Elnaith
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This is the original story. I turned it into a script for Drama class. Note that this is not the ending the sotry will have (If I ever finish it.)
From rainbow to space.
Setting: Stage divided in two halves, one where the surreal flashback sequences take place, one where the ‘real’ ones do.
Scene 1: Crash
(Flashback)
(Flashback side: George is in Doctor’s clothes, going to work, Young John sits outside playing with some toys. John is on the ‘real’ side, writing on a table near center, a bed is on the back of the stage, a cupboard to the border of the division, the room is messy, with clothes laying over the floor. Both sides of the stage have red light on, like a sunset.)
John: (To himself while writing) I was twelve years old. One thing I still remember is the sunset, it was particularly red that evening, as if warning me. Yet I was too young to see.
George: (Walking over to YJ) I’m off to work buddy, have fun, (Slightly mocking voice) and don’t let me hear bad stories from your mother when I get back.
Young John: (Smiling) Of course not Daddy! Have fun!
(Gearge EXITS while shaking his head in amusement. Suddenly Young John stares into the distance, absentmindedly playing with his toys. Some green leaves wave on him but he doesn’t seem to notice them. He remains fixed until a sudden crash is heard. Young John suddenly lays himself on the ground screaming and kicking. Sirens are heard while Young John continues to move uncontrollably. Suddent everything is quiet. Young John lays on the stage staring up, and the light flickers. A leaf drifts down on him, it has blood on it. Young John sits up and screams, John screams too. The light is normal again when Elayne runs on stage and begins to cradle Young John. She is very upset, but tries to have a air of calm for Young John.)
Elayne: Calm John, calm.
Young John: Daddy.. Daddy!
Elayne: He’s going to be alright dear.. he’s.. (The rest is lost as Young John screams once more, before sobbing on his mother’s shoulder. Elayne is having difficulty remaining calm. John throws his head back for a bit screaming, and stopped with writing, before continuing on, during the break the surreal seen is in tableau.)
(Policewoman enters, a calm expression on her face, yet not without empathy.)
Policewoman: Elayne Anayri, wife of George Anayri I presume?
(Elayne nods, stroking Young John’s hair.)
Policewoman: Do you need transportation for you and your son?
Elayne: (Wavering voice) Yes, that.. that would be nice.
Policewoman: (Laying hand on Elayne’s shoulder) Come Along then.
(Surreal EXITS, lights go out. On the real side the red light flickers then turns into white.)
Scene 2: Meat
(Real: John leaps up from his writing and blinks at the light.)
John: It.. It’s gone! I conquered Red! (Jumps around the table, his expression of mad joy, his voice on the border of losing control, yet happy.) I conquered Red! Nothing will..
(He stops mid-sentence and his facial expression changes into one of anger and despise, he begins to kick against the table in rage, and stamps on the red binder when it falls off, he hurts himself while kicking but at first pays no heed, except for a small cringe.)
Young John: (Screaming in rage and bewilderment) Flaming dreams! I still got more to bloody conquer! I have to destroy them all! Destroy them.. Yes.. Yes! YES!
(As suddenly as he begun he stops and stares around, his face is now plain again but when his eyes pass the binder, it changes into hate again, and he raises his left arm to punch it, his face changing to a plain expression while the punch comes down. When it does, he yelps in pain and limps off (His right leg had been injured), while cradling his left arm and muttering curses under his breath, to his bed. As he lays a phone rings, but he pays it no heed.)
John: (Grumbling) Bloody… George.. Limp.. Car… (desperation) Elayne.. leafs.. John.. JOHN!
(Suddenly John jerks up and limps toward the cupboard, and rips it open.)
John: Been awhile.. (His voice is rasp, thirsty) need water..
(John grabs a bottle of water and throws it to the floor, where it cracks. He then picks it up and gulps the water out of the crack, when he is done he throws the bottle to the ground, and grabs a tin of sausages. After a slight pause he throws the can to the floor, and picks it up again, repeating the process till the can is opened, it’s contents spilling over the floor. Paying no heed to this he grabs the meat from the floor and stuffs it in his mouth, when the meat is gone he licks the tin clean. Throwing the tin on the floor, he jumps up when he is done, wincing when he lands on his bad leg. He limps to his bed, flicks the light off and lays down.)
John: (Trashing in his bed) I don’t want to smoke.. (screaming) Don’t want to.. NO!
Scene 3: Smoke
(Blue lights on as John gets out of his bed, still in the same clothes. He reaches under his bed and draws out a blue binder, as he stands up, he has his hand on his right arm, wincing, and limps towards the table, slapping the binder on it, he takes a seat and starts to write.)
(Real: John is still writing. Surreal: Young John, George and Elayne are outside, sitting on a picnic table, by the looks of it they just finished dinner, a sink is in the corner of the stage. The stage has a blue light on it.)
John: It was shortly after the crash..
Elayne: (Forced) What a beautiful day.. No cloud in the sky..
George: John! Do the dishes, your mother or I might help you once we are done talking, that is if you don’t make a mess of it.
(Young John reluctantly stands up, puts the dishes in a tub and walks to the sink.)
George: He gets less obedient by the second that little critter. You mustn’t be so soft to him Elayne! You senseless woman!
Elayne: (On the verge of crying) The kid does more than he should already George, it’s a vacation for all of us, give him a break. Give ME a break!
George: (remorseless) The kid must learn that life is hard. (Takes a swig of a drink.) Bloody harder that he thinks it is now!
Elayne: No George don’t drink.. Please! You said you wanted a nice vacation.. Why do you keep doing this!?
George: I can set my own limits woman, and now I’m going to see how that critter is doing. (He stands up and walks a bit, he has a limp that is very similar to John’s)
Elayne: (Gets up and tries to stop George.) No George let me!
George: (Pushes Elayne away, she falls.) Get out of my way you idiotic woman, he is MY child!
(Elayne still lays on the ground, sobbing as George limps to Young John, who has forced himself not to hear the arguing.)
George: Lazy kid! Do your job faster, what do you think this is? A holiday!?
Young John: Yes.. Da..
George: You think so, eh? Well kid, life knows no holidays, life doesn’t stop being hard, let me show you how life is! (He pushes the burning cigar out on Young John’s right arm /The same spot John had been grabbing\ Young John screams in agony, as the light fades on the surreal side, John screams and grabs him arm. The light flickers and turns blue. John stops screaming and his face becomes angry again, kicking the talbe and binder again, now throwing the binder off-stage. As the thud of the binder is heard, his face turns plain again. He limps off to bed, switched the light off, and lays down.)
John: (Desperate) Is there anybody? Anybody.. I.. I need.. Please.. PLEASE.. help.. please.. anybody.. I need help..
Scene 4: Telephone
(White lights on as John awakens to the sound of the telephone ringing, first he is startled and not until the third ring does he jump up and rummages through the mess on the floor.)
John: Contact.. Someone.. Contact! Help me.. Help…
(John finds the telephone, but the ringing has stopped, he is angry and throws the telephone to the floor. In a rage he begins to scream and kick at things in his room.)
John: (To his bed) You kept me asleep, it’s your fault.. your fault.. you keep me locked up in here.. in me.. (Suddenly turns towards his desk.) Yet it is you who grabs me, takes a hold of me.. Your fault, Your fault.. your fault. (He slumps on the floor still kicking, suddenly he screams, and reached under his bed, grabbing a speech recorder. He turns it on and begin to talk in it with a maniacal voice.)
John: It’s the 12th of February, and I’m quite insane today. (cackling) Oh yes, quite insane, not that anybody cares.. No one cares about John Anayri, son of the doctor who made patients scream in agony… Not that it wasn’t a good doctor, no he got them healed, but the pain they went through the pain would drive any men insane! (Erupts in a fit of laughter.) Pain yes.. PAIN.. And not only his patients no.. the neighborhood heard him screaming at night, fighting they thought.. Murdering more like it.. Murdering people’s will to live.. to be happy.. (Hatred in his voice) Oh yes Elayne couldn’t bear it.. She tried to flee with poor Johnny, but the Doctor wouldn’t let her, and beat her.. Beat her so hard she became one of his own patients.. Oh a horrendous dead she died.. screaming through all the nights, the doctor not even giving her a painkiller. No one knew it was he who had done it to her.. And now Johnny is alone.. MAD! I’m MAD! Yes Johnny is mad.. Nobody cares.. (more controlled tone) Of course if you hear this, Johnny might be wrong on that, but he doesn’t care, he’s mad anyway. Yes, he doesn’t care.. Doesn’t care at all.. (Whistles) See? He just whistled.. He doesn’t care that he is lonely at all.. Not at all..
(John slumps to the floor again, turns the recorder off, and slithers to his bed. He turns the light off and lays down.)
John: (Screaming) MAD!
Scene 5: Orange
(A Orange light goes on as John awakens, seemingly recovered from his madness before. He grabs an Orange binder from underneath some clothes, and walks to his desk, not limping. He gently puts his binder on the desk sits down and starts to write calmly. The Surreal side of the stage shows an empty stage with just a bench, the lgith is Orange)
John: Fleeing my own country, my father, and my mother’s death, I went to the Netherlands, to build up a new life.
(John gets up from the desk and walks to the other side while the first verse of the Dutch National Anthem (The Wilhelmus) is either sung by John or played in the background. When it is done John sits down on the bench and leans back looking tired.)
John: (To himself) Oh what have I done.. I traded one country where everyone ignores me for another.
(Imke Enters, she looks at John and smiles.)
Imke: (Motioning to the bench) Is deze plaats bezet?
John: Sorry, no Dutch, but the seat isn’t taken, no.
Imke: (Smiling, and talking in perfect English.) Alright then. (She sits down.) Had a long journey?
John: Yes, flew for 13 hours, I’m from Canada.
Imke: You’re on vacation here?
John: No, I’m going to live here.
Imke: Oh, where?
John: According to the map, it’s that apartment building right there. (Points offstage)
Imke: That’s where I live! Nice to meet you, I’m Imke.
John: (Showing some difficulty with the name.) Imkuh.. Imke. Nice to meet you, I’m John.
Imke: Let me help you find your room.
(They both EXIT, and enter the stage again, although now the surreal stage has the furniture of the other side is there. The floor is tidy, and only the bed, desk and chair are there.)
Imke: Oh, it looks standard now, I know but you can do some nice things with it, it’s not a bad price for it really.
John: (Absentmindedly) Yes.. Yes.. This will be fine.. (He throws the backpack to the floor and lies down on the bed, falling asleep almost instantly. Imke frowns at him, then shrugs, turns off the light and leaves.)
(The light turns on again as John is sitting on this bed his eyes wide-spread.)
John: (Desperate) She left too.. Nobody here.. Everybody wants to damage me! Everybody. (Screaming) Nobody cares! NOBODY! (He spasms in his bed, ignoring knocking sounds, as the light goes out.)
Scene 6: Peace
(John is at his desk again, breathing hard, and looking around as if he suspects someone is watching him.)
John: (Out of breath) People.. Staring at me.. Why? Why? Can’t get them away, but I have to.. Elayne.. George.. Imke.. Please.. Help.. Anyone.
(The light turns white as John shoves the orange binder to the floor, he cries on the desk when a phone rings. John gets up, jumps on the telephone, and answers it. The telephone is on loud-speak, and john just hangs over it.)
John: John Anay..
George: Son..
John: DAD! What..
George: I want to offer my apologies.
John: (Hesitation) No.. I don’t accept it.. You never tried to reach me.. Even here..
George: I didn’t know where you were, I tried to cal you half an hour ago..
John: (Confused) What do you mean you tried calling me half an hour ago? No one called me then
George: (Worried) Son.. I did
John: But.. (Angry) NO! You trick me once again, you can’t.. I won’t allow.. You killed mother.
George: (Saddened) I killed her yes, I couldn’t find the cure for her disease.. Son.. You knew I loved her, even though I hit her, surely you?
John: No! You hit her so hard, you killed her!
George: Not by force John, only incompetence, I hadn’t hit her for 3 years before she died.. Not had I been able to talk to you, to apologize.
John: (Sadness covers his face.) It was all my fault then?
George: No buddy, a lot of it was mine, but I think I can still heal you, if only you were more accepting of other people…
John: (Cutting George off) Thanks Dad, I love you.
(Hangs up the phone, and bursts out laughing, suddenly someone knocks on the door.)
John: Come in, it’s unlocked!
(Imke enters.)
Imke: Ah, you are awake I already feared you never woke up.. (Eyeing the mess in the room.) New way to unpack your luggage I presume? (She eyes John and worry masks her face.) John.. What is wrong with you?
John: (Falling on his knees.) Peace.. I found peace! (Almost shouts it out.) Peace!
Imke: (Worried) John stay right here, I’m going to get help. (She runs out of the room.)
(John grabs a white binder from underneath his bed, smiling slightly, and writes a couple of words.)
John: (Silently) Finally, peace, thank you father..
(His eyes grow empty and he slumps down on the floor.)
THE END
< Message edited by Elnaith -- 11/2/2008 19:31:35 >
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