霓虹之下

Scene One (Playground)

“In the past, your parents always told you stay away from the Chilling Sea. But today, you will acquire how to swim. It is necessary for you to be familiar with the water, especially after the tsunami.” says the teacher, （a middle-aged woman with red hair blown by the sea wind, burning and jumping like the flames in the air.）

（Children begin to exchange their perceptions about this “swimming-lessen” and then soon pretend to doubt its necessity by acting and talking like adults. But the horrible memory of the tsunami restores them to follow the red-haired teacher to approach the beach bound with shallow water without any dispute, except Kevin, who squats in the corner, eyes fixed on somewhere far away from his location.）

（Other children pay no attention to this small, skinny, silent boy, but the red-haired teacher does. She stops the preceding children and comes back to the corner where Kevin squats at.）

“Kevin, would you mind to tell me what are you doing here?”asks the teacher, （who squats opposite to the brown-haired boy, with an discontented voice.）

“My friend, Miss Auden,” （the boy raises his head, severe sorrow hidden in his blue eyes, ）“ He is gone.”

“So where did he go? Isn’t him among us?”Miss Auden (is in a daze.）

（But Kevin stands himself up, moving himself forwards to the head of the team, answering Miss Auden’s question in a soliloquizing voice）: ”He is under the sea.”

Scene Two (Classroom, beach)

Stage whisper: Two Months Ago, the summer vacation is just in the corner.

（The bell rings. Again.）

“Class is over, the semester is over! Have a terrific vacation and, do stay safe!” proclaims Miss Auden.

（Students cheer and disappear swiftly. ）

Stage whisper: [Kevin, whose parents have disappeared permanently in a brutal storm,] (watching the delightful shadow of the children and parents, walks slowly towards his empty home. ）

（On his lonely way home, he turns left and goes straight to the Chilling Sea.）

Stage whisper: Stand on the desolate beach and face the unchangeable tides of the ocean, he ultimately cannot help sobbing.

“I’m separated from the other. I have neither parents to embrace nor a friend to talk with,” the poor boy （whispers with sore tears dropping）: “The world is jammed with malice and discrimination. It is not fair.”

Stage whisper: Little Kevin cries, wrapped himself up in his depression, only in this way can he feels being accompanied, even by sadness and loneliness.

Stage whisper: The sunshine is gradually disappearing and the night is creeping into the air.

“It is not fair.” repeats Kevin, （naked feet surrounded by the cool sea water.）

“What is unfair?”a strange voice answers.（Lucius）

“The classmates, the people in this very town and, and the world!”Kevin （weeps.）

“It seems like I’m no less solitary as you are. Shall we be friends?” the sweetness of voice （which contains a repressed but unhidden excitement） asks.

“What? Really?” Kevin （pauses crying with an ecstasy and is dumbfounded by being so absorbed in his frustration that he wasn’t aware of the very existence of the owner who spoke such delighting words which eased his sufferings just now.）

（He swiftly wipes his tears, unwilling to expose his vulnerability to the stranger.）

(A boy stands beside him, small, skinny and probably silent as he is, and is distinct by the scarlet eyes and ocher hair. )

“Who are you?”

“I am Lucius. And you’re Kevin, right?”

“How do you know my name?”

“I just know, just as you often go to the beach and embrace the sea.”

“Where do you come from, Lucius?”

The strange boy （raises his left hand and points to the water surface without saying a word.）

Kevin （frowns and confuses.）

Then Lucius explains: “My parents were fisherfolk who were killed by the fierce sea, I had nowhere to go but to be guided by the wind, then eventually went ashore here, building my cottage by my own yesterday.”

“Mine, too.”Kevin （thinks he probably now finds a person who can truly understand his loneliness and feelings.）

“I mean, my parents were killed in the water as well.”Kevin adds （and hugs Lucius without control, touching his cold skin.）

(Lucius struggles against Kevin’s hug, then steps backwards, managing a smile on his pale face).

“Are you sick, Lucius? Your temperature is apparently abnormal!” Kevin （suspects and steps forward.）

“No, I’m alright. Time to go home. See you tomorrow, my friend.” Lucius （turns round immediately and fades away quickly in the twilight.）

Kevin stands （in a daze ）and hears (Lucius’s voice glimmering from the distance):

“Have you ever seen the sunrise on the beach?”

Scene Three (Beach)

Stage whisper: Kevin did see the sunrise before, but he still gets up early. When he reaches the beach, he sees a black dot stuck in the sands, seemingly waiting for him. Lucius is there.

Kevin comes close and sits himself beside Lucius, （being conscious of the low body temperature which peculiarly belongs to the scarlet-eyed boy.）

“What did your life feel like when your family was complete?”asks Lucius （with a confused tone.）

“It was warm, sufficient, contenting. Every time I recollect it, it seems like a glorious paradise with angles dancing in it. They were the most delightful days I ever experienced in my whole life.”Kevin （whispers, eyes watching the farthest glow on the sea.）

“So do you hate the sea?” Lucius asks, （head lowering down to the space between his knees.）

“I did, but now I don’t. Perhaps I know such useless hatred brought me nothing but anguish, either in the past or in the future.” （The soft water is licking Kevin’s fingers.）

“Well, I got it.” says Lucius, （smiling）: “The sea must be acutely guilt to create such disasters, and it is now being devoted to make up for its crimes by providing people with fishes, entertaining them with splendid scenery, accompanying them with billows which provide power of human beings.”

Kevin (signs): “ I’ve already forgiven the sea because I understand there is no use of hating it or defeating it. But what annoys me most is that the adverse impacts brought by the tragedy of my parents.”

“I guess I can understand. Continue, I want to confirm my perception.” Lucius says.

“I’m a boy without parents now, so other kids think I’m weak and different from them. They exclude me, ignore me and dislike me.” (Kevin’s voice dies down.)

“They did hurt you, Kevin. Do you hate them? Do you aspire for a revenge?” Lucius asks.

(Kevin remains silent.)

Stage whisper: Suddenly, a soul-taking glare of paradise embraces them.

Kevin stands up and says:”Come, Lucius. Let me show you around.”

But unexpectedly, Lucius (refuses firmly): “Thanks, but I afraid I cannot.”

“Why?”

(Lucius doesn’t answer his question but stands up to leave.)

“I shall come to pay you a visit,” Lucius (giggles): “someday.”

Scene Four (Kevin’s home, rooftop )

Kevin is woken up (by the panicked yelling and cries). He (sleepily) manages to get up (to figure out what is happening while his fingers are stimulated by the coldness of the substance he touches).

He is astounded (that his bed is surrounded by the water which all his books and dried fish are floating on).

Kevin swims (through the door) and sees (that his town has already submerged by the sea).

Stage whisper: People are in an awful mess—shouting in the darkness, abusing all they touch, even cursing the gods, but still cannot drag themselves out of the disaster.

Stage whisper: Kevin climbs up to the top of his house, the most valuable one among his parents’ heritages, and feels much more lonely and terrified than he ever did. The house is just like a solitude island which traps him together with his helplessness and hopelessness.

Kevin then lies on the rooftop and cries for the whole night. Ultimately, he is so exhausted that he falls asleep unconsciously.

(A few hours later), he is woken up (by a dulcet singing when his fingers are touching another kind of coldness, the peculiar one).

Lucius is staring at him as quiet as a sculpture with charming voice coming out of his throat. It is a song of Ancient Greek era.

Then he suddenly stops to speak: “I don’t want to interrupt your dreams. A horrible night, right? I’ve saved most of your procession, here, look.”

(On the rooftop, around Kevin present his books and dried fish which caught by himself).

“ How about your cottage? ”asks Kevin.

“ Swallowed by the tsunami. On account of your dike, the tsunami is weakened so it is less destructive.” Lucius answers.

“What shall we do?!” Kevin asks, (a fear in his voice.)

“Don’t worry about it, the tsunami will go down soon. We have food, water, time, books and each other. All we should and could do is just wait.” Lucius says, (taking one of Kevin’s books).

Kevin (looks around and says): “Perhaps you aren’t an accurate prophet, but you are truly a good singer! What did you sing just now?”

“<Kassapikos>, an Ancient Greek song. Do you like it?” Lucius (smiles).

“Of course! It’s charming! Could you please sing it again?” Kevin asks (expectedly).

Lucius starts to sing, (eyes seeing somewhere far, and the gorgeous poem is flowing in the air, upon and under the water).

Stage whisper: He is always singing and Kevin is always listening when the night is near.

(While Kevin and Lucius are sharing the dried fish, ) Kevin says: “There are some books contains the Ancient Greek mythology. Ha! Just by you side!” Kevin (stands to pick the book up, then he opens the book and turns it to certain page).

“Look, it talks about the Sirens- They seduce the young sailors by their honey voice, then the sailors sail towards them into dangerous eddies.” Kevin reads the book.

Lucius (laughs loud and stares Kevin with his scarlet eyes): “If I tell you I am a Siren, will you believe it or not?”

Kevin (laughs loud as well): “What a talented joker you are! You? A Siren? There is no any single similarity between you and the Sirens, oh, except one thing! That is your voice.”

“I’m sorry, Kevin.” Lucius (says earnestly).

“What? Why do you say so?” Kevin (is in a absolute confusion).

Lucius (remains silent again).

Stage whisper: Kevin tries to recognize something from Lucius’s face, but the night is gradually falling and, Lucius is looking at other place, so Kevin recognizes nothing.

“Don’ t you want to listen <Kassapikos> again? You know nothing, my friend.” Lucius (begins singing, not waiting for Kevin’s answer).

Stage whisper: Kevin’s doubts and curiosities are stuck in his throat. He is familiar to the song after listening to it for the whole afternoon, so he wants to follow Lucius’s rhythm, but only to find the louder Lucius sings, the slumberous he is.

Scene Five (Rooftop, beach)

Kevin wakes up, (realizing he is no longer surrounded by the water. The tsunami is gone down just as Lucius said).

Stage whisper: Lucius is nowhere to be found.

(In his right hand he only finds a glass bottle. He opens it and gains a little piece of rolled paper. He unrolls it and what contains on it is as following):

Stage whisper:

Crime Confession

1. I was extremely exasperated that day and my fury accidentally created a fierce storm which brought your parents away forever.

2. The tsunami followed me here and almost destroyed your town.

3. I coaxed you into sleeping by my siren voice a few minutes ago.

4. I stole your right to know the truths and hid them under the water.

5. I confess my crimes in order to be trusted and forgiven.

6. I aspire for being accompanied and being your friend.

Confessor

Lucius

Kevin cannot help trembling out of astonishment, eyes keeping opened without soul, mouth remaining sightly opened without a word.

Stage whisper: A few minutes later

Kevin rolls Lucius’s Crime Confession and puts it into the glass bottle (safe and sound). He put himself on his knees (unconsciously, willing to grasp the last shadow of his only friend).

Kevin jumps down the rooftop, running to the beach.

Stage whisper: People still pay no attention to him, wishing and trying to make their life back to normal.

(On the beach, facing the Chilling Sea, he yells hysterically and mournfully):

“Lucius! Where are you? Come back, please! You are my only friend! I have no one to talk to in the future. There is no need to say sorry, let alone to say goodbye! I know you’ve being a liar to be kind; you are a singer, as entirely distinct from your ancestors. You were right, I knew nothing.”

Stage whisper: But neither the sea answers him nor Lucius.

Scene Six (Beach)

Stage whisper: Two Months Later

Miss Auden leads the children to the beach. It is windy, so the water surface is rippling in response to the gentle touch of the wind. Kevin stands in line, being uninterested in the skills of swimming which Miss Auden is teaching, but staring at the sea mopishly).

(Suddenly, everyone is drawn attention to a voice).

Someone (Lucius) is singing.

Stage whisper: Neither the students nor the teacher could recognize the song, but Kevin does. The song is <Kassapikos>, euphemistic and melodious. Kevin smiles, with tears in his eyes. He is so familiar to the song, as he is familiar to the very singer, who is always singing, skin cold but eyes scarlet to find true friendship. Under, and upon the water.

THE END