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UYEN NICOLE DUONG
___________________________
What has happened to “May all your wishes come true”
A four-act play by
Uyen Nicole Duong,
in collaboration with
Robert Wilcher
(for the development of
the character Eurydice)
copyright 1995
This play is available
bilingually (Vietnamese
and English)
CHARACTERS:
Nhu-Nguyen, code "NN" (in
English, the name means "May All Your
Wishes Come True," pronounced “Nu-Wen”): a Vietnamese American political
immigrant woman living in North America, still beautiful but tired.
Psyche of Nhu-Nguyen: a walking soul, non-speaking, wearing
a white Vietnamese national dress
Young Man:
a beautiful man, with no malice in his heart.
Eurydice: beautiful in a non-specific,
non-recognizable way; somewhat willowy and almost transparent.
About
the Greek myth of Eurydice: Eurydice was Orpheus’s lover. She died and went to Hades. To rescue her, Orpheus went to Hades and
charmed everybody with his beautiful music.
That way, he was able to cheat Death and bring Eurydice back to Life,
but only if Eurydice would follow him and walk behind him, in his footsteps,
on the way from Hades. To rescue his
lover back to Life, Orpheus could not
turn around to look at her. Impatient and unable to control his love, Orpheus
turned around to look at Eurydice just before the pair reached Life. Eurydice died the second time, thrown back
into Hades....
In this play, the concept of Hades and the
Underworld has deliberately been reinterpreted to accommodate an injection of
the layman’s version of Buddhist philosophy.
The purpose is to draw out similarities between Eastern and Western
mythologies in terms of an after-life. Hades and Charon have become concepts
that transcend East and West in this play.
Charon the Ferryman:
a dark shadow; clad in black, having no face, except that his devilish
eyes and smile are visible.
Father, Mother, Husband, and Friend:
normal people, no special characteristics.
Doctor, Nurse, LightHouse Man, Rescue
Boat Captain, Coast Guards, Paramedic: either
voice only, or (where they appear), dressed in accordance with their
profession.
SET: This play needs no set. Setting is
created with skilled light and sound techniques, the kind of light and sound
techniques that deliver and accompany choreographed dances. The spotlight plays an important role in
character introduction, development, and the transgression of each scene and
act.
SUGGESTED
CAST:
Eurydice: Meryl Streep, Juliane Moore or Gwynneth
Patrow
Ferryman: Jack
Nicholson, Christopher Walken
Young Man:
Some unknown newcomer to Broadway, in perfect physical conditions; an actor that most resembles the statue
of David.
Nhu-Nguyen: Played by any
Asian woman blessed or cursed with such a name, at 45 years of age. (At 45,
being of genetically delicate bone structure and nice skin, this actress
should look 35)
SYNOPSIS:
Somewhere on the face of the earth,
during a sailing trip, Nhu-Nguyen (code name "NN") was knocked
unconscious by a sail boom. In her
near-death experience, she met Eurydice, who was en route to Hades...
ACT I -- LIFE
AND REMMINISCENCE
Stage:
(BLACKOUT)
Background: (the
sounds of the ocean, the wind, tides,
and sails knocking against each other, flapping violently.)
Young
Man: Going about! Let it all off!
Watch your head on the boom! Release it, release it! Now onto the other side, pull it on, pull
it on. Hard. Go go go, quickly! The jib sheet too, pull
it on. Lean, lady, lean out, use the
trapeze...Come on come on. Just lean
harder, we'll keep it sharp to the wind.
We're flying! Lean lady. A
couple of seconds more and we'll go about.
Don't stop leaning lady. Are
you ready?
Nhu-Nguyen: Ready?
My hands are blistered, my knees are bruised, my eyes are salty...
Young
Man: Lean hard, lady!
NN: and my stomach muscle...I just can't go
on...I am breaking in half...I just can't take it any more...
Young
Man: Now, lady, now. You're doing
good! Let it go let it go...pull on
that one, move! faster! Swing it around and keep your head low...Watch the
boom...
(The sound of sails flapping increases in volume and
overcomes the Young Man's voice. Then
comes the noise of the boom cracking against some hard object. Nhu-Nguyen yells in pain. Noise of the boat capsizing.)
Young
Man (shouting): Oh God, we're done! Lady, Lady, can you hear me, where are
you?
(Sound of water being disturbed. Sound of wood cracking. All violent and swift.)
Young
Man: Lady, lady, hold on to my hand, try to keep
your head above water, hold on...(breathing
heavily, amidst sounds of tides and waves) Oh, no!
(Noise of people swimming, treading and
struggling in water.
(Then, all sounds subside. Silence.)
***
(Spotlight beams on Mother sitting at a vanity
table [If setting does not include a vanity table, Mother will be miming the
process of applying makeup])
Mother: Nhu-Nguyen! I am going out. Will you stay here and look after your
baby brother?
NN: Why do I
have to look after him?
Mother: Don't be so naughty. You must look after him because he is a
baby, and I must go out for business...
NN: I don't understand
why you have to go out for business so often.
Mother: You're being argumentative. You should behave
well to set an example for your baby brother (continues to apply powder and adjust her necklace). Have you forgotten the saying, "she
who is destined to be the big sister should not be envious of the indulgence
bestowed upon younger siblings, for they are to be loved and protected simply
because they arrived late." You being the first born must look after the
younger ones.
NN: But the baby is naughty. I clean up after him all the time.
Mother: As I said, you were born first. You’re the early arriver. That in itself
is a privilege for which you must bear certain sacrifice...
NN: Can I just crawl back into
your tummy so that I can no longer be the first born and be spared the job of
cleaning up after the baby? I want to
be a late arriver.
Mother
(losing her temper): Don't you talk nonsense with me! (softens
her voice) By the way, will you make your father some tea when he gets
up? Don't you love your Dad?
NN: Of course I do!
Mother: Good! (Stand
ups, grabbing her purse). When
I am out, will you take care of your Dad?
Make him some tea, and take his shoes to him. And then, you can accompany us on a trip
to the country. That's your reward.
(Starting to leave)
Remember, the baby, and then tea and shoes for Dad. Good girl! (Exits)
*
* *
(Spotlight then beams on NN and Friend, both
dressed as eight-year-old's)
NN: My mother has just left. My brother is still sleeping. My father is taking a nap. We can play!
Friend: Play?
NN: The other day, my parents took me to
their friends' house. Those people
had sketches and colors on their walls.
I still remember what they look like, those sketches. My parents like them. They keep telling
their friends, "Oh!
magnificent." Why don't you and
I try to draw them on the wall here?
I think my parents will like what we do. They'll be so proud of me.
Friend: I think we'll get spanking.
NN
(miming, painting on an imaginary wall,
experimenting with a brush and crayons): See, there is a tree, green and yellow...(completely involved in the task)
There is the sun, and the mountains...(turning
to Friend) Why don't you paint
a tree? (taking Friend's hand and
put it the task, bossy) Paint! Here!
Friend
(struggles to be free): No, No, I don't want to.
NN
(pinning Friend's hand to the
imaginary wall): I'll let you
draw the sun. (Their struggle
continues)
Friend
(yelling): I hate you!
NN: I don't care!
Friend: I can't draw the sun down here. The sun's got to be higher up!
NN: You're too short! Your sun could be in the corner. Down there!
Friend
(on the verge of tears, feeling
oppressed): You are very
mean. I don't want to play with
you. I don't want to be near
you. When you get your spanking, I'll
laugh! And you're stupid. There is no sun in a corner, on the
ground. The sun's got to be on top of
the tree.
NN
(rationalizing): I am sure it's OK to put the sun in that
corner. Why not?
(Friend begins to cry quietly)
NN
(apologetic and consoling): Come on!
Stop crying. Would you like to
play dolls instead?
Friend:
There's no doll left. You've broken
her arms. The doll is dead.
NN
(very mature): Well, then, we'll have to bury her.
Friend: I don't like it!
NN: You have to like it. She's got to be buried.
(Another struggle)
Friend: You, a mean bitch! You always make other people do what you
want them to do.
NN: I told you she's got to be buried. Use your shovel. Keep digging. (Continues
to dig and begins talking to herself). You hate me, and the doll is dead (suddenly fearful, reaching out for Friend. They embrace).
(Mother's voice is heard from back stage): Oh my God, look at this wall.
NN
(turning to back stage, happy and
proud): Don't you like my
painting? Just like your friends'
house...
Mother: Oh Lord, Nhu-Nguyen, you filthy child. You did this? I was away for one minute,
and she filthed up this wall. She
drew all over the place. Look at
this. I've had it with this
child. Nhu-Nguyen, come here, you'll
get the spanking of your life.
(Friend turns loose and runs away in fear. Spotlight remains on Nhu-Nguyen)
NN: My doll is dead. My mother doesn't like the painting I did
for her. And my friend left me. I don't understand adults. I don't understand children, either.
(BLACKOUT)
* *
*
(Sound of tides and waves. A storm is coming. Electrical sound of a rescue signal,
together with remote sound of a motor boat approaching)
Rescue
Boat Captain: Here is a float!
(Sound of float flapping the water. Sound of motor boat becomes louder and
clearer)
Young
Man (breathing heavily, amidst
sounds of water and motor):
Will you pull her up?
(Mixed sounds of water and motor continue,
something sounding like a siren, plus voices over the radio; sound of water
continues as bodies are being pulled aboard)
Young
Man: Lady, lady, please wake up. Oh God look at her eyes...Will you please
help?
Rescue
Boat Captain: OK OK (on the radio) We've got an emergency...
(Heavy breathing; a sense of urgency is expressed
through all of this. Sound of beating
on the chest, slapping on the face, etc.
Heavy and rhythmic breathing continues.
Spotlight reappears, showing Young Man miming
mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
Then BLACKOUT again.)
* *
*
(Spotlight on Father and Nhu-Nguyen (now in her
late teens) in center stage)
Father: Nhu-Nguyen, you have always been my
favorite child, always making me tea.
NN:
(non-communicative)
F: I need to talk to you...
NN: What about, Father?
F: I think you will understand it much
better when you get married...You see, marriage is not an ideal thing.
NN: Is there anything at all in life that
is ideal?
F: If there is, I guess you're gonna to
have to find it on your own.
NN
(thinking): I suppose you're trying to tell me you and
Mom are no longer together.
F
(relieved, but cornered): Something like that.
(Pause)
F: You've always been a good
daughter. You've always been strong
and responsible. You’ve always taken
care of your mother for me. I just
want to ask if you can continue looking after your mother. I'll stop by now and then. I really think you'll understand it better
when it's your turn to get married.
But I do hope when that happens, your marriage will be better than
ours.
NN: If only I could trust somebody...
F (upbeat): So you do understand. I am very much relieved. I feel much better having you with your
mother.
NN
(to herself): I do want and hope for something ideal...
(BLACKOUT)
* *
*
(Voices of people talking, amidst the sound of
the sea and fast-speed boat flapping water. This whole scene is voice over
the radio while sound of motor boat continues)
Coast
Guard: Any hope?
Rescue
Boat: Pretty bad.
Coast
Guard: That's too bad.
Rescue
Boat: You know who she is?
Coast
Guard: A chick. Got hit in the head by a boom...She went
sailing with some guy. I guess she
was on vacation. Has been
unconscious for a long time.
Rescue
Boat: The world is crazy. To die during a vacation for such a stupid
reason.
Coast
Guard: Well, it could happen to
anybody. She's lucky. The friend she's with is a good guy;
otherwise, she would have been inside a shark by now..
Rescue
Boat: A friend or boyfriend?
Coast
Guard: Who knows?
Rescue
Boat: I told you. The world is crazy. Sometimes a friend and a boyfriend and a
husband are three separate persons, and some women can have all three at the
same time. Wouldn't be surprised if
later some guy turns up to claim her as his wife. (Changing his tone)
We have to notify the paramedics immediately. An ambulance, too.
Hello, hello...
Young
Man: I have to put her down. Can I go with you and the ambulance?
Rescue
Boat: What about your boat?
Young
Man: Forget it. I just don't want her to die.
(Mixed sounds of water, the storm, the wind,
voices on the radio, the motor, and water flapping against a fast-speed boat
continue, all working into a frenzy)
* *
*
(Spotlight reappears, center stage, introducing
Husband and Nhu-Nguyen)
Husband: You haven't changed, but I have.
NN: What is it now?
H: I hope you understand. I don't think we are in love with each
other anymore.
NN
(non-communicative)
H
(guilty, ill at ease): You know, news of this sort is never
easy to deliver.
(A long pause for the news, yet delivered in
words, to sink in)
NN: Where are you going now? Who's going to take care of you?
H: I will move in with a friend...
NN: Which friend? I need to know in case of emergency...
H: I meant to tell you...
NN: I think I need to know.
H (embarrassed, ill at ease): If you need to get hold of me, you can
ask Blue Orchid (Thanh Lan)...
NN: Blue Orchid? Why on earth...Blue Orchid?
You mean Blue Orchid my secretary?
H
(looking away): That's how we met.
NN
(still stunned): Why Blue Orchid?
H: We didn't really want you to
know...Oh no, I didn't meant to say that...We meant to tell you...
NN: You guys are having an affair?
H: Kind of...Something like that...But
it's not what you think.
NN: You don't know what I think. Any way, does she plan on staying there
and continuing working for me?
H: Well, we'll figure something
out. Of course, I'll help solve the
situation. Everybody thinks so
highly of you. Everybody knows you're
a class act. You wouldn't make a
scene, wouldn't take petty revenge, would you?
NN: Apparently you ha've had it all figured
out. I still don't understand...
H: Let's say, fate. Blue Orchid and I met, through you...
NN: I believed in both of you.
H: Well you can still believe in
us. We're still your friends. We respect you.
(A rather long pause)
NN: I don't think you understand. You haven't changed at all, but I have.
(Spotlight dies out. BLACKOUT)
ACT II -- MEETING WITH EURYDICE
(Center stage is lit up. Threads of silver light beams cross one
another on stage. Eurydice appears,
almost like a transparent shadow. Her
silhouette is not well defined. There
are faint sounds of footsteps, rhythmically, in the background. Eurydice sobs and begins her monologue,
her voice passionate, tragic, occasionally interrupted by her own sobbing.)
Eurydice: Orpheus, your steps are my heartbeat,
surging through my congealed veins. My skin thrills at your lively
steps.
Orpheus,
your legs are pillars of fire, enflaming my cold soul. My hips burn for their hot embrace.
Orpheus,
your cheeks are two caged doves, trapped in flight. My sex yearns to spread their wings.
Orpheus,
your back is the broad valley of the ascent from Hades. My breasts ache to
rest in such valley of life.
Orpheus,
your shoulders are the temple of Adoration.
My red lips tremble to sweep the steps of the temple.
(Music begins, soft and melancholy; Eurydice's
monologue continues; her passion increases with the crescendo of music, her
delivery more intense and then peaks in pain)
Eurydice: Orpheus, your arms are two solid branches,
laden with fruits. My body craves the
taste of your fruits.
Orpheus,
your hair is the dense veil obscuring your face. My eyes cry for the terror of seeing your face.
Orpheus,
turn around! But, don’t! Don’t turn
around. Not yet!
Strange
how my love for life would be my death.
Orpheus,
look at me. I am Eurydice. But don’t!
Do
not look at me. We can cheat death if our eyes do not meet.
Orpheus,
kiss me. I am your lover. But don’t!
Do
not kiss me. It is the kiss of second
death to be face to face.
I
am lifeless without your turning, and lifeless with it.
Blind
without your look, and unseeing with it.
Your
kiss is both my body and its dust.
Withhold
your passion, my love.
Walk,
lover, and be patient. Endure this
brief journey.
When
we soon see life again, the pleasure shall be longer than, and beat, the
pain.
(Music softens and dies out; so do the rhythmic
sounds of footsteps in the background.
Eurydice retreats into backstage, her back to the audience, head
lowered, her hair flowing toward the audience. As she exits, all silver light beams take turns extinguishing, except one. The remaining stream of silver light
follows her to the end as she finally exits, and then abruptly extinguishes.)
BLACKOUT.
***
(Spotlight on Nhu-Nguyen, appearing in center
stage).
NN (very lonely): Is it really over?
(Sound of the wind. Remote, fierce and
lonesome. Then comes the sound of footsteps,
as though in the thousands, all rushing toward some destination.)
NN (looks around, lost, intimidated and
confused): Are they going somewhere? (moves around the stage as though
following the crowd; spotlight moves with her): Excuse me, sir, madam...Oh, please stop. I just want to ask a question. Where does this road lead to? Excuse me,
don't you hear me? I ask, WHERE IS
THE DESTINATION? Don’t you speak English? Why doesn't anybody answer me? They must not be speaking English
then. (Moves back to center stage, sorrowfully disappointed. Then overwhelmed by loneliness and
frustration.)
NN: This, whatever this is...This situation
looks so much like...an evacuation.
Yes, an evacuation. These
people are refugees, rushing toward some place safe. Some kind of destiny is taking place
here. I was that way once. In the middle of an evacuation. When the army tanks rolled in, and rockets
were about to fall, and they blocked off the roads, the ports, the airports.
And we were all waiting so desperately for a ship, a plane, some hero, some
miracle to happen. Someone to rescue
and evacuate us. And hope was all we
had, but despair, too, was larger than fate itself, and we struggled to stay
alive. Between hope and despair,
between life and death lies uncertainty. And we couldn't tell between those
who left and those who stayed, which ones were closer to life or to death, or
which ones would end up mourning which ones.
So that was what I knew of an evacuation. So this is deja vu. I
should not feel afraid, nor worried, 'cause I have faced this once (pauses; panicked) Oh but does this mean I am being evacuated
again, the second time? (shuddered, continues to be anxious)
Am I about to die? (horrified)
Or, am I already dead? (rubbing her
eyes) Am I alive or already dead?
Where am I?
(The sound of rushing footsteps re-emerges...In
the middle of that chaos, Eurydice reappears, tragic and beautiful, the
silver light follows her -- her own shadow.
Spotlight focuses of both Nhu-Nguyen and Eurydice standing face to
face, although Eurydice does not seem to recognize Nhu-Nguyen's presence,
continuing to stare into the empty space afront.)
(Music begins, wailing.)
Eurydice (crying tragically): He turned. He looked at me. Orpheus! You looked! Why? Why did you turn? Why?
I was only three steps behind, just still in the dark, life bleeding
at my fingertips, and you, oh, Orpheus, the sun fresh on your face and you
turned to look at me. Why? Why trap me with your gaze? Why kill me now, just when we could have
been together? Couldn’t you hear my
footsteps?
Oh
Orpheus, my impassioned impatient lover, I am lost. I am dead. Send me down again. Imprison me. I have seen the
thin horizon of life and did not surmount it. Shrivel my brain, powder my heart. Let me forget what I have seen. I do not want to live again.
Hurry me down to the malignant Charon to ferry me across the River
Styx. And die.
(Music subsides)
(NN timidly tries to come closer, wanting to
touch Eurydice, but was pushed aside by the silver light. Eurydice turns and looks at NN,
acknowledging the later's presence for the first time. They look at each other intensely. A vague sense of deja vu.
A long pause.
Seems eternal.)
NN: Why are you crying?
Eurydice: Who are you?
NN: My name is Nhu-Nguyen.
E: Nhu-Nguyen?
NN: You can call me by my code name. I also have a code name. It's "NN." Easier to pronounce.
E: Why a code name?
NN
(hesitant): There was a war where I was born. So they moved us to a new place and gave
us a new home. Lots of technology in
the new place, yet people couldn't pronounce our names and didn't want to
take the time. You see, people are
really busy there; there's never time to get to know anybody. So they gave us code names. A matter of convenience.
E: I'd rather not deal with codes. What is "Nhu-Nguyen"?
NN: It means "May all your wishes come
true."
E
(pensive): If that's what you are, you must have
wanted to die.
NN: (puzzled, equally pensive): I...Am I really dead?
(Frowning, sacarstically humorous)
If I had wanted to die, then this must have been the only time
I lived up to my name!
E: If your name means what your life is
about, I wish I could have your life.
NN
(bitter): I would give it to you if I could. Especially at this point, when nothing
matters any more. In fact, I wish I could give you all that belonged to
me, let alone my name, since I no
longer care about anything.
E: That's unnecessarily generous of
you. But I don't think you could give
me the only one thing that I need.
NN: What is it that you need?
E: Life!
NN (scared): The way you talked...It must mean we
are both dead!
E: That's right.
(The realization hit both of them, cold and
merciless. They are forced to face a
reality they both do not want to acknowledge. This brings them close together. Some sort of unwritten understanding and empathy.)
NN: Where are you going?
E: To Hades...In fact, I am looking for
the Ferryman, kind of a disgusting fellow.
I must cross the river...I have been waiting here for too long, longer
than I could bear...
NN:
You are going to Hades??? Who are you then?
E: Eurydice.
NN: Eurydice? You're Eurydice in Greek mythology? Orpheus's lover?
E
(nodding, very sad): That's
me.
NN: You sure are dead!
E
(sadly nodding again): I sure am.
And so are you. You'd better
go with me to catch the last ferry.
It is the last, the only one.
And there's not much time left. Come on! (The silver light flickers behind her)
NN
(full of sorrow): I don't want to go very fast. I can't go very fast. Whenever I have to rush, I am reminded of
the evacuation...
E: What is an "evacuation"?
NN: It means living in exile. Hardship.
Starting a journey without luggage.
Rebuilding from zero. Leaving
behind a forest of memories, in search of a promised land ahead while looking
backward to a lost paradise.
Indefinite future. Changing
your name. Having everything uprooted. Jumping the beginning chapters and
living the final chapters only. It
means chaos and disorder...
E: leading to further losses, I assume?
NN: Naturally. I wish I could again serve tea for my father, look after my
baby brother, watch my mother put on her makeup, paint trees with my
childhood friend. Those things I used
to do. But all was gone after the
evacuation. Even the things that I
hated. There was no place even for
memories became they were too painful and hence they must be erased for
survival. I was cloned into a new
person. Into my code name. Without childhood. So, you know what, I got married to recoup
my losses. I just didn't want to deal
with losses again.
E: I assume that marriage thing led to
more losses; otherwise, you wouldn't be here this early.
NN: I don't know. I suppose. Except that
you can't lose what you never have.
E: Who were the people who
"evacuated" you?
NN: The people who made wars and ended
wars...All with good intentions, I suppose.
For the betterment of the world in which they lived, people sent
others to death in order to save some.
Among the saved, I am one in a million. History turned its course, and who cares about my broken dream,
broken heart?
(The sound of footsteps increases in volume once
more.)
NN (darting her eyes around): Yes,
that's it. These sounds. These are the vestige and images of an
evacuation (back to reality). If this is death, I must have been
disillusioned. I thought in death
there would be plenty of bright lines.
Like a tiara. I had no idea it
would have been like this....Just like an evacuation!
E: You must be an expert on evacuations.
NN: You can say that. I was a war refugee. An evacuee. I was evacuated from the Pacific to the Atlantic.
E
(cold): As for me, I was evacuated from Death to
Life, from Life back to Death. I bet between your Pacific and Atlantic, there
are few footsteps of Death.
NN: In all due respect to a Greek
mythological...person like yourself, I must say you're not completely right
in your premises. There are plenty of deaths during an avacuation. But I think
even in normal Life itself, there are many, many deaths. Life's petits morts.
Sources of pleasure and destruction. Loving or not loving is a form of death itself. Lifetime
separation is also death. For what is worth of life if those who love each other
are forever separated and kept apart, such that one is not part of the
other's life any more?
E
(deeply touched): Orpheus!
NN: I am truly sorry. I have made you sad. (Remorseful) You must excuse my
ignorance. I really don't know Greek
mythology that well. Why are you
here? Where is your lover Orpheus?
E:
What about you? Why are
you here?
NN (shy, embarrassed): Will you promise not to laugh? I was on vacation. I was sailing. And then I was hit in the head by the sail boom. I fell into the sea. I must have died in the process. An...uneventful death!
E
(stern, serious): I will not laugh. I think that you died because you wanted to die. You granted yourself the easiest wish. To make sense out of your name, for you
are called "May all your wishes come true." Why did you choose a rough day to sail,
knowing that you had little sailing experience? Why did you let go of the grasp? Why did you quiver and become weakened when the sail changed
course? Why didn't you listen to your
sailing instructor more carefully? I
think you wanted to die just as much as I wanted to live...
NN
(sidestepping the issue, obviously
uncomfortable with the subject of herself and her own death): You want to live?
E
(signing tragically): I died a long time ago. Perhaps millions of years. I can't keep track of time any more. In fact, I died twice. It all happened while I most yearned for
life. My yearning for life is larger
than life itself. Life and its glory.
Sunlight and its gorgeous shine. Yet
I had to die. Because of love I had
to die. And because I died, I could
no longer have love. I want to live
to have love, and yet because of love I died. And because I died I no longer have love. (recognizing
the ridiculous position she is in and attempt to treat it with humor) Just like the American saying, "the
chicken and the egg, which one comes first?"
NN
(feeling very close to Eurydice and
wanting to touch her, but again, the silver light, a protecting force, a
sacred distance, stands in between them, keeping them apart, and pushing
Nhu-Nguyen afar) You are
complicated. But I don't think you
should regret. In as much as you want
to live, I don't know if I should be telling you this, but actually life is
not all that beautiful or fun. (Smiles
in sadness and melancholy, thinking of Father, Mother, Friend, Husband) Sometimes, or often times, life is a
burden. With nothing coming close to
perfection. Losses, failures. Lots of complications. And often atrocities occur, and people die
in mass. People are sentenced to
death in the name of causes celebres
and rhetoric. Especially in
wars. Listen...
(Sound of rushing footsteps surrounding them.)
NN: You see, there are as many people dead
as there are people alive (nostalgic). Life sometimes is a matter of
solitude. And in death or in life,
there is always a journey.
E: I had my journey once, with
Orpheus. How can there be solitude if
he is there? My Orpheus!
NN
(repeats unconsciously): Orpheus!!!
E
(reaching her arms above her head as
though dancing, her voice melodious and mesmerizing in a very expressive
monologue, as though she were semi-singing...Very soft music accompanies
her. Stage light grows dim, and
dancers appear on stage, behind Eurydice and Nhu-Nguyen. Movements are soft and non-specific.):
I
have been dead for enternity. My
lover, Orpheus was the only one with enough passion to conquer death. He came to my rescue, with the best of his
music, mesmerizing the whole of Hades, with his life’s songs. He mesmerized even Charon, the ferryman,
the angel of death. And so he was
able to secure me and bring me back to life, all because the gods decided
that his music was too wonderful for the underworld on this side of the river
Styx. His music belonged to life, and
I belonged to him. But the gods
imposed one condition – Orpheus could not look at me on our way back to life;
I had to follow him in his footsteps.
Yet he loved me so passionately, so intensely that he could not
wait. I was damned with his impatient
heart, his burning love! Just before
our journey ended, he turned to look at me and devoured me with his
eyes, all but one second before I
could grab on to the horizon of life, causing me to die my second death. (Music
picks up and changes tempo. Now
tempestuous, working into a fury..
Dancers disappear. Stage light
goes out. Spotlight resumes, beaming
on center stage with NN and Eurydice together.)
Eurydice
(tragic still, yet angry): And so the horizon of life dissolved
before me, all because he loved me far too much and wanted to shower me with
his gaze before his touch. He imprisoned me in my second death with his fated
gaze. His gaze sent me back into
darkness, before my arms, my brain, my breasts could grab the wonder of my
lover’s life. So I had to leave him once more, back into the season of death
where in eternity I longed for life.
Yes,
in death I kept longing for him so for eternity I wandered in that twilight
between life and death, hoping to catch another chance and to find my Orpheus. But now I must cross the river and accept
my end.
NN
(overwhelmed, stuttering): I am sorry. I apologize. I just
didn't know. I feel for you...
E
(besides herself, infuriated,
frustrated): We are only dead
when our impatience destroys perfection or what could have been
perfection. If only we could try a
little bit harder, despite our despair, despite our wear and tear, despite
our exhaustion, just a little bit harder, a little bit more, until we could
hold on to perfection in the form as we know it.
(Music stops completely. Silence takes over. A long pause)
***
E: It's time to go. I'm sure the Ferryman is waiting.
NN
(hesitant): Why do we have to cross the river? After all, we are dead.
E: We must finish. We must finish the business we have
started. One must complete one's life
until there is no more life to complete.
The same in death. We must
complete our death. Death is not
complete until we have reached the other side of the river.
(Eurydice exists. NN follows. The silver light flickers between them. In fact, in this posture, the pair Nhu-Nguyen/Eurydice should remind
the audience of the image of Eurydice following the footsteps Orpheus in
their journey back to life.
The sound of their footsteps together is slow and
exaggerated.)
BLACKOUT. The silver light behind Eurydice is the
last light to be extinguished
* * *
(The sound of the rescue boat anchoring at
dock. Voices of people, vehicle motor,
siren...If the play is set for stage, at this time, spotlight will focus on
center stage, showing the tower of a lighthouse.)
Man
at Lighthouse: This is the
Lighthouse’s personnel. I’ve called
for medical help. Where is the victim?
Rescue
Boat Captain: Raise her!
(Sound of people lifting Nhu-Nguyen's body)
Young
Man (heartbroken): She has stopped breathing.
(Sound of an ambulance approaching; voices of
paramedics uttering impersonal medical phrases, working as a team. Sound of ambulance door opening and
closing.)
Paramedic: Are you a relative?
Young
Man: No!
Paramedic: A boyfriend?
Young
Man: Oh No! Before today, I didn't know her at all. (To
himself) I still don't know
who she is!
Paramedic: So what the hell are you doing on this
ambulance?
Young
Man: I...I just don't want her to
die. I gave her mouth-to-mouth. I tried to save her!
Paramedic: Oh I see.
(Siren.
Ambulance starts to move)
(Spotlight resumes, showing doctor and nurse miming
the act of taking care of a patient in an emergency room.)
Doctor (voice monotonous, without emotion):
A sailing accident. No
breathing. No pulse. But strangely there is a heartbeat.
Nurse: Any hope, doctor?
Doctor: Don't know. Start the procedure!
Nurse
(filling out chart): According to the paramedic's
report, she was in the water for a long time. There was a friend with her,
who tried to keep her head above water.
And then mouth to mouth all throughout the trip to the lighthouse.
Doctor
(in the middle of procedure) Tell the friend to wait in the hall. All right, let's begin...
(Sound of a medical machine running; doctor and
nurse continue miming.
BLACKOUT)
(Intermission)
ACT III -- MEETING WITH CHARON AND BAPTISM
(Spotlight on the Ferryman miming on his
boat. The sound of the paddle parting
water serves as background. The Ferryman begins his monologue while
continuing his pantomime. An eery
scene.)
Ferryman (clad in black; attention is called, by way of a neon light, to his
left hand, which is exceptionally bony and large -- a ghastly sight):
This river is like any river, except
that here, moonlight falls through the cracks of my fingers (raising his ghastly left hand, then
pointing below)...So dark down there and bottomless, like death. And then from down there emanates this
chill, going right under my skin, into my bone (laughing, continuing his pantomime.
PAUSE IN MONOLOGUE. The sound
of the paddle hitting the water continues.)
Oh yes, it is also a world down here
where I am. A world in between
worlds, yet this in-between world, too, needs order, leadership, and a ruler,
just like any other world. But the
difference is, here I rule alone. I
am the only one. There is no such
thing as democracy. I am the ruler. I
am all.
(Pauses to
laugh, his face to the sky, the neon hand waving eerily) To rule a world that exists in
between worlds is a mystical art.
Because here there is no such thing as rationality or emotion. I permit nothing of this sort. The people
to be ruled here are outcast souls in transition. They belong to me and are controlled by me. Their fate is in my
hand. When my paddle hits this water,
there are cries emanating from underneath.
When my ferry stops, a thousand steps rush through. Here there is no
chance for revolt or resentment, because I allow no standard for comparison.
Without comparison, there is no will to struggle for anything better, for
they don't know any better (ecstatic). Besides, there is nothing to struggle for
because they are all dead. There is
only acceptance of eternal darkness.
For I have laid down the predetermined conditions leading to no choice
but acceptance.
There ain't enough space on this
ferry for everybody. Thus I must
decide who is to leave, who is to stay.
Those who are blessed. Those
who are damned. Those who linger in
limbo on this riverbank. I tell them
to sit, to stand, or simply to float in nothingness.
(Spotlight dies out. Stage is half-lit, just
enough to show Eurydice and Nhu-Nguyen entering from left. The Ferryman continues his mime. For a while, the movements of all three
characters are extremely and deliberately slow, as though in a choreographed
dance.)
Ferryman (recognizing Eurydice): Oh, it is you (satisfied). I know you just can't escape.
NN: You are wrong. She never tries to escape.
We are free to board this ferry.
Ferryman
(staring contemptuously at the two
women): DEAD wrong! (stressing the word and apparently very
pleased with his pun) You are never free anywhere, let alone on my
ferry. I have only one seat
left. All other seats have been
reserved for men. One of you will
have to leave.
NN: Men?
Like in the male species or in homo sapiens???
What is this? If you mean the
male species, you are discriminating against female passengers. What about
equal opportunties?
Ferryman
(looking at NN as though she were
from outer space):
Equality" is a word that does not exist in my dictionary (deepening his voice gravely with practiced
humor). You must be from the
United States.
Eurydice
(busy looking down at the river, not
worrying in the least about the fact that she has been ignored): I
can’t see the bottom.
Ferryman: You idiot. Of course it is bottomless.
But you do not come here to admire the river.
(Very loud and abrupt music catches everybody by
surprise. A little shock effect, both
for the characters and the audience. NN and Eurydice both look dazed. Stage light flickers on and off like
lightning. Space seems condensed and
claustrophobic. The loudness and
crudeness of the music takes over the stage, creates a sense of hysteria and
becomes the dominant force.)
Ferryman
(shouting): It's the moment of finality. No more wait. No more elaboration. No
more time. No more decision-making. (Music stops as abruptly as it has
started; the voice of the Ferryman becomes threateningly slow and clear). There is only one space left, for that
special, lucky person. Now you both
must leave.
NN
(a desperate attempt at rationality
at a time and place where rationality is insignificant): What did you just say? Both of us must leave?
Ferryman
(folding his hands, thoroughly
enjoying the moment): That's
right. Both of you.
NN
(last attempt to save rationality from
being shattered): You have
contradicted yourself and, further, it makes no sense. You said earlier that only one of us had
to go. Now you are changing your
position and insist that both of us have to go. Further, you have never denied that there is one space left on
this boat. If there is one space
left, why do both of us have to go?
You see, it doesn't follow.
It's not reasonable.
Ferryman: Whatever I say is what's reasonable. By the way, "reasonable" does
not exist in my dictionary.
NN: What about humanitarian concerns? You see, where do we go from here if we
have to leave the ferry? Surely we
can crowd into that one space left on this boat and we promise we won't be of
any bother to you...
Ferryman: Again, "humanitarian" is a word
that doesn't exist in my dictionary.
What happens to you and this idiot (pointing his neon hand at Eurydice, who, all this time, has been
oblivious to it all and has continued looking deeply at the river) is
not my concern. (Pauses, leaning on his paddle in an
unexpected moment of elegance). Come
to think of it. Both of you will
linger by the riverbank until you can catch the next ferry, which, by the
way, will not come for another LIFETIME, HA HA HA (stressing the word, laughing with vulgarity, pleased with himself
and his play on words).
However, (rubbing his hands
together, very mercenarily and devilishly) there is a way around all
of this (approaching NN and
whispering into her ears; the young woman apparently is repelled by the close
proximity).
NN (listening with tolerance, then astonished
beyond belief): What are you talking about? I can secure a
place, you mean, buy a place, you mean, buy like...a fee? a service fee to Hades? A ticket? You really mean a bribe! There is bribery even in a place like
this?
Ferryman: There you go child. Look, it is in places
like this that bribery is originated and perfected. Think of it as a
tax. This is my kingdom. A taxation
regime devised by my...greatest self!!! HA HA HA (laughing with vanity).
Eurydice: (suddenly
interjecting, despite her aloofness and lack of interest so far):
There is nothing great or surprising about all of this.
(Ferryman is too lost in the hysteria of his mime
and self-adoration to notice Eurydice's retort. At this time, there is a
strong wind coming, causing the characters’ attires to flutter wildly. The piercing sound of the wind permeates
the stage. Eurydice stands stoically, her hair flying behind her, beautifully
tragic, fragile yet enduring against the wind. Ferryman and NN continue their conversation by miming in
silence.)
NN (approaching Eurydice with tenderness as
though she was afraid Erydice would break): The Ferryman has asked for a bribery (sorrowful and with utmost regret and
shame, to the point of tears).
And I have only one coin left.
This means that we must part.
You give him this coin and buy yourself a place. I will stay here with the river, waiting
for the next boat, (without
conviction) hopefully with a nicer ferryman.
Eurydice
(lost in thought): Staying here with the river?
NN: I have thought this out. You cannot float forever, and yet you
cannot come back to life. You've died
twice. In fact, none of us can come
to life...This is your only chance to put an end to all of this and rest in
peace (placing the coin in
Eurydice's hand with utmost affection).
Eurydice (awakened): No, this is YOUR only chance. It is I who must go with this idiot to
Hades (pointing at Ferryman, who
obviously is very displeased with Eurydice's choice of word). I cannot go back to life, but you can.
NN
(with disbelief): Me? Oh No, I’ll wait here. I’ll be by the
riverbank. I can't come back to life.
Eurydice
(feverish): Yes you can. With all your heart and soul and arms and legs and everything
you have, you can come back to life. Swim, swim with the moonlight, swim
toward the sound of music, toward the touch of tenderness, toward the
precious sparkling of sunlight when the suns finally comes...And then warmth
will replace the cold and darkness of this hideous river, and then when you
are just about to be exhausted, you will have defeated all, and you will then
bathe yourself in that warmth, embraced with life and the first gleam of
sunlight, and you will have found him.
Go find him for me, find my Orpheus.
(ECHO FROM BACKSTAGE: FIND MY ORPHEUS.)
NN (scared, confused): But how can I? I'd
rather wait here. It is safer to wait here.
I just can't make it. I have
never made it.
Eurydice (Infuriated): So, instead of
finding Orpheus for both of us, you'd rather be here, wait in eternity for
the next ferry to come, wander in between two worlds, and become a mourning
ghost? (Begins to walk away, holding
the coin high, proud, hurtful).
NN
(calling out at Eurydice, trying to
save face but in fact to convince herself): But wait, wait, even if I make it, how will I know where to
find him for you? I have never met
him, I don't know how he looks like.
Eurydice: You'll know him when you see him.
Ferryman: Come on.
Finish your requiem. You're not visiting the rose garden here.
Eurydice
(Looks briefly at the Ferryman
contemptously and then turns to talk
to NN): By the way, one thing
I want you to understand. I've never
liked this black-clad fellow. That's
my misfortune.
Ferryman: Too bad.
I'm still taking your money...Your MISTFORTUNE is my FORTUNE. (stresses his choice of words, and takes
the coin with great pleasure and satisfaction).
(The fierce, loud, and violent music begins the
second time. BLACKOUT. The voice of
Eurydice continues in the dark.)
Eurydice:
Quick, quick, there
is no more time or space for pondering.
No more decision making. No
more indecision.
NN: But, but... (Her voice is overwhelmed by the music. And then there comes a louder noise. The noise of a heavy object, a body, hitting the water,
breaking the stream of the river, followed by the sound of a person swimming,
treading water...)
* * *
(BLACKOUT.
Music again takes over, this time, more expressive and less chaotic,
transforming gradually into a mesmerizing tune, and the stage seems to sink
into waves of sound. Music then
subsides, and Nhu-Nguyen's voice takes over from backstage, in a monologue. BLACKOUT remains all throughout the
delivery of Nhu-Nguyen's monologue; the actress is not seen on stage; the
emotions of this character in this
scene, therefore, are entirely expressed
in the voice and the delivery
of the monologue itself. The voice alone
must create the emotions and images conveyed by the monologue.)
NN: In my childhood, we lived next to a
river. There was a magnolia tree nearby, and the blowing wind caused the pink
magnolias to shred all over the riverbank.
My father used to take me to the riverbank, where my mother sat to
wash her silk scarf amidst the shattered pinkness of magnolia petals...
I used to be fascinated by the
sparking water of the river...Like a thread of silver tenderly and alluringly
awaiting my exploring footsteps. So,
once I followed the shattered magnolias and stepped into the water, without
any notion of danger. It was all a
game to me. And then, when the river
engulfed me and fear took over, my father came just at the right time to drag
me out and save me from the engulfing
water...
And then we moved to the
seaside...And despite what had happened in the river, I was still drawn to
the sparking waves of the sea, whitened and bubbled and broken into a
thousand threads of silver when they hit those giant rocks, teasing the white
sand and the dancing seaweeds. And
one more time I ran into the sparking waves, toward the immense ocean,
without the least notion of danger. Again, another exploring game. MY exploring game. And one more time the waves engulfed me and
fear took over. And one more time, my
father was there to rescue me, out of the snarling danger of the deep ocean
and its overwhelming tides.
My mother said when people grow up
and get old, subconsciously they will seek to return home, to the place where
they were born. Back to their childhood.
And if she is right, I, too, will seek to return to the river, to the
ocean. Just like now. Back to my childhood.
I remember once I felt so cold, just
like now, when fear took over and water engulfed me. My head was heavy and light at the same
time. My limbs carried a thousand
weights. And surrounding me was a vacuum of whiteness, of tons of water
without an end, a surface, or a horizon.
But my father was no longer there.
And he is not here. With all his faults and defects and weaknesses and
cruelty as a human being, I wish that he, the father, were here. Now I can no longer lean on his shoulders to seek a refuge.
I am swimming upstream in search of
life once and for all as though this journey would begin another synopsis of
my time on earth. This must be
Sysiphus' journey up the mountain, carrying his weight only to fall back down
again so that he could start all over.
Never an end. Never a
rest. The promised land remains an
illusion. Unreachable like dreams
themselves.
I must have returned to the river, to
the ocean of my childhood, only to find .
myself in this alien stream.
So dark. So foreign. So trying. Is this my baptism? I was born, I grew up and I grew old, only
to be a small child again. Is this
dark and alien stream my rebirth?
I was born with the flesh of a
woman. In my youth, I couldn't help
but exuding the sensuality of a woman -- an obvious and naive exhibition and manifestation
of the flesh. I abandoned my childhood the moment womanhood took over. In the form of the flesh I accepted my
fate. Without my father's rescuing
shoulders I brought my sensuality into the journey of life. It turned out
that love was just another journey of the female Sysiphus. It tied me down and slaved me in my own
concepts of sensuality and nobility.
So I swam in my own slavery.
Until now. Until this moment.
With the flesh and soul of a female I
carried the mountains, forests and oceans in me, their rebellion and
surrender. But in this moment of my baptism, everything succumbs into
nothingness.
I have met Eurydice to find that
behind her and ahead of her is the stream of light, but that she herself is
the sad story of darkness. She who
has died twice yet still yearns for the perfection of her love...
I have met Charon in the interim
space of neither Death or Life. In
that transition, there is still the call of oppressive power.
So I swim. Tirelessly. I spread my
arms reaching out for hopes and kick my leggs to save myself from
slavery. In utmost yearning. I have taken with me the wishes and
desires of Eurydice, and I have challenged and rejected the oppressive power
of Charon.
I am in search of my own
Orpheus.
(Music seems to shatter into asymetrical sounds,
merges in with the sound of tides and waves, gradually reaching a musical
climax, in a blasting volume that sends vibration and dominates the entire
stag. Then music and all sounds subside into complete silence.)
ACT IV -- LOVE,
DISCOVERY, AND REBIRTH
(Spotlight beams on and follows the Psyche of
Nhu-Nguyen. She wears a white, plain
traditional Vietnamese national dress, long-haired brushed back with a cotton
band, no makeup, looking straight ahead.
Psyche of Nhu-Nguyen crosses the stage toward center in slow motion. A
long, white scarf around her neck falls behind her as though tracing her
steps.
Spotlight follows Psyche of Nhu-Nguyen to center
stage and beams onto a single brass bed. The physical Nhu-Nguyen is lying
very still on the bed, eyes completely closed. The rest of the stage is
BLACKOUT. Spotlight becomes the
central focus. Psyche of Nhu-Nguyen
looks over at the physical Nhu-Nguyen, then bends and sits on the side of the
bed and begins to lie down. Psyche of
Nhu-Nguyen and they physical Nhu-Nguyen begin to merge into one.
Silence.
Nhu-Nguyen begins to move slowly and feebly. She wipes her eyes and begins to look
around. She looks at her hands,
touches her face and seems astonished
in a silent way. She then looks sideway to stage left.
Spotlight leaves Nhu-Nguyen and moves to stage
left. Young Man is sitting still as
though waiting, his chin rests in his palm.
A movingly beautiful sight. He
moves slowly, stands up, stretches, his arms reaching above and forward. A lofty reach. Lightbeams in silver color begin to shine upon him representing
sun rays. Like a statute, his boby and muscles are accented by the light
beams underneath his cotton shirt. He
then stands still, very still...
All of the stage lights up to show both
Nhu-Nguyen sitting on the bed and the Young Man standing on stage left.)
NN: Oh God, you are beautiful.
Young
Man (moving, turning toward NN,
surprised and happy): You have
awakened!
NN (lost in her own vision, not hearing his
statement): Orpheus!
Young Man: What did you say?
NN
(still in a dream): Orpheus!
Young
Man: Whatever you say, (signs
with relief) as long as you are alive. You don't know how relieved I am that you finally awakened!
NN: You mean, I live?
Young
Man (enthusiastic): Oh yes, and I am really really happy about
that. You live indeed! (Lowers his voice as though disbelieving
his own statement). After all
that I have seen...You were cold like a piece of ice. You did not breathe. Mouth to mouth didn't do much good
then. But after all that, you
awakened.
NN: You gave me...mouth to mouth? (coy; turns to speak to herself): Orpheus!
Young
Man: You are talking to me? Oh well, the ordeal is over. I should go. Why don't you just rest? (Begins
to leave).
NN: Oh please don't leave. I don't know your name. Do you...know my name?
Young
Man (taken back): Oh that's
right. I don't even know your name (pauses to think). Oh well it does not matter. I do know you. I was with you when you were...almost dead! (Softens
his voice affectionately as though couldn't help himself). Why don't you just sleep? Really I must go. People here will take care of you. They will contact your family.
NN
(oblivious to what Young Man was
saying; lost in private thoughts):
You know, I was on the way to Hades...I was drowned. Did you save me? And why?
Young
Man: I don't know if I saved
you. I just didn't want you to die.
NN: But why?
Young
Man (a little confused):
I...don't know. I really don't ask as
many "whys" as you.
NN
(smoothens her hair, all of a sudden
self-conscious, holding up one hand as though looking at a mirror): Oh no, I must look real ugly now (turning toward Young Man). Do
you think I look ugly?
Young
Man (more confused): I...really don't know.
NN: You must have looked at me all the way,
all that time when I...was out of it.
Oh God I must have disgusted you.
Believe me, under normal circumstances I don't look this bad (embarrassed). Actually I wish
you'd seen me when I looked a little better.
Tell me honestly (coy),
do I look all that bad right now?
Young
Man (honest): Honestly, I don't know.
NN
(probing): That must mean...you have never looked
at me...Orpheus.
Young
Man (rubbing his forehead, sincerely
surprised): That must be
it. How strange. You know, I know you. I can still feel the throbbing warmth...whatever
warmth was left in you when I held you in my arms...All that way from boat to
boat. Yet I can't remember how you
look like (honestly embarrassed by
his confession) You were
right. I never look at you. I never see you. Yet I know you. At one time I could even count your feeble
heartbeats.
NN: Orpheus!
Young
Man (looking at Nhu-Nguyen as though
for the first time): You (exhaling in excitement)...Now,
this is the first time I see you.
Boy, you live, you really live.
NN: Thanks to you!
(They look at each other, eyes locked, really
looking into each other's soul for the first time. Nhu-Nguyen sits on the bed, the Young Man stands, both freezing
in places for a moment. Then the
music begins, melodious and soothing, then lively and hopeful.)
NN: You...are about to leave?
Young
Man (genuinely poignant and sad): You've recovered. My job is done. I have to go.
NN: But if you leave we may never see each
other again.
Young
Man: We have met...
(Pause.
Momentarily)
NN: Where would you go?
Young
Man: Back to where I came from...The
other side of the beach.
NN: I guess the storm is gone by now.
Young
Man: Yes, the storm has passed, quite
a while ago.
NN
(taking a deep, melancholy
sign): Right at this moment I
would like very much to hold a flower.
Do you have a flower? Can I
have a flower before you go?
Young
Man (looking around): I don't see a flower anywhere (Eurydice reappears, a flower in her
hand, entering stage from left, silently moving toward the Young Man. Eurydice places the flower in the Young
Man's hand, turns around and exits.
Young Man looks down at his hand) Oh how strange, here is a
flower, in my hand! This is so
strange (thinking, shaking his head). Oh well, ever since the boat capsized, I
have seen and felt nothing but strange things. Oh well, so what, let it be...
NN (loving):
You always have flowers
with you. You just don't know.
Young
Man (looks at the flower and then at
Nhu-Nguyen): I shouldn't be
thinking too much. Shouldn't be
asking why. (Can't help but being passionate) I can't explain why this flower is here, but here is a flower
for you, as you wish (gives the
flower to Nhu-Nguyen).
(NN receives the flower. They look at each other again in
silence. Music increases in volume,
crescendo gradually, but still very melodious.)
NN: Do we really know each other?
Young
Man: Not really. We are perfectly strangers. But when you were very cold and seeemed to
have no heartbeat, I held you in my arms wishing I could give you my warmth. My life.
NN
(a deep sign, as though making a
resolution, sounding determined):
I know you have to go. Will
you take me with you?
Young
Man (astonished): But you have just recovered. You have just escaped from the sea. You can't possibly want to cross that sea
again!
NN
(proud and happy): Yes I can! I will! (dreamy) After all,
the storm has passed. There is the
sun outside, and the sea has spared me once.
And after all, I have you.
You'll be with me, and with you, I know of no danger. You're not afraid...Why should I be
afraid?
Young
Man (reluctant): I am not sure I can do anything to save
you again!
NN: As you said, so what! Let it be. I'd like to test my fate.
Young
Man (innocently happy): Oh I
just can't believe this. You want to
go with me...
NN
(girlish but determined): You'd better believe it.
Young Man: No fear?
NN: No.
Young Man:
No regret?
NN: What is there to regret?
Young
Man (excited): So you'll be joining me, once again at
sea...
NN: because you'll be with me.
Young
Man (taking a deep breadth): So we'll make the journey. I'll take you to my home, on the other
side of the ocean. This time the
ocean is no longer against us. It is
with us!
NN: And so now, you can see me for the
first time.
Young
Man: Yes, I have seen you (passionate). Your eyes, your lips, everything is
completely foreign and yet intimate at the same time. (Approaches Nhu-Nguyen and gathers her in his arms. He picks her up and she places her head
onto his chest). We are
leaving together, like two fearless children.
(Stage is filled with soft colorful lights in
pastel shades, music becomes clearer, mixed with the sound of the sea and
birds)
Young
Man (hopeful, excited): The
storm has long passed. There are
birds singing, there is the sun, and you live!
(Stage dims and all colorful lights gradually
fade. Spotlight takes over, beaming
directly on the Young Man cradling Nhu-Nguyen in his arms. A gentle wind is blowing on them, enough
for his shirt to blow against his
body, and for Nhu-Nguyen's long hair to fly behind her. They both looks ahead into some remote destination.
They freeze together in that posture into a statue, heroic and defiant.
Spotlight turns into a violet shade.
Music rises into powerful crescendo without
losing its sweetness. So does the
alluring sound of the sea.)
CURTAIN
CLOSES.
THE END
Uyen Duong,
January, 1995
· THE WRITERS POST (ISSN: 1527-5467),
the magazine of Literature & Literature-in-translation.
VOLUME 7 ISSUE 1 JAN 2005
Editorial note: Works published in this issue may be
simultaneously published in the printed Wordbridge Magazine Issue 6 January
2005 (ISSN: 1540-1723).
Copyright © Uyen Nicole Duong & The Writers Post
1999-2005. Nothing in this issue may be downloaded, distributed, or
reproduced without the permission of the author/ translator/ artist/ The Writers Post/ and Wordbridge magazine.
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