3rd post...on the 3rd day.

Hello again.

We resume our random chatter from a day earlier with more words and more stories.

Now, this entry was written sometime earlier this year. I had drawn the concept from the Orwellian horror book, 1984. (I HATED it. *heart* It's not a horror book, it's the dystopia that's scary.) The characters are unnamed, unlike the book, but like the book...

Well, you better read it to see. And tell me your thoughts. Any allusions or anything, do tell me. If anyone would like to re-enact this, then you have my full permission.

Enjoy.

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Breaching Eden

A play in one act by Suzanne Helen James

Rating: T (violence, content)

Genre: mystery, war, two-hander

(Scene opens in a small space, focused on a single light on the middle of the stage. There's a table with a small, slim black stick. Down stage left, two guards are barely seen in the dim darkness. The Breaker enters the scene and looks at The Rebel, a prisoner tied down on a chair. He's covered with bruises and fresh cuts and has his head held down.)

The Breaker- My goodness. Ten years later and who would have thought I’d see you here of all places? Ironic, isn’t it?

The Rebel- …I can’t believe it. It is ironic indeed...you could've been sitting in this chair ten years ago…but now you’ve “changed” apparently. Are you in charge of tonight’s proceeding?

The Breaker- Yes, yes I am. I will be the one interrogating and you will have no choice but to answer to my questions or suffer the consequences.

The Rebel- Of course. I think I know how it works by now. It is really is something of irony, though. To think, once upon a time we knew each other.

The Breaker- Yes, yes…you and I go a long way back. However, the times where I was once the turbulent one and you were the dutiful one have now changed. If it wasn’t for The Society, I would’ve been beaten, broken and about to be brutally executed…just like yourself.

The Rebel- Well, if you must know, broken, battered and executed I may be, but my reasons are for the better good! After all, The Society should crumble along with its corruption. When it crumbles, the people will then rise and turn their back on the past.

The Breaker- Ah yes, I heard about this. You repeat that and so do your soldiers who follow you…though I suppose it is understandable. Criminal or not, you always had a certain charisma to you.

The Rebel- It wasn’t my charisma as much as it was The One and Only Truth that resonated to them. To realize that truth, The Society must crumble.

The Breaker- (chuckles) Honestly, I do find this meeting of ours truly ironic. The same Society that you wish to destroy is once the same Society you were so dedicated to protect. Have you really changed so much in the last ten years?

The Rebel- At the time, I was young and foolish. I was under the Society’s evil influence. I was ignorant and blind to the machinations behind the scenes…It was only recently that I freed myself and I saw the light. The Society you and I are living in is corrupt in every sense and can only be purged through our Revolution!

The Breaker- A bit crazy on the talking, no? But then again, this was the revolution speech that sparked millions of young minds into decisive action. And in our case, I’m afraid that they’ve accepted to destroy their own home.

The Rebel- How dare you call this a home? This degenerated and immoral cesspool is what you call a home?

(In his passion and anger, the Rebel had sprung from his seat, only to fall back down. The rebel hisses in pain and pants)

The Breaker- Heh heh heh…you know I’m finding you to be a truly remarkable sight right now, of a tired and hurting man…And after all that, you suddenly get mad at the mention of home…your home and my home as well! Don’t you know that The Society will always be our home; no matter “corrupted” you think it may be? Let’s not destroy it for the sake of the children…

The Rebel- You think that our children will accept this? The children will rise to power and they will set in motion The Revolution that we have started! The Truth will come forth and set us all free! What is being said to us now has all been lies…but you can’t seem to understand that.

The Breaker- Are you actually asking me if I see lies around me? I’m afraid I don’t follow. What I do understand though, is that The Society does provide for us, no matter how many times you deny it. The Society will also provide for our children and they will indeed rise to take over. However, there is no need for your great and bloody Revolution to happen. The children do not need to inherit such pointless violence.

The Rebel- …Do you honestly hear yourself? You honestly believe that our sons and daughters will embrace the current Society? How can they, with such malice roaming around in our hearts? They will not be blinded forever! They will not want to sit on the thrones of Lies and Corruption!

The Breaker- Oh no, you don’t! I’m the one asking the questions here, not you. I’m surprised you’re still even talking under the state you’re in. And haven’t you ever asked yourself if you’re the one who’s going mad? I mean honestly, there is no need for you to continue this crusade of yours! There is no need for this to continue at all.

The Rebel- …You were always…always so stubborn. You’ve let yourself be so brainwashed you do not heed my warnings…and you call yourself a man of justice. I guess Justice really is blind.

The Breaker- Do you honestly believe that I’m still “fighting” against something unrighteous? I’m afraid you’re wrong, my friend. This is where you are mistaken. I have surrendered my former ways and I’m now fighting the proper enemies; the enemies that cannot live in peace. People like yourself who are enemies to our peace in the Society, and they will always be.

The Rebel- And you’re calling me the crazy one? You’re in such denial yourself that you’re stooping to their level of thought! The Society has never had peace, or if it is, its false peace! The Revolution will bring way to through peace and then The Truth will enlighten us all! (Then, The Breaker gives a surprise slap to the Rebel)

The Breaker- Your mention of strong denial from my side is quite…irritating! Your own twisted talks of revolution, lies and corruption within our Society is destroying your mind! Have you been so traumatized that you’ve grown to believe the drivel that’s coming from your mouth? You, who was raised within the peaceful graces of the Society, are now dedicated to kill? Do you honestly want to destroy the place of your childhood for a childish fantasy?

The Rebel- The place of my childhood was all a very constructed cover for what lies beneath this cesspool of corruption! Everybody was being fooled into believing the stupid, cruel things…we were all being indoctrinated into thoughts of destruction. Such desperation to suppress the masses…but the madness ends here.

The Breaker- Why would it end here, your so-called madness? Is it because of you, your charisma and your so-called soldiers? They who are fighting against the foundations of their ancestors and their own legacy? I find it cruel that they would kill themselves in the name of an aimless revolution!

The Rebel- This “aimless” Revolution is to stop the cycle, stop the deaths and stop The Society’s descent into madness! The people will realize what sacrifices had been made! They will never want to repeat themselves again! They will strive to do better and repent away from their wickedness!

The Breaker- So you’re saying that the people who listen to you…they’re fighting tooth, nail, body and soul for the epiphany that is your revolution? And then what next, I ask you? What happens after the fabled Truth comes to us all?

The Rebel- The Society will be better and morally healthier. True freedom will then be achieved and the people will know what to do then.

The Breaker- Is THAT what you think the results of your little revolution will bring? You think that this is what the truth will enlighten? Do you honestly believe that The Society will prosper and better itself after your little righteous uprising? You are a truly amazing madman. Your beliefs and mine aren’t too different, if you think about it…Except that my thoughts are more plausible than yours are. They also have actual answers and substance…do you want to know what will really happen to The Society after your revolution? Corruption, anarchy and a slow return to the cycle you and your freedom fighters fought so hard to break. After all, The Society is only as strong as the people who support it. (pause) This is what I promise you…The Society will not only crumble…it will collapse!

(Just as soon as The Breaker had finished, he launched a fist at the Rebel’s stomach, making the Rebel cough violently. Retreating to the table, the Breaker then smirks)

The Rebel- (out of breath) …Are those your true thoughts? That The Society…will collapse? Its that sort of thinking that we are fighting against. With the success of the revolution, there will be hope, there will peace and there will be freedom! They will as a result of our sacrifices, so they would never have to be made again- OUGH!

( The Rebel was punched again mid-speech by The Breaker and falls over. The Breaker then looms over the body of the Rebel and puts a foot on his chest)

The Breaker- Have you ever tried to pursue a career as a priest? You could be very successful, since you’ve got the blind fanaticism down right. But really, you’re getting quite repetitive with your preaching. Imagine if we were in front of an audience right now…don’t you think they’d want to see a dying prisoner make sense? I know you’re on the verge of death, but…try to at least get this into your head; The Society will collapse after your precious crusade. It will not prosper for long, though it might seem that way. But I believe that in each and every one of us lies a craving, hungry bloody monster. And eventually, we ignore our conscience and the monsters devours us, one by one. And that's what will happen with your precious renewed Society. Soon, the people will divide, and then you will collapse. The Society will fall, it will crumble...don't forget that, you pathetic name for a lowlife.

(The Breaker removes his foot from The Rebel's chest and the guards come in the room to sit him down. They then tie the Rebel's arms to the chair and feed him pills to revitalize him. The Rebel then coughs as he returns to life, gasping and coughing and yelling in pain. He then glared at the Breaker with renewed fury in his eyes.)

The Rebel- You...How could have such thoughts and not be in my position is beyond my knowledge. But I must admit that they sound as crazy as my own beliefs, even worse! But why is it that you believe in what you say? We both know better...you deny the one and only Truth while I am willing to sacrifice for it.

The Breaker- Well don't you have your own demented thoughts? Your nonsense about rebellion against the system; fighting for things which you have already have, but you've been misusing them. You know that under our laws, you may have all the freedom and prosperity and order you like, as long as you respect our boundaries. What has been established and always will be established in the order. You've just been too self-absorbed to appreciate it.

The Rebel- Yet I know and I follow my own conscience in my belief for The better Society! True freedom is not within your rules of torture and silence! My so-called lunacy has generated interest for a reason; the people are becoming conscious now...if you say that the things that I am fighting for are taken for granted, then the Revolution will bring those virtues into light! Call me what you like, do to me what you will, but my idea will remain! The Truth shall be heard!

(...The Breaker sighed and chuckled. This was all getting to start like martyrdom. After all, the Rebel had been kept alive on the adrenaline and the drugs...though it might cost him his life already. Oh well. He was getting so much fun out of the warm-up, but now was time to show EXACTLY why he had been chosen for the job...)

The Breaker- That charisma of yours can certainly keep your mouth going for minutes on end. Well...enough talk. I think its time you've gotten to know the new me and forget the former Delinquent from ten years ago. This is the only thing you know about me; I am a man of justice, and I fight for The Society itself. The only thing I know about you is that you are also apparently fighting for the eventual benefit of The Society. We've picked our sides and fought our battles. Isn't it time we get to the point of this whole shebang and I take my time to actually break you? I mean, we've already gone through with the proceeding and now I get to have my fun. I hope you enjoy the savage experience. It'll refresh your mind.

(The Breaker gets a truncheon and begins to slap and whip the rebel repeatedly and then he delivers punches to The Rebel, who is then electrocuted into exhausted again. Thanks to the pills he had been fed earlier, the adrenaline had been enough to leave the Rebel to a last inch of his life...)

The Breaker- Now, now, let us see what we have now...Do we still have eyes of a so-called revolutionary?

(To his excitement, The Breaker looks into a pair of beaten yet lively eyes.)

The Rebel- ...A-Are you satisfied now? D-do you not listen to my words earlier? Call me what you like, do to me what you want. My ideas will remain. The Truth will be heard. If I perish then the people will know and they will live for the Revolution...So your efforts are useless..!

(The Rebel then spits defiantly at the stunned Breaker, who actually receives the spit and in retaliation, viciously bites the lip and tongue of The Rebel and for a moment, the two males seem to engage into a voracious kiss. But then Breaker draws himself away from the Rebel and with a smirk, licks his lip and wipes the blood off with his sleeve. He then moves to return to the table, twirling the truncheon in his hands.)

The Breaker- I wonder...do you really want to die that much? Thinking that your demise will trigger something. Though of course, it could mean something if you died, though; you are a family man, widowed with a son. Said son then joined the Father's happy cause. But then...will he have time to miss Daddy when he's gone? I don't know about that. But then, I forget that you also have influenced your surrogate gangs of rebel wannabes; young guns who all want to do something with their lives. They let themselves be brainwashed by your ideas so they can say they they're important. They want to destroy buildings and scorch childhood enemies for your beautiful and successful revolution. Rah rah rah. I'm afraid that you're in for a sad aftermath of bullocks after it.

The Rebel- ...Again, I'm being called the lunatic...you have had your mind corroded to a point of no return. Your future of the Society collapsing will never happen. With the Truth, The Society will not be repeating our mistakes! (The Rebel is then slapped by the Breaker's truncheon)

The Breaker- Uh uh uh. There you go again. Is the edge of death making you sound like a broken record? I'm beginning to think so. I think that you and I differ too much on how your revolution will ever happen. You're so hellbent on creating your precious peace, freedom and prosperity that you will fail to see what will be lost in the process. It would have to take that one prodigy son of yours to make it exactly what you fear most. (He pauses to slap the thin stick on The Rebel's cheek) And if that son of yours is as pigheaded and as hellbent as Daddy is, the denial will start even earlier and your worst will come...Since it only takes one man to lead a people to peace as well as that same man who could drive it to extinction.

The Rebel- I think you are mistaken this time around...but if you would like to prove your theory, finish me. With the knowledge of my demise, we shall we see who is right.

The Breaker- ...Tut tut tut. Do you know what our first Revolution was about? It had been lead by a Knight named Lucius, who fell out of touch with The Lord at the time. He plotted conspiracy to take over from The Lord but was defeated and banished from Eden. Since then, these “fights for power” have been repeated, each with their shares of successes...though they vary. You want to fight for this. You want to fight for that. Familiarity that took years to establish and lose all over again. Why? Because one person couldn't wait his turn anymore. One person was so short-tempered. One person was so empathetic that he made everyone believe that their fighting was necessary. The reversal of this authority for theirs. Your lives and mine will be better, I promise you. They all sound the same. The people listen. The people follow. The people prosper, destroy...and then, then they collapse. The monster had taken over. It was all because of that one man who was just too impatient. That one man was willing to put his life on the line for the revolution that will never truly come. They have many names and many roles, but eventually they all fail. And what's to say that what you're doing will suceed where they've

fallen?

The Rebel- Grr! Such cynicism...well then, to see where your cycle will go, go on and finish me! I will prove to you that my sacrifice will be wor- (Before he finished his sentence, The Rebel was then jerked by the neck by The Breaker and faints.)

(Lights dim to black.)

(( Yep. That's about it for today. Did anyone get the reference from the book yet? Any allusions?

I know, I know. Chilling, ain't it?

A comment I got was 'how depressed were you'? And I'd just like to say...I don't get depression.

Depression gets ME.

I'm not sure what I'm gonna post tomorrow, though I'm thinking it'll be a poem. What I can tell you though is that Wednesday and Thursday, I'll be posting two versions of the same story. Which looks better? You tell me.))

Until then,

See you on the flipside.

Suzanne Helen James.

11.23.09.