The Fall of the House of Usher
By Gippe Hoppe
Based on the Story by Edgar Allan Poe

Ed is a very button-down, normal kind of guy. I would go so far as to say he's a yuppie. This monologue is in response to Roderick's question, "Do you have a good life?"

ED:

Well, not... you know, perfect... but yeah, pretty good... There's my wife, Pamela... and our daughter, Christine... They're great... Christine is incredible... Kids...

I'm the district manager for a chain of supermarkets. Purity Supreme... there's one not too far from here. It's not the most exciting job in the world. I just travel around a certain area assigned to me and make sure each store is following a set of standards. Then I report once a month to the head office. It's really pretty boring... but it's steady... pays well... great benefits... health insurance... I've got a mortgage. Then there's Pam's Subaru... lots of bills to pay. So... yeah... it's a good job. I've got a good life. It's predictable. (Pause.) I've never liked surprises.

This monologue happens later in the play, when Ed is unable to sleep and tries to comfort Madeline, who is having the same problem.

ED:

I was just lying awake up there, thinking how years can just slip by without anything ever really happening. Do you know what I mean? I mean... there are certain things that need to be taken care of... and you take care of them. You do what you're supposed to do. You pay your bills... you buy things... you accumulate all this stuff... it piles up... then one day, you look up and ten or fifteen years have gone by, and nothing's really happened. You know? All my energy goes towards making things run smoothly... that I can't feel anything... sometimes... I guess. So here I am, in this house, and it's three in the morning and I'm talking to you about death, and dreams... and it feels like something is finally happening to me. And it feels good. I don't even know why I'm telling you these things. I would never do this... normally I wouldn't... I don't know...

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