اخبار نمایش قارچهای سمی (سه گانه میتراس)

Second episode                                  Rita

Characters :

Rob

Wells

Rita

There is a room in a deserted apartment on the seventh floor of a building. The main door is on the right-hand side and a bit farther there is a coat rack on which there is a man’s jacket, a purse and a woman’s scarf hanging. There is a window across from the door. A bit farther from the window there is a desk on which there is a computer that is playing some light music. Above the desk. On the wall, there are some incomplete paintings. On the left-hand side there is a door to another, room next to which there are some canvases in different sizes. There in nobody in the room. The doorbell rings. Rob comes out of the other room and while combing his hair with his fingers, opens the door. Wells enters hastily. He is panting. Rob is surprised and a bit frightened.

Rob : Hey, what are you doing here? I thought you were out of town.

Wells : No, I’m here. I had just told my colleagues I was going out of town.(pause) How did you know?

Rob : I didn’t know anything. I just said it because you were not around for a while.

Wells : Right.

Rob : So are you off today?

Wells : No.

Rob : (He is anxious, but he is trying to hide it.) It’s obvious wells. You can hardly have a day off with the sensitive job you have. A day off for an exceptional genius!

Wells : I’m not in the mood for joking Rob.

Rob : What’s happened Wells?

Wells : I’ll tell you.

Rob : Is it important? … Is it about…

Wells : Hey man, can I sit down?

Rob : (He sits down and then…) Yeah, sure. Sit down.

(Wells sits down and they look at eachother in silence. Finally Rob starts to talk.)

Rob : (He is trying to control himself.) I…I mean you…You know…I’m sure you are going to solve it wisely and in a reasonable way. I know you. You have always been wise, you know. And you have never been sentimental, no matter how important the thing is…

Is that right?

Wells : That’s true.

Rob : You know, I admire you. Well…now I’m ready…(pause) You can tell me about it… fine…very wisely…(pause) Well?...(pause)Well?

Wells : Are you going out today?

Rob : what?

Wells : Aren’t you going somewhere today?

Rob : Well…no…maybe yes…maybe I will. It would be nice to get some fresh air.

Wells : (He glances at his watch.) Can I use this lemon?

Rob : what?...well, of course.

(Wells goes towards the computer. He turns the music off and connects to the internet. He inserts a new software and takes his stuff out of his bag. Rob is watching him and he looks scared.)

Rob : Hey Wells, what are you going to do to me?

Do you have some scary plans?

Wells : Somehow.

Rob : Why can’t you behave like a human? Why?

You can hit me or yell at me or swear at me. Why should you always be like a robot which only has a big programming brain? You(pause) you are a genius. You have always been. You are the best computer programmer. Right?...But you shouldn’t use your programs to make it even with me in a personal romantic case. You shouldn’t take advantage of systems which are all Greek to me. Hey! I’m talking to you…Do you understand what I’m saying?...Come…Come closer.(He punches him.) I’ll start so that you’ll feel at ease.

Wells : You have lost your mind Rob.(He gets back to his work.)

Rob : what are you doing?...Are you going to blow this place up?...Will you, for God’s sake, show it when you’re angry?(He shakes him.) Will you show it?...Act like humans do Wells.

Wells : Leave me alone maniac.

Rob : Be a human. A human!

Wells : (He gets up and stares at Rob.) You mean you are a human? You have feelings? You understand. Yes, you understand, because you are a painter! Because you create art! Because you think you are an artist!

(Rob is taken aback. Wells goes to the window.)

(silence)

Wells : Do you know how tall it is?

(Rob goes to the window.)

Rob : You mean the HBO building?

Wells : There 380 internet offices that conduct the main networks and 50 business halls which are controlling the world’s economy and 10 meeting rooms where decisions are made. Do you know what kind of people there are?

Rob : Well, it is the biggest building, and all big names and masterminds of the world gather there…

Wells : They don’t just gather there. They make all economic and political programs of the world. They plan everybody’s life. They decide when it’s war time, where there has to be a revolution, where they can get rid of their extra products, and…then which place to explode. And they do that without even caring about the people, the children, those who only want to live in peace, and nothing more.

Rob : (He breathes.) So this is it…

Wells : There are a lot of things you don’t know, Rob. You have locked yourself in this deserted prison, because you don’t have enough money to pay rent. Even a pig wouldn’t live here.

Even you yourself don’t know why you are here.

Rob : You are humiliating me.

Wells : (pause) You really don’t know anything.

(He is still at the window. Rob gets close to the coat rack cautiously.)

Rob : A lot of us don’t know anything, Wells.

Well, what do you do there in HBO?

(He takes the purse and the scarf, goes towards the other room, and throws them into the room through the opening in the half.closed door.)

Wells : I arrange their programming systems.

(He glances at his watch.)

Rob : (sarcastically) To make their job easier, yes? I don’t get anything from what you are saying and doing. And you know what? I don’t want to understand. Because you are one of them.

Wells : You don’t need to understand. Just let’s get out of here.

Rob : What? Getting out? Where to?

Wells : You have to leave this place.

Rob : Why?

Wells : Because I’m saying so.

Rob : Listen Wells. I have nothing to do with your big world. Do you understand? I have nothing to do with your starving African people. If poor countries fight eachother, and cut eachother into pieces, it’s none of my business.

If they throw their extra products into the sea, again it’s none of my business… You know what? I’m fed up with your talks. I don’t want to hear anything more.(pause) Why won’t you let go of these thoughts? Why don’t you try to be like others? Why?(pause) Because you are more clever or because you have a more important job? Or because you understand a lot? Is that why you are so arrogant and quiet? Because your big brain is full of figures and calculations?(pause) But you are one of them…Do you understand? One of them…You and people like you have built this building and you are controlling the world and you don’t let us breathe. You, clever people…yes. God’s praise be to the wise faithful upon whose knowledge the world is based.

Wells : This is exactly the world which has been created with knowledge. Look what it has come to! Can we stop it Rob? We all know that the end of it is dangerous, but there’s no way out.

Rob : Who is doing all that? You and the people like you. But I’m free at least. I’m not part of any of your sins.

Wells : You are free? No, you are just a miserable creature. You are so deep down in the complicated economic and political system that you can’t even understand what you are doing.

Rob : I can.

Wells : Yes, you can. (He points at one of his paintings.) Freedom, with the two wings you have drown here.(pause) You know, what you artists do, is deceiving people. You make the horrible world look tolerable to them. This is the only thing you can do and you think in this way you can give them peace of mind.

Rob : I live the way I like to.

Wells : The smallest move you make, is under the control of a complicated system. Your destiny is made by this system my dear Rob. They decide whether you have to get married or stay single, whether you can have a job or you have to be jobless, whether you can get rich or not, whether you can have babies or not… even your artistic work is under their control…

Rob : I have taken myself out of this circle.

Wells : oh, you have? But you eat, don’t you? Whatever you eat is mixed with a kind of substance which will affect your cellular structure in a few years and will cause the cells to accumulate. And this is a new disease.

Rob : what’s this substance for?

Wells : For preserving food products. But don’t worry. They have already thought of the doctors and the clinics. Now you can draw wings for the people in your paintings and tell people they are free. (He takes the painting in his hands.) You know Rob, these wings are only a sad memory from the past. These are the wings which have forgotten what they were supposed to do.(pause) Now let’s go.

Rob : Where?

Wells : Get going.

Rob : (desperately) What’s in your mind? Are you going to disable my brain by electronical waves? Or you have another unique thought? But why me?

Wells : It has nothing to do with you.

Rob : So why don’t you tell me what you are going to do?

Wells : All in a good time, I will tell you. (He glances at his watch.) Just in five minutes.

Rob : Oh, God. Stop it please. Tell me now and relieve me for God’s sake.

Wells : Look Rob. We’ll be together just for some more minutes. After that, you won’t see me anymore and you’ll be free.

Rob : No! Am I going to be killed?

Wells : I just have one request. Look at me Rob. This is my wife’s address. Please give this parcel to her. I have left all my property to her. And there is a letter too.

Rob : (happily) Are you running away? Yeah, you have to run away. Twelve hours a day hard mental work, and sitting opposite light boxes all the time, and not seeing people is a lot. You never have contact with people, do you?...All your life is these machines. You know.(pause) They have driven you mad, haven’t they? You know what? You are right…

Wells : …Did you get what I told you at all?

Rob : …Well, yes…I must give this parcel to your wife. But Wells, I don’t like to do it, you know. I might want to come with you. It could be great fun.

Wells : Would you like to blow up with me?

Rob : Why not? …The fun people like you have, must be very interesting.

Wells : Yes, it is very interesting. (He looks at his watch and waits for three seconds to tell him at the exact time.) I am going to explode this building. I’ve planned everything. It’s perfect.

Rob : Are you kidding me?

Wells : You’re right. I’m not in contact with people, of course the contact which you mean. Because actually all me time is spent in contact, but at these machines. Exactly like people who sit at these things for hours and talk and at the end they don’t know their loved one is a man or a woman. You know sometimes I think if I had been there when Einstein broke the atom, or when any other scientist helped the world to develop, I would have definitely killed them and I wouldn’t have let their discoveries get here.

Rob : But remember you are one of them too…

Wells : And that’s why I will explode too.

Rob : What are you talking about?

Wells : This whole system with its big names and me will blow up in a few minutes. Now get going.

Rob : No, I don’t believe it. (He goes towards his paintings.)

Wells : It doesn’t matter. Just take one of them. This one is good enough. Take the parcel.(pause) Promise me.(pause) I trust you deeply.

(He takes his bag and tidies his stuff.) and she has the right to say anything. You know, I couldn’t tell her.(pause) I wasn’t a good husband. I was always busy, especially these last days. A few days ago she wanted to talk to me…but it didn’t happen. I don’t know why.(to Rob) I think she was going to talk about a new living creature. But if I had talked to her, it would became harder and making a decision would have been terrible.

Rob : Will you stop acting up? You’re just exhausted. That’s it. When are you going to erally see what is happening around you?

Wells : (He puts the parcel in Rob’s hands.) Take it. She can live happily enough with this and she’ll be able to forgive me.

Rob : (He puts the parcel down.) It’s none of my business.

Wells : (nervously) But you owe me.

Rob : I owe you?

Wells : I’m saving your life. (He puts the parcel in his hands.)

Rob : Oh, you are?

Wells : Do I have to force you? Shake a leg.

(Rob gets up. He looks nervous. He collects his stuff.)

Rob : You can’t do this. You can’t. I don’t want to be with you, I don’t want to be part of this and I don’t want to come with you.

(He is going towards the door while talking to Wells.)

Wells : Even if you don’t want to, you are forced to now. Because you know everything. Give me the apartment keys. I’ll lock the door. We’ll take a walk and six minutes before the explosion, I’ll let you go.(pause)Because you might get all sentimental and call the police… let’s go now.

Rob : You are just crazy…Crazy! You have always been.(He gets back hastily, as if he has forgotten something, and he puts the parcel on the desk.

Wells is still watching him. Rob has to hurry.

He is walking in the room and looking at the door.

He wants to open the door, but he hesitates.)

Wells : What are you waiting for? You are living here illegally and your backpack is always ready.

(He takes the parcel again and emphasizes) Ask her to believe me.

Rob : (He goes to the paintings and then to the door. Their eyes meet.)

Wells : You are too slow. Or maybe you are dumb. There are seven floors here and the elevator is not working. It will take us exactly two minutes and thirty seconds. So hurry up.

(rob finally opens the door. He is nervous.)

Rob : You must have heard everything. You know this lunatic well, so what are you going to do? Will you stay here to be locked in and blown up with all these explosives? (It looks as if he has given in. He talks to Wells.) There is someone else here.

( Wells is surprised. He goes to the door and gets shocked there.)

Wells : You…(pause). I can’t believe it…(pause) why?(calmly to Rob) You are a pig.

Rob : You’re wrong.

Rita : Let me explain. (she comes out.)

Wells : Shut up.

Rita : I knew you had a plan.

Wells : So this is it…

Rita : I had come to get news from you.

Wells : You think I’m that stupid?

Rob : Wells, just this one time you might be wrong. She had come to talk about you… That’s all.

Wells : And she stayed for hours in your bedroom.

The whole time I was here.

Rita : I wanted to know everything.

Wells : And if there wasn’t going to be an explosion, would you have come out?

Rita : I never understood what you did…or what you said…or what you thought.

Wells : Would you have come out?

Rob : …ok…ok. We can solve this somewhere else. Wells will you do something? Will you cancel everything?

Wells : Nothing is going to be cancelled or solved here.(pause) My lustful friend, is this your freedom? Oh, all of you artists! You needed to create something new, didn’t you?

Rita : Wells, please! Don’t talk like this…(pause) Please don’t do this. If you are serious about it, you should know that what you is completely useless.

Rob : Wells, stop it please. I don’t know if you are telling the truth or not, but nothing is worth it really. Nothing will happen. Everything will turn back and everybody will continue his work. There will just be some fuss for a while. But everything will be resumed. Nobody will even remember your name. Wells, listen to me! The hell with all men and women and hungry people and the world economy and complicated systems. The hell with any disease or problem… Live Wells…Just live…

Wells : ( He gets up and stares at Rob.) Living?

You mean you are living? Take a look at yourself. (sarcastically) You have real contact with people?...All scientists and masterminds have to be killed. It’s those who made the world like this.

Rita : If we have ended up like this, It’s not just my fault.

Rob : (He takes the parcel while collecting his stuff.)

For God’s sake, Wells…This place is really going to blow up…Look at your watch Wells… (Wells sits down. Rita and Rob are waiting to see his reaction. There is silence. Rob is leaving.)

Rob : I’m satisfied with this wretched life. You can make any decision you would like to. It’s none of my business…(to Rita) will you stay with him?

(He leaves. Rita takes a look at Wells who is still sitting there. She pauses and finally leaves after Rob. Wells is alone on the stage. The light fades out.)

 

Translated by shiva Abayee