Revised

Indra

(A dark stage)

Artemis: World Breath
Effluvia
The Word.
In the beginning was the Word.


(Cartoon tossing something, Indra sitting on the floor, near his synth.)

Cartoon : What the fuck is this?
(…)
Indra: What?
C.: Dude, what the fuck is this?
I.: My bong.
C.: Underneath your bong, dumb shit.
I.: I dunno, what?
C.: What the fuck is this?
(tosses a pill at Indra)

I.: Our way out.

(Darkness, music, with a deep groove)

(Cartoon and Indra sitting in a bus.)

I: You know, dude, we’re always talking.
C.: Yeah.
I.: And we never do shit.
C.: Well…
I.: You ever think of what we could be if we weren’t so lazy? I mean, look at Artemis, for Christ’s sake!
C.: A paragon of virtue.
I.: At least she does shit.
C.: Yeah.
I.: Look at this, I’ve been wearing this hoodie for days.
C.: So?
I.: I’m sick of it. I’m sick of these shoes. I’ll never be in a good mood again.
C: Why don’t you like, go smoke a joint or something?
I: That’s not it, dammit.
C: Well.
(Silence)

(Dark)
(Artemis on the floor, surrounded by her wings, which are torn, multicolored, and seem to be made from tissue paper)
(A dark room)
(Indra standing, quiet)
Artemis: World Breath.
I: Effluvia.
A: The Word.
I: In the beginning was the Word.
A: From the sound came thought;
I: From the water sprang the land.

(Dark)
(A party now. Artemis is here, without her wings. Drunks arguing, loud music. Indra is sitting on a couch with Artemis, agitated. Cartoon is on an easy chair, picking at his fingernails before taking a bongload.)
I: Cartoon, let’s be real about this. We can’t keep the stuff.
C: You prefer death by narcs?
I: They don’t even know what the shit is, dude, much less care about it.
C: Look -
(a pause)
I: What?
C: We’re not gonna sell this shit.

We can’t hold on to it.

Let’s just do some traveling.

I: Of course man,

But we’ll never finish it.

A: (Interrupting) What what what?
C: He got this stuff, and –
I: Soma.
A: What?
I: You know, the Indians.

The God of Thunder, the Lotus eaters, all of that.

A: What?
I: Would you cut that out?
C: Look.
I: God damnit, you too!

This shit is great, alright? it opens you.

It brings you to where we all really are.

A: Where we’re what?
I: I dunno man, where we are, like

Where we just are, you know?

A: Well, whatever. I want nothing to do with this.

(Later)
(The house)
(Indra gets up. His room is scattered with records, books, paints, cds, papers, etc. There are no photographs and no television. His only belongings are a bed, a bong, a telephone, his synthesizer, an old record player, and a computer.)
(He gets up to turn on the answering machine)

A: Look, I took off this morning. I had to see my mom, you were passed out, and I couldn’t wake you.

(He turns it off, sits on the bed, looks around, and picks at his fingernails, like Cartoon does. Takes a bong load, gets up, goes into the bathroom. Steam rising from under the shower door and towards the lightbulb)

A: (apparently coming from the answering machine, but it has been turned off)
First there was the word, and from her sprang the Father.
First there was the water, and from her sprang the land.

(Dark)
(Indra and Cartoon hanging out in the room, drinking beers, smoking cigarettes, and arguing)

I: You know man, all the good artists were poor.

C: What about Da Vinci? His house joined to the palace.
I: Yeah, but….
C: Or Beethoven?

I: Well, I mean, look at Van Gogh, for Christ’s sake, or Mozart. They died paupers. I mean, fucking Coltrane spent time in the gutter.

C: So? Miles Davis studied to be a doctor.
I: Yeah, but, you know what I mean. So maybe they weren’t poor. They might as well have been.
C: What, are you gonna go on about the virtues of poverty again?
I: Yeah dude, that’s what the beats were all about, you know? They made themselves poor.
C: Beat’s dead.
I: It’s not man, we’re Beats!

We’re like, the city dwellers -

I dunno man, like Bukowski or something.

The Velvet Underground.

C: They weren’t Beats.
I: Dammit, man, they had the vibes of Beats.
C: Well.
I: Whatever dude.

(They sit around for awhile, picking their nails in the same way: pick at a nail, bite it off, pick at it more, move on, etc.)

C: So…
I: Would you shut up, man?

All you’re ever saying is ‘well,’ or ‘yeah,’ or ‘so,’

Just like,

Shut the fuck up.

(Silence)
C: Look man, take it easy. You’re so high strung. Why don’t we eat a Soma?
I: (sighing, exasperated) Yeah.
(They do, and then they sit looking at each other for awhile, not much happening. But, for once, stillness.)
(Dark)
 
(Indra, leaning over a surfbreak, spitting into the water. Sound of the spit hitting the water)
I: Effluvia. World breath. Life.
(He walks off, smoking a cigarette.)
I: The Word.
(This is the first time these thoughts seem conscious.)
 
(Indra’s room)
Chani: Indra... Indra!

Would you wake up, dammit?

(she pounds his room’s glass door, thru which we see him asleep)
(He gets up slowly, looks over. It’s noon, or a little after. He opens the door)
(Chani walks in. He turns down the record player, which was blasting. She sits on his bed, he sits beside her)
I: How’s it going, Chani?
Chani: Where have you been?
I: I went to the beach.
Ch: Oh.
I: It was fucking freezing, and I had to walk.
Ch: Oh.
I: It was a bummer.
Ch: I bet. Look, can I use your computer?
I: Go ahead. You wanna smoke a bowl?
Ch: No.
(He does)
Ch: You’re addicted to that shit.
I: Nah, I just like it.
(starts singing ‘me gustas marijuana / me gustas tu’)
Ch: Quien te gustas, amor?
I: Tu.
(She laughs)
Ch: Right. So?
I: You too, huh?
Ch: What?
I: Nobody will talk to me.
Ch: I’m talking to you. What have you been up to?
I: (Is quiet for a moment, obviously distressed) Well.
Ch: What?
I: I dunno dude. Not much. Writing, mostly. Playing music. That kinda thing.
Ch: Oh... (is quiet)

Well.

I: Why’s everyone keep doing that?
Ch: What?
I: Uh, look, I gotta go.

Make yourself at home, I’ll be back in a few minutes.

Exit Indra.
 
(Chani sits on the bed a minute, bewildered, smokes a little from a pipe instead of the bong, and goes to sleep on Indra’s bed.)
(Dark)
 
(Indra is sitting on the steps in front of his house, picking at his nails, spitting, and otherwise wasting his time)
(He lights a cigarette, leans back, and tilts his head skyward)
(Dark)
 
(Indra and Artemis in his room)
I: You gotta help me, woman, I’m drowning.
A: What are you talking about?
I: Exactly that.
A: What’s wrong with you? Exactly what?
I: No one will talk with me.
A: How ridiculous!

You spend the whole day talking, then you lock yourself in your room and complain that nobody talks to you!

I: Look, don’t call me ridiculous. I’m really trying to tell you something here.
A: Why don’t you sit down. I’ll put on some music, and we’ll have a drink.
I: God dammit Artemis, would you stop treating me like a child?

I don’t want any more drinks, I don’t want to smoke a joint, I don’t wanna sit down with you and talk about some stupid bullshit,

While you, and this place, and these frigid fucking people, choke me and leave me trembling!

A: Indra, I love you.
I: (defeated) I love you too.
A: I love you more.
I: Ok.
(She hugs him)
A: Good bye.
I: Good night… (pause)

You remember that Bob Dylan song, Frankie Lee and Judas Priest?

A: (she turns back) Yeah.
I: You remember the last lines?
A: No, which?
I: “And nobody tried to say a thing

As they carried him out in jest

Except, of course, the little neighbor boy

With his guilt so well concealed

Who muttered underneath his breath

Nothing is revealed”

A: Those weren’t the last lines.
I: They should have been.
A: They weren’t. The last lines were:

“One should never be

Where one does not belong;

So if you see a neighbor carrying something,

Help him with his load -

And don’t go mistaking Paradise

For that Home across the road.”

I: Good bye, Artemis.
A: Good bye, love.
Exeunt.
End of Act I

Act II

(Cartoon and Indra sitting around jamming)
(‘When Time Ceases’ plays in the back, till completion)
(Indra gets up, goes to the laptop, pressed a few keys, etc. Cartoon sits strumming his guitar.)
C: That was pretty good man.
I: Yeah dude.
(Silence for a few moments, the screen goes white.)
C: Did you mix it down?
I: (nervously) wait.
(Cartoon shrugs, lights a joint, plays a few blues riffs.)
I: Fuck.
C: What happened?
I: Wait.
(More waiting; Cartoon smokes the joint more nervously.)
I: You’d better start praying dude, because that was some good shit.
C: What happened?
I: I dunno, man, the computer went to shit. The screen just went white.
C: Did you save the mix?
I: I dunno. That’s what it was doing.
C: Shit, man, well, just leave it for a while.
I: Right.
(Cartoon passes the joint to Indra, who squats down near him; they play a few riffs, but its not working)
C: Go check it out man.
(As Indra rises off his haunches, a beep and the set goes dark.) (silence)
I: Goddamit!
C: Shit man, and it was a great song.
I: What a piece of shit!
C: Yeah dude.
I: What a worthless piece of shit!
C: Bummer, man.
I: God damn it!
 
(Silence) (Dark)
 
(Another party. Indra is talking with Artemis, Cartoon is on the other side of the stage, with Chani, a few random people, and a beautiful girl, Disiri)
A: You love her, don’t you?
I: I love you.
A: You know what I mean.
I: I don’t know.
A: Enough with your word games. Go talk with her at least.
(He makes a mock bow, slightly inclining his head and giving a courtly gesture of the hand. He looks up at Artemis, smiles, and walks to the group)
I: (Over his shoulder) She won’t be near me. Watch.
(He approaches, talks to the group a bit, inaudibly, and as he makes a movement to sit next to Disiri, she rises and sits on the other side of Chani)
I: (With a pointed glance) Alright, then.
Ch & D: What?
I: Nothing. Did Cartoon tell you what happened?
(Disiri shakes her head)
C: No.

I: Alright. It was horrible. So we were sitting around, messing around with some instruments and the recording equipment in my room. So, we were sitting there, playing some blues stuff

(Cartoon does a blues bass with his voice: bum ba ba bum ba bum ba ba ba, etc.)

A little folk…

(Cartoon does the folk guitar: bra ba ba bum bum ba ba bum bum ba ba bum bra, etc.)

(Indra laughs) anyway, some random stuff.

And we ended up playing this really great song, like our masterpiece, or something, and I went to save it, and the power went out, so of course we lost the track.

It was horrible, dudes.

(Embarrassed / uninterested silence)

It was a great song, though.

(…..)

It’s really a bummer.

Disiri: I’m sure.
I:  Anyway. What have you been up to?
Ch: Nothing.
(Chani is bored, but Disiri gives Indra a hard look)
I: Oh.
(Awkward silence, till Disiri rises and leaves, apparently offended)
I: (aside) Well, that went well. (Calls Artemis over)
See?
A: (half laughing) (still aside) Yes. I’m sure she adores you.
I: Whatever dude.
(Voz alta) You really should have heard that song, it was great.
C: It was pretty cool.
I: Yeah dude. That fucking blows.
(aside to Artemis) You think I offended her, or was I just making an idiot of myself?
(Artemis leans over, gives him a kiss on the cheek, and leaves)

(Darkness)
(Cartoon, Indra, Chani, and Artemis all asleep in Indra’s room.)
A: (rising, then bending to wake each sleeper) Wake up! It’s the morning!
I: Fuck man, have you got to do that?
A: I’ll cook you breakfast, to make up for it.
C: (overhearing) Fair enough.
Ch: I can’t stay for long; my flight is in a few hours.
I: It sucks you’re leaving.
C: At least you had a good going-away party.
Ch: (laughing) Yes, it was great.
I: I’m glad Disiri made it.
(prepares the bong; the rest of the conversation is in between smoking and passing)
Ch: Who?
I: I guess you guys don’t know her. The redhead, remember?
C: We were all pretty drunk.
A: You’re getting things confused. Only you and I talked to her.
I: But –
A: You were pretty drunk too. They had gone on a beer run.
I: Well… yeah man, I guess I was pretty faded.
(They all laugh)
(Indra’s phone rings.)
(He picks it up, talks for a bit, indistinctly)
C: Who was it?
I: You guys stay and eat breakfast.
C: Far out, let’s go.
(They kiss Chani goodbye, give her a long hug)
I: Good luck in Morocco.
Exeunt Cartoon and Indra
 
(Dark)
(Indra busts into his room, bleeding from the temple.) (Chani is gone already)
A: What the fuck happened, Indra?
I: It went badly.
(he sits on the ground and leans against his bed, Artemis comes to bandage him.)
A: And Cartoon?
I: He went after them, he’s fine. They took our Soma.
A: (aside) Surely God is Just, and Merciful.

(To Indra) You should see a doctor, Indra; head-wounds are dangerous, and God knows you’re hardly sane as it is.

I: I don’t know…

No, I’ll be fine.

(Dark)
End of Act II

Act III

A: She isn’t real, you know.
(Artemis and Indra are sitting in his backyard, smoking cigarettes and messing with the grass. Every so often Indra picks out a stalk and chews on it, thinking.)

She just pretends to be so self-assured.

I: Well, whatever, dude. It’s all the same to me.
A: It’s not. Not really, it isn’t.
I: (A pause.) She makes me feel like a leper.
A: What?
I: I dunno. Those are the words that came to mind.
A: Don’t be absurd.

You fall in love and it makes you feel like a leper.

I: Who says I’m in love?
A: Haven’t you ever heard the saying?

‘There are two things a man can never hide:

His smoking, and when he falls in love.’

I: Don’t be ridiculous.
A: Don’t call me ridiculous. I’m really trying to tell you something.
I: That’s fucked up.
A: Whatever. Go get lost in your little dream world.
I: What’s all this of a sudden?
A: Look, it’s nothing.
I: Artemis…
A: Bye.

(Exit Artemis.)

I: (Shouting after her:) What happened after the land?
A: (Turning back) What?
I: You were telling me about all that. The Word, the land...
A: Indra?
I: You had your wings. I wasn’t going to tell you.

I was afraid you’d leave if you knew.

A: Listen - I won’t ever go away.

Good-bye, my love.

(Exit Artemis.)
(Indra sits alone for awhile, smoking his cigarette, and all along the watchtower plays, till about halfway thru, when Cartoon stumbles onto the scene.)

I: Hey man.
C: How’s it going?
I: I dunno. I think Artemis and I just had our first argument.

She’s jealous.

C: Of?
I: Disiri.
C: It’s always the mysterious ones.
I: I guess so.
    You know, I used to complain that no one would talk to me.
    Now I realize that there is no one to talk to - it’s like we’re all clay pots,
    Or hollow bamboo.
(Silence for a few moments)
I: Hey, listen, you got any bud?
C: Sure, man. We should blaze it.
I: Yeah.

(They roll and light a joint, and sit smoking in silence.)
(Dark.)

(Indra on the phone in his room)
(Artemis walks in while he’s leaving the message)

A: Hey, Indra. Look, I’ve brought you a present.
(She kisses his cheek, and puts a record on the record player; Triumph of Our Tired Eyes starts playing)
(They sit in silence for a while)

I: (whispering) How beautiful.
A: (singing) Just kiss me in the morning, in your dirtiest pants…
(Indra looks at her, their eyes meet, but nothing really happens. Indra is close to tears.)
I: What a great present, Artemis. It’s beautiful.

(a pause)

You know what I was saying the other day,

About your having wings?

A: (uneasy) Yeah…
I: Well, here’s the thing. One day I had this vision, or hallucination, or whatever

You’d like to call it. And there was this woman, just like floating around in

Space, with these really great wings, tissue paper or something. But the wings were torn, so I wasn’t sure that she could fly with them, but she was in space, so it didn’t really matter, you know?

A: Yeah…
I: Well, anyway, I met you a little after that, and then after awhile I realized that,

Sometimes, you have her wings. But I never told you. I didn’t think you knew.

A: I didn’t know. You’re really a strange one, Indra.
I: Well, I guess.
A: Listen, Indra, I’m not a hollow bamboo. You can talk to me. If you’re lonely, you can talk to me.
(They sit together  for a little while longer, listening to the other side of the record, which turns out to be Sow Some Lonesome Corners so Many Flowers Bloom. Indra reaches for her hand, and she lays her head on his shoulder.)
(Eventually, Indra’s phone rings, and he leaves the room. He is seen to be saying goodbye to Artemis, but the music is too loud for the audience to overhear.)

(Exit Indra.)

(Artemis sits around, and like Chani did, goes to sleep on Indra’s bed.)
(Dark.)

Act IV
(Dark) (Artemis stands center stage, barefoot as usual, in a blue-white dress.)
A: And from the land rose the first green shoots of spring,

And the creatures of the air,

And those that walk, or crawl, or burrow in the earth,

And from the sea were born all the creatures that swim, or wander among the rocks, and many in her deepness - creatures that live for whole ages of the world.

(She moves to the side of the stage, and continues speaking)
Enter Indra, who sits down, and Cartoon opposite. Indra rises as Cartoon enters.
(Cartoon is obviously distressed.)
C: They killed Artemis, man!
I: What? Who did?
C: I dunno, she’s dead though.
A: And from the ocean crawled man, to kill and love and to build, and to be alone.
I: What the fuck are you talking about?
C: I found her man. She’s dead. She was so beautiful….

A: And when they had broken His covenant, the Father swept them away - though he left his Remnant - and the creatures of the depth rose to the light.

I: How is that possible?
C: I dunno, dude… We’re alone now. She was so beautiful…
A: During the ages they had grown strong, and they devoured the mighty gods.
I: And Chani?
C: Indra, she’s been gone for days now….
I: What?

A: And because of their hunger they ate all the fruits of the earth, and the grain, the cattle, and all the creatures of the fields, and set upon each other.

I: And Disiri refuses to even speak with me. I always wanted Artemis...
C: Indra, who’s Disiri?
I: The redhead, you know.
C: No.
I: Well, I thought…. Wait, who is she?
C: How should I know?

A: And the seas, in turn, engulfed the empty land, and were taken by the sun, which reaches all things.

C: Indra, are you alright?
I: But she saw her too….
C: Who, Artemis?
I: Yes, she knew Disiri.
A: He who, in his death, consumes Creation.
I: Don’t you remember, after that song, we saw her at the party…
C: We only saw Chani and Artemis, Indra.
I: No.

A: And the sound of his death is the final syllable of the Word, which is the sound of the birth of Creation.

C: Indra, why don’t you sit down?
 
(Artemis steps forward)
Exit Cartoon, who is left in the dark, so it seems that he doesn’t walk away as much as fades into the set)
I: Huh?
(She walks forward, cups his cheek in a hand. He grasps her hand, and kisses her palm. Now he truly weeps.)
I: Hey…
A: I finished telling you. But I lied - I wasn’t the first. Goodbye, Indra.
I: I’ll go with you.
A: You cannot die, my love.
I: (Defeated, as usual) So what about you?
A: I am your beloved.

You will know when I have come.

(Curtain)

Artemis is purity in action; Chani is purity in inaction.
Disiri is the veil.
Indra is man, and Cartoon is his brother.

Pablo Arias-Benavides
2007 . 2012