Berlin

bu Sohil VG, age 12
Sohil is a middle-schooler, inspired to write by The Duffer Brothers. Sohil likes to read fantasy, science fiction, and graphic novels.

“WALTER
Welcome to the resistance, Paul.

PAUL
The resistance?

WALTER
After you”

PAUL — 17-year-old who lives in East Berlin. His father’s a politician in the communist party. Almost every Friday and Saturday night, Paul sneaks out to the West Side to party. He has a John Lennon poster, but he doesn’t show it to his dad. 

WALTER — Paul’s best friend, 16.5. They have been friends since first grade. They have always been together and Walter was the one who showed Paul how to sneak over the Berlin wall.

FATHER — Volodymyr Voronovich. He is a minister from the soviet union to East Berlin.

ABENEER —  Abeneer Smith, a former wrestling coach whose best friend was Centurion, a pro wrestler that was coached by Abeneer Smith. He is a kind, loyal person who never gives up on his friends. He is now 69 years old and in prison, for coaching Centurion who beat Ivan Drago, a famous soviet union wrestler. Centurion was shot for beating him, and Abeneer was imprisoned for this. 

SCENE ONE

The year is 1965. John Lennon’s song Imagine is playing softly on the radio of a channel from West Berlin. PAUL has his John Lennon poster above his bed, and PAUL nods his head to the music.

FATHER

Off stage

Paul! I am meeting Erich Honecker who is the Chief of the Communist Party. 

PAUL quickly switches the radio channel to East Berlin propaganda and covers his John Lennon Poster with his Joseph Stalin, my hero poster. The door rattles and his father enters. (The poster of Stalin should be the Pringles man poster that says Joseph Stalin My hero below it)

PAUL 

Hello, father. 

FATHER 

Doing some homework? 

PAUL 

Yes, father.

FATHER

Glancing at the poster

Ahh. One of my favorite posters….May I see some of your notes?

PAUL 

Uhh, uhh… Oh, well, look at the time! You cannot be late for your meeting!

Father

Oh dear, you’re right!

Father runs out of the room. 

WALTER

Through the Walkie Talkie 

Hey Paul. It’s me, Walter. You still have the plans of breaking through the wall?

PAUL holds up the notes he was pretending was homework. 

PAUL

Yeah. I have them right here. I almost got busted by my dad! 

WALTER

If that die-hard communist gets his hands on the plans we are walking corpses.

PAUL

We leave tonight 

WALTER

Got it.

PAUL

I can’t believe I haven’t turned this disgusting propaganda off.

PAUL turns off the radio. 

SCENE TWO  

It is midnight, WALTER is waiting by the weak spot they had planned to break through the wall. WALTER is wearing black and he has a black bandana over his face. PAUL walks up to him with his Nike’s and a red shirt and some jeans. 

PAUL and WALTER

What are you wearing!?

PAUL

We are breaking this spot so we can go to Samuel’s party! Not rob a bank!

WALTER

As you said, we’re breaking in! If something bad happens we will have to go unrecognized!

GUARD

Off stage

Hey!! Who’s there!

GUARD DOG

Growls, barks

Landmine in distance explodes

PAUL

Man, that was close.

WALTER
Yeah, who knew he would step on a landmine

PAUL

If my dad catches me he will kill me! You’re lucky your dad doesn’t care about what you do.

Paul and Walter continue to break through the wall

SCENE THREE

PAUL

 Off stage

Finally home.

Paul re-enters his house. Lights are off. Lights turn on, FATHER in front of him

FATHER

As stern as possible
Where were you?

PAUL 

Uhh… I —

FATHER

It was rhetorical! I know you were in West Berlin, that’s why I brought these two, Andre and Sergey.

Two large officers step forward from O.S.

FATHER

Take him away.

The two guards slap cuffs on him and take him away

SCENE FOUR

PAUL gets dragged into prison

PAUL

Wait! Stop, this is a misunderstanding!

ANDRE

Shut up!

ABENEER

Australian accent

‘Ello there mate!

PAUL

What? Who said that!?

ABENEER

I did, the name’s Abeneer Smith.

PAUL

You mean the Abeneer Smith, the coach of Centurion, who beat Ivan Drago!?

ABENEER

That’s me 

PAUL

Where is Centurion now?

ABENEER

The soviet soldiers shot him after he beat Ivan Drago, the soviet wrestler.

PAUL

What!? He was my favorite wrestler growing up!

ABENEER

Centurion and his other friends, my friends, were all killed. I got put in prison for coaching him.

GUARD

Hey, you filthy rats! Get onto the prison lawn for roll call.

Suddenly the sound of an explosion sounds from the prison. WALTER comes with his friends, guns blazing, and PAUL’s father. They rescue PAUL and get him out.

PAUL

Abeneer, come with us!

PAUL reaches for ABENEER and takes him with him.

CHIEF GUARD

Get them!! 

Guards open fire, but PAUL and the others escape to an underground sewer.

SCENE FIVE

PAUL

Dad? What are you doing

FATHER

Eric Hockener told me to kill anyone caught crossing to West Berlin. When I went to your room because I left my wallet there, I also saw your invitation to Samuel’s party. I knew I couldn’t kill you so instead I sent you to prison and I would break you out later, so I am the chief of the resistance, and here I am now.

PAUL
Wait wha-

WALTER

Welcome to the resistance, Paul.

PAUL

The resistance?

WALTER

After you 

THE END