What does a bird mean? What does it mean to the migrant carrying an English Language textbook across an ocean, free to sail where it pleases without camps, borders, forms, and checks? What does it mean to the dead-end office employee, starting out her office window as she sees a pigeon flash past? What does it mean to the starry-eyed child inheriting our shelled-out world? What does it mean?
Perhaps writing is an endeavour to catalogue the symbols, to map out their meanings, or else to construct for ourselves such webs of meaning, and to pluck from them when the fruit has become ripe. Yes, this is certainly part of my practice then... traversing history, religion, art, music, ethnography, anthropology to understand...
There are also frameworks of hatred While I and Leah strike at our heads, The racoon king claws at his skin Tristan aims to emancipate his neck first, before his entire body Alaric aims the dagger at the hand which gave him immunity... Surely, some of my characters must project their rage outwards! But yes, this is a crucial understanding for each person in my mind... What is their anger? And in what direction(s) does that anger flow?
We know the yes's are real because sometimes we say no
CAROLINE You do realize, don't you?
(CRASH.)
CAROLINE They don't care about you.
(CRASH.)
CAROLINE They'd rather you dead.
(CRASH. THOMAS clutches his head in agony.)
THOMAS That's not true! They liked me! You can't take this away from me!
CAROLINE But you're a faggot piece of trash, Thomas.
(CRASH.)
CAROLINE They can see that in you, you know.
(CRASH. CAROLINE bends down to THOMAS' level)
CAROLINE (extending her hand to touch his face) Oh, Thomas. I'm so sorry...
(THOMAS jerks his head away.)
THOMAS Don't touch me!
CAROLINE The truth is, Thomas... you should have died years ago.
(FLASH. Three women are upstage.)
WOMAN 1 Each human being consumes what might be considered a slot. A space.
WOMAN 2 The food, energy, water, electricity consumed.
WOMAN 3 The human capital expended relating to that person, supplying them with friends, a job.
WOMAN 1 It may be considered a weight on each life
WOMAN 2 To be evaluated in the black or the red.
WOMAN 3 Does your life break even?
CAROLINE So you see, THOMAS. Long ago, your life was seen to be in the debt of others. It is a miserable existence, is it not? To be at the mercy of the grace of those around you? Knowing that...
THOMAS Shut up, shut up...
CAROLINE ... it would have been much better, had it not, for your life to be extinguished? You had a wonderful opportunity...
WOMAN 2 The rope you had purchased was a significant enough grade.
WOMAN 3 The spare pipe you had available would have supported your body weight.
CAROLINE I'm sorry, Thomas.
CAROLINE AND THE THREE WOMEN (in unison.) We should not have let you live.
THOMAS Shut up!!!
(Silence. Blackout.)
THOMAS (whimpering.) I want to live... I want to live... Somebody... please... Help me to live. Prove me wrong. Help me.
(LIGHTS. NIKITA enters.)