Bavil
by Daude Teel
Cast:
Bavil—a bird. Voiced by an adult male.
Mith—a young woman, late teens or early 20s.
Groundskeeper—adult male, maybe mid 50s or 60s.
King—adult male, 30s or 40s.
Servant—male, similar age to the king.
Villagers 1 & 2—adults of any gender.
Bavil—a bird. Voiced by an adult male.
Mith—a young woman, late teens or early 20s.
Groundskeeper—adult male, maybe mid 50s or 60s.
King—adult male, 30s or 40s.
Servant—male, similar age to the king.
Villagers 1 & 2—adults of any gender.
Bavil
For not the first time under a moonlit sky, I peer
down from my windy seat. High against
a rooted tree, I wait. My nest faces
north, south, west, and east. It sits open
to every slanted sun beam and breeze
blown by those who’ve never seen,
stepped foot in, nor breathed a forest’s hum.
From where did this urge come to
mope about sour-beaked, wrestling doubt,
and worrying heavily under winter’s clout?
[A scream.]
What ho! What’s there?
[Bavil flies, hops, and perches above two humans: a woman kneeling over a man.]
By th’ trees! Is that man dead?
Mith
[Looking up / wiping tears]
You talk of death, mighty as death may be,
when life at last has lent itself to me.
Bavil
But life has certainly left him.
Fair lady, are you the cause,
or did this happen on God's whim?
Mith
I, and his own confidence
kept him here despite my pleas and tears.
He said: ‘I am a knight!
A noble knight who seeks
no pain and hunts no strife!’
Yet here he lies
with my hand on the knife.
Bavil
Wait-o, I’m sure there is an explanation.
Did you have a choice in the matter?
Chivalry is not a requirement for knights.
Mith
This one
at my feet set a rainbow of reefs.
Not petals, but psalms
asking only for my name and a moment of stillness.
He was unlike any mortal man I have met.
Not intimidated by my beauty,
or lacking in respect.
He was—a knight.
Bavil
Until his end?
Mith
I’m sure, even in death.
[She takes a breath.]
Now, I must await my fate.
Bavil
And not for long, I fear.
Look yonder—the groundskeeper’s near.
[Enter Groundskeeper (Gk) with a flashlight.]
Gk
Nightmare’s trouble be true!
Beautiful woman,
whose body lies lifeless there?
Gods be just, it’s the prince!
And oh, I see the red on your hands,
and the jab into his--
Young lady, what pushed you to this?
If it was malice, keep it in prayer
and ask forgiveness.
If it was defense, say so to the king,
and he will weigh your innocence.
I hold no judgment in my heart
—to judge, no steward is fit--
but I will call upon those who can.
Please don’t choose this time to run,
for your own conscience.
[Exit Groundskeeper.]
Bavil
[Aside] Of all midnight’s celestial sounds,
to hear a heavy weeping drown
the piercing stars and careful clouds,
and too, the creatures rustling ‘round,
‘tis curiosity that cured my mood.
[Enter King, Servant and procession, rather obnoxiously. (This is to be comical, though the actors are completely serious.) Groundskeeper and village folk quietly enter.]
King
‘Tis gorgeous, my King’s Wood.
High honor it must be to have
a sovereign who sees true beauty.
No, not only sees but extols in!
How! Had my father’s faithful
father been any less of a man,
I might’ve ended up less than him.
Now—[he claps]
Servant, is that my son?
[Servant inspects.]
Servant
It is, sire.
[Pause.]
King
Which one?
Servant
Seventeen, sire.
King
Ah, yes.
A fool, at best.
[Beat.]
And who’s she?
Servant
She is the suspect, Lord.
As you can see,
her hands hold rivers of blood.
She hovers, and has hovered,
since the deed was done--
an admission of guilt
for those wishing to atone.
Her eyes are bright and wet with rheum,
and her skin cries when lit
by the moon.
King
The suspect you say?
State your name Suspect,
and did you slay my son?
Bavil
If I may, King?
[The king startles, spinning to search for the voice. Eventually he eyes Bavil, perched.]
King
Aye! Is that a talking bird?
[Bavil flies down to a branch near eye level.]
Bavil
It is, if it was my voice you heard.
If I may say my piece?
King
[Collecting himself]
Please—proceed.
Bavil
Tonight I twisted and tossed awake
from dreams of which I shall not speak,
and leapt from tree to ground to sky
where fresh air moved my fears to flee.
I heard a scream upon the floor,
then quickly dashed to see what more.
I sensed her gloom and glided down
to raise her from her beaten state.
But when I chirped to pose my tune
she turned to me with smirking face
and laughed.
King, be careful with this one.
We know not how Vengeance
uses her for fun.
Mith
Firstly,
my feathered friend,
goodness does not cease
where your worry begins.
And to you King,
your son here was a thief.
A foul-formed sack of meat.
He reeked of lust and disregard
for any truth or trust.
His tone was haughty
when he came and clucked,
bringing up how I must
drop to my knees.
He stripped himself of his
cloth, lumbering forth as
if I’d agreed when just in time
a tree root rose. He tripped,
sword unsheathed,
falling upon the tiny thing,
breaking it | breaking him.
In a sudden fit of shame and pain
he begged I take his blade
and end his princely reign.
I did, for is’t not the duty
of a subject to obey?
[Murmurs come from the villagers.]
King
A story well struck.
Finely spoken, girl.
What say you, Servant?
Is your stance unchanged?
Servant
My King, wise are those who
are as stagnant as a river.
If it be Your Majesty’s will,
I’d remain silent
and see what the others reveal.
King
Humble words!
How I love being King!
Hail Groundskeeper, tell us your side.
[Groundskeeper steps forward.]
Gk
Hail—yes—he whose lines
should be heard the least.
I slipped from sleep, pushed
by a sullen dream, into the forest
where I hoped my shaken faith
might find a figment of joy.
I heard only th’ noise one ought at night
when the silky stars gleam.
And then, a scream. I surged over
to see its cause. It was there I saw
with mine own eyes
His Majesty the prince holding
a blade inches above his heart.
A blink later he plunged it down,
causing his pulse to cease.
She was cradling him as a mother
would a babe, watching his last
bits of life leave. Overcoming surprise,
I moved closer, though making
sure to sound my encroachment.
Upon her glance I tamely asked,
How did this happen?
She reached out, touched his hilt
and said,
To make a life, one must give to the dead.
Then I realized
this was not a woman, but a succubus.
King
A succubus?
Are you sure of this, Groundskeeper?
Gk
I am, My King.
King
Sinners and saints!
Servant!
Servant
Sire.
King
Do succubi exist?
Servant
Not in these lands, Sire.
If she is one, she must have
come from the east.
King
Cast me back into a womb!
[Turning to his procession]
Lo, now that we’ve heard the witnesses
preach, Servant state your case once
more against this creature here.
Servant
I have little case to state, but say
with the humbleness your grace affords:
our suspect is undoubtedly the slayer of your son.
For that, she should be condemned.
King
[Unimpressed]
The idea of further misfortune sows salt on my mood.
Servant
It is law, Sire.
Even you must abide.
King
Madam!
Mith
Yes.
King
For the murder of my son, in self-defense,
for I know the wild ways of the prince,
I’ll banish you from my realm.
To be fair, you may have done me a favor,
for the boy was a rapscallion, to say the least,
but my servant is right—what’s the use
of laws if not followed by kings?
[Pause.]
To you Bird, you are one of a kind.
Come, live in my castle.
You’d be most prized.
Imagine, a hundred fluttering hens
and all the worms you can eat!
Bavil
[Shaking his head]
I am honored, but no.
This forest is all I need.
King
Then home you shall remain.
It’s settled.
[He stomps his foot.]
As I am the monarch who reigns,
I hereby proclaim this Mith
to be--
[Two villagers shoot forward.]
Villager 1 / Villager 2
Your lordship! / Dear King!
King
What’s this??
Villager 1
Permit us pitiful peasants a moment
to speak our mind.
Villager 2
Let our two voices be added
to those who have opined.
King
Mmm.
I see no reason to decline.
Villager 2
And—may’t be in poetry?
Mith
Oh, that would be most divine!
Servant
I agree Sire, though knowing
little of the art.
King
And you, Groundskeeper?
Are your ears waxed?
Gk
As if their music did already start.
King
Then, yes.
Press on.
Villager 1 / 2
[Both bow.]
My King. / Thank you.
[They step close to each other and begin.]
Villager 1
‘Twas a weathered day when the tiny
seed was planted--
Villager 2
—layed--
Villager 1
—and left alone to fade from mind
as passers by who once would stay to
gaze and imagine what tree would sprout
now rushed about, even when the first
of its green stuck out.
Villager 2
With a sudden shift the world flipped
upside-down. No longer did the loomers
lounge, but moved with haste toward
phantom doors and golden gates guarding
Villager 1
Graves.
Yet still that growing seed stretched,
far and free from hasty beasts.
Soon the latter began to fade
and their progeny saved no memories
of a seed planted in that place.
Villager 2
At last, machines came. Their roar
tore through the open sky.
Uprooting brown and green,
they erected statues, temples,
Rushmores!—all based on a lie.
They came to the now grown tree.
It stood as tall as a mountain.
Water was its leaves;
lush was the soil beneath.
Villager 1
In awe | in greed, the builders plucked
what they could, parading it back to their kin.
Enraged at their sin, Heaven sent down
waves of Earth’s most violent
predator--
Villager 2
—disease.
Villager 1
Hold me close, O comforting child.
Your mother’s not far,
but we’ll be here for a while.
It’s cold, I know, let’s warm up with a smile.
Hold me close, O comforting child.
Villager 2
And so it came to pass, centuries on,
most knowledge was lost when
your great grandfather led our clan
into this woodland. Here we’ve lived for
generations, shading it from all who
bringeth harm.
Villager 1
Now harm has come.
Villager 2
What’s done is done.
Villager 1
None shall be left unpunished.
[Both bow, then blend back into the rest of the villagers.]
King
Behold,
the rudderlessness of poetry.
Anyways, where was I?
Ah yes--
I, the king, hereby banish
you—Mith—under penalty of death.
There—[a clap]—done.
[Spinning]
Procession, I am to breakfast!
[Exit King, Servant, procession and villagers. (Again, it is an obnoxious exit.) ]
Gk
Incredible aren’t they—these random occurrences?
[Deep sigh]
I do wish you the best of luck, my lady.
I will take care of the body,
so stress not over that.
To you bird, when I see you around
hopefully the setting will be more relaxed.
I must grab my shovel and wagon.
Excuse me.
[Exit Gk.]
Bavil
Well, this is it. May I ask,
what really happened with you
and the Prince?
Mith
This life—it is a gift.
More, I cannot say.
Let your imagination carry you
the rest of the way,
as mine must now ferry me.
Farewell sweet bird.
Bavil
Aye. The same to ye.
[Exit Mith.]
Bavil
For not the first time under a moonlit sky, I peer....
Ah—what a night—what a ride--
but I’m rather relieved that the sun is here.
[Exit Bavil.]
[End.]