ABANDONED

Scene: A quiet parking lot, long after the shoppers have left. The lights flicker, the air is still, and a group of shopping carts sits abandoned near the curb. Some stand together in disciplined rows, others are scattered chaotically. They begin to chat...

Wobbly (Playful, Free Spirit): Ahh… the open air! No human hands pushing me around. No aisles, no checkout lanes, just freedom! Finally, we get to live a little!

Straighty (Disciplined, Purpose-Driven): Live a little? Our purpose is to serve! We belong inside the store, neatly aligned, waiting for customers. This… this is chaos!

Rusty (Wise but a Bit Paranoid): Have you all seen the news? Some cars got stolen in the city. What if—what if they start stealing carts next?!

Wobbly: Oh please, Rusty, who would steal a shopping cart? We don’t even have engines!

Rusty: Neither do bicycles, and people steal those! I tell you, it’s only a matter of time before some hooligan rolls one of us down the street, never to be seen again.

Tilt (The Overthinker): What if we get taken by one of those rogue shoppers? You know the ones—never return their carts properly, just leave us stranded, rolling toward the unknown…

Straighty: Exactly why we must get back in line! Order and discipline protect us from such fates. If we all stick together, no one can steal us!

Loopy (Wild and Reckless): Oh, come on! We’re always being pushed, shoved, and stacked. Out here, we can roll wherever we want! Ever tried gliding down the parking lot ramp with the wind in your handles? It's exhilarating!

Rusty: Until you hit a curb and faceplant! That’s how you ended up with that bent wheel!

Loopy: Worth it.

Tiny (The Baby Cart, Worried): But… what if we never go back? What if they forget us here? What if we rust and become… become… REPLACEMENT MATERIAL?!

Wobbly: Relax, kid. Someone always comes to round us up. Usually that one store worker who sighs a lot and talks to himself.

Straighty: Yes, and when they do, I want to be the first in line, standing tall and ready!

Rusty: That’s IF we don’t get stolen first.

Tilt: Or if a rogue wind doesn't send us into traffic. I heard what happened to Cart #47 last week. One gust—BAM! Right into the highway. They say he was last seen near a gas station, rolling aimlessly.

Tiny: Gasps Lost forever?

Loopy: Nah, he’s probably living his best life. Maybe he joined a pack of feral carts.

Rusty: Feral carts? That’s a myth!

Loopy: Oh, is it? Ever seen that one cart under the bridge? He’s seen things. He doesn’t even flinch when trucks pass by.

Tiny: Shudders

Wobbly: Look, the important thing is, whether we get rounded up or left here for the night, we should enjoy the moment! Some of us are born to serve, some of us are born to roam.

Straighty: And some of us are born to worry.

Rusty: Rightfully so!

Loopy: And some of us were born to ride!

(A gust of wind suddenly pushes Loopy down the parking lot ramp. He lets out a gleeful ‘Wheee!’ before disappearing into the night.)

Tilt: …I give him ten minutes before he regrets it.

Tiny: Whispers …I hope he doesn’t get stolen.

Wobbly: Well, if he does, at least he’ll go down doing what he loved.

Straighty: Sighs Can we PLEASE just get back in line?

(Just then, the sighing store worker emerges from the entrance, eyes them all with exhaustion, and grabs a few carts, beginning the slow process of pushing them back inside.)

Tiny: Relieved We’re going home!

Rusty: Told you sticking together was safer!

Straighty: Order restored!

Wobbly: Watching Loopy still rolling into the distance.  Some of us, at least…!