written by Sabina England
Oct 2011
(dedicated to SSK)
CHARACTERS
Shahzad, 30 years old man
Eram, 29 years old woman
TIME
The present.
PLACE
Somewhere, far away, away from society at large. They are alone in their own world. Nobody else exists, no one else matters. Everyone is irrelevant and worthless to them. It’s just them, the two lovers wrapped up in their own existence within each other.
Scene One
The light comes up. The stage is bare, except for the two characters. They are either seated or standing. They are either frozen to their positions or they move around wildly, leave it up to your interpretation.
SHAHZAD
I can’t get the demons out of my mind.
ERAM
Baby.
SHAHZAD
The nightmares won’t go away.
ERAM
You have me and I’m always here by your side. You’re not alone in the world. Let me kiss you and soothe you with sweet words of comfort and I will melt the pain away.
SHAHZAD
You can’t make the demons disappear.
ERAM
I would strangle them with my bare hands and stab them in the guts with a rusty knife.
SHAHZAD
I don’t feel right in the head.
ERAM
You need to forget everything else. Just focus on the beauty of the world. Look at this fire. Look at up at the sky above you. Study the shape of the thin crescent moon. Open your eyes and examine millions of stars up there. Comprehend the complexity of the universe and surrender yourself to the vastness of the great big world we’re in.
SHAHZAD
I wish I’m dead.
ERAM
Don’t.
SHAHZAD
I don’t want to be a monster.
ERAM
You’re not a monster.
(Shahzad stays silent)
ERAM
I won’t let you become one.
SHAHZAD
I can’t wait to be dead!
ERAM
I don’t want you to die.
SHAHZAD
I would welcome death and embrace it in my arms.
ERAM
Stop.
SHAHZAD
When I’m dead, the demons will go away.
ERAM
I don’t want you to be dead. I need you. I want you.
SHAHZAD
You can’t make them go away.
ERAM
Who?
SHAHZAD
The demons. They follow me everywhere.
ERAM
Don’t let them win. That’s what they want. They want to control your mind and make you feel like you should be dead.
SHAHZAD
I wish you would take this huge rock and smash in my head and kill me.
ERAM
No.
(beat)
If Hell exists, what happens if you die and you go there and the demons follow you? Then the nightmares won’t end.
SHAHZAD
Am I hell-worthy? Am I gonna burn in hell? Am I a bad person?
ERAM
No.
SHAHZAD
I’m already in hell.
(beat)
Mental hell. Emotional hell. Hell in my mind, in my brain. Hell everywhere. Hell is in my fucking mind. I can’t escape. I feel suffocated.
ERAM
What do you see when you’re in hell?
SHAHZAD
The past.
ERAM
Your father?
SHAHZAD
He’s there.
ERAM
Your father is dead.
(beat)
He can’t hurt you anymore.
SHAHZAD
Fuck him.
ERAM
He was an asshole.
SHAHZAD
Fucking asshole.
ERAM
You are so much better than he ever was.
SHAHZAD
I’m a good person. I have a good heart.
ERAM
Yes, you do. And you have the potential to have an even bigger heart and give more love.
SHAHZAD
I can’t. He’s still there. I feel him breathing on my face.
ERAM
Fight back. Tell him what filth he is.
SHAHZAD
He appears to me in my dreams...
ERAM
Kick him! Punch him!
SHAHZAD
I can’t. He grabs my neck and strangles me while he curses at me.
ERAM
Blow his brains out! Spit in his face! Crush him!
SHAHZAD
I don’t want to. I don’t want to. I can’t.
ERAM
Why?
SHAHZAD
Because then I’m just like him.
ERAM
Forgive.
SHAHZAD
What?
ERAM
Forgive him and forget the past and move on.
SHAHZAD
He hurt me and abused me! Why should I forgive him?
ERAM
He was a pathetic human being. A real man has respect for women and children and for all living beings. Not him. He wasn’t a man. He wasn’t even human. He himself must have had such a miserable life so that he took out his rage onto you and abused you. Pity him, forgive him and absolve him of his filthy sins and move on with your life. He’s in Hell now and Allah will take care of the rest.
SHAHZAD
I don’t believe in Allah.
ERAM
That’s alright. I’ll believe for you and me.
SHAHZAD
I won’t forgive that piece of shit asshole for what he did to me.
ERAM
Baby. Listen. That’s what he wants you to feel. He wants you to hate him. He’s dead and he still controls your feelings. You can’t let him control you. You gotta pity him and forgive, only then you will find peace.
SHAHZAD
I have never had one moment of peace.
ERAM
Never? Not even when you held me in your arms and you made love to me?
(Shahzad looks up at her)
SHAHZAD
I can’t even remember that moment.
ERAM
Oh baby. The demons have you in their grip.
SHAHZAD
Why are you with me? Why do you love me? Why can’t you leave me here and go?
ERAM
Do you hate me now?
SHAHZAD
I feel nothing.
ERAM
You want me to leave you here? All alone? You never want to see me or speak to me again?
(Shahzad says nothing and he looks away)
ERAM
Have I said something to offend you?
SHAHZAD
No.
(beat)
But you’re wasting your time here. You have nothing with me. We are nothing. Go. Leave me here and I’ll die alone.
ERAM
I will never abandon you as long as you need me and want me.
SHAHZAD
I am not worth your time.
ERAM
Why?
SHAHZAD
I’m worthless. I’m filthy. I’m a dog.
ERAM
Even dogs crave love and companionship.
SHAHZAD
Then I’m lower than a dog. I can’t love. I can’t feel. I’m not human.
ERAM
You’re not human? Then what are you?
SHAHZAD
I am an animal.
ERAM
We are animals. We’re in the animal kingdom.
SHAHZAD
I have animalistic urges and I might go crazy like a beast.
ERAM
I don’t know what to say.
SHAHZAD
Why can’t these fucking goddamned demons go away and leave me the fuck alone!
(Long moment of silence)
ERAM
Shahzad? Are you alright?
SHAHZAD
Go and leave me alone.
ERAM
Are you sure?
SHAHZAD
Get the fuck out of my face. I can’t stand the sight of your face. I hate your voice! It’s grating on my fucking nerves and I’m about to fucking lose it.
ERAM
I’m sorry.
SHAHZAD
Shut up! Don’t speak!
(Eram stares at him in disbelief)
SHAHZAD
Get the fuck out of here.
(Eram doesn’t move)
SHAHZAD
Go.
Eram doesn’t move. She stares at him, hard. She has the look of a determined woman who would never abandon the love of her life. He looks up at her. They make eye contact.
SHAHZAD
I said, go!
(beat)
Get the fuck out of here, you stupid bitch!
Eram turns and walks away. She exits. Shahzad is alone now.
SHAHZAD
Fucking whore.
(A momentary pause of silence)
SHAHZAD
(talking to himself)
Leave me alone. I’ve done nothing wrong. Stop this.
(he becomes even more agitated)
What have I done to deserve this? Why do you hate me? What did I do wrong? I’m sorry. Please stop. Don’t hurt me.
(becomes even more frantic)
Stop this! Get the fuck out of my face! Fuck this! Fuck you! I’ll fucking kill you, you monster!
(he sobs)
Leave me alone. Why can’t you let me go on with my life? What did I do, Dad? Why did you treat me like that? I’ve done nothing wrong, Dad. I was just a kid! You beat me! You abused me! You made me fucked up in the head!
He falls to the floor as if he has a seizure. He beats and punches and pounds himself on the floor. He is an animal gone wild. He has become chaos. He sobs madly, he screams like a hungry beast, he wails, he shouts, he cries. He thrashes around furiously and screams. He is despair. He is sorrow. He is rage. He has gone mad.
He then stops moving. Sounds of his voice fade away. He has gone quiet. He stares up at the ceiling. His arms and legs are spread wide. He does not move or breathe. He seems dead, lifeless.
The light fades out.
Blackout.
End.
