Mr. Burns and Other Plays. Anne Washburn

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СКАЧАТЬ style="font-size:15px;">       hath not sent thee; but thou makest

       He’s sweating.

       Thou makest this people to trust

       I won’t

       in a lie. Therefore thus saith the Lord—no.

       No.

       No I won’t.

       Exhausted.

       No.

       I won’t.

       He falls back unconscious. The lights swiftly dwindle.

       The sound of his dreaming begins, low.

      EMILY (After a ghastly pause): We’ll be back for him, in the morning.

      HANANIAH: You’re leaving him here (.)

      CHAPTER 14

      THE DREAM OF JEREMIAH

       There is a garble of back-sound: the mutter of overheard conversations, street noise, the sound of a subway car entering a station—all of it barely possible to make out.

       Underlying it all, and increasing in volume, is an unearthly bit of pre-singing.

       As the dream progresses, something martial and stirring and uneasy may make its way in.

      EMILY (Fading): We’ll be back for him, in the morning.

      HANANIAH (Fading): You’re leaving him here.

      EMILY (Fading): We’ll be back in the morning.

      HANANIAH (Fading. To Ruthie): This is—no.

      PERSON A: You cannot burn enough Danish embassies in my opinion.

      PERSON B: Because what it is you’ve got this sheath of muscle right? Right on the bone.

      PERSON C (Lightly sarcastic): Cool. Thank you Dr. _______.

      PT: Me and some of the guys would go down to the quarry in the morning, just at sunrise, the sky’s just turning pink, and the water down below you is black; we stripped down, our nuts were all shriveled up

      PERSON B: Dr. _______. That’s right. Dr. _______ to you. Thank you Dr. . . . . . . Dr. Bedhead.

      EMILY: They said “shoe your feet, your bare torn feet, here are sandals put them on” but I said no

      PT: It’s freezing cold. You dive in a coward, and you break out of the water raging.

      EMILY: They said here, “your throat is dry, here is water, drink, drink the water, quench your—”

      RUTHIE: But I said no,

      PERSON A (On cell phone): Oh, okay

      PERSON D (Simultaneous): It takes a certain person / certain people

      PERSON A (On cell phone): Where are you?

      RUTHIE: I must be shoeless, thirsty, heedless—

      PERSON E: The Lord hath opened His armory and brought forth the weapons of His indignation.

      THE NON-PROPHET (Sharp. Urgent): Make bright the arrows; gather the shields.

      PERSON F (Also urgent, but in a different way): Mom? I can hold my breath for twenty-eight seconds. That’s my highest maximum.

      PERSON G (Compelled): One post shall run to meet another, and one messenger to meet another.

       Revealed:

       The Whore of Babylon. She takes up her song in earnest. The Scarlet Beast is near.

       And, The Non-Prophet is doing a flamenco dance.

      THE WHORE OF BABYLON (Sings):

       Thy soul ached for me and

       you cried out for me

       I did not answer thee

       but laughed from the dark hillside

       there are lions in the forests

       and wolves in the evenings

       You were in longing for me

       and I did not repent thee

       You were an astonishment

       a desolation

       I ran in the wilderness

       I was an exhilaration

       a leopard has found the city gate

       and pushed it open with her maw

      CHAPTER 15

       Still raining, but slowed to a soft patter. The middle of the night.

       Ruthie crosses the dark living room for a drink of water.

       Jeremiah stirs, and half raises himself.

      RUTHIE: You’re awake.

      JEREMIAH: I am. I remember where I am.

      RUTHIE: Do you want . . . water? I was just getting water. Or something to eat?

      JEREMIAH: I want water.

       She goes offstage, gets a glass of water, brings it to him. He drinks it in one go.

      RUTHIE: You were thirsty. Do you want more?

      JEREMIAH: Please. And I think I need food also.

       She goes. Returns with the glass of water refilled, and a hunk of bread on a plate.

       Thank you.

       He drinks half the glass of water. Sits up and holds the plate of bread on his lap. Picks up the bread.

       This is a—

       This is a miracle. If I walk into a field. If I walk. This is a. If I walk into a field of wheat I can’t eat it. I can’t eat the wheat. This. This.

       (To Ruthie) I’m sorry, I’m trying to. I’m trying to, uh

       I can’t.

      RUTHIE: You know, if you’re not hungry . . .

      JEREMIAH: No, I’m hungry. I’m very hungry.

       I’ll just. I’ll just eat it.

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