Half Moons Rising
(a three act ceremonial drama)
Writing Sample: (from act two)
(Thunder is in the near distance. The storm is getting closer)
(The young ELOISE watches RON RIPLEY hastily pull some of the “tree tops” together and bind them to make a shelter frame over the pile of blankets)
(The young WILTON takes the beaded belt, examines it and puts it on)
HOSPITAL DOCTOR
Do you see your heart, Eloise? ….. Okay, there appears to be a blockage, just like we thought. Right there. Right on the valve on the aortic artery. Can you see it on the monitor? It appears to be closing up a bit. Now….. I’m going to look around …
(Voice fades out)
ELOISE
(Turns to RON RIPLEY)
Have you ever had anyone stick a tube into your heart?
RON RIPLEY
(Sits and rubs his leg)
I don’t need any distractions right now. Go away.
ELOISE
Leg hurt?
RON RIPLEY
I need to get more spruce boughs.
ELOISE
(Jumps off blanket, perfectly healthy)
Need some help?
RON RIPLEY
(Shivers)
Goddamn it’s cold!
ELOISE
Storm’s coming….
RON RIPLEY
Fuck the storm.
(WILTON puts on a wolf headdress down with four eagle feathers attached)
ELOISE
(Showing him the feather)
Look what I found?
RON RIPLEY
(Viciously grabs for it, but she pulls back)
Give me that!
ELOISE
No. I think it’s an eagle feather.
RON RIPLEY
Probably part of the eagle that caused the crash! I’ll…
ELOISE
It’s mine.
RON RIPLEY
I’ll rip the goddamned thing…
ELOISE
What good would it do to rip this feather to pieces? Will it make your leg…
(Feels her own hurts leg. Ignores it)
…our legs stop hurting?!
(Approaching thunder. Points to stones)
If you have to tear something up, then tear up some stones from the ground and make a fire pit. If you stack some logs on the top, then the heat chamber will stay dry and…
RON RIPLEY
If I want advice I’ll ask for it! I don’t need advice. I don’t listen to anyone. I don’t hear anyone. If I want something, I’ll do it myself or I’ll hire somebody to do it, but I don’t take advice. I give advice. People pay for my advice….
(Loud crack of thunder, lightning streaks as WILTON is lit up. RON RIPLEY sees him and backs away)
There’s an animal out there! I think it’s a wolf.
(Picks up stick to defend himself)
Go home! Go away!
(Drops stick and pulls out gun, points it toward WILTON who ignores him and continues to dress)
I said go away!
ELOISE
A wolf won’t attack you.
RON RIPLEY
Don’t you see him out there?
ELOISE
(Looks toward WILTON)
Yes.
(Looks for book/stones. Finds a very large book)
Here’s a good stone for the back of your fire pit. You’re going to need some dry wood to…
(WALKING WOMAN’S drum beat gets more anxious. Faster and more dangerous)
RON RIPLEY
What do you mean, he won’t attack me?! It’s a wolf. Wolves are wild animals. They hate men. They hate people. They….
(WILTON touches each feather as he faces the four directions)
ELOISE
(Picks up more books)
Here’s some good stones.
RON RIPLEY
(Aims at WILTON)
I think I can get a good shot…
ELOISE
(Steps in front of the gun)
Wolves are teachers.
RON RIPLEY
Get out of my way. I don’t want to test how far my fantasy can go.
ELOISE
You will be killing part of yourself if you shoot me.
RON RIPLEY
(Pause. Puts the gun away. Sits down near the large stone and stares at it)
You’re like a bee inside of my head. I can’t seem to get you out. I can’t seem to will you away. All of this. This place. This….lousy luck. Crashing a plane because of an eagle. Lousy, lousy luck.
(Pause. Stares at stone, not really seeing it)
ELOISE
You remind me of a painting by Victor Vasnetsov. I saw it in Russia. Moscow…
RON RIPLEY
… Moscow?
ELOISE
My husband and I…
RON RIPLEY
(Stares unbelieving at her, shrugs and goes back to looking at the stone)
Your husband?
ELOISE
(Ties her hair up in braids, uses part of RON RIPLEY’S shredded shirt for a tie)
There was this warrior and he was really tired. So was his steed. I’d say it was a horse, but this was a once mighty, no majestic steed. And they were in this really desolate land. And there was nothing but crows and wind and bones of fallen warriors and their mighty steeds laying all around like stones.
(WALKING WOMAN takes her eagle feather fan and circle dances over the ground. WILTON watches her as he moves from tree to rock. Learning the forest)
ELOISE (continued)
(She examines the eagle feather)
And it was getting late in the day. The sun had set and this warrior comes to this big stone that marks a crossroad.
(She props the large book up on its side)
There were two skulls right next to this stone.
(She picks up two more books and lays them near the large one)
A man and a horse. It looked like someone just didn’t want to go any further, just laid down and died, you know?
(She passes the eagle feather over the “fallen warrior and his steed.” As she does, WALKING WOMAN responds with the rattle)
And this warrior, he was reading the carving on the stone and his shoulders were slumped and his lance was pointed to the ground and he was tired, really tired.
(Takes part of the shirt and ties the feather into her hair)
What do you think the stone said?
RON RIPLEY
I don’t know. I don’t care…
ELOISE
Think! You’re at a crossroad and tired, at the end of the day after a battle and what do you think this stone says on it?
RON RIPLEY
Chicago. Five thousand six hundred and forty-two miles, I don’t know!!
ELOISE
(Laughs)
That’s a good one.
RON RIPLEY
Second oldest joke in the book.
ELOISE
So I suppose what the stone says is the first, huh?
(Notices it’s getting darker as the clouds cover the moon)
It probably is.
(RON RIPLEY notices this too and pulls the book/stones closer to the fire pit. ELOISE picks up one of his stones and reads)
Hum? Oh. It says. Whether you are on a horse, on foot, or flying, if you follow any of these paths…. You will die.
(Distant rumbling thunder)
It’s his fate, see?
(Pointing to the large back stone she had placed)
His fate. It’s written on every stone. See? There and there and there….
(WILTON slips around the poles near RON RIPLEY)
RON RIPLEY
(Pulls gun out again)
Who’s out there? There’s somebody out there! Show yourself or I’ll shoot!
(Lighting and thunder. RON RIPLEY sees WALKING WOMAN)
Eloise!
(HOSPITAL white noise comes up. Lights shift to ELOISE as she crosses to her blanket)
HOSPITAL DOCTOR
Eloise! Eloise, see? I told you, you wouldn’t feel a thing during the catheterization. Nurse?
(RON RIPLEY hears the voices and looks for the source)
RON RIPLEY
Who’s out there!
(He stops in a shadow and waits)
HOSPITAL NURSE
I’ll compress your incision for a while to make sure there is no bleeding. Just lie still.
(WALKING WOMAN shakes the rattle pulling RON RIPLEY deeper into the forest and away from WILTON and ELOISE)
You’ll have to lay back for six hours without moving. The doctor is here to explain the next procedure.
(WILTON, in regalia, crosses to her, holds her hand. Neither sees the change in outfits)
Here’s your husband. Now just relax.
(There is a constant steady urgent beat and occasional call of the flute and deep drum like thunder throughout this next sequence. (MICKEY HART, “Rhythm Devils.”)
HOSPITAL DOCTOR
If you want to live, you have to have open-heart surgery in the morning. It’s a decision that you need to make right now.
(WILTON dances around ELOISE like a wolf around his mate, trying to get her up and protect her)
You have what we call an aortic stenosis.
We will replace your aortic valve.
(WILTON dance break)
It leads from your heart to your brain.
(WILTON dance break)
It is made out of plastic.
(WILTON dance break)
It is made out of Teflon.
(WILTON dance break)
You can expect to live a long healthy life.
(WILTON dance break)
If you take your blood thinners.
(WILTON dance break)
If you don’t get an internal infection.
(WILTON dance break)
If you eat the right foods.
(WILTON dance break)
But if you get a bad flu.
(WILTON dance break)
That could cause an infection.
(WILTON dance break)
But if you get an infected tooth.
(WILTON dance break)
That could cause an infection.
(WILTON dance break)
You should have this operation
(WILTON dance break)
But it’s a decision you have to make now.
(Under next dialogue)
It’s a decision you have to make now.
It’s a decision you have to make now.
You’ll die if you stay as you are.
You’ll die if you stay as you are.
Your fate is written on every stone.
There and there and there….
And there and there and there…
ELOISE
So what does he do?
RON RIPLEY
(Rubs his face hard)
What does who do?
(Thunder)
ELOISE
The warrior at the crossroads?
RON RIPLEY
I’ve got to get some wood.
ELOISE
So what would you do….?
(WALKING WOMAN is dancing lightly through the forest. She sounds like a light rain shower, before a heavy storm. Thunder is rumbling overhead)
RON RIPLEY
(Trying to find wood)
It’s all wet.
ELOISE
….if you were that warrior?
RON RIPLEY
Everything is wet….
ELOISE
….if you had killed so many people….
RON RIPLEY
How can I make a fire with everything… wet?
ELOISE
….that there were none left to fight.
RON RIPLEY
Look if you’re not going to help me then just leave!
ELOISE
….if you had killed so many rivers…
RON RIPLEY
Get out of here!
ELOISE
….that there were none left to drink.
RON RIPLEY
Get out of my head!!
ELOISE
….if you had killed so many forests….
RON RIPLEY
Go away. Go home!!
ELOISE
…that there were none left to smell.
RON RIPLEY
Go back to the hospital and die! Just die. Just die!!
ELOISE
(Goes to pile of blankets)
If you dig deep under the leaves, you’ll find twigs dry enough to help start a fire.
RON RIPLEY
Keep away from there! Don’t touch … it.
ELOISE
(Goes to a pole and takes down ankle bells)
You are right. Twigs would not be enough really. You only have one match left. You’ll need something…. Something really dry to help start the fire.
(Ties them on her ankles)
Something to dry out the wood. Something… dry as a bone. Something that the best of quality has protected.
RON RIPLEY
(Pulls his briefcase behind him)
You bitch.
ELOISE
We all have to sacrifice something to live.
RON RIPLEY
I’ll die before I burn that contract. It stays no matter what. No matter what! We’ll both die before I’ll give in to…
(Goes to silence. Distant rain from rain stick, thunder)
I’ll find something else.
(Rummages around in the area)
Moss or something. Dry leaves. Whatever.
(Picks up item after item)
No, no, no, no, no…..Wet. Wet. Soppy wet…. Wet…. Wet…. Wet… Fuck…. Wet….
(The storm is in full swing. Lights flashing, rain sticks, the falling rain, the urgency of the percussion)
(RON RIPLEY runs through forest picking up wood, throwing it toward the shelter and mumbling “wet, wet…” throughout the following dialogue)
(Drums are a steady, heavy beat as WALKING WOMAN takes up WILTON’S dance. He sees their shadows as they dance and follows them in a rage)
RON RIPLEY (continued)
Come out and face me like a man! I see your shadow! Only fools think you are a deity, but you are nothing but dirt! I’m ready for you. I’ll bulldoze you to the ground. I’ll poison your air. I’ll take your water for my bath. Nothing can stop me from digging out your heart. I am the deity of this place. I’ll take you on, Pamola, and squeeze you in my briefcase. You are dead, Pamola. You are dead!!!
(Lightning strikes and knocks RON RIPLEY to the ground, he curls up and tries to hide. The drums end on a loud beat. WILTON and WALKING WOMAN stop. Blackout)
END OF ACT TWO
