The Telephone

The Telephone

Excerpt: Early Morning. Advocate Joseph has returned to Bombay from Africa. His love for Mr. Batliwala’s daughter has reunited them after five long months of separation. His lover is expecting a child. Through the means of the ongoing conversation they are catching up to an otherwise scandalous life, Mr Batliwala's son-in-law, who is in jail.

ACT-1
Scene 1

Early morning. There is a coffee table with a clay pot and a couple of tumblers on its round top. Two chairs are fixed around it occupied by a man and a woman. The woman is dressed casually, her stomach appears to be swollen. On the other hand, the man is dressed in a black suit. White sheets are hanging in the background on a rope. A mellow tune of the saxophone kick starts the scene making their swift gestures visible.

Narrator: Early Morning. Advocate Joseph has returned to Bombay from Africa. His love for Mr. Batliwala’s daughter has reunited them after five long months of separation. His lover is expecting a child. Through the means of the ongoing conversation they are catching up to an otherwise scandalous life, Mr Batliwala's son-in-law, who is in jail.

Woman- It’s too bright today, isn’t it?
Joseph- Bright enough to bring out demons!
Woman- Africa wasn’t very kind to you I’m assuming. When did you arrive here?
Joseph- I left by ship as soon as I received your letter. How is the pregnancy
               coming up?
Woman- Very Well! I’m afraid of what’s happened otherwise.
Joseph- Darling Beth, there is no need to be hesitant. What is the matter?
Woman- (Sadly) My Husband, the unfortunate thing!
Joseph- Your husband, I heard is in jail.
Woman- Yes, he is.
Joseph-I’ve always wondered why you married a pickpocket.
Woman- He was my father’s favorite.
Joseph- Ofcourse (Pause)
Woman- And you’ve to get him out of jail.
Joseph- I’d rather let him rot in prison!
Woman- (Interrupts) Be a dear and pretend like you care about me.
Joseph- (stutters) Will your father approve of it?
Woman- (innocently) He mustn’t know. There was blood involved this time.
Joseph- I’ll see what I can do.

(Pause)

Woman- (Dreamily) Avoid the pub, he will insist. I don’t want him in the house stinking of
                 booze.
Joseph- (comically) I will not error. It could hurt the baby.

(Pause)

Woman- I don’t look fat do I?
Joseph- (politely) I’ll be on my way.

Joseph leaves. The stage is dark.

ACT 1

Scene 2

A police station. Interior. Two men are sitting at the officer’s desk that is loaded with a calendar and other petty stationery. The fixtures are on the left side of the visible stage. On either end of the officer’s desk the parallel chairs have been occupied by two gentlemen and the constable stands to the side. Their ongoing conversation is hardly audible to the audience. Murmurs echo as light fades in, a jolly tone of the saxophone accompanies the beginning of their real argument in focus.

Narrator: Advocate Joseph is in the police station as per Beth’s command. Advocate Joseph also has some peculiar business with the station personnel while he mischievously intends on splitting Beth and her actual husband Vikram, further apart.   A pickpocket by profession Beth’s husband, Vikram runs deep into the criminal circle and has powerful connections. He has been made aware of his wife’s pregnancy. The demon of power waits and waits for soon it will be satisfied.

Officer- He shouldn’t have done the offence, sir.
Advocate Joseph- He was not guilty
Officer- But the evidence shows otherwise.
Advocate Joseph- To my client’s defense, I say, he was provoked.
Officer- Oh C’mon! It hardly matters. We had our eyes on Vikram’s every
               movement. I personally caught him red handed.
Advocate Joseph- That, if I may suggest, is an offence in itself, sir.
Officer- (Gently) What harm can surveillance do?
Advocate Joseph- (with wit) Uhm… Drive the concerned mad perhaps.

(Pause)

Officer- (Running his finger through the register which is placed infront of him on the desk) Is your client already not delusional?
Advocate Joseph- He is under medication, kind sir.
Constable- Are you sure we have to let him go, officer? I’ve grown to like his
                     presence in the cellar. He’s quiet charming.

Advocate Joseph interrupts.

Advocate Joseph- Oh, don’t get fooled. He’s paid to be charming. That’s his way
                                 with people.
Officer- (Furiously) You have the same way, advocate Joseph! Mind your lines.
Advocate Joseph- Pardon my manners, sir.
Officer- Alright, alright. (He speaks to the constable) Listen, constable. Listen
               close. Get Mr. Batliwala’s son-in-law out of his cellar.

Constable- Anything for the advocate?

Officer- Nevermind. Just make sure he’s handcuffed.

The constable leaves on the left. There is a pause in conversation.

Advocate Joseph- It’s wise of you officer, to have him handcuffed upon his
                                 release. This is a dangerous person we’re dealing with.
Officer- Yes… yes. What of Mr. Batliwala. What are his orders?
Advocate Joseph- I am to acquire about the file Vikram had on him upon his arrest. It’s
                                  valuable property.
Officer- (Secretly) Will it be secure?
Advocate Joseph- (Firmly) No doubt.

The officer hands him a blue file from under the desk. The tone of suspense is in
the air. Advocate Joseph keeps it carefully in his black leather bag.

The constable appears. The two seated at the officer’s desk regain their composure. With him, is a man with shabby dirty hair and filthy, loose, half torn clothes. He’s forced against the table by the push of the constable. His head thuds on the surface of it and is made to face the officer. Advocate Joseph keenly looks on.

Vikram- (Infuriated) Are you sweating, officer?

The constable smacks him on the back with his stick. Advocate Joseph now grasping the entirety of the situation gets up at once and starts to yell.

Advocate Joseph- (terrified) You cannot do that! It’s against the law.
Officer- (In a threatening tone) Calm down! Or else tomorrow’s newspaper
               will cover the mysterious disappearance of the both of
               you. Now, if you may, please take your seat.

Advocate Joseph sits in a hurry.

Officer- Have you handcuffed him, constable?
Constable- Yes sir! Nice and tight.
Officer- (Staring straight at the advocate) Would you mind handing me the
                key?

Constable grins while he takes out a key from his pocket. This article is a shiny piece with a white feather attached to it with the help of a chain.

Officer- (Graciously accepting the token) Monthly salary! Here you go, felon
               Vikram.

The officer tosses the key out of the stage into the audience at once. Vikram, the accused is enraged and breaks free from the grasp of the constable. He doesn’t run, but stands tall instead.

Vikram- (Banging his tied hands on the table, fidgeting) These witnesses may have
                it. But they shall never have what I have!
Advocate Joseph- A lawyer, is it?
Vikram- No, you blithering idiot! (Annoyed) Who are you anyways?
Advocate Joseph- Advocate Joseph is the name. Your lawyer, sir.
Vikram- Are you the one who has bailed me out?
Advocate Joseph- I sure am, sir. Mr. Batliwala sent me.
Man- Long time back I had asked Mr. Batliwala for a batli of rum. Do you have it with you?
Advocate Joseph- (Holding up his black leather bag above the table) Yes, your every requirement is in my bag, here.
Vikram- Alright officer, have a great one ahead of you. I’m sure this is the last of
               you we see.
Officer- Not quite so.

The Officer gets up, retracts a picture from his pocket and then places it silently in Vikram’s sleeve shirt.

Advocate Joseph gets up, he is perplexed. He shakes his hand with the officer before leading the way towards the station exit on the right side of the stage. Vikram, with his hands cuffed follows him.

Constable- Should I get the key back from where you threw it?
Officer- (Authoritatively) No constable, stay.

Lights fade out.

ACT-1
Scene 3

Advocate Joseph and his client are now out on the street. They’re waiting for a taxi cab.

Advocate Joseph signals for a taxi. There is a pause.

Vikram- Would you pour me some rum down my throat, my mate?
Advocate Joseph- In public?
Vikram- Certainly.

Advocate Joseph takes a bottle covered in brown paper out of his bag that is hanging on his shoulder and unseals the same. He then pours some rum down his client’s mouth.

Advocate Joseph- Would you like another refreshment Mr. Batliwala sent for you,
                                 sir?

Vikram- What is it? Something fried?
Advocate Joseph- No its spinach, in a can. It’s healthy.
Vikram- Then, why not?

Joseph gets a silver can from his bag, cracks it open with a pair of pliers and then pours it down his client’s mouth all at once. The tune of “Popeye” plays in the background as they stand waiting. In a second, Vikram flexes his muscles and breaks free from the cuffs. He ecstatically bounces around in excitement. Advocate Joseph is pacing to and fro. Vikram with his free hands takes note of the picture in his pocket. He withdraws it and is resented with what he discovers.

Advocate Joseph- (Calling) Taxi!

Vikram- (Outrageously) Can I have some more of the rum?

Vikram snatches the bottle from Advocate Joseph.  

Vikram- (Boldly with bloodshot eyes) I pity you! Fool!

Vikram smashes the bottle of rum on Joseph’s head with a shock. The advocate drops dead on the ground. The stage is dark.

Narrator: Vikram gets in a taxi and leaves to be at the side of his pregnant wife. What did he see in the picture? How does he feel about his wife? He’d been gone long enough for the child to be his. Does a pickpocket not have a heart? Is the love he has for her still strong? Let us go into a strange world where a man has accepted an adulteress for a lover.

ACT-2
Scene 1

Unfixed. Bright. The man with the shabby hair and filthy clothes, Vikram, has taken the responsibility to his wife’s successful labor. She is lying flat on her back on the ground with a piece of cloth hanging over her shins that are lifted in mid air. It appears she is in agonizing pain.

Narrator: Things have taken an interesting turn. Vikram walks into his house which is echoing with the cries of his wife. He finds Beth on the verge of conceiving. It is Beth’s destiny she’s insisting, to have a child by normal birth. He has no other option than to take the responsibility to his wife’s successful labor. This is the homecoming of a miraculous child as an oracle from the underworld has presented herself. Her attempt is to take the offspring far away to the dungeon of Death.

Vikram- I am here now, darling. It’ll all be alright. Push! Push! I see it’s crowning!

An oracle presents herself from the right. A haunting melody on the piano plays. She grabs the man who is seated close to the woman by his shoulders and drags him to the far left corner of the stage.

Oracle- (Harmoniously) Destiny! O’ destiny! It is not your destiny to look through the crystal ball, my son.

The woman lying flat on the floor jumps up in a fit. Her expression insinuates suffering from pain. The Oracle and Vikram, both move towards her with the curiosity of an
imaginative chimp.

Oracle- What about the lump, daughter? (Prophetically) You could be invincible.
Beth- There will be stars on the skull of my child, I know!
Vikram- Beth, my love. Breathe!
Oracle- Matter of..
Beth- (Ill tempered) Silent!

There is a pause.

Beth- (Weakly) I see the light fading before my eyes.
Vikram- Beth, you know nothing of stars. You know nothing of me. Only if you’d told me that you wanted a child so badly. We could’ve
               adopted.

Beth- I’ve always loved you, Vikram.
Oracle- Grab these foul teeth of yours for they won’t be any prettier when you’re
               buried in the ground. Let me have your womb. Let me carry it to hell!

The oracle grabs hold of Beth.

Beth- Help me, my love!
Oracle- (Wretchedly) You mortal’s are nothing before me. I serve death himself.
Beth- (enraged) Let me talk to him, witch! 
Oracle- (Laughs) I sense it! The child, I shall have it!  

There is flashing lightening and the oracle runs to the stage exit on the right.

Vikram- (Exhausted) Leave her be darling. She resembled a curse.

Suddenly, Beth falls on the ground with a thump. Vikram despite trying to revive her stand; fails. He covers her legs with a cloth. Accepting defeat he sits with his legs crossed next to the corpse. All is still. Dark.

 

ACT 2
Scene 2

At the side of some highway. Next to a letterbox. Vikram is holding a gun to his temple. Blackface, a superhero is also standing with him but under the shade of a tree. The enigmatic figure is dressed in black and has a red cape tied around his neck. A moreover fascinating touch is the taxi that has broken down. The stage is dimly lit and horrid acoustics continue to play.

 

Narrator: It’d be strange if death was visible. The all powerful, death, in it’s wakening silences all. It had just engulfed the life of Beth, and now Vikram leaving everything aside, even the newborn infant has wandered into the wilderness. Accepting defeat against the hardships of poor quality he has decided that he will end his life so that he can escape it, but death itself stands against him. The drunkard is half senseless as usual.

Blackface- (Laughing) Don’t worry. Yes, you can see me.

The world is silent.

Vikram- (frustratingly) It doesn’t make any sense to me!

Vikram holds the picture up against his face. The sound of climax buzzes through the speakers in the hall.

Blackface- (Inquires) That is your wife?
Vikram- (Proclaims) With another man!
Blackface- It’s a bad picture. Their faces are not properly visible.
Vikram- It’s criticism. You’re a critic.
Blackface- What’re you!
Vikram- I’m a pickpocket. (Proudly) I steal wallets and watches.
Blackface- (Declares) So, you’re poor!
Vikram- Yes.
Blackface- Take this coin of destiny. Will you? (Suggesting) Accept it.

Blackface flips a big coin of copper towards Vikram.
Vikram- (Stretching towards it) A coin!
Blackface- Flip it and call it, before you pull the trigger on yourself.
Vikram- (Extending his arms towards the sky) But probability is not what I require for salvation.
Blackface- (annoyed) Make up your mind quickly. I have a reputation to keep up. My name will turn sour if I’m seen with you.
Vikram- I don’t see anyone.
Blackface- You don’t see none, but they see you.

Blackface disappears with a flare of his cape. Vikram, who is underneath the tree looks blankly for blackface. He flips the coin immediately, it tosses into the audience. He then shoots himself in the head out of frustration.

 

ACT 2
Scene 3

 

A simple Barbershop. Interior. Three gangsters dressed in grey suits with equally grey hats on their heads are observed storming onto the stage from the right. With their movement, the stage gradually gains brightness and once they’re centre stage, the whole surrounding tints yellow. It is the color of dawn and amongst the so explained strangers, Blackface is observed sitting on a chair and reading a newspaper, flipping the pages as per his will. He awaits his chance for a haircut.

Narrator: The Oracle has returned to the dungeon of Blackface. She gained the soul of Beth, but the miraculous child is still lurking somewhere in the midst of mortals. Blackface is furious with her failure. But, he must first, wait his chance for a haircut. It is the interior of a barbershop.

Gangster 1- No body move!
Gangster 2- Morons! We’ll be the end of you all!
Gangster 3- You’re a moron!
Gangster 1- Say, why?
Gangster 3- No one says “Nobody move” anymore. It’s old fashioned.
Gangster 2- (Gravely) Yes. It’s greedy and disgusting.

Suddenly.

Gangster 1- Who is it there? Who is it that’s moving?

Blackface drops the newspaper and aggressively gestures at the three of them with his fists clutched. They drop dead at once.

Blackface- (In command) Now who’ll clean after me?

The oracle presents herself again. She looks weak and trembles towards the superhero. She has a strip of black cloth tied over her eyes.

Blackface- Clean after me, Madame.
Oracle- Yes, sir. What is it you’ve broken this time, sir? Tube lights is it?
Blackface- (Arrogantly) People.

The oracle taps each man on the forehead thrice and casts a spell on them. Then the bright light flickers and the oracle’s body jerks violently. With her coming to the stability of the soul comes morbid thunder and once again, the stage is observed grey. Heavy fog occupies the bodies of the dead.

Oracle- (Sadly) These gangsters had come to break me free from this burrow.
Blackface- If truth be told, they came to extract my script.
Oracle- You had borrowed it, sir?
Blackface- I had merely.. argh, nevermind!
Oracle- Anyways, sir. Do I have the permit to ask something of you?
Blackface- What Madame, have I not kept you well at my province?
Oracle- That you have, sir. It’s this dungeon that has made me existential.
Blackface- Round here, protest is valid. No problem, go on!
Oracle- The setting’s a bit off. The view is abrupt, I’m afraid.
Blackface- Are you asking me for your eyes?
Oracle- Yes I am, sir. But not at the expense of your goodwill.

Blackface is furious. He groans and begins to wander with an agitated elegance. His face is undecipherable.

Oracle- Pardon me. Am I forbidden?
Blackface- You are excused.

The oracle leaves. Blackface walks up to the bodies of the three gangsters. 

Blackface- You are now liberated souls! Flee! Flee from here and return with the souls of a million Molochs! Moloch! Moloch! Moloch!

Blackface leaves in search of lost time. The stage is dark.

ACT 3
Scene 1

 

An orphan, the son of Vikram and Beth is lying flat on a hospital bed with his own emptiness aging by the moment. Blackface enters from the right. A string cup phone is lying on the marble floor connecting our superhero’s dimension to that of this orphan who is lying on a hospital bed. Blackface picks one end of this tool and a string goes rising towards the son of Vikram and Beth. The orphan in return picks up the string cup phone from the side table next to his bed. The light on stage is that of one certain beam of light passing through a crystal ball. It seems like the surface of a green moon.

Narrator: 20 years have passed. The oracle has again found the miraculous child, son of Beth. By means of destiny she has designed his reunion with her master, blackface. The orphan is dying of disease and sickness in the premise of a hospital.  Soon his delusional fever will end. It is time that we witness one last ceremony of the supernatural as the orphan uses the telephone to commute with the soul of Advocate Joseph.  Rest in peace the dead in this play.

Blackface- You are terminally ill.
Son- So the nurse told me.
Blackface- (Surprised) You’ve met the oracle?
Son- Yes.
Blackface- Your demise is sad. (Politely) Do you have a last wish?
Son- Can I ask for one?
Blackface- (Casually) I can grant you one. Let’s just leave it at that.
Son- Uhm.. (Pause) I’d like to meet the advocate my father murdered before
          he shot himself in the skull.
Blackface- (Ceremoniously declares)  You know your roots well kid! (Summons) Let a soul Rise from the land of the dead.

The superhero claps three times. He then exits on the right. With the sonorous harmony of tolling bells lights simmer, and Joseph appears wearing white clothes. He has a blue file in his hands. He is under the spotlight while the son of Vikram and Beth lays in mild darkness.

Father Joseph- Who is it who has summoned me?
Son- I am your biological son.

Father Joseph- (Excited) Oh! You’re Beth’s son?
Son- (Violently) Why have you come to haunt me?
Father Joseph- It was your request. And hence afterlife itself is at your service.

(Pause)

Son- Am I dead?
Father Joseph- You are nearing dear life’s departure.
Son- Joseph, will I die?
Father Joseph- Yes, son.
Son- I cannot die with blood on my hands.
Father Joseph- (Confused) This is the kingdom of the lord, my son. Go on, confess!
Son- It is tyranny, I’m afraid.
Father Joseph- How so?
Son- I never wanted to spill any blood myself. But I did. I belong to the family of murderers afterall.
Father Joseph- Interesting matters. You were brought up in inadequate
                            surroundings. Do you accept such terms?
Son- (delusional) She died while conceiving me, you see? My mother. I myself am
         dying, my feet are cold.
Father Joseph- Let me see.
Son- (In a fit) No! Do not come near me.

Father Joseph turns to the audience at once. He suffers from the helplessness of his surroundings.

Father Joseph- Your death will not be in vain. Your soul will add immense riches to the dungeon of dear death and its apprentice; destiny.

Joseph walks up to this hospital bed. He holds his hand over his own eyes like an umbrella to save his sight from the cruel spotlight. He looks into his boy’s eyes.

Father Joseph- (With heartfelt warmth) I have a debt in your name.
Son- Rent?
Father Joseph- No silly! Debt!
Son- Redemption?
Father Joseph- Can you not hear me? Debt, I said.
Son- (Melancholically) Desire.
Father Joseph- I will write to you. (His voice echoes) I think we are breaking off.
Son- (Woefully) I’ve paid my taxes, kind sir! I do not want to die!

The stage is dark.

ACT- 3
Scene 2

The orphan, son of Vikram and Beth, is still on a hospital bed. The heartbeat monitor starts beeping with ascending pitch and finally stabilizes marking his death. The oracle, blinded and limping struggles onto the stage from the right towards him. She restrains the son of Beth with a pair of handcuffs and keeps the key with the feather in her robe hiding it from plain sight. She then leaves the stage for the scorching spotlight to bring the entire focus onto a morbid hospital bed.
Here, the son lay flat on his stomach with his hands behind his back. His eyes are still open. Elegantly Blackface appears.

Blackface- (With snobbery) It’s a cardiac arrest, doctor! But of course, we’re in no
                     mood for humor.

The ringing of a jazzy saxophone mellows the beam of light, fading it across to where some darkness lies. The spotlight collapses on itself leaving nothing worth mentioning.