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SIGNS    7'?m2f Salvation: just enough evidence to believe

AMY -- (enters wearing white tunic, stands motionless facing 
audience near exit)

LIZ -- (enters opposite crosses by Amy, examines Amy, slows,
stops, examines Amy, backs toward opposite exit, turns, walks
away, stops, turns crosses to Amy) Alright, who put you up to
this?!

AMY -- Excuse me?

LIZ -- Don't play so innocent. You know what I mean.

AMY -- You'll have to be more specific. Have I offended you?

LIZ -- (pauses, backs away, examining Amy) My mistake. I think I
may have... it was a case of mistaken identity. (turns, walks
away, stops, turns, crosses to Amy) Somebody must be getting a
really big laugh out of all this, huh?

AMY -- Out of all what? Listen, if I have offended you by
standing at this bus stop, there's another one in the next
block. (points to exit, turns)

LIZ -- No. Wait. I...

AMY -- (turns) Yes?

LIZ -- Listen, I'm sorry. I... You probably think my elevator
doesn't go all the way to the top floor.

AMY -- (looks left and right) Elevator?

LIZ -- It's a figure of speech. See, you look really familiar to
me. I thought that David or Brian put you up to this.

AMY -- Put me up to what?

LIZ -- Well, that's just it. I don't know how they would know
what you look like.

AMY -- Uh huh.

LIZ -- You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?

AMY -- Would you like to talk about it?

LIZ -- See, David and Brian (points over shoulder to exit) and I
were just talking about God.

AMY -- About God.

LIZ -- Yes. David and Brian are Christians. And I told them that
if God really existed, he would make himself more obvious.

AMY -- You think so?

LIZ -- Yes. We were just having that discussion just now, then I
came out here and here YOU are.

AMY -- (turns) I'll just walk down to the next bus stop.

LIZ -- No!

AMY -- (turns) No?

LIZ -- Well, I mean, you can leave if you want to. But don't go
to the police and tell them that this crazy person drove you
away just because you look like...

AMY -- Like what?

LIZ -- Nevermind. Well, wait a minute. I guess maybe I should
explain things, or else you'll have me locked up in a padded
cell. See, David and Brian said that God made himself known to
those who seek the truth.

AMY -- That's true. God makes himself known through the Bible,
through miracles and through repeating events of history.

LIZ -- Oh. You're a Christian too.

AMY -- Yes.

LIZ -- Those events you're talking about -- if they really
happened -- they're more than 2000 years old. If God was real,
he would speak to every generation. (tilts head)

AMY -- What's wrong? Do I have spinach in my teeth?

LIZ -- Huh? No. I'm sorry. I should explain. Whenever I have a
dream about angels the angels I dream about all look the same.
They all look like YOU.

AMY -- Like me?

LIZ -- Yes. That's why I thought that maybe David and Brian had
something to do with your appearance here.

AMY -- So, you think I'm pretending to be an angel.

LIZ -- Well, not anymore. After I thought about it for a second,
I realized that David and Brian couldn't possibly know what an
angel in my dreams looks like. (realization) You probably think
I'm some kind of stalker or something, don't you?

AMY -- No. I think you've pretty much explained things. So, what
if I told you that I really AM an angel? Would you take that as
proof that God exists?

LIZ -- No. Of course not. You're just a person who looks like my
image of an angel. That doesn't prove anything.

AMY -- So, what kind of proof would you have to see in order to
admit that God exists?

LIZ -- Well, it's like I was telling David and Brian, if I saw a
big, bright cross way up high in the sky...

AMY -- (makes a subtle motion with hand that Liz can't see)

LIZ -- ...then, I might consider believing in God.

AMY -- (points up) You mean something like that?

LIZ -- (looks up) Well, look at that! It's a cross in the sky!
Isn't that odd that that would appear right while we're talking
about it?! (smile melts) I'm not crazy am I? I mean I'm not the
only one who can see a big bright cross in the sky, am I?

AMY -- No. I can see it too.

LIZ -- This is really weird. I mean, I see a person at a bus
stop who looks just like an angel in my dreams. And now I see a
cross in the sky. I've got to question my senses, don't I?

AMY -- You're not seeing things. There's a big bright cross up
in the sky, alright.

LIZ -- Well, there's got to be a natural explanation for it.
Maybe it's a reflection off of two adjacent thermal inversions
or something. Or maybe it's swamp gas. Maybe it's the jet
exhaust from two different airplanes. What do you think?

AMY -- So, you don't see it as a sign of God's existence?

LIZ -- Oh, there's a natural explanation for everything. That's
one thing I'm sure of.

AMY -- But you just said that if God made a big bright cross in
the sky, you'd believe that he exists.

LIZ -- Oh, I did, didn't I?

AMY -- Yes.

LIZ -- Well, maybe if he gave me a sign I couldn't explain...

AMY -- (makes a subtle motion with hand that Liz can't see)

LIZ -- ...then, I might consider believing in God.

AMY -- How about that? (points up)

LIZ -- Isn't that something?! That's my name up there!

AMY -- Isn't that something? What do you make of it?

LIZ -- (laughs) That's very funny.

AMY -- Funny? Why is that funny?

LIZ -- See, that's something that David and Brian would pull.
They probably hired a sky writer to write my name in the sky,
just to prove me wrong and make me eat crow.

AMY -- Make you eat crow?

LIZ -- Yes, I just told them that if God gave me an obvious sign
in the sky, one that I couldn't mistake for a natural 
occurrance, that I'd believe in God.

AMY -- So, do you believe in God now?

LIZ -- Heck no! David and Brian did that. I know it!

AMY -- What if they told you they had nothing to do with it?

LIZ -- I wouldn't believe them. Who else would go to all the
trouble to do such a silly thing just for me?

AMY -- Maybe the same person who died for your sins.

LIZ -- Oh, now, you're beginning to sound like THEM. (pause)
Say, they DID hire you, didn't they?

AMY -- No. They didn't.

LIZ -- Yes, they did! Those guys are just trying to make me eat
my words.

AMY -- They are?

LIZ -- Yes, of course, they are. And it worked. I guess they
were right.

AMY -- Right, about what?

LIZ -- Well, I guess I have to admit if I saw a big bright cross
in the sky or any big sign like that, (laughs) even my name
written in the sky next to it, I wouldn't attribute it to God,
but to some natural cause. Or I'd call it a hoax.

AMY -- So, it looks like, as far as you're concerned, God would
be wasting his time by making himself more obvious.

LIZ -- (pause) Yeah. Yeah, I guess David and Brian are right. I
guess anyone who wants to know God has enough evidence. And
those who don't want to believe would explain away any more
evidence. (returns to exit) Say, it's a good thing I didn't bet
any money on this. (runs to exit pointing up) Hey, David. Hey,
Brian. Did you see it?

AMY -- (exits quietly)

LIZ -- (reenters, backward) Your hoax worked. You were right. I
wouldn't believe it if God gave me more proof of his existence.
That actor you hired to play the angel... (looks left and right)
Oh, she's gone. (points up) Well, anyway, the sky writing is
very impressive. (Looks up, puzzled, exiting) Say, how did you
guys get the sky writing to disappear so fast?!
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