NG.
UYEN NICOLE DUONG
(in
collaboration with Robert Wilcher for certain parts of the plot, the sailing
scene, and the development of the character Eurydice)
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 and her monologue)
copyright
1995
This
play is available
bilingually
(Vietnamese
and
English)
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: In
today’s socio-political climate, after the 2016 Presidential election,
immigration issues have become politicized while the real human dilemma of
political refugees and cross-border immigration are still illusive and often
misunderstood. Cross-border political refugees bear the “normal hardship of
life like the rest of humankind, and on top of that, they endure the collective
fate resulting from the uprooting of culture, warfare, persecution, etc. where
survival means an immediate rebirth and the wipe-out of memory.
This play was written
for the plights of humans as encompassing the unique plights of political
immigrants: the heart-breaking challenge for a second chance at life, which
only “evacuees” can intuitively understand.
UND C 2018
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. At the end of the Vietnam War, she and her family were
airlifted from Saigon by helicopter on top of the U.S. Embassy, then brought to
a refugee camp in Guam, and finally processed as political asylum seekers into
the U.S. In the paperwork processing of political immigrants at the camp, she received
the code name “NN.”
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; like a shadow, 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 myths
and epistemeology. 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 like neon-lights.
Father,
Mother, Husband, and Friend: normal people, no special
characteristics.
Doctor,
Nurse, Light House Man, Rescue Boat Captain, Coast Guards, Paramedic: either voice only, or
(where they appear), dressed in accordance with their profession.
S 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.
As a radio play,
this play incorporates sounds of the sea, sailing boats, swimming at sea, and
hospital ER operation.
SUGGESTED CAST:
Eurydice: Meryl Streep, Juliane Moore
or Gwynneth Patrow
Ferryman: Jack
Nicholson, Christopher Walken, Robert Deniro, Al Pacino
Young Man: Some unknown newcomer to
Broadway, in perfect physical conditions; an actor that most resembles the
statue of David.
Nhu-Nguyen: a newcomer to Broadway. Can be
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 bruised, my eyes felt like rubbing salt...
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: NN: Why do I have to look after him?
Moth 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 NN: don't understand why you have to go out for business so
often.
Moth 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: NN: But the baby is
naughty. I clean up after him all the time.
Moth 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: 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: NN: Of
course I do!
Moth Mother: Good! (Stands up, grabbing her
purse). When I am out, will you take care of your Dad? Make
him some tea, and bring 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 six-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 to 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. Anyway, 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'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 to arrive, 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? (trembling, 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. Putting on a code 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 memory because it’s all too painful and hence 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 terms your premises. There are plenty of deaths during
an evacuation. But I think even in normal Life itself, there are many,
many deaths. Life's petits morts, may I say? (glancing
toward Eurydice, embarrassed by her pun on words). 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, suicide or not suicide): 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, the circular thoughts and wording. Attempting 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. In
certain places, people can be 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 eternity. 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
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 turns to exit. 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. Come on.
(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.
[VOICE FROM
AUDIENCE: Sounds like the description of
North Korea! (laugh)]
[Ferryman, annoyed by
the interruption, sends a nasty stare at the audience]
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 opportunities?
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
hard-metal 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 (hysterically
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-lit 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 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 happen
to have this one gold coin left (staring down at the palm of her hand as though
puzzled as to where the gold coin conveniently came from. Then she accepted the
convenient irrationality as status quo). 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 Orpheus 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 contemptuously 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 gold 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 swallowing 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, my
father, were here. Now I can no longer lean on his
shoulders to seek a refuge.
I am alone.
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 Eve the flesh I accepted my female 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 eternal darkness. She who has died twice
yet still yearns for the sunshine-filled 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 legs to save myself from slavery and oppression. In
utmost yearning I won’t succumb. I have taken with me the wishes and
desires of Eurydice, and I have challenged and rejected the dictatorship 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 stage. 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. Light beams 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 from your chest...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 seemed 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: 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
Ng.Uyen Nicole Duong,
January, 1995, copyright 1995&2018
(My
thanks to Robert Wilcher)
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