expected to stick                           to piano.

SIMON: Well, you see, Kaylie told me about you forcing her to play the piano. That’s not how a                 parent should treat children.

MATTHEW: (surprised) Excuse me?

SIMON: Kaylie has a dream, sir. She wants to play the violin instead of the piano. She wishes that she can become a famous violinist like Lindsey Stirling.

MATTHEW: (raises his eyebrows in puzzlement) Who the heck is Lindsey Stirling?

SIMON: (chuckle) Lindsey is an idol your daughter looks up to. She performs original songs and a few covers that wow the Youtube viewers. This person is who Kaylie wants to become. But thanks to you, her dream has shattered. Every single day you order Kaylie to practice the piano with no sympathy and attention to her deep feelings.

MATTHEW stares at SIMON. He then looks at the violin in the case. Long pause.

SIMON: Look, I’m not trying to be a hero. I’m just saying what is right. You have to hear what Kaylie wants to do.

MATTHEW: I thought that she will follow my footsteps. I guess I didn’t really understand her.

SIMON: Tell you what, why don’t you let Kaylie come here for violin lessons? When she is                        ready, she will be performing in a concert. You will see how confident she is to make her dream as a violinist to come true.

MATTHEW: (sigh) Very well.

‘SIMON closes the case and hands it to MATTHEW. MATTHEW carries it home. Lights off. The lights come back on shortly. MATTHEW is sitting at the piano, playing a tune. KAYLIE approaches and stood still.

MATTHEW: (smiles) Good morning, Kaylie!

KAYLIE: (feeling suspicious) Err..good morning, Dad. What’s going on?

MATTHEW: Oh, nothing much. It’s just that..I believe this belongs to you.

MATTHEW gets up from the chair and pulls out the violin case from the back of the piano.

KAYLIE: (gasp) You didn’t return it?

MATTHEW: (shrugs) I realize that I have to give you a chance to do something you want to do.

KAYLIE runs towards MATTHEW to give him a hug.

KAYLIE: Oh! Thank you thank you thank you thank you!

A comforting smile creeps on MATTHEW’s face. KAYLIE grabs the case and dashes out of the door. She arrives at Symphony, just in time for her next lesson. SIMON sits by the counter. KAYLIE sits next to him and lifts her violin from the case. SIMON teaches KAYLIE some new chords. Lights off again. The sound of an audience clapping echoes. The lights are switched on. KAYLIE is standing at the center of an empty stage. She is wearing a formal dress and is holding her violin in one hand and her bow in another. She plays a song with her violin. When she finishes, there is a loud sound of cheering and clapping. DESIREE and MATTHEW approach from the left and give KAYLIE a big hug.

DESIREE: You did it, Kaylie! You give a great performance!

MATTHEW: I’ve never been prouder, my dear.

KAYLIE: (big joyful smile) Thank you, Mom and Dad!

MATTHEW: And..Kaylie, I’m sorry for the way I treated you in all those years. I should have                            listen to you, and I should have support your dream. You have definitely played good music after all.

KAYLIE: Let’s just call it even, Dad.