FELIX: Kind of.
Â
STANLEY: Well, with a background like mine how do I know what I'm going to believe next week?
Â
FELIX,
thinks for a moment:
What did you talk about with him last night?
Â
STANLEY: Last night? Well, let's seeâwomen, mainly. They're a mystery to him. Men also, but not as much.
Â
FELIX: He's bisexual?
Â
STANLEY: I would say he's more like . . . tri.
Â
FELIX: Trisexual.
Â
STANLEY: Yes.
Â
FELIX: Well let's see nowâthere's men, and women, and what?
Â
STANLEY: Well . . . vegetation.
Â
FELIX: He fucks cabbages?
Â
STANLEY: No-no, he loves them.
Â
FELIX: Loves cabbages.
Â
STANLEY: Well they're alive.
Â
FELIX: I see. What about a girlfriend?
STANLEY: Well, yeah, one. But she jumped out of a window recently.
Â
FELIX: . . . You don't mean Henri Schultz's daughter.
Â
STANLEY: Oh, you know him?
Â
FELIX: We're cousins.âSo this son of god is banging Schultz's daughter?
Â
STANLEY: I don't think so, frankly. My impression is that it stays kind ofâyou knowâremote. Although I picked him up one morning at her apartment and she looked like a woman who . . . you know . . .
Â
FELIX: Had had it.
Â
STANLEY: But I think it was different. I think he may have just . . . laid down next to her and . . . you know . . . lit up. âBecause you know he can just light up and . . .
Â
FELIX: I know, I saw him do it. So you mean if he lights up it makes her . . . ?
Â
STANLEY: Definitely.
Â
FELIX,
truly fascinated:
Huh! That's very interesting. That's one of the most interesting things I've heard lately.âAnd how long can he stay lit up?
Â
STANLEY: Seems like . . . I don't know . . . a few seconds.
Â
FELIX: Is that all.
STANLEY: Well of course I never actually saw . . .
Â
FELIX: So it could have been longer.
Â
STANLEY: Who knows? I mean . . .
Â
FELIX: Yes.
Exhales, blows out air
. This is really amazing.
Worried but curious
. I was wondering why Schultz was so fascinated by him.
Â
STANLEY: Oh but I doubt she'd have mentioned Jack to her father.
Â
FELIX: That's his nameâJack?
Â
STANLEY: Well one of them. Jack Brown. But he's got others . . . depending.
Â
FELIX: We believe his name is Juan Manuel Francisco Frederico Ortuga de Oviedo. Although up in the villages some of them call him Ralph.
Â
STANLEY: Possible. He changes names so he won't turn into like . . . you know . . . some kind of celebrity guru.
Â
FELIX: Well, that's unusual, isn't it. Now tell me how he escaped from jail.
Â
STANLEY: I really can't talk about that.
Â
FELIX: How did he get out, Stanley?
Â
STANLEY: He doesn't like people talking about it.
FELIX: About what?
Â
STANLEY,
conflicted, shifts in his chair:
I'm really not comfortable talking about that part of it.
Â
FELIX: I don't want to have to persuade you, Stan. How did he escape?
Â
STANLEY: Well . . . is this something you're insisting on?
Â
FELIX: This is something I'm insisting on.
Â
STANLEY: . . . He went through the walls.
Â
Pause.
Â
FELIX: And how did he do that?
Â
STANLEY: You're asking me so I'm telling you, right? He has terrific mind control, he can see space.
Â
FELIX: Anybody can see space.
Â
STANLEY: No. What you see is the borders, like the walls of a room, or mountains. Pure space is only an idea, so he can think it out of existence. But he doesn't want it spread around too much.
Â
FELIX: Why's that?
Â
STANLEY: If he gets known as a magician he thinks it could take away from his main message.
FELIX: Which is what, in a few words?
Â
STANLEY: Well, you know . . . just don't do bad things. Especially when you know they're bad. Which you mostly do.
Â
Pause.
Â
FELIX: You like women?
Â
STANLEY: Well I'm . . . yeah, I guess I'm kind of on the horny side.
Â
FELIX: You ever light up with them?
Â
STANLEY: Me? Well there've been times when I almost feel I have, but . . . I guess I've never
blinded
any of them.
Â
FELIX,
some embarrassment:
I want to talk to him, Stanley. For personal reasons.
Â
STANLEY: Well, if he shows up, I'll tell him.
Â
FELIX,
attempting cool:
. . . I want you to emphasize the personal. Let him pick a place and I'll meet him alone.
Â
STANLEY,
realizing:
. . . Oh!
Â
FELIX: I'm interested in discussing the
whole
situation. You understand?
Â
STANLEY:âOkay, I'll tell him.âYou want to be any more specific?
FELIX,
hesitates:
. . . No, that's . . . that's about it.
Suddenly suspicious, hardens
. He didn't send you to me, did he?
Â
Stanley looks away.
Â
Stanley?
Â
No response.
Â
Did he send you?
Â
No response.
Â
Why did he send you?
Â
No response.
Â
Answer me! Did you get yourself arrested?
Â
STANLEY: It's complicated.âI can't stand the idea of him being . . . you know . . . hurt. So I thought maybe I could talk to you about it.âSee, I think in some part of his mind he thinks it would help the people.
Â
FELIX: If he's executed.
Â
STANLEY: Crucified.
Â
FELIX: He wants it.
Â
STANLEY: . . . In a way, maybe.
Â
FELIX: How would it help them?
STANLEY: Well, now that the revolution's practically gone, people are pretty . . . you know . . . cynical about everything.
Â
FELIX: What about it?
Â
STANLEY: To see a man tortured for their sake . . . you know . . . that a man could actually like care that much about anything . . .
Â
FELIX: You're telling me something . . . what are you telling me?âDoes he want it or not?
Â
STANLEY: Oh no! No. It's just that . . . you seeâ
Rapidly overwhelmed by the vision's horror
.âhe gets to where he just can't like bear itâ
Â
FELIX: Bear what!
Â
STANLEY: Well . . . the horror!
Â
FELIX: What horror, what the hell are you talking about!
Â
STANLEY: Well likeâexcuse the expressionâliving in this country! Like when he takes a walk and sees someâsome guy sending out eight-year-old daughters to work the streets, or those little kids a couple of weeks ago killing that old man for his shoes . . . Or, excuse the expression, the Army opening up on that farmers' demonstration last spring . . .
Â
FELIX: Those people had no permission to . . . !
Â
STANLEY,
more and more stridently:
Well you asked me so I'm telling you, right? A massacre like that can start him shivering and he can't stop crying! I've seen him go for . . . like two hours at a time, crying his heart out. Then he stops and he's cool for a while. We even have fun. Then he sees something and it like hits him again and he begins talking like in . . . Swedish, sounds like, or Russian or Germanâhe once told me in a joke that he's trying to find out what language god understands. Then he falls asleep, and wakes up sounding like anybody elseâand that's when he doesn't know.
Â
FELIX: Doesn't know what?
Â
STANLEY: Well . . . whether maybe he really is supposed to die, and . . . like cause everything to change.âI mean, for your own sake, sir, I would definitely think about just letting him go, you know? I mean this can be dangerous!
Â
FELIX: I think you know where he is, Stanley. I asked you in a nice way, now we'll try something else.
Â
Goes to the door, grasps the knob.
Â
STANLEY: You going to hurt me?
Â
FELIX: I'm stashing you away until you make up your mind to lead us to him. And incidentally, there's some hungry livestock in there that I don't think you're going to enjoy. Get in!
Â
Felix opens the door and the blinding white light flies
out; he raises his hands to shield his eyes.
Â
My god, he's back!
Stanley falls to his knees facing the open door. Felix steps to his desk, presses a button, loud alarm bells go off as he shouts into his intercom . . .
Â
Captain! Come quick, he's back, he's back!
Â
Captain and two soldiers come in on the run.
Â
Captain and soldiers rush out through the door. Felix
yanks Stanley to his feet.
Â
FELIX: Why did he come back? What's this all about, Stanley?
Â
STANLEY,
scared, elevated:
God knows!
Â
FELIX,
grabs Stanley, shakes him:
Answer me! Answer me!
Â
STANLEY,
almost lifted off the floor by the throat:
âI think he just can't make up his mind, that's allâwhether he really wants toâlike die. I mean it's understandable, right ?â
Â
Felix releases him.
Â
. . . with this great kind of weather we're having?
Â
Captain and two soldiers back out of the cell doorway;
they are trembling, trailing their rifles, staring in
at the cell.
Â
FELIX: What's this now!
Â
He rushes to the cell, looks in. Then turns to the soldiers.
How'd he get out!
Â
They are speechless. Whirls about to Stanley.
Â
Talk to me! Why'd he come back! Why'd he escape?
Â
STANLEY: I don't know! . . . Maybe to get your mind off me? I mean . . . it's possible, right?âfor a friend?
Â
Blackout.
SCENE 4
Café table. Henri seated with a bottle of water and
glass. Skip enters, looking about.
Â
HENRI: Mr. Cheeseboro!
Â
SKIP: Hi.
Sitting
. I don't have much time. What can you tell me?
Â
HENRI: Can I order something?
Â
SKIP: I'll have to leave in a few minutes.
Â
HENRI: No news, I take it.
Â
SKIP: Nothing. And you?
Â
HENRI,
a shake of the head:
I thought an exchange of ideas could be usefulâthe two of us, quietly . . .
Â
SKIP,
slaps his own cheeks then lets his head hang:
I'm beginning to smell the dead-dog stink of disaster.
Straightens up
. Tell meâwhy'd the General let this man escape?
HENRI: It was a complete surprise to him. I spoke to him shortly after it happened; he was absolutely shocked . . .
Â
SKIP: But he had him locked in a cell.âWe've made a large down-payment, you know. . . . Or may one appeal to logic in this country?
Â
HENRI: This is why I thought you and I ought to talk.
Â
SKIP: About what?
Â
HENRI: Have you any interest in history? Or philosophy? Where did you go to school?
Â
SKIP: Princeton. But my interest was business, frankly. No philosophy, no culture, mainly the market.
Â
HENRI: Oh, but poetry and the stock market have a lot in common, you know.
Â
SKIP:
Poetry and the market!
Â
HENRI: Oh yes. They are both based on rules that the successful never obey.âA few years ago I spent some time in Egypt . . . you've probably been there?
Â
SKIP: Egypt?âI've shot commercials all over Egypt . . . Chrysler, Bayer Aspirin, Viagra . . .
Â
HENRI: . . . Then you know some of the wall paintings and sculpture.
SKIP: Of course.âWhat's this about?
Â
HENRI: I want to tell you about a surprising discovery I made there. I am far from expert on the subject, but . . .