Scars That Mar by Nnamdi Ndu

This Play is the copyright of the Author and must NOT be Performed without the Author's PRIOR consent

From the darkness we hear boisterous laughter

As lights come on ENA and KATE (inmates of a female ward/cell in a mental home) are moving towards each other in slow motion from opposite ends

Fade up music and hold. DR JUMBO, in another part of the stage (his consulting room), is seen in colored spotlight, which makes him look exalted and is dressed in an academic gown. He is giving a lecture in mime making exaggerated gestures

There is a sharp scream, music pauses, inmates and DR JUMBO freeze. HELEN runs in carrying a baby, SISTER HOPE follows, HELEN stumbles, and her baby falls

As she crawls to reach her baby, SISTER HOPE injects her. HELEN collapses; SISTER HOPE collects her baby, picks a card from the floor, reads, and laughs boisterously, exits

Music continues. DR JUMBO resumes his lecture as the inmates move closer to embrace

Fade out.

PART ONE
 
1. The World Is You

Female ward. Bare stage. One entry. One window with protector (bars).

KATE (gazing out through window). Ena come. Come. Look!

ENA: It’s a man.

KATE: A man Ena!

ENA: He’s coming into the compound.

KATE: He seems to be coming towards us.

ENA: No. Watch him he’ll soon divert.

They leave the window.

KATE: He is going to see Dr Jumbo.

ENA: Yes

KATE: Who knows his mission? Could he have come to work for Dr Jumbo?

ENA: Who tells you that Dr Jumbo will employ an outsider?

KATE: See how he looks. He certainly doesn’t belong with us here.

ENA: You can never tell from initial appearances. Stop straining your eyes he’s out of view.

KATE: Isn’t it funny, the way we’re excited at the sight of a man? A mere man.

ENA: Did you say we?

KATE: Weren’t you?

ENA: Speak for yourself.

KATE: But you should unless –

ENA: Unless what?

KATE: I’d rather not say

ENA: I’d rather you say.

KATE: No, I’d rather not say.

ENA (pulls her by the dress as if to beat her up). Unless what?

KATE (with fear). Unless you hate men.

ENA: Oh that! (KATE slumps on the floor as ENA drops her)
Next time come up straight with it, raw. I’ve never known anything better. I hate pretence. I detest it. Coming to what you said. Haven’t you wondered why I’m not worried about leaving here the way you are.

KATE: No.

ENA (dragging her up). Come on get up. Don’t stay so long on the ground for that.

KATE: Why are you not worried about leaving here?

ENA: Because I have the world here with me.

KATE: I don’t understand it

ENA: (laughs) You don’t. Don’t worry, little by little, you’ll get to know. But for now, just know that the world is you.

KATE: The world is me. I don’t understand it, but it makes me happy. (she laughs, ENA joins, they stop suddenly, she picks a small saw)

ENA: You’re going back to work!

KATE: I want to go home. This is the barrier between me and the world. I must pull it down.

ENA: Your own world you mean?

KATE stares at her confused. ENA smiles at her mockingly. After a moment, KATE rushes towards the window and begins to saw. As she does so, she hums a tune and stops intermittently to reply ENA.

ENA: I admire the diligence with which you are working on that window.

KATE: Thank you.

ENA: With that tiny saw, you hope to accomplish this great task.

KATE: Little by little, so you said. That’s how everything works.

ENA: If I were you, I will think of a better idea.

KATE: I will be on this, till I find another.

ENA: Good luck.

KATE: Thank you.

ENA: Kate, stop! I hear footsteps.

KATE: Two footsteps

ENA: Yes, there are two footsteps

KATE: Of the man and Sister Hope?

ENA: No, if it were a man, I would have smelt it. Quick hide the saw.

Before KATE could, SISTER HOPE enters dragging HELEN along.

SISTER HOPE: I smell something fishy here. You must be up to one mischief or another (sees KATE). That’s it. Let me see your hand (sees saw). That’s it. I said it. My nose never lies.

ENA: Only you thought it was a fish.

SISTER HOPE: I beg your pardon.

ENA: I beg yours too.

SISTER HOPE bites her lips in anger, turns to KATE.

SISTER HOPE: So, you were plotting evil. I’ll deal with you in a way you’ll never forget.

KATE: Please SISTER HOPE.

SISTER HOPE: Please? I’ll deal with you in a way you’ll never forget.

KATE: Please SISTER HOPE.

SISTER HOPE begins to drag her along

ENA: SISTER HOPE. Leave her alone.

SISTER HOPE: Why?

ENA: I asked her to do it.

SISTER HOPE: Why? Gracious. Because I wanted to.

SISTER HOPE suddenly develops cold feet

SISTER HOPE: (to KATE) Is that true?

KATE nods. SISTER HOPE leaves her.

SISTER HOPE: Next time you may not be so lucky.

ENA: Wouldn’t you drag me along? I’d like to come with you (laughs).

SISTER HOPE is angry. After a moment she begins to leave.

ENA (referring to HELEN). And who is this one?

SISTER HOPE (pushes HELEN forward). Your new inmate.

ENA: New inmate indeed. And you didn’t even have the courtesy to say something.

SISTER HOPE exits in annoyance.

KATE: Thank you ENA. You really saved me.

ENA: Oh, it’s nothing.

KATE: She’s so scared of you.

ENA: Why shouldn’t she be?

KATE: I didn’t really know you could do that for me.

ENA: I didn’t do it for you. I did for me.

KATE: I don’t understand.

ENA: You don’t understand?

KATE: How is it that you did it for you?

ENA: I wouldn’t let her harm my world, don’t forget.

KATE: Now I’ve confirmed it, the world is me. The world really is me. Thank you all the same.

ENA: You’re welcome. (turning to HELEN) Now, who are you?

HELEN smiles broadly. The smile turns into a heavy laughter.

KATE: Leave her alone, she’s far away.

ENA: Perhaps a beating will draw her closer.

KATE: I pity her.

ENA: Pity her? I’m sure she pities you.

KATE: She must have been pretty.

ENA: Now only the traces remain.

KATE: Could we have been like her when we came?

ENA: One thing I remember about you was the way you wriggle and stretch yourself in vain craving for your snuff box, that was then beyond reach.

KATE: Really? It amazes me how we become prey to things that should be our prey.

ENA: Drugs should be our prey?

KATE: Not only that, everything, but we become prey to them.

ENA: I once had a friend who anything she couldn’t explain she called irony of life.

KATE: What do you think happened to her (referring to HELEN)?

ENA: Everything, drug addiction, prostitution, alcoholism, frustration, you name it. I don’t have to be Dr Jumbo to know that.

KATE: Do you think she’ll recover?

ENA: Perhaps. We all did, but perhaps she’ll become a different person. Perhaps she’ll no longer be fit for society.

KATE: That’s why we won’t be discharged.

ENA: Perhaps.

KATE: Talking about Dr Jumbo isn’t that –

ENA: He is not a doctor. He’s a wizard.

KATE: A witchdoctor.

ENA: I guess that’s a better title for him. Witchdoctor Jumbo (laughs wildly).

KATE: He must be a terrible man.

ENA: Do you say?

KATE: Can you believe, all this time I go to see him; I hardly have a true picture of him in my mind.

ENA: That is his area of specialization, brainwashing or brain wiping if you like.

Sound of footsteps

ENA: There comes Sister Hope. With time she’s going to turn out like Dr Jumbo, but I’ll make sure I destroy her before she does, even if that is the last thing I do.

SISTER HOPE enters. Walks about the room as if sniffing for something. Satisfied that nothing new was going on.

SISTER HOPE: Good. You are learning to behave.

ENA is bitter. SISTER HOPE exits dragging HELEN along.

KATE: Where’s she taking her?

ENA: To Dr Jumbo, never mind about that, you go back to work (hands another saw to KATE)

KATE (exited). Thank you ENA: Now I know all hope is not lost. I’m going back to work.

KATE dashes forward suddenly, cuts through one of the major bars holding the protector. In awed disbelief she draws back, watches what she has done, then shouts hysterically.

KATE: Hurrah!

ENA: What is that?

KATE: I’ve done it. Just this other one and it will be open.

ENA: What a futile effort.

KATE: Futile effort?

ENA: You wasted your energy.

KATE: How can you say it’s futile effort, when we can now run away?

ENA: That is the thing, we still cannot run away.

KATE: Why?

ENA: Because there is another barrier, no, two more barriers.

KATE: What barriers?

ENA: There’s a fence in a fence.

KATE: A fence in a fence?

ENA: Yes, a fence in a fence. (pointing through window) See that fence you’re looking at.

KATE: Yes.

ENA: After that is a small stream with fattened snakes.

KATE: Fattened snakes?

ENA: And after the stream is another fence.

KATE: That makes three, the fence in a fence, the stream of fattened snakes and the fence outside a fence.

ENA: And there’s the gate with guards too.

KATE: That makes four. Oh no, we’ll never get out of here.

Why didn’t you tell me all along?

ENA: I didn’t’ want you to lose hope. I never knew you were going to succeed anyway.

KATE: I don’t believe you. You don’t want me to go home. How did you know about all these? (Mockingly) A fence in a fence, a stream of fattened snakes, a fence outside a fence, a gate with guards. It’s all lies. Aren’t you here with me?

ENA: You doubt me? (Approaches her) How dare you! (tugs at her dress) How long have you been here to doubt anything I say? Do you know how many times I’ve tried to run away?

KATE: I’m sorry.

ENA: (releases her) Thank your stars the world is you.

KATE: (Smiles) Yes. The world is me (she smiles happily).

ENA: You can go back to work, if you wish.

KATE: Now, that you’ve told me it’s no use.

ENA: Not for your sake now, but for mine. And moreover, you enjoy doing it, don’t you?

KATE: Yes, but because I want to go home, but now –

ENA: Never mind, go on, at least we’ll teach Sister Hope a lesson.

KATE: Alright.

She goes back to sawing the window.