In the name of unrequited love
Scene I
(Somewhere deep into the woods without Robert Frost, his horse and the snow. Soft and molten gold-like rays of the sun pierce through the clouds, the mist starts clearing and a not-so-beautiful urban sprawl emerges down below. A pretty girl and a disheveled boy emerge from their respective disheveled and cozy lives to take the centre-stage)
Boy (Sighs): You see, we should not have met in the first place.
Girl: What a horrible opening line! You don’t have a sense of time and
place? And you give our relation a bad name. To hell with you, bitterness
personified.
Boy (laughs): That's a pretty explosive start, isn't it? Kills the plot before it comes across hard realities of life. Any attempt to kill the plot, that too at the nascent stage, is like an infanticide and my hunch is that we will have to pay for it dearly. Nonetheless, I wish you heavens, a comfortable stay in your ancestral land where milk and honey flows. This sweetens the bitter plot a little bit, doesn't it, honey?
Did I smell something burning deep inside someone's heart? Is it jealousy?
Girl: Did I just smell something burning deep inside someone's heart? Is it jealousy? By the way, you have an open invite to join me in the promised land.
Boy: No, I ain't John Lennon's jealous guy. About joining in, that does
not seem to be in our respective destinies.
Girl: Ahaha! You never cease to amaze me, boy. That makes me love you
more and more (sighs). By the way, from when did you start interpreting
destinies? And how is it going? I mean how is it paying?
Sorry, I am hurting an emotional wreck all the more (laughs). I want to
bring you back to life, to its harsh realities. I want you to mature and grow
old with me. 'Want you to be far more serious about this relationship than you
currently are. A firm commitment, no less: That's what I want from you.
A firm commitment, no less: That's what I want from you
Boy: Girl, you are already sounding far more serious than my mum. I wonder if the other half of humanity is just like that. Never have I been more serious than at this juncture. I will go mad for sure if I become more serious. You don't want a madman roaming around your neighbourhood taking your name in an inebriated state, do you (laughs)?
You don't want a madman roaming around your neighbourhood taking your name, do you?
About bringing me back to life… That part is quite interesting. In the
olden days, I have read, menfolk used to pray to high heavens to send Apsaras
(nymphs) as wives to give their disorganised lives a turnaround. Here, in these
woods, a modern-day Apsara is trying to bring her beloved back to life. Where
am I, by the way, in high heavens if not in this valley of deep pain and
sorrow?
Girl: Wow! A love-struck Romeo roaming around my neighbourhood, taking my name. How romantic that would be! Forget about the reputation of my own and that of my family. That does not mean anything to you anyway, does it? And what an excellent flavour of English! Menfolk! Womenfolk! Olden days! Here comes some literary figure from Victorian England with a girl of the 21st century. What a match you have chosen, girl (pats herself on the back)!
(Thick fog descends into the woods. The boy and the girl vanish into their respective milieus).
Scene II
Back to the woods. Lord Baghbhairav descends, sheds tears and shoots back
into the sky like a flash. Perhaps the lord god is sad and angry over the human
invasion of these woods, his abode. Or perhaps he is shedding tears for the boy
and the girl, knowing full well what lies ahead for them.
A stream of humanity comes down from the deep woods with loads of firewood as the boy and the girl struggle to climb up, holding hands together. A solitary crow croaks, drowning out a chorus of sweet-sounding chirps.
Keats emerges, pale, spectre-thin and almost dead, this time due to coronavirus.
(John Keats emerges, pale, spectre-thin and almost dead, this time due
to coronavirus. He sings a few lines from An
Ode to a Nightingale in a barely audible voice and fades away into history.)
Cold wind blows, driving away dark clouds and offering a mesmerising view of the lush-green jungle. Here, beauty does not appear that ephemeral after all.
Girl: Wow boy! What a place to be!
Boy: Sweetheart, I created these woods just for you. You see how much I love you?
(Like a bolt from the blue, Baghbhairav appears and roars. Driven by fear, the two lock themselves in an embrace. The lord god smiles and travels back to the sky in no time.)
Girl: (Laughs) Is the creator of these woods okay?
Boy: In these sacred woods, in this sweet home of Baghbhairav, I went a bit too far…... By the way, I am impressed with that divine ability to appear and disappear in a jiffy. A fine example of escape velocity in action.
Is the creator of these woods okay?
Girl: What would you do if you were endowed with that ability? Leave
this world just like the lord god?
Boy: Vanishing without a trace, leaving this troubled word behind! Not
a bad idea!
Scene III
Amid a sea of mists in the woods, a cliff stands out. Down below, celebratory cacophony of the death ritual is playing out along with the hoarse croak of the solitary crow.
Just when the boy is about to jump, a figure clad in white appears out of nowhere, pulls him away from the edge and vanishes after whispering something to him.
The cacophony ceases, the boy climbs down the steps with tears streaming down his face and meets the girl halfway.
Girl: Where were you?
Boy: I was on the edge.
Girl: (Laughs and then gets serious) Let's jump off and end this plot. What a romantic ending it would be! We are not the director's puppets anyway, or are we?
I will leave these woods and the city to pursue an international
education, probably some geeky stuff, once this pandemic subsides. You see, too
much of literature, arts and music is eating away my brain.
Why let news hounds destroy our lives and that of our kin even when we cease to be?
Wish me luck! Who knows: I may land up at Harvard or MIT!
Girl: (Smiles) It appears you have a brain, after all. I am impressed
with your plan. Listen to me now.
Boy: (Sighs) Wish I could listen to you my whole life. That would still
not be enough, though.
Girl: Don't go poetic, again, go binary, rather. Together, let's take this leap of faith. I mean, let's build our lives together. How about living close by these woods? Just a small plot is what we will need to build a house for us. We can manage that. Or how about both of us leaving for abroad? We will support each other and pursue higher education.
How about living close by these woods or heading abroad together?
Boy: You have a point, but life's not as simple as it used to be in the days of slash and burn. It has got a lot more complicated. About the prospects of leaving abroad together, I have not given it much thought.
Girl: Wow! A descent from the 18th to the 21st century. A free fall! Try to avoid serious head injuries (laughs).
Boy: Yeah. Let me share with you an interesting encounter with my
guiding light, for this somehow relates to our lives.
Girl: Ok, go ahead.
Boy: While passing
by your locality a few days ago, I met Robert Frost.
Girl: What was Frost
doing in my locality? Trying to wow me (giggles)? Did you pick up a fight with
him?
Boy: He was
building a wall with a bunch of labourers to keep lesser mortals away from your
neigbhourhood.
Girl: You are
getting too frosty. Taking some drugs, you fool? I will kill you.
Boy: No, I am not
and I was not at that time, either. After Frost had laid the last brick
on the wall at your neighbourhood and fitted it with barbed wires, I took him
to my room and made a strong brew for the two of us. Over coffee, he offered:
Lemme recite a poem for you, Sonnie. That evening, Frost sang in his mellifluous
voice his celebrated poem, Good Fences Make Good Neighbours.
Wherever I go these days, Frost sings Good Fences Make Good Neighbours
(Whispers) Listen carefully, Frost still sings in these woods. Wherever I go these days, Frost sings Good Fences (weeps) …………..…..
Girl (Struggles to hold back tears): You have
gone mad. Tell me the truth: Are you into drugs or something?
Boy (Laughs): No no no. The drugs remind me of a fresh nightmare.
Girl: Ok, go on. You are bent on ruining what could have been a very
romantic outing.
The wall is the truth
Boy: In a recent episode of recurring nightmares, I was heartbroken and
taking cocaine, while the reality is that I cannot even smoke more than a stick
of cigarette. Forget the nightmare, forget it. Before I lose it out, lemme show
you the way out.
Girl: What? No, I can't leave you like this.
Boy: I love you with all my heart, but my love will get you nowhere. It will only drag you down, believe me. Besides, I cannot ignore the wise words of Frost and dad. I may sound regressive, but the wall is the truth. In fact, a thousand walls separate you and me. These walls are sacred to me. Wish I could bang my head on them, not for razing them but for paying tribute to the ones, who built them, by offering my blood, my life.
A thousand walls separate you and me. These walls are sacred to me
Girl: Mad or not, I will leave my comfy world for you. We will buy a
plot on the lap of these hills, build a small mud house and live a happy life.
Or we will go someplace else and rebuild our lives, together.
Boy: No, I won't force you to live with me in penury in the name of
love. I will not sink that low.
Girl: But it's my choice.
We will buy a plot on the lap of these hills, build a small mud house and live a happy life. Or we will go someplace else
Even if we start a new life in these woods, it may not last long. The lap of Mother Nature is infested with all sorts of elements, including criminals. In this corner, banished by our families, we may be extremely unsafe. We don't want to spend our lives running amid these woods (with a bounty on our heads, perhaps) in a desperate effort to protect ourselves from criminal elements, do we? Unlike in films, such a scenario is not romantic at all.
You read a lot, so take lessons from history. Union of unequals has almost always led to a tragic ending, so do not even think about it. Take the lives of Karl Marx and Jenny von Westphalen, Leo Tolstoy and Sophia Behrs…….
You see, I have always been selfish, so I ask you to do one thing for me.
Union of unequals has almost always led to a tragic ending. Take the lives of Karl Marx-Jenny von Westphalen and Leo Tolstoy-Sophia Behrs
Girl: What is it?
Boy: Before sunset, let me take you to your home, with a heavy heart,
of course.
Girl: Before leaving, let's carve our initials on a pine tree, even if it's in the name of unrequited love.
Boy: Let us not do that. Why make these trees writhe in pain, all their
lives, in vain? What have they done to deserve such punishment?
Girl: Then let's rush past these woods before it gets dark.
Let's rush past these woods before it gets dark
Scene IV
A whiff of cold wind blows. Dry leaves fall off the trees.
The two arrive at a forked road.
Girl (deliriously): At the turning point, finally. One leads to the city, the other to the woods. But I don't want to move. I am too tired, baby.
At the turning point, finally. But I don't want to move. I am too tired, baby
How about playing one last game, for the sake of good times?
Boy: Ok, but it should not be too long.
Girl: No, it will be one short and sweet game. (To herself) A game to
remember, forever. By the way, you have not changed your mind, have you?
Boy: No, not at all.
(The girl fumbles into her coat pocket and fishes out two pills. Pops up one and gives another to the boy. (To herself) Have it baby, this is to ease the pain. Then takes out a loaded pistol from her pocket and laughs: Caught you off-guard, didn't I? (Then screams with tears running down her face) Don't move even an inch.
Cold wind blows. Two bullets pierce the boy's heart and he comes crashing down as birds fly off with fallen leaves.
Two bullets pierce the boy's heart and he comes crashing down
Scene 5: Soliloquy
You see, I didn't want to see
you roaming around these woods like a madman. Neither did I want you to leave
me to bear the pain of unrequited love while you pursued your dreams abroad.
Together, we could have lived happily after, whether it's in these woods or anywhere
else. But you always acted like a
wrecking ball in our lives. You did not listen to me and brought me to this
dead end (Sobs).
Peace be upon your father. This child of yours, I am sure, caused you
nothing but pain. So, he deserves to die this way.
In life, we could not, but in death, we shall unite
Mum and dad, please forgive me for this unforgivable sin. Sorry for
letting you both down.
The sound of several bullets echoes in the woods and eerie silence follows as the girl collapses
Sweetheart, in the name of love, I go down with you, happily. In life,
we could not, but in death, we shall be one.
(The sound of several bullets echoes in the woods and eerie silence follows as the girl collapses. Night descends into the woods and another story of unrequited love ends, abruptly)
Night descends into the woods and another story of unrequited love ends, abruptly
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