Shadowplay: Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Carrion Bird, Act V (End)
Shadows on the Wall: Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Carrion Bird
A Play in Five Acts by Gathering Shadows Kashira Theatre
ACT V: The Queen of Romania
Back to Act IV
[Scene: The pillared hall in Maxfield Parrish style. It is still messy, with piles of things everywhere. Faint electronic music comes from the large television. B-KO, in the boy's Ohtori uniform, is lounging upside-down on the throne, feet in the air, talking on a cell phone.]
B-KO: No, baby, of course not. Of course I'd never run around on you. You're my one and only, baby.
B-KO: Baby, baby, I can't tell you how much you mean to me cause I just don't have the words, you know?
B-KO: I'm just crazy about you. Hey, want to go out tonight? There's this great party going on--
A-KO: [enters, stage left. She is still wearing the outfit from Act IV, and behind her GIR and CHU-CHU come dancing (CHU-CHU is doing something between a waltz and a ballet, while what GIR is doing is probably best described as breakdancing). She walks into the room, kicking debris aside, and walks up to the throne.]
B-KO: Yeah, and then we can go out to this ritzy little club I know afterwards -- I know the doorkeeper, it'll be great--
A-KO: [Leans down and takes the phone, says into it] Sorry. Other plans. [Folds phone closed.]
B-KO: [Looking up at A-KO from her upside-down position] What the hell?
A-KO: I'm back.
B-KO: I can see that. I just don't see why that means you have any right to interfere in my social life. Give me my phone back.
A-KO: [Throws phone to GIR, who catches it and eats it]
GIR: MMMmmm! 200 minutes and some tasty texts!
B-KO: [Sitting up] What the HELL? GIVE THAT BACK!
A-KO: No.
B-KO: WHAT?
A-KO: No. First, you must give me back what you have taken from me.
B-KO: I never took anything from you!
A-KO: No? You took my time, you took my attention. You took up my brainspace, my affections, you became part of everything I did -- my creativity, my work, the things I did for fun. You took my conversations until one in the morning, my ideas about stories and work and the world, and my tea and food and space in my kitchen.
You took my self-confidence, you took my ability to stand up for myself, you leeched off my strength and warmed yourself at my heart's fires. You took my peace of mind and my confidence that I knew what I was saying, that I knew what was going on, that I was a good person.
You took my friendship.
You took my heart's blood.
You took my throne, and I must have it back.
B-KO: You can't give those things back! You can't give back time and friendship and, and, heart's blood! You're crazy! You're delusional! You're selfish -- how can you grudge me that? You gave it to me freely, you paranoid irrational bitch.
A-KO: Bitch I am and bitch I may be, but still I have been down to the underworld and I have returned.
B-KO: Don't make me laugh. You, come back from the underworld? No one comes back from there. You're making things up, you need to feel important. I understand that that's how you see things, but I've had things so much harder than you. I'm the one who really knows about the underworld.
A-KO: Go ask C-ko, then.
B-KO: Ask her what?
A-KO: Ask her how to return to me what you have stolen. How to repair what you have broken. How to mend what cannot be mended and how to find what cannot be found. She knows the answers to all riddles, but her price is a heavy one.
B-KO: I don't believe you. You're crazy! You're selfish! You're the most selfish person I've ever met!
A-KO: I may be crazy, but I'm not stupid. Get out.
B-KO: [Getting up] I'm not one to stay where I'm not wanted. All you had to do was ask. I can't believe you're throwing me out like this; it's so unfair!
A-KO: Tell your story to C-ko; see if you garner any sympathy.
B-KO: I'm not the aggressor here; I'm not the one who's breaking up with you.
A-KO: Tell your story to the world; my heart's words are already broken.
B-KO: Well, you don't have to be so dramatic about it. I'm not being dramatic. I just don't see any reason for all this.
A-KO: No? Well, perhaps not. Before I died I could not speak to C-ko, either.
B-KO: I'm listening, you're just not saying anything that makes sense!
A-KO: There is more than one way of looking at sense.
B-KO: [Gets off the throne, goes down the steps past A-ko, then turns] And I'm not leaving until I get an apology!
A-KO: What for?
B-KO: You've hurt my feelings badly, implying that I'm some sort of vampire that says bad things to you! I never called you names or anything like that!
A-KO: I am out of apologies. Indeed, I do not think I will ever apologize again.
B-KO: What a selfish, awful thing to say!
A-KO: Perhaps. Goodbye. [She walks up the steps to the throne]
B-KO: I'm not wrong!
A-KO: [Sits down] I never said you were. Go and tell C-ko.
B-KO: I will! I'll tell her exactly that! [Exits, stage right]
A-KO: [Buries her face in her hands and begins to cry, huge ugly sobs]
CHU-CHU: [Clings to her skirt and offers her a handkerchief]
GIR: Don't cry, master. Here, I'll do a card trick! [The top of GIR'S head pops open, and cards fly everywhere]
A-KO: [Picks up the card which has landed in her lap.] Thirteen. Death. Change. Endings. Transformation. The baker's dozen of life; you can't leave home without it.
[Lights down. End.]
A Play in Five Acts by Gathering Shadows Kashira Theatre
ACT V: The Queen of Romania
Back to Act IV
[Scene: The pillared hall in Maxfield Parrish style. It is still messy, with piles of things everywhere. Faint electronic music comes from the large television. B-KO, in the boy's Ohtori uniform, is lounging upside-down on the throne, feet in the air, talking on a cell phone.]
B-KO: No, baby, of course not. Of course I'd never run around on you. You're my one and only, baby.
B-KO: Baby, baby, I can't tell you how much you mean to me cause I just don't have the words, you know?
B-KO: I'm just crazy about you. Hey, want to go out tonight? There's this great party going on--
A-KO: [enters, stage left. She is still wearing the outfit from Act IV, and behind her GIR and CHU-CHU come dancing (CHU-CHU is doing something between a waltz and a ballet, while what GIR is doing is probably best described as breakdancing). She walks into the room, kicking debris aside, and walks up to the throne.]
B-KO: Yeah, and then we can go out to this ritzy little club I know afterwards -- I know the doorkeeper, it'll be great--
A-KO: [Leans down and takes the phone, says into it] Sorry. Other plans. [Folds phone closed.]
B-KO: [Looking up at A-KO from her upside-down position] What the hell?
A-KO: I'm back.
B-KO: I can see that. I just don't see why that means you have any right to interfere in my social life. Give me my phone back.
A-KO: [Throws phone to GIR, who catches it and eats it]
GIR: MMMmmm! 200 minutes and some tasty texts!
B-KO: [Sitting up] What the HELL? GIVE THAT BACK!
A-KO: No.
B-KO: WHAT?
A-KO: No. First, you must give me back what you have taken from me.
B-KO: I never took anything from you!
A-KO: No? You took my time, you took my attention. You took up my brainspace, my affections, you became part of everything I did -- my creativity, my work, the things I did for fun. You took my conversations until one in the morning, my ideas about stories and work and the world, and my tea and food and space in my kitchen.
You took my self-confidence, you took my ability to stand up for myself, you leeched off my strength and warmed yourself at my heart's fires. You took my peace of mind and my confidence that I knew what I was saying, that I knew what was going on, that I was a good person.
You took my friendship.
You took my heart's blood.
You took my throne, and I must have it back.
B-KO: You can't give those things back! You can't give back time and friendship and, and, heart's blood! You're crazy! You're delusional! You're selfish -- how can you grudge me that? You gave it to me freely, you paranoid irrational bitch.
A-KO: Bitch I am and bitch I may be, but still I have been down to the underworld and I have returned.
B-KO: Don't make me laugh. You, come back from the underworld? No one comes back from there. You're making things up, you need to feel important. I understand that that's how you see things, but I've had things so much harder than you. I'm the one who really knows about the underworld.
A-KO: Go ask C-ko, then.
B-KO: Ask her what?
A-KO: Ask her how to return to me what you have stolen. How to repair what you have broken. How to mend what cannot be mended and how to find what cannot be found. She knows the answers to all riddles, but her price is a heavy one.
B-KO: I don't believe you. You're crazy! You're selfish! You're the most selfish person I've ever met!
A-KO: I may be crazy, but I'm not stupid. Get out.
B-KO: [Getting up] I'm not one to stay where I'm not wanted. All you had to do was ask. I can't believe you're throwing me out like this; it's so unfair!
A-KO: Tell your story to C-ko; see if you garner any sympathy.
B-KO: I'm not the aggressor here; I'm not the one who's breaking up with you.
A-KO: Tell your story to the world; my heart's words are already broken.
B-KO: Well, you don't have to be so dramatic about it. I'm not being dramatic. I just don't see any reason for all this.
A-KO: No? Well, perhaps not. Before I died I could not speak to C-ko, either.
B-KO: I'm listening, you're just not saying anything that makes sense!
A-KO: There is more than one way of looking at sense.
B-KO: [Gets off the throne, goes down the steps past A-ko, then turns] And I'm not leaving until I get an apology!
A-KO: What for?
B-KO: You've hurt my feelings badly, implying that I'm some sort of vampire that says bad things to you! I never called you names or anything like that!
A-KO: I am out of apologies. Indeed, I do not think I will ever apologize again.
B-KO: What a selfish, awful thing to say!
A-KO: Perhaps. Goodbye. [She walks up the steps to the throne]
B-KO: I'm not wrong!
A-KO: [Sits down] I never said you were. Go and tell C-ko.
B-KO: I will! I'll tell her exactly that! [Exits, stage right]
A-KO: [Buries her face in her hands and begins to cry, huge ugly sobs]
CHU-CHU: [Clings to her skirt and offers her a handkerchief]
GIR: Don't cry, master. Here, I'll do a card trick! [The top of GIR'S head pops open, and cards fly everywhere]
A-KO: [Picks up the card which has landed in her lap.] Thirteen. Death. Change. Endings. Transformation. The baker's dozen of life; you can't leave home without it.
[Lights down. End.]