SONIA Yes, she is nice. Although I can only stand a little bit of people wondering how to play a molecule.

VANYA Oh look, she forgot her music playing thing. (picks it up, music starts to play) Oh I turned it on. How do you turn it off?

The music is the Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun.”

SONIA Don’t turn it off. It’s nice. The Beatles.

VANYA Nina has such surprising taste. Foreign movies, the Beatles. She may be living in a time warp.

Masha reenters.

MASHA I’m back. My dark night of the soul was very brief, and I got lonely. What are you two doing?

SONIA We’re listening to music.

VANYA Nina left her music thing.

MASHA Oh, the Beatles, nice.

SONIA Let’s sit and wait for the blue heron to come.

VANYA It usually comes in the morning.

SONIA I think it’ll come late afternoon today. To celebrate.

VANYA Well we can hope.

SONIA Always hope.

VANYA And if it doesn’t come this afternoon, I’m almost positive it’ll be back in the morning.

Slight pause.

MASHA What a day. “Oh, Olga, let’s go to Moscow.”

SONIA I don’t want to go to Moscow. (pause) I like it here.

They all three stare out the window. Their bodies start to move, idiosyncratically but in rhythm, with the music. Lights dim. End of play.

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